The modern reincarnation of the brand may have stalled, but a forgotten car from TVR’s glory years is set to reappear at the London Concours in June.
The brainchild of Peter Wheeler who was at the helm of the brand from 1981 to 2004 and responsible for taking TVR into the mainstream with some of its most successful models from the wedgy 350i to the Chimaera and Tuscan, the Scamander was a major departure from the sports cars the company was known for.
Conceived by the eccentric Wheeler as a truly multi-purpose vehicle blending off-road prowess, on-road dynamics and amphibious capability, the Scamander was engineered into a proper running prototype and looks like a sci-fi film prop but is fully road legal. With the rear bodywork under its aeroplane-style sliding canopy apparently capable of taking twin stretchers, Wheeler conceived the vehicle as a multi-purpose offering for adventurers, military and rescue services.
With a McLaren F1-style three-abreast seating layout, the Scamander is powered by a mid-mounted Ford V6 engine and following Wheeler’s insistence on weight saving used two-wheel drive rather than 4×4 transmission, relying on big wheel travel, wide track and skinny tyres for grip.
The prototype first ran in 2008 but ollowing Wheeler’s passing in 2010 the sole Scamander built has been kept in storage for over a decade, but has now been recommissioned and will appear in the ‘Wildcards’ class at the event, celebrating automotive eccentricity.
Open from June 4 to June 6, the London Concours is held at Artillery Gardens in central London and you’ll find more details at londonconcours.co.uk
