Why America Banned The TVR Tuscan

Like its original, the TVR Tuscan Speed Six was first and foremost a racing car, given the barest of facelifts to make it road-legal. The Mark I Tuscan shipped in small numbers to serious drivers and even had its own one-model racing series (via Top Gear). TVR wanted to bring the same “racer on the road” experience to the global market and threw out every part of the car that didn’t serve that goal.

TVR built the Tuscan of fiberglass over a tubular steel frame, making the body light and stiff but fragile even by the gossamer standards of supercar peers, according to GAUK Motors. The engineers took off the pop-up headlights to reduce drag, severely reducing visibility. There was no traction control and anti-lock brakes (via Car Magazine). As late as 2006, the car didn’t even ship with a driver’s-side airbag.

With so many significant safety shortfalls, only a massive redesign could have allowed the Tuscan Speed Six to ever touch American tarmac. As TVR went bankrupt in 2006 and has not brought a new car to market since, that redesign is likely unforthcoming. Devoted American collectors of British bruisers will have to wait for the model to quality under the NHTSA’s 25-year rule before taking the Tuscan for a spin.