Did you lust after a TVR Sagaris back in the day, but miss the (sinking) boat? Fear not: Blackpool’s last hero has now been resurrected as a kit car. Meet the Grex Sagaris GT.
Yes, TVR is back in business with a new Griffith, but it isn’t to all tastes, or indeed budgets. There’s an appeal to the old, mid-2000s TVRs that hasn’t quite translated for some. It’s those people that the new, sub-£50,000 Grex will appeal to.
First up, this isn’t a straight copy. The quirky and savage old 4.0-litre straight-six engine is gone. The car is designed to house a small-block V8 crate motor from General Motors, which you need to supply yourself. If you really want the old six-pot, you can ask them to build your kit around it.
The Grex does stay true to the Sagaris of old in that there are no electronic driving aids. If you want traction control, ABS or airbags, stick with a showroom-bought Porsche.
The joy of Grex
Much like the old car, it’s going to be very rare, although we doubt that was by TVR’s initial design. Just 10 are mooted for delivery in 2019.
What’s more, any number of those are available to US customers. Unlike the original, the Grex is perfectly legal for sale and use in America. And that also means it’s available in right- and left-hand drive.
When the Sagaris was new, it was £50,000 – around £70,000 in today’s money – and it hasn’t depreciated. You’ll pay as much or well beyond that for a second-hand example. This kit, complete with £10k’s worth of LS3 V8 and transmission to suit, comes in much cheaper.
Obviously, you build it yourself. And there’s a possibility kit car life will come with running complications beyond even the realms of a TVR. But it’s a tempting proposition.
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