Steve Heath details his experiences of how the 390 became a 520...

Blame anything. Blame the beers that led to the idea in the first place. Blame Dave, Mark and Pella the Great Dane at Tower View for dropping hints about more power. I suppose in reality it was my fault for listening to them, and so I am to blame for creating the 520. The 520 for those who are not in the know, is the name my 390SE has adopted after it got a few extra modifications. Like a John Eales 5.2 litre competition engine. Like the ACT carbon fibre induction system. Like the lightened bonnet, spoiler and bumper. Like the built in data logging system. Yes, even the radio was replaced with a CD player! The result is a car with 150 bhp more than a Griff 500 at 6000 rpm and one with the ability to reach 100 mph from rest on cold tyres in 8.9 seconds. And yes, it is still road legal and available for those little trips to Tesco's...

After winning the TVRCC Speed Championship, it was decided that I had served my apprenticeship and would be rewarded with some help to further develop the 390SE. As in more power, which everyone knows, you cannot have enough of. The discussion on changing the engine had been going on for some time but while I was continuing to get more out of the 2000 spec 390SE, adding a bigger engine would be out of the question and the idea was put on the back burner. So the discussions that started over a beer or two were delayed until a year ago when the plan was hatched in detail. This also meant I could save some money to fund the project, which even with Tower View's help was going to be expensive. The project quickly gained a name. "Be Afraid‚Be very afraid!" seemed quite apt. Dave's recommendation was to use John Eales and ask him to build me an engine based on my requirements. I needed a strong engine that was capable of being driven on the road as I drive the car to and usually from events, as well as providing power. Incessant power and torque was the order of the day. For those in the Rover V8 building circles, John Eales is a highly regarded builder of high performance V8 engines and has built and modified more V8 engines than I've had interesting moments on a track. Many of the Rover V8 sprinters and racers are using his engines and their recommendations along with Dave's was enough to convince me.

In September last year, the specification arrived. 5.2 litres with Group A big valve heads, 11.5 to one compression ratio, distributerless ECU controlled ignition along with a DTA fully mapped ECU, Omega forged pistons, uprated clutch and so many other goodies it was hard to stop drooling. An ACT carbon fibre plenum and inlet trumpets completed the design. John’s approach was to build the strongest engine he could and then detune it for reliability and longevity. Effectively, the spec was for a 5.2 race engine with a milder cam so that it could be driven on the road. When asked how much power, John said that it would start at around 360-380 bhp but there was plenty of room for improvements from there. The only problem was the cost which had gone up a little due to the DTA ECU system. The engine would be built, set up and tested on a dyno and be delivered shrinkwrapped and ready for action. One advantage would be that I could sell my engine complete to help makeup for the difference.This I did and it is now sitting in a Dax Rush. The proceeds also helped defray the increased cost.

With any engine upgrade, it is important to consider the effect on the rest of the system. With this level of upgrade, it was clear that everything else like brakes, suspension, cooling and so on would need to be addressed. While TVR were reported as fitting engines with 420 bhp into competition Wedges, these cars were very much enhanced versions of the road cars. The braking system and suspension had already been upgraded so the main priority was on the rest of the systems. First was the cooling system: the original rad had showed some signs of leaking and it was decided to replace it with an aluminium uprated one. This would reduce the weight at the front of the car as well as provide better cooling. Dave put me in touch with a specialist builder and I went to see him. I did get a little worried when he showed me a Porsche GT3 competition radiator that didn't look much bigger than the one I had in my hands and he stated that the it cost around -- £3000 but was half the price of the original one! Fortunately, the price for mine was considerably less!