TVR
Tina

Why it matters

The Tina was an attempt by TVR's then owner to widen the company's range with a low-priced Imp-engined 2+2. Two prototypes, a convertible and a coupe, were shown in 1966 and 1967 and drew strong public interest, but outside production could not be arranged.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• TVR Tina (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England · CC BY 2.0
• TVR Tina (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England · CC BY 2.0
• TVR Tina (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England · CC BY 2.0

History

Martin Lilley, who had bought TVR in the 1960s, had the idea in late 1965 for a small 2+2 convertible using the engine, floorpan and transmission of the Hillman Imp Sport. Trevor Fiore designed the steel body, which was built in Italy by Fissore and first shown at the 1966 Turin Motor Show. The front was criticised as unlikely to meet American regulations, so the convertible went back to Fissore for modification. Convertible and coupe appeared at the October 1966 London Motor Show, and the coupe alone was shown at Turin in 1967, with production announced for early 1968 at a price of 998 pounds.

TVR's own factory could not build the car in quantity, and Rootes, Jensen and Aston Martin were approached for help without success. Cost and production capacity were the main obstacles, and Lilley set aside a project that had cost over 15,000 pounds. The convertible later went to the USA and has been restored; it is now in a private collection.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   TVR Tina - The Story Level D GregorMarshall.co.uk (family site, quoting Cars & Car Conversions, January 1967)

   • engine, floorpan, transmission based on a Hillman Imp Sport
   • producing 55 b.h.p.
   • top speed, they say, of 100 m.p.h. plus

   Accessed 2026-11-13