![British manufacturers TVR and Lotus built their own V8s to go toe-to-toe with the big boys – but there the similarities ended Classic & Sports Car – Brave new world: TVR Cerbera vs Lotus Esprit](/sites/default/files/styles/article/public/2018-09/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%20TVR%20Cerbera%20vs%20Lotus%20Esprit%20%E2%80%93%207P6A0168.jpg?itok=dRkkQ5Sa)
Blighty has always loved an automotive underdog, be it in motorsport competitions such as Le Mans where the mechanical bitsa Healey 100S put the frighteners up more thoroughbred machinery by finishing first in class and 12th overall in 1953, or in the manufacturing field where low-volume British sports car producers rose to excel in the aftermath of WW2.
From humble beginnings, two in particular became renowned among enthusiasts for the delicacies of their sporting output: Lotus for its cars’ lightness of touch and handling prowess, and TVR for its out-and-out road-burners.
In both cases their formulae for success proved remarkably similar, with glassfibre being the go-to body material, usually allied to a lightweight chassis with borrowed mechanicals.
If we’re being honest they produced good, occasionally scintillating road cars, enjoyable to drive but usually bringing the associated challenges – build quality, reliability – that come with small-scale production; nothing to worry the Ferraris and Porsches of this world.
![TVR Cerbera 4.2 Classic & Sports Car – Brave new world: TVR Cerbera vs Lotus Esprit](/sites/default/files/2018-09/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%20TVR%20Cerbera%20vs%20Lotus%20Esprit%20%E2%80%93%207P6A1696.jpg)
![Lotus Esprit V8 GT Classic & Sports Car – Brave new world: TVR Cerbera vs Lotus Esprit](/sites/default/files/2018-09/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%20TVR%20Cerbera%20vs%20Lotus%20Esprit%20%E2%80%93%207P6A1572.jpg)
Both have double-wishbone front suspension, but the TVR is 615lbs lighter