1983-87 TVR 280i

Mine had a habit of popping its pop-up headlights when going over bumps

by Rob Sass

Guaranteed to have a delaminating dash by now.

TVR was founded by Trevor Wilkinson in the late 1940s, and has since endured more receiverships, changes in ownership, and near-liquidations than probably any other car company—Lamborghini included. Yet no matter how close to financial ruin the Blackpool, England, firm has veered, TVR has always operated as a low-volume producer of hand-built sports cars. This has resulted in some memorable models, like the mid-1960s Griffith, and the following decade’s 2500M. But TVR has also had its share of disasters—which brings us to the 280i. Initially known as the Tasmin, it was the follow-up to TVR’s successful M series. Unfortunately, the 280i’s prolonged gestation period meant that by the time it hit the street in the United States in 1983, the wedge styling fad was on its way out and the car looked dated from day one. That in itself wouldn’t have been a problem had the 280i not retailed for over $25,000—about the price of a new Corvette. As such, many of these...