Hilton & Moss, specialists in the sales and servicing of classic and prestige vehicles, offers for sale one of the wildest modern classics money can buy: a stunning 2005 TVR Sagaris in iconic Chameleon Orange.
This particular Sagaris comes with a very special distinction: as an official press car for TVR Cars it has enjoyed a life in the spotlight quite unlike any other example. Featured significantly in enthusiast magazines such as Evo – which hailed the Sagaris as “TVR’s maddest modern creation”, and Autocar, which said “the Sagaris represents TVR’s finest hour”, it’s also the Sagaris reviewed by Jeremy Clarkson on the BBC Top Gear Test Track in a 2005 episode of the series.
Conceived as a new hero car for TVR’s range, which included tamer Tamora and T350 models, the Sagaris was designed with the track in mind, skirting as close to the ethos of a ‘racing car for the road’ as permitted.
Shown to the world for the first time in 2003 at the MPH03 Autoshow at Earl’s Court, with a further prototype revealed at the 2004 British Motor Show at the Birmingham NEC, the production car that followed in 2005 took in several refinements and redesigns to walk it back slightly from the extreme concept originally conceived.
But, it still landed on sale as arguably the wildest and most analogue performance car of its era. Most notably, the cuts above the front wheel arches were filled in and relegated to pure form over function, but touches such as the curved Perspex rear wing, the purposeful front splitter and of course, the mad and unmissable side-exiting rear exhausts made it onto each of the circa 200 examples produced.
Power is provided by TVR’s famed Speed Six naturally aspirated straight-six engine, developing over 400bhp in this application and sent to the rear axle via a five-speed manual gearbox. Using TVR’s traditional spaceframe chassis modified to accommodate slightly wider front and rear tracks, the bodywork of fibreglass and the stripped out, bare-knuckle approach to driver aids and safety equipment results in a kerb weight of only 1,078kg.
Inside, a roll-cage snakes around the windscreen, the edges of the roof and settles behind the large bucket seats of the driver and passenger. As per TVRs of the era, a large central tunnel dominates the space inside, placing the fit-for-purpose metal-ball shifter of the transmission at a convenient .
The Sagaris remains the most recent TVR model in production, built in Blackpool until the company entered administration in December 2006. Then TVR owner Nikolay Smolensky unsuccessfully attempted to revive production of the Sagaris with a Mk2 version in 2008 featuring more creature comforts, such as a satellite navigation system.
Defleeted by TVR in January 2006, the previous owner of this famous Sagaris purchased the vehicle in July 2015 after years of seeking out this exact example. Its thorough service history includes regular check-ups at TVR specialist STR8SIX and it has been given careful inspection by Hilton & Moss, themselves TVR experts, resulting in the necessary fitment of a new clutch.
The Hilton Group Founder, Peter Hilton, said: “Ever since the Hilton Group acquired TVR specialist Bespoke Performance in 2020, we have built on its reputation for a deep understanding of the maintenance, repair and sales of these hugely engaging performance cars. To bring to market such an important piece of TVR history is a real honor for us, and given the enormously dedicated following that the brand still has, it likely won’t be long until this star of the TVR story finds a new custodian.”
