Three-quarter front view of a 1979, TVR 3000M Turbo in the Paddock Area of the 2019 London Classic Car Show
As a higher-performance alternative to the 1600M and 2500M, TVR debuted the 3000M at the October 1972 Earl's Court Motor Show. It uses the L Ford Essex V6 and cost £2278 in October 1972. The four-speed manual transmission was also available with a switchable Laycock de Normanville overdrive. The early coupés weighed around 950 kg (2,094 lb). Produced for only one year between 1973 and 1974, the 3000ML was a special luxury version of the 3000M that included a walnut veneer dashboard, leather trim, Wilton carpets, sunroof, and high-backed seats of a style different from those found in the standard cars. It also featured extra soundproofing and a roof liner made using West of England cloth. A total of 654 naturally aspirated 3000Ms were built, including both the standard and luxury trim levels. In 1973, a single 3000M chassis had a new Rover V8 engine installed by Martin Lilley's dealership business, Barnet Motor Company. This would prove to be a one-off exercise (due to the difficulty of acquiring brand new Rover V8s at the time.) The first major alteration to the M-series body was the hatchback Taimar, introduced at the October 1976 British International Motor Show and using the same mechanicals as the 3000M. The name was inspired by the name of Martin's friend's girlfriend, Tayma. The opening hatchback alleviated the previous difficulty of maneuvering luggage over the seats to stow it in the cargo area, and the hatch itself was opened electrically via a solenoid-actuated latch triggered by a button on the driver's doorjamb. Over its three-year production, a total of 395 normally aspirated Taimars were built. To commemorate the first decade of Lilley's ownership of TVR, twelve 3000M anniversary cars where produced. Because the company had originally planned to build exactly ten, the first ten of these cars were individually numbered ("Martin 1" through "Martin 10"). Each car had a pair of special kick plates. To further increase the performance of the 3000M,
Size: 5299px × 3419px
Location: ExCel London, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock,
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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