Testimonials
Griffith 500SE - Mr Robson
Str8six are one of two TVR specialists near to my home, but curiously I have only ever bought the occasional part from them. Powers Performance look after servicing and have done for many years. However, on each visit to Str8six, I have been impressed with them. After 20 plus years, the paintwork on my Griffith 500SE was now very flat, so that was my main concern. The interior was less of a concern, though it was rather tired. Jason and I had a remarkably short conversation where we talked about new paint and sorting out the interior, and Jason came up with an itemised, estimated cost that was very reasonable, but of course, one always takes these things with rather more than a pinch of salt. He also came up with a relatively quick start date, which no-one else had been able to do.
Jason didn’t go into details, and nor did I for reason’s which I still can’t quite fathom. I simply trusted that when Jason said he knew what was necessary to “refresh the car”, he seemed to know what was what. Compared with others, Str8six is local to me, so if (when?) things were going wrong, I could easily go and bother him, so he got the job.
We didn’t quite make the original start date, but shortly after that date, I dropped the car off with Jason and wondered when I would see it again, because all the people I know who have done this sort of thing have had expectations set, and repeatedly broken.
I have had progress reports and we have done a couple of things extra to original ideas where things were found to be a bit amiss, but Jason said it would be ready before Easter and he told me a few days back it would probably be ready about now. Even with the incidental extras, the added cost of which I agreed, I have paid a bill which is about 5% more than the original estimate. Note the word “estimate”. In almost every case the estimated cost has become what I have been charged. Frankly, that was a very pleasant surprise.
Then I saw the car. That has come as a shock. It looks better than when it was new. It doesn’t look over-restored. It just looks as if what has been done has been done to a quality standard exceeding that to which the factory aspired. What Guy Martin, might term, “A proper job.”
When I collected the car, it was plain to see that Jason was almost as pleased with how the job has been accomplished, and the result achieved, as I am. The quality of every part of the refresh is simply better than I expected. Add to that the fact that everything has been done in the most straightforward manner. For me, the whole experience has been totally devoid of stress.
I am deliberately trying to avoid using the sort of superlatives or language that Mr.Clarkson would muster, as they are frequently so extreme that we know they are not entirely factual. What I wish to convey is that Jason, and the people with whom he works, carry out their tasks with commendable diligence and to a standard that I believe will exceed expectations by some margin. Value is the combination of price and performance, and my experience of doing business with Jason and Str8six is that as a value proposition, they excel. To say, “I couldn’t be more pleased.” will probably sound like a throw-away line, but in my case, it says it all.
When I got home, I parked the car on the drive and simply stood and looked at it.
Smiling.
Thank you.
Jason didn’t go into details, and nor did I for reason’s which I still can’t quite fathom. I simply trusted that when Jason said he knew what was necessary to “refresh the car”, he seemed to know what was what. Compared with others, Str8six is local to me, so if (when?) things were going wrong, I could easily go and bother him, so he got the job.
We didn’t quite make the original start date, but shortly after that date, I dropped the car off with Jason and wondered when I would see it again, because all the people I know who have done this sort of thing have had expectations set, and repeatedly broken.
I have had progress reports and we have done a couple of things extra to original ideas where things were found to be a bit amiss, but Jason said it would be ready before Easter and he told me a few days back it would probably be ready about now. Even with the incidental extras, the added cost of which I agreed, I have paid a bill which is about 5% more than the original estimate. Note the word “estimate”. In almost every case the estimated cost has become what I have been charged. Frankly, that was a very pleasant surprise.
Then I saw the car. That has come as a shock. It looks better than when it was new. It doesn’t look over-restored. It just looks as if what has been done has been done to a quality standard exceeding that to which the factory aspired. What Guy Martin, might term, “A proper job.”
When I collected the car, it was plain to see that Jason was almost as pleased with how the job has been accomplished, and the result achieved, as I am. The quality of every part of the refresh is simply better than I expected. Add to that the fact that everything has been done in the most straightforward manner. For me, the whole experience has been totally devoid of stress.
I am deliberately trying to avoid using the sort of superlatives or language that Mr.Clarkson would muster, as they are frequently so extreme that we know they are not entirely factual. What I wish to convey is that Jason, and the people with whom he works, carry out their tasks with commendable diligence and to a standard that I believe will exceed expectations by some margin. Value is the combination of price and performance, and my experience of doing business with Jason and Str8six is that as a value proposition, they excel. To say, “I couldn’t be more pleased.” will probably sound like a throw-away line, but in my case, it says it all.
When I got home, I parked the car on the drive and simply stood and looked at it.
Smiling.
Thank you.
Graham Varley - 4.3 Sp.6 Sagaris engine rebuild
Graham is very well known in TVR circles as the man who is behind the bible that is the Sagaris workshop manual. So in 2008 when Graham had an issue with the engine in his Sagaris we were honoured he chose us to rebuild the engine for him. Graham had an idea of what he wanted from his new engine, it had to be better in every respect than the orignal unit but must also remain close to TVR's design. We built a bespoke blueprinted 4.3 Ltr Sp.6 with gasflowed cylinder head and manifolds which were then ceramic coated to cut down on under bonnet temperatures and heat soak. The overall finish of the engine was painstakingly improved with powder coated block and covers, zinc passivated brackets and polished stainless bolts. Even the part no. stickers were reproduced by Graham in a wipe clean material. We have since helped Graham maintain this car to the very highest standards.
Paul Edwards - T350R 4.2 Sp.6
Paul came to see us in May 2009 after a couple of frustrating seasons with an unreliable engine in the TVR Speed/Sprint championship. We started from scratch and built him a bespoke 4.2 Ltr Sp.6 engine to our specification. This includes a lot of the upgrades we use in our standard rebuilds. A bespoke crankshaft and conrod configiration was used which utilised the standard bore and gave the engine some much needed low down torque, we also used an uprated cylinder block with improvements made to the cooling and oil system. The engine was then installed by one our TVR technicians and the rest of the car setup for the championship to Pauls spec. Since then Paul came very close in 2009 to winning the overall title even though the car had been off the road for some of the events and in 2010 he won it outright with 100% reliability.
Winner of the 2010 TVRCC Speed Championship - powered by Str8six
Winner of the 2010 TVRCC Speed Championship - powered by Str8six
Majorca next stop!
Excert from an email a customer sent to us who recently bought a MK1 Tuscan from Str8six and then drove it straight down to Majorca.
"Hard to pick out highlights of the trip, but gunning down the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans felt pretty special. The Millau Viaduct was ever bit impressive as you said it would be - that bridge is enormous and we must have spent about three hours exploring all around, over and under it! The last day of driving took us over the edge of the Pyrenees and into Spain - mile after mile of deserted switchback bends as we got higher and higher and the views got more and more spectacular was one not to forget in a long time either! The chateaux we passed were a rather pleasing backdrop to it all.
It was just sensational and I only wish we had had three weeks, not three days to do it in. Can't wait for the return run now!
The Tuscan was totally amazing. I must have spent nearly ten hours behind the wheel each day driving twisty country roads and didn't once feel tired or uncomfortable. It does an amazing impression of a muscle car when you just leave it in fifth burbling along and ride a wave of torque to overtake other traffic accessed through a slight squeeze with the right foot. Then incase you start to think you are in a GT, you drop it into third and make the ears bleed of the motorist you are going past as it transforms into a feral GT3 race car!! Which reminds me, the tunnels! Oh, the tunnels!! This thing is really really really LOUD!! It is properly savage and bloodcurdling at full cry - when this happens to coincide with a tunnel you have the sound of the apocalypse with enough volume to split the earth to its core! It sounds brutal! Think the sleeved exhausts may have to go...but not quite yet!
There is no way the a trip would have been anything like this good in a T350, and any doubts about choosing a Tuscan have completely gone from my mind. It is so versatile, so spacious, so comfortable, so fast, so powerful, and has such presence that a T350 just can't match. Very happy indeed. Oh, and the union jack TVR badge was fun in France as I kept having to explain that the car was built in England, hence why it looked nothing like every other bland eurobox trundling around out there".
"Hard to pick out highlights of the trip, but gunning down the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans felt pretty special. The Millau Viaduct was ever bit impressive as you said it would be - that bridge is enormous and we must have spent about three hours exploring all around, over and under it! The last day of driving took us over the edge of the Pyrenees and into Spain - mile after mile of deserted switchback bends as we got higher and higher and the views got more and more spectacular was one not to forget in a long time either! The chateaux we passed were a rather pleasing backdrop to it all.
It was just sensational and I only wish we had had three weeks, not three days to do it in. Can't wait for the return run now!
The Tuscan was totally amazing. I must have spent nearly ten hours behind the wheel each day driving twisty country roads and didn't once feel tired or uncomfortable. It does an amazing impression of a muscle car when you just leave it in fifth burbling along and ride a wave of torque to overtake other traffic accessed through a slight squeeze with the right foot. Then incase you start to think you are in a GT, you drop it into third and make the ears bleed of the motorist you are going past as it transforms into a feral GT3 race car!! Which reminds me, the tunnels! Oh, the tunnels!! This thing is really really really LOUD!! It is properly savage and bloodcurdling at full cry - when this happens to coincide with a tunnel you have the sound of the apocalypse with enough volume to split the earth to its core! It sounds brutal! Think the sleeved exhausts may have to go...but not quite yet!
There is no way the a trip would have been anything like this good in a T350, and any doubts about choosing a Tuscan have completely gone from my mind. It is so versatile, so spacious, so comfortable, so fast, so powerful, and has such presence that a T350 just can't match. Very happy indeed. Oh, and the union jack TVR badge was fun in France as I kept having to explain that the car was built in England, hence why it looked nothing like every other bland eurobox trundling around out there".
The Ultimate Sports Car - The Ultimate Service Centre
My relationship with Str8six started long before I selected them as my service centre of choice.
I had been a TVR owner on and off for 10 years (Griff 500 & Tuscan Mk1 4.0). In 2011 I had turned my back on TVR and was having a less exciting time with a BMW Alpina Z4.
In the meantime, a good friend of mine had purchased a Sagaris from Str8six. The car was built by Str8six from one of the chassis’ that had been recovered after the closure of TVR’s Bristol Avenue factory.
Having driven the Sagaris in question, I was amazed by the fit and finish of the car. Even more eye-opening was the delicious power from Str8six’s 4.3 Speed Six engine.
I was coming back to TVR!
April 2013, and I bought a very tidy 2005 Tuscan 2S, all very nice indeed. It was good to be back. After a monster run from Northern Scotland to a track day in Monza and back, I set about in the winter of 2013 rebuilding the suspension of the Tuscan and generally getting it into a position and condition I would be happy with.
While I was up to my elbows in bolts and wishbones, a few of my TVR chums had suggested that I should give Jason at Str8six a crack for my servicing, as they vouched for his customer service and attention to detail.
This is where Str8six came in.
I began with getting parts supplied from them. All very straight forward. What I didn’t expect was the free and unsolicited advice. This became a godsend as I worked through the rebuild of the suspension. I then moved onto the brakes and clutch, and the same again, more free advice, by mobile text, by phone, by email……and on it went. Anyway, Spring 2014….. Off the car went to Str8six for its service and MOT. A couple of weeks later (Oh…. I should note that they always kept me up to speed with what was needed…No hidden surprises!) I was down there to pick up the car, and got the chance to meet Jason, Chas and the team. I was delighted to spend well over an hour with them, chatting all things TVR and getting a look round their workshops. Top tip - always bring a packet of biscuits, they like a biscuit!
What I got back was astonishing. A Tuscan that handled and went like everything I hoped. Jason and his team had thoroughly checked over the work I had done, made some minor adjustments, and performed a full geometry set up along with the service and other items.
So to September 2014 and Spa…… 2 days at this legendary circuit, and a real chance to see if all the winter reworking and Str8six’s support and expertise was up to the mark……. Was it?
I’ll leave it to quote one of the group who was on the track day, a long time TVR man, and whom I took out for a couple of laps.
“This is by far and away the best handling TVR I have ever been in”
Spa had been conquered.
I have used Str8six ever since. Recommended without hesitation…..
Martin Glennie - TVR Tuscan 2 ‘S’.
I had been a TVR owner on and off for 10 years (Griff 500 & Tuscan Mk1 4.0). In 2011 I had turned my back on TVR and was having a less exciting time with a BMW Alpina Z4.
In the meantime, a good friend of mine had purchased a Sagaris from Str8six. The car was built by Str8six from one of the chassis’ that had been recovered after the closure of TVR’s Bristol Avenue factory.
Having driven the Sagaris in question, I was amazed by the fit and finish of the car. Even more eye-opening was the delicious power from Str8six’s 4.3 Speed Six engine.
I was coming back to TVR!
April 2013, and I bought a very tidy 2005 Tuscan 2S, all very nice indeed. It was good to be back. After a monster run from Northern Scotland to a track day in Monza and back, I set about in the winter of 2013 rebuilding the suspension of the Tuscan and generally getting it into a position and condition I would be happy with.
While I was up to my elbows in bolts and wishbones, a few of my TVR chums had suggested that I should give Jason at Str8six a crack for my servicing, as they vouched for his customer service and attention to detail.
This is where Str8six came in.
I began with getting parts supplied from them. All very straight forward. What I didn’t expect was the free and unsolicited advice. This became a godsend as I worked through the rebuild of the suspension. I then moved onto the brakes and clutch, and the same again, more free advice, by mobile text, by phone, by email……and on it went. Anyway, Spring 2014….. Off the car went to Str8six for its service and MOT. A couple of weeks later (Oh…. I should note that they always kept me up to speed with what was needed…No hidden surprises!) I was down there to pick up the car, and got the chance to meet Jason, Chas and the team. I was delighted to spend well over an hour with them, chatting all things TVR and getting a look round their workshops. Top tip - always bring a packet of biscuits, they like a biscuit!
What I got back was astonishing. A Tuscan that handled and went like everything I hoped. Jason and his team had thoroughly checked over the work I had done, made some minor adjustments, and performed a full geometry set up along with the service and other items.
So to September 2014 and Spa…… 2 days at this legendary circuit, and a real chance to see if all the winter reworking and Str8six’s support and expertise was up to the mark……. Was it?
I’ll leave it to quote one of the group who was on the track day, a long time TVR man, and whom I took out for a couple of laps.
“This is by far and away the best handling TVR I have ever been in”
Spa had been conquered.
I have used Str8six ever since. Recommended without hesitation…..
Martin Glennie - TVR Tuscan 2 ‘S’.