TVR 400 which version to buy
What a later generation would usually change — extra horsepower, extra mass, extra gears — cannot be compared across TVR 400 generations because only 1 generation exists. All arithmetic below is inside 4.0 MT, not between two TVR 400s.
4.0 MT is the only row in the data. It makes 272 hp (200 kW) at 5500 rpm and 366 Nm at 3500 rpm, with No boost, Front, longitudinal placement, and Distributed injection (multi-point). Kerb weight is 1120 kg; 0–100 is 6.5 s; top speed is 220 km/h. If those figures are the brief, this is the version. If you need a measured city/highway/combined mpg, a tank size, CO2, eco class, or wheel size, those are not measured for 4.0 MT — buying it does not add those numbers later.
Generations: what changed (and what did not)
1 generation (1989-01-01 to 1993-12-31) is the whole model. Body: Roadster. Versions in this generation: 1 (4.0 MT). Start and stop of the generation match the modification: 1989-01-01 to 1993-12-31. There is no 2 generation, so there is no later car with more power, a different gearbox, or a different drive to “wait for.” Restyling is not listed as its own generation.
What a later generation would usually change — extra horsepower, extra mass, extra gears — cannot be compared across TVR 400 generations because only 1 generation exists. All arithmetic below is inside 4.0 MT, not between two TVR 400s.
Engine and specs: 4.0 MT
| Version | hp | Nm | Displacement (cm³) | Fuel | Cylinders | Layout | Boost | Gearbox | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 MT | 272 | 366 | 3947 | Gasoline | 8 | V-shaped | No | Manual | RWD |
Further 4.0 MT engine facts from the same row: 2 valves per cylinder; compression 9.75; bore × stroke 94 × 71.1; fuel grade 92; 5 gears; engine Front, longitudinal; feed Distributed injection (multi-point).
Power per litre (4.0 MT): 272 hp ÷ (3947 / 1000) = 68.9 hp per litre (rounded to one decimal). That is 272 ÷ 3.947.
Torque per litre (4.0 MT): 366 Nm ÷ 3.947 ≈ 92.7 Nm per litre.
hp vs kW: 200 kW is the listed electrical-equivalent power; 272 hp is the listed horsepower. Both belong to 4.0 MT at 5500 rpm.
Boost: No. There is no turbo or supercharged TVR 400 version to pay extra for. The 272 hp and 366 Nm are naturally aspirated in the data (Boost: No).
Gearbox and drive: Manual, 5, RWD only. There is no Automatic 4.0 and no AWD 4.0. Choosing 4.0 MT is choosing a 5-speed Manual RWD Roadster; you cannot “spend more” inside this model for another layout.
Performance, mpg, and 0–100
4.0 MT 0–100: 6.5 s. Top speed: 220 km/h.
Power-to-weight (4.0 MT): 272 hp ÷ 1120 kg = 0.243 hp per kg, or 4.12 kg per hp (1120 ÷ 272).
Torque-to-weight (4.0 MT): 366 Nm ÷ 1120 kg = 0.327 Nm per kg.
Gross vs kerb: full mass 1425 kg minus kerb 1120 kg = 305 kg of allowance between kerb and gross. At 272 hp, that is 1120 kg in the 6.5 s / 220 km/h figures, not 1425 kg. The 6.5 s and 220 km/h are listed on the 4.0 MT row; they are not restated as a second, heavier test mass.
mpg / fuel consumption: city not measured, highway not measured, mixed not measured. CO2 not measured. Eco class not measured. A “which version has better mpg” comparison is not possible: there is one version and three consumption fields are empty. Do not treat silence as zero litres; it is not measured.
Fuel type for the tank you will fill: Gasoline, grade 92, on 4.0 MT. Tank volume is not measured.
Dimensions, weight, and ground clearance
| Item | 4.0 MT |
|---|---|
| Kerb weight | 1120 kg |
| Gross weight | 1425 kg |
| Allowance (gross − kerb) | 305 kg |
| Ground clearance | 150 mm |
| Fuel tank | not measured |
| Wheel size | not measured |
Suspension 4.0 MT: Independent, spring front; Independent, spring rear. Brakes: Ventilated disc front; Disc rear.
Clearance vs the one body: 150 mm on the Roadster is the only ground-clearance figure. There is no taller generation and no lower restyle in the data.
Wheels: not measured. You cannot pick 4.0 MT for a catalogue tyre size; the size is not measured.
Mass fraction: kerb is 1120 / 1425 ≈ 78.6% of gross; the remaining 21.4% is the 305 kg gap. That gap is the only “payload-shaped” number in the file. It is not a listed payload rating beyond that subtraction.
Reliability, problems, and what the numbers do not tell you
Problems and reliability are not in the launch data. There is no failure rate, no service interval, and no recall count. Saying 4.0 MT is “more reliable than another TVR 400” would invent a second version.
What you can still use when deciding:
- One mechanical recipe: Gasoline, 8, V-shaped, 2 valves per cylinder, No boost, Distributed injection (multi-point), Manual 5, RWD. There is no dual-clutch, no Automatic, no extra-valve row to compare for complexity.
- Compression 9.75 and fuel 92 are the listed pair for 4.0 MT.
- Years: 1989-01-01 through 1993-12-31 — five calendar years of the same generation and the same 4.0 MT spec in this catalogue. A 1989 car and a 1993 car are not given different hp, Nm, or mass here.
If a listing claims more than 272 hp, more than 366 Nm, a different gearbox name than Manual, or a drive other than RWD, that listing is not this catalogue’s 4.0 MT.
Which version to choose
Choose 4.0 MT — it is the only TVR 400 version in the data. The name to match on a modification page is exactly 4.0 MT (not a renamed “4.0 manual” or “400 4.0”).
What the numbers buy, in arithmetic, not in price (prices are not in the data):
1. Output: 272 hp and 366 Nm from 3947 cm³, 68.9 hp/l and 92.7 Nm/l, peak power at 5500 rpm, peak torque at 3500 rpm — 2000 rpm between those peaks. 2. Mass: 1120 kg kerb, 4.12 kg/hp, 0–100 in 6.5 s, 220 km/h. Gross 1425 kg (+305 kg). 3. Layout you cannot swap: Roadster, Front, longitudinal, RWD, Manual 5, Independent, spring at both ends, Ventilated disc front, Disc rear, 150 mm clearance. 4. What extra money cannot buy inside this model: a second generation, a second engine, Automatic, AWD, boost, a measured mpg, a measured tank, CO2, eco class, or a wheel size. Those are either absent as versions or not measured.
Do not choose a “different TVR 400” in this catalogue — there is no 4.0 AT, no second horsepower for the same name, and no 1 generation vs 2 generation spread. Two versions with the same name distinguished by hp do not appear here.
Skip 4.0 MT only if you require a measured consumption, tank, CO2, eco class, or wheel size, or if you require a gearbox other than Manual 5 or a drive other than RWD. Those requirements are not met by any TVR 400 row in this data.
Bottom line: buy 4.0 MT if a 1989–1993 Roadster with 272 hp, 366 Nm, 3947 cm³ Gasoline 8 V-shaped, No boost, 1120 kg, 6.5 s to 100, and 220 km/h is the spec. There is no in-range alternative to compare on price, because price is not given and no second version exists.