Why do certain cars continue to reside in relative obscurity, a sports car purgatory where values never seem to change? The TVR 280i, also known as the Tasmin, is a car that seemingly checks all the boxes for any enthusiast looking for a top-down experience, but the values of these limited-production roadsters seem pretty flat, and have been for years. The good news? That means you can still buy a very nice one for reasonably short money. Find this 1985 model listed here on craigslist for $9,999 and thanks to Barn Finds reader numskal for the tip.
The 280i features one of my all-time favorite engines, which is that of the Ford Cologne V6. This engine sounds absolutely glorious with the stock exhaust system but totally bananas with anything that is approaching a sport exhaust system. I’m not sure why it sounds so good, as I’ve never seen any evidence that the engine design of the Cologne mill somehow supports it in sounding like a supercar, but one quick look around Google will convince you it’s a very mean motor. The seller is representing this 280i on behalf of the owner who is said to be winding down his collection.
The 280i doesn’t have a ton of faults or other maladies that should prevent you from buying one, aside from being slightly obscure (and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.) TVR forums and message boards will tell you that parts aren’t hard to find, and certainly the loyal following the brand still enjoys among British car enthusiasts all but guarantees someone will help you out in the event some rare piece of trim breaks off the dash. Speaking of, the woodgrain surrounding the instrument binnacle appears to be in good shape, as do the leather (or fake leather) seats. In the listing photos, the top looks clean well.
Really, the biggest sin these cars can hide is rust in the outriggers and elsewhere underneath the body. This being a California car should hopefully eliminate most of the potential for corrosion underneath, and the painted surfaces in the engine bay seem to suggest this car is as minty underneath as it appears to be up top. The lightweight construction helps that punchy V6 feel much more powerful than it is, and when you combine all of its various selling points up against the possible negatives, it only leads to more head-scratching as to why these aren’t more sought after. Does anyone else agree that the 280i deserves more respect?
British 🇬🇧 wedge.
I have always loved the looks of these, but many say they can be a pain. Seems like a great deal with low miles.
The only fault I see is the body proportions are off. The rear end needs a few more inches and I think that’s it. The Cologne V6 is a great engine and its a shame Ford didn’t use it more in the states. At $10k this is a great buy and a good weekend/warm weather warrior.
Well, the tail does look like a Yugo…
19Tiger65: I’m not sure Ford could have used the Cologne V-6 in many more vehicles without straining the factories’ capacity. The Mercury Capri and Mustang through 1980; the Ranger, Bronco II, and the big Merkur sedan (2.9) and Explorer and Mustang (4.0 OHV and OHC versions).
I owned a white 1985 in 1990. Really fun car. Easy to work on. The only issues I remember (& it was a long time ago) were a water leak right above the rear view mirror and that it had solid lifters so you had to set the valve lash periodically.
Interesting to see two of these for sale at the same time: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/950350270304975/
Am I wrong, or didn’t Ford use the 2.8 Cologne in the Mustang II? I had that in my ’74, and it was absolutely pathetic. Now, this was when only the US did anything about pollution, and it probably had 6:1 compression (and was carbureted, not FI), but man, did it lack. Maybe in Euro trim, it was a different animal.
@ Clay in ABQ, you are correct that this engine was used in your Mustang II but, as you surmised, it was a different animal. The 280i version (and some of the other Euro versions) had around 160 hp vs something like 105 in yours.
When you consider the weight difference of the cars (TVR about 600 lbs less than the ‘Stang) along with the hp and torque difference, they are totally different cars.
Speaking of engines, TVR soon began to put Rover V-8’s in these cars, culminating in the 325 hp 450 SEAC. That seems like it would be on the verge of being a British Wedge Cobra of sorts.
looks can be decieving. i looked at this car in person down in encinitas ca, it is a project car. it needs a little and a lot of everything. in addition to that there is something wrong with the utah title instead of listing tvr under make it list a code…if you try to run a history report it says vin not valid. it does not have any smog eqipment on it. sorry for the caps my keyboqrd is broken.
looks can be decieving. i looked at this car in person down in encinitas ca, it is a project car. it needs a little and a lot of everything. in addition to that there is something wrong with the utah title instead of listing tvr under make it list a code…if you try to run a history report it says vin not valid. it does not have any smog eqipment on it. sorry for the caps my keyboqrd is broken.
Jeff says…”I’m not sure why it sounds so good”…
I’ll tell you why Jeff, it’s a 60 degree V6!
90 degree V6’s sound like your neighborhood school bus.
I contacted the seller, and he stated Utah Title, as Kev noted above.
It’s not likely that it could be registered in California, although it does have a cat, and seems to have all the emissions equipment my Cal Reg ’83 Tasmin has. Not sure what Kev doesn’t see, that I do. What’s it missing? Or what am I missing?