The OUMF TVR 350i project – Workshop to Racetrack

After the exciting ‘high’ of getting the V8 engine rebuilt, reinstalled and hearing it fire up for the first time in years, everyone thought we had earned a breather. But in true project car fashion, that moment of triumph was just the beginning of the next wave of work. The first start revealed an engine that was running rough, something that was expected on a freshly rebuilt engine with a new increased airflow intake manifold and a fully stripped down and rebuilt carburettor. The first tweaks involved getting the timing right, so the team cracked on, timing light in one hand and workshop manuals in the other, chasing the sweet spot where the idle would hold steady and the throttle response would come alive. This combined with the fine-tuning of the mixture and idle screws on the carburettor provided a healthy sounding engine ready for its first full heat cycle. As the team found out, getting a newly built engine to behave is not just a technical job. It is part science, part instinct and experience, and in our case, a shared determination not to settle for “good enough”.

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With the timing dialled-in, we began putting the engine through its heat cycles, the first of which uncovered a couple of nagging issues, namely an oil weep from the back of the engine, and a water leak that defied easy diagnosis. As these were not catastrophic, the decision was made to keep the car running and complete the heat cycle, so that we could pinpoint any other issues that might emerge as the engine was heating up. Thankfully, nothing else made itself obvious so we let the engine cool down before getting on with rechecking the torque on the head bolts and tackling the leaks. These issues were a reminder of how no detail can be overlooked on a ground-up build.
Fixing them meant more late nights in the workshop but also more lessons to be learnt. The oil leak meant the engine needed to come out of the car for what felt like the hundredth time, but by that point that was easy practice for the team that swiftly extracted the throaty V8 from its fibre glass home before replacing what turned out to be a leaky rear plug in an oil gallery concealed in the gearbox bell-housing. While some of the team focused on preparing the engine, others took what we hoped would be the last opportunity for unrestricted access in an empty engine bay, to do a final check over. The bay was already lined with the tremendously effective Zircoflex Gold heat reflective sheet, which was also added to any areas deemed to be
vulnerable following the heat cycle. With the engine out, it was also the perfect time to chase down remaining issues — particularly the persistent water leak. Every hose, fitting, sensor, and clamp in the cooling system was carefully inspected and eventually, the culprit was traced to the inlet manifold ‘valley’ gasket. There was a certain rhythm in the team and a hiccup-free workflow that involved mechanical tasks, shared knowledge, and a few well-timed cups of tea.​

The engine bay lined with the Zircoflex Gold heat reflective sheet

Eventually, with all systems checked and leaks addressed, we were ready to put the engine in the car for what ultimately turned out to be the last time, and get ready for the long-awaited first proper drive of the car under its own power. After a full spanner check, all of us assembled outside the workshop, phones in hand, ready to capture the vivid green convertible driving out of the workshop and out on to the open road for the first time in around a quarter of a century.

The TVR moments before its first drive in years

That first trip was euphoric, with the engine reportedly feeling strong and smooth, the throttle response crisp, and everything mechanically alive. However, the car was far from being completely sorted, as with any major restoration, there are always bound to be adjustments needed, especially after a full teardown and rebuild of every single component in the running gear. Every bush, damper, arm, nut and bolt had been apart during the rebuild, and the suspension clearly needed proper setup and alignment. Sadly, we did not have the time to address this immediately, as we had to prepare the car for a date with the public.
Loaded onto the trailer, handling quirks and all, the car made its way to Birmingham and the Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show at the NEC. Our great supporter Mike Brennan at MDS Lubricants was extremely kind in helping us sort out issues with the stand on arrival, and once that hurdle was cleared we were not quite sure what to expect as the show opened. We needn’t have worried; the reaction to the car on our stand was incredible. The bright metallic green paint and glittering Zircoflex Gold engine bay was a really striking colour scheme that drew the crowds, sparked conversations, and as the only ‘Wedge’ there, the car attracted many people who had stories of their own about TVRs from years gone by. The practical nature of the show was a great opportunity to continue working on the car and adjust its suspension set-up, while also installing the wonderful upgrade that arrived the day before and promised to take the whole cooling system to another level. It was an electric water pump, digital controller and powerful twin electric radiator fans from our sponsor Davies Craig, a great combination that has proved highly effective on all our competition cars. The installation went smoothly, and the nicely packaged kit attracted a lot of attention and interest from owners of all sorts of classic cars. It was something we had carefully planned, and it was repeated on each of the three days. As was hoped and expected, the combination of Davies Craig cooling aids, Radtech alloy radiator, Zircotec plasma-coated exhaust system, and with adjacent areas of body and chassis protected by Zircotec Gold, the infamous heat generated by the V8 was beautifully
managed. Temperatures stabilised more quickly and held steady at 83 degrees C, regardless of load or ambient temperature. A great vindication of the team’s design, and of the superb products deployed, and very reassuring in view of the competition planned by the team.
One of the most memorable moments of the weekend was a visit from John Box, the engineer who headed up the team at TVR who developed this V8-engined model in the early 80s. We were extremely excited to meet him, and listen and learn all about the difficulties faced at the Blackpool factory in the process of developing this car. He was impressed with the team’s work on it, and we were delighted that every upgrade we had made met with his approval. He left our stand after a team photograph and wished us all the best with our build. It was a great honour for everyone to meet him.

​John Box and the OUMF team at the 2025 Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show

After a very successful three days at the NEC, back at base we continued work on sorting out the suspension geometry. After having removed and adjusted all the dampers at the show, it was time for a proper alignment. The car was set to make its inaugural appearance in a competition at the beginning of June and the time went past faster than we expected. During this time, we finalised the suspension setup which included modifying the front uprights to enable us to run some negative camber at the front, and tweaked the rear toe-in settings as well, taking advantage of the adjustable rear suspension. A little more tuning of the fuel delivery and ignition, and a final check of all fluids and systems, and the car was finally ready to start
logging road miles.
These running-in miles were done methodically, trying really hard not to push the engine too hard, even though the V8 sounded really healthy and was urging the driver to use the revs. These miles served a dual purpose, of bedding in the engine, and giving us valuable seat-time to get used to the car’s behaviour before its first competition. It was only through these drives that we were able to learn how the car handled, where it needed further attention to its set up, and when it finally felt “right”.
And then came the big one: our first competitive event. The car was entered into Saturday’s Sprint at the 2025 Abingdon CAR-nival, a perfect local venue to test it under real-world conditions. The support of Paul Phillips of Phillips Tyres in Oxford has been invaluable over many years as OUMF’s headline sponsor, and he surpassed himself a day before the event, with heavy rain forecast, by providing the TVR with a set of competitive TOYO R888R tyres to replace the perished 25 year old ones that had come with car originally! We were extremely grateful, and the car passed scrutineering. Seeing our rebuilt TVR lined up among a field of competition cars was surreal. This was no longer a project in progress. It was a living machine; rebuilt by hand and driven in bellowing anger once more. The amount of attention it attracted was extraordinary, as marshals and fellow competitors cheered it on as it made its way around the tortuous sprint course on Abingdon airfield.

​The TVR at the 2025 Abingdon CAR-nival

Our driver felt increasingly comfortable exploring the car’s limits, and it was a joy to see the smile on his face every time he came back to our service area. Overall, the car performed faultlessly, with all components working like clockwork, and 100% reliable. It was also a relief to everyone to see that the maximum water temperature the car hit during any of the runs was the magic 83 o C, a true testament to the effectiveness of Zircotec’s ceramic shielding and of the Davies Craig electric water pump.

​Coolant temperature reading after the finish line

Many thanks are due to all our sponsors that have made this project possible and enabled us to feel such a sense of achievement after seeing the car go from a derelict and disassembled state to a working race car. There is still work to be done, with multiple ideas having been suggested on alignment, damper tuning, and some planned tweaks to improve response and grip. But this was a major turning point for us and the car itself. From the first fire-up to the first flagged run, the car has proven itself and, more importantly, it has proven the strength, skill, and dedication of the team behind it.
We will keep at it, not because we have to, but because we want to. The stream of ideas generated by this group of young engineers never cease to amaze me. Through all the late nights, setbacks, and steep learning curves, we have not just built a car, we have built a resilient race team too.
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Christos Karakitsios
MSc Motorsport Engineering Student
OUMF Race Mechanic