TVR, the car maker from Blackpool, is in a time warp. Its cars are thunderously fast and aggressively exciting, like the best of British sports cars of the 1960s.

There is a clubbiness about being a TVR owner, visiting the factory to specify your car and, it must be said, being prepared to shrug off faults and troubles as part of the experience of driving something with the character of an old-fashioned racing car.

TVR doesn’t care to be politically correct. Peter Wheeler, the company’s owner, chairman, chief engineer and designer, does not believe in anti-lock braking systems and traction controls. His argument: if you drive properly you shouldn’t need them. TVRs don’t have airbags either, although those will have to be fitted if the firm’s planned venture to the United States comes off.

Selling in America is something else that Wheeler has always been set against. But he is considering it now because times have changed. For a few crazy years TVR was the car of choice for the rich young City folk with big bonuses to burn. There are fewer of those now and TVR needs a wider, more mature audience. And for that it needs more mature cars.

Hence the Tamora. At £36,500 it is a bit cheaper than a Porsche Boxster S. And although its 3.6 litre six-cylinder engine produces a thumping 350bhp, it is intended to be gentler and more civilised than TVRs that have gone before. That, I suppose, it is — but not much. The Tamora is still loud and assertive.

The styling has lost the classic grace of the 1990s TVR Griffith. Instead an ugly snub nose disguises a chin spoiler that catches on driveway slopes and speed bumps, and the tail has wings top and bottom, with the silencer and numberplate awkwardly suspended above the lower one. As Bill Mitchell, a famous General Motors design chief, once remarked, it’s a pity aerodynamics had to turn out that way.

The aero appendages are necessary because the Tamora is a seriously fast car. I am told it will do 175mph, 0-60mph in 4.4sec and 0-100 in 9.5. I can confirm only that it is stable and has power to spare at 120mph.

Those figures are closer to the Porsche 911 than the Boxster, which feels positively tame by comparison. Not that driving a TVR is anything like a Porsche. Its engine has the characteristics of a racing power unit: rough at its 700rpm tickover, it smoothes out with more speed, producing a rousing bark all the way to its 7,800rpm limit. There is not much torque at low revs, which makes it fiddly to drive in town, but in full-on acceleration it’s a blast. The revs climb so quickly that it is provided with a series of dashboard lights — green, yellow and red — to indicate optimum change-up points for the five-speed gearbox.

TVR makes its own engines — a considerable achievement for a company that produces only 1,200 cars a year — and soon it will have its own gearboxes. In fact TVR makes more of its components than Ford does of a Focus. This shows inside the car where, amid the sweeping curves that have become a TVR trademark, there are specially made switches and instruments. The column stalks and controls for the lights and heater are machined in aluminium. A race-car-style screen below the dials displays all sorts of information at the flick of a switch.

The standard of finish is excellent and there are some pleasing idiosyncrasies: the needles of the speedometer and rev counter swing in opposite directions; the doors are opened by buttons on the fascia, with no handles or locks.

The hood isn’t conventional, either, but a two-piece arrangement, with a rigid centre panel that stows vertically in the boot, and a rear window that retracts easily behind the seats. The boot is surprisingly spacious for a car of this type — part of the Tamora’s proposition as a more usable, everyday car than its stablemates. And for those who need even more luggage space, or would prefer a fixed-roof coupé, TVR now offers the T350, based on the Tamora, at £38,500. All roadgoing TVRs have basically the same tubular steel chassis with double wishbone suspension front and rear. You would expect — and get — pretty stiff springs and dampers and most buyers specify the optional 18in wheels with wider, lower-profile tyres, which give lots of grip but make for an even harsher ride.

The steering, which has subtle power assistance, is very direct, with only two turns from lock to lock. The result is delightfully precise handling on a smooth road or track but a hard time over bumps and potholes. That’s a fair trade for a proper sports car.

And the Tamora is undoubtedly a proper sports car in the traditional sense of the term. It’s not a complete-in-every-detail, super-efficient modern machine like a Porsche Boxster, BMW Z4 or Mercedes SLK but it is faster and more powerful — and much more exclusive. I understand why you might want one, even if I would take the safer German option.

Vital statistics
Model TVR Tamora
Engine type Straight-six, 3605cc
Power/Torque 350bhp @ 7200rpm/290 lb ft @ 5550rpm
Transmission Five-speed manual
Suspension (front and rear) double wishbones, coil springs
Tyres 225/50 ZR16
Fuel 19mpg (combined)
Top speed 175mph
Acceleration 0 to 60mph: 4.4sec
Price £36,500
Verdict A great performer. TVR grows up - but only a little