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Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: FourLoti on Tuesday,May 28, 2024, 08:04:40 AM

Title: SOT: Look What Followed Me Home!
Post by: FourLoti on Tuesday,May 28, 2024, 08:04:40 AM
I'm afraid I seem to be going the wrong direction on the automotive evolutionary scale, but it was too good a deal to pass up. Came complete with the proverbial "Engine in a Box" 

What have I done? :confused:

Ron
Title: Re: Look What Followed Me Home!
Post by: RoddyMac on Tuesday,May 28, 2024, 08:06:44 AM
2500M?  Are you going to leave it stock or will it get upgraded?

There's a few TVR build threads on GRM, one with a modern driveline and the others with stock set ups.
Title: Re: SOT: Look What Followed Me Home!
Post by: FourLoti on Tuesday,May 28, 2024, 08:19:09 AM
Thanks for the GRM info. Yes, it's a '74 2500M. Owned for a very long time by a TVR enthusiast in Indy/Carmel. Disassembled and painted, also a long time ago, and then it sat until now. Some assembly required. Not sure yet how far I'll go with this one, but leaning toward stock, with various known improvements - once I learn more about what those are :)

Ron
Title: Re: SOT: Look What Followed Me Home!
Post by: 4129R on Tuesday,May 28, 2024, 08:22:46 AM
Trevor's car.

Travels Very Rapidly.

It is a crying shame the company was bought by someone who had no idea how to run a business, and it went down the plug hole.
Title: Re: SOT: Look What Followed Me Home!
Post by: RoddyMac on Tuesday,May 28, 2024, 08:42:39 AM
Here's two links, just to save some searching:

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/my-1973-tvr-2500m-renew-and-restomod/137802/page1/ (https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/my-1973-tvr-2500m-renew-and-restomod/137802/page1/)

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/1974-tvr-2500m-driver-restoration/179775/page1/ (https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/1974-tvr-2500m-driver-restoration/179775/page1/)

Title: Re: SOT: Look What Followed Me Home!
Post by: BDA on Tuesday,May 28, 2024, 09:07:42 AM
FourLoti, you have it bad!!!

Seriously, congratulations! Whenever a great Brit car is rescued it is always a good thing!

Feel free to post about it in the "Off Topic Subjects" section!
Title: Re: SOT: Look What Followed Me Home!
Post by: Cheguava on Tuesday,May 28, 2024, 12:42:04 PM
Very nice! 
Title: Re: SOT: Look What Followed Me Home!
Post by: TurboFource on Tuesday,May 28, 2024, 12:50:40 PM
 8)
Title: Re: SOT: Look What Followed Me Home!
Post by: EuropaTC on Tuesday,May 28, 2024, 01:25:52 PM
Back in 78/79 there was a group of us who met regularly on Sundays, mostly Marcos owners and one guy managed to blag a group visit to the TVR factory in Blackpool. 

We'd just turned up when  Martin Lilley drove up with I think a Rolls Royce, smiled at us scruffy lot and said "hello, come in".    We ended up spending all afternoon wandering around, very laid back with access all areas. The production line was pretty crude and I remember they had a Griffith in there for restoration plus a few crashed cars waiting repairs.

These photos are quite poor, scanned from 35mm and taken with available lighting in what you can see was a very old fashioned factory.  But it's a period piece and probably where you car was made ?

Brian
Title: Re: SOT: Look What Followed Me Home!
Post by: BDA on Tuesday,May 28, 2024, 04:18:21 PM
Man, that is a pretty archaic assembly/factory facility! It's amazing what they were able to accomplish there!
Title: Re: SOT: Look What Followed Me Home!
Post by: Pfreen on Tuesday,May 28, 2024, 05:21:30 PM
Ron,

 What engine does it have?
Title: Re: SOT: Look What Followed Me Home!
Post by: jbcollier on Tuesday,May 28, 2024, 05:26:56 PM
Chap in Canada imported a few 2500Ms without engines and trannies.  He “dropped” in a Ford 302 with a four seed and called it a 5000M.  My former boss has one.
Title: Re: SOT: Look What Followed Me Home!
Post by: dakazman on Tuesday,May 28, 2024, 05:45:01 PM
  Four Loti
   Congregation on your new baby!😍😍
Dakazman
Title: Re: SOT: Look What Followed Me Home!
Post by: TurboFource on Tuesday,May 28, 2024, 06:13:40 PM
Check out the headers on this Peter Wheeler 5000M race car!
Title: Re: SOT: Look What Followed Me Home!
Post by: FourLoti on Tuesday,May 28, 2024, 07:13:54 PM
Hi everyone - thanks for the kind words of encouragement (and sympathy/concern:))

Those TVR "factory" photos are crazy, and such a cool glimpse into the past. I got to tour the Lotus factory in Hethel circa 1998/89 and it was much better, but not orders of magnitude. That reminds me that on the final assembly line there was a yellow over blue Esprit Turbo. Yellow and blue as in the Camel cigarette livery and it was the presentation car for Nelson Piquet. Wish I'd gotten a photo. But, wait, that would have actually meant carrying a camera!!

Anyway, sorry for initiating this drift away from our favorite early British sports cars - those with the engine in the proper location!

I'll follow up in the OT section.

OH, in answer to the question, it has the OE 2.5L straight six sourced from the TR6. But in my case it's still in many pieces and tubs...

Ron
Title: Re: SOT: Look What Followed Me Home!
Post by: surfguitar58 on Thursday,May 30, 2024, 03:14:47 PM
 :beerchug: Congrats on your new project!

A high school friend's older brother rolled his TVR Griffith when we were teenagers. (He survived.) Not sure if it was a 400 or a 200 with a V8 conversion, but it was scary fast, and seriously tail happy (hence the roll.)

Tom