Just as the 1972-79 M-Series signaled the maturation of TVR into a full-fledged manufacturer of sophisticated sports cars, it was the subtle but significant addition of the Taimar variant in 1976 that made them practical performance cars as well. The concept behind the Taimar (a contraction of new TVR-chief Martin Lilley’s name and the car’s signature feature—a tailgate) was on the drawing board early in the M’s production, but development was delayed by a devastating fire at the TVR factory and the loss of Triumph-supplied engines. As such, the hatchback Taimar did not debut until 1976, when a freshly certified European Ford “Essex” 3.0L V6 became legal for sale in Europe and the USA. Visually, the Taimar was nearly indistinguishable from the fixed fastback 3000M, allowing the car’s graceful lines to flow uninterrupted despite the addition of a fiberglass liftgate that gave excellent access to the sizeable (for a two-seater) rear cargo shelf. The hatch had no external latch or hardware; it was activated by a button inside the driver’s door jam. Despite the setback of the fire, the scramble to secure US-legal power plants, and grim economic conditions, TVR managed to sell over 400 Taimars between 1976 and 1979. The vast majority were powered by the 142hp Ford from the 3000M, but 30 Taimars came equipped with a special turbocharged version of the Essex V6 developed by Broadspeed Engineering which mustered 230hp and earned the TVR the distinction of offering the first turbocharged British production car.

The Taimar continues a series of successful and highly collectible TVR precision replicas from Automodello™, following the M-Series, M Turbo and Griffith Series 200 (based on TVR Grantura). Of special note to collectors, this is the first time a Taimar has been rendered in 1:43 scale, and it delivers all the precision detail and scale fidelity that Automodello customers have come to expect. This model has been released in extremely limited numbers: just 79 of the Standard Edition in White, and, 19 each of several special Tribute Edition colors will be produced: Blue, Black, British Racing Green, Brown, Red and Yellow. All editions except the Red will have a contrasting Taimar stripe.