Su's motoring heaven with a TVR car

She has brought some sporty spice into the motoring life of Su Carlin and her husband Alan Baguley, but it's been quite a journey, a relationship with various stops and starts, the starts after the stops sometimes being a bit uncertain.

And now the story of Emma, a 1988 TVR S1, has been featured in the TVR house magazine, Sprint.

Alan says: "Over five years ago, by accident, Su became the very proud owner of her own red sports car with a folding top. She fell in love with the car at first sight and has retained that feeling. We've had a rocky ride with this vehicle but, as with a delinquent child, forgiveness and excuses prevail."

It all began when the couple, who live near Telford, went to a car auction at Leominster to look at a couple of Land Rovers, but judging them to be duds their eyes began to wander.

"I heard a familiar voice calling out, 'Alan, look what I've found,'" recalls Alan in the feature.

And there she was, bright and shiny red. It was, says Alan, love at first sight.

"I doubt there would have been second thoughts even if the car had had only three wheels and no gearbox."

The low mileage TVR – she had last turned a wheel in 2009 – did not make its reserve, but after negotiation the couple were able to buy it for just over £3,000. After correcting a variety of not-too-serious faults, it passed its MOT.

Why Emma? She was named after Su's favourite dog at the time who had died the week before the car was bought.

And so to the road. However Su Carlin – that's the family name Su still uses – and husband Alan had to contend with one of Emma's quirks, a hot-starting problem which meant that if they stopped for a short while they couldn't be sure of starting again. This could be embarrassing.

"Dear Emma decided when she would move again, and the real puzzle was because none of the people recruited to offer help, could. Like all problems it was eventually sorted."

They learned to adapt to this peculiarity, factoring in the assumption that they would be parked for not less than an hour in certain circumstances.

Naturally when the couple wanted to demonstrate the fault to others, she started first time.

There was a fire, more smoke than flames, when the starter motor shorted. A fan belt went too.

Issues were found with the fuel injectors and with corrosion in the fuel system. (This is a precis by the way).

"The picture being painted here is full of trouble and strife, but life with Emma had lots of sunshine, and when the sun did shine the experience was heaven on earth," said Alan.

At shows, Emma would turn heads.

Emma was soon up to her special trick again in the form of fuel starvation, with gunge in the fuel tank being suspected and resulting in the tank being refurbished. More engine hiccupping on a run in February last year was traced to debris clogging up the fuel system.

"Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, no significant proving run has yet been possible, but we have fingers crossed that a solution has finally been found."

Alan added: "I'm joint regional officer for the Shropshire and South Staffordshire TVR Group of the national TVR Car Club and have been for several years. My runabout is a TVR 4 litre V8 Chimaera. The national club office is in Newport."

Alan says his feature in Sprint was intended to convey their enjoyment of the marque and respect for TVR despite the trials and tribulations.

The couple are looking forward to better times when they can renew their relationship with the much-loved but sometimes idiosyncratic Emma.

Alan says: "Emma has been on SORN (i.e. off the road) since November in compliance with the Covid regulations. We are hoping to have her back on the road as soon as the restrictions are eased.

"The repair costs have been spread over several years and to produce an accurate figure would be problematic. An off-the-cuff estimate is £4,000.

"Has it been worth it? Most certainly."

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FACTSHEET

MODEL: TVR S1 (280S), convertible.

ENGINE: 2.8 litre Ford Cologne V6, 160bhp.

PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph in eight seconds; top speed 128mph.

LIST PRICE WHEN NEW: £12,995.

FIRST OWNER: David Abdoo, an executive with Carlton Communications (first registered December 1988).

CURRENT MILEAGE: Just over 42,000 miles.

MPG: "Usually 30-plus." (says Alan)

SERVICE INTERVAL: "Annually. Mileage is low, so service is determined more by the oil change recommendation."

COST OF A TYRE: Unknown, as she hasn't needed any yet.

MOST LIKE FEATURE: "The driving experience."

MOST DISLIKED FEATURE: "The small door width. The next version, the S2, had doors extended by about three inches so was much easier to enter and exit."

AND TVR STANDS FOR...: It is derived from the name of the company founder, Trevor Wilkinson. TVR started life as Trevcar Motors in Blackpool in 1946.