Reborn TVR set to reveal new model at Goodwood Revival
In 2006, boutique British sports car manufacturer TVR produced its last automobile, entering receivership under then-owner Nikolay Smolensky. Despite later attempts by Smolensky and others to revive the brand, it wasn’t until 2013 that TVR received a new lifeline, under now-owner TVR Automotive Limited, which began working on a new model in early 2014. Three and a half years later, an all-new TVR will make its public debut at the Goodwood Revival in Chichester, England, on September 8.
TVR’s 2013 purchase was likely met with scorn by those loyal to the brand, as too many empty promises had been made in the past. Under the guidance of Les Edgar and John Chasey, the new TVR immediately established credibility by sorting out the mess that spare parts for past models had become. After acquiring inventories and licenses from a variety of dealers, TVR brought spare parts under one roof in 2014. A year later, the company announced that the new car was already under development with partner Gordon Murray Design. If that name sounds familiar, it should – after designing Formula 1 cars for Brabham, Gordon Murray was one of the driving forces behind McLaren’s road-going F1 supercar.
Details on the new TVR remain carefully guarded, but power will come from a Cosworth-tuned 5.0-liter Ford Coyote V-8, expected to make between 450-500 horsepower, depending upon trim and tune. The car will be front-engine and rear-drive (with side exit exhausts, as the sole photograph illustrates) and TVR is said to be shooting for a weight of 1,200 kilograms (2,640 pounds, or about 700 pounds lighter than the current Chevrolet Corvette). Performance-wise, the target is a 0-60 MPH time under 4.0 seconds and a top speed of 200 MPH.
While it’s safe to assume that TVR will build as many examples as customers care to buy, just 500 Launch Edition models will be offered, each priced “under £90,000,” or roughly $116, 000 based upon current exchange rates. The yet-to-be-named model will be accompanied by a “series of” other new TVR models within a 10-year period, at least if all goes as planned. Perhaps disappointing those hoping for a return to Blackpool, the new TVRs will be assembled in a state-of-the-art factory in Ebbw Vale, Wales, adjacent to the Circuit of Wales.
Though the September 8 event is described as a global launch, it’s not yet clear if TVR is aiming for a comeback in the United States as well. For a boutique automaker, the brand once enjoyed reasonable success on these shores, with the TVR Grantura Mk3 serving as the starting point for Jack Griffith’s Ford V-8 powered Griffith 200 and 400 models. Later, under Peter Wheeler’s ownership of TVR, the Griffith name would be revived from 1991-2002, but by then the brand was absent from this side of the Atlantic. Faced with tightening emission standards and increasing safety regulations, TVR sold its last model here, a 280i, in 1986.
The reveal of the new car coincides with the 70th anniversary of TVR’s founding in 1947, and of the debut event, TVR chairman Les Edgar said,
We are incredibly excited to be unveiling the new car at the Goodwood Revival. It’s the first time a global launch of a new car has occurred at the event, and it seems an entirely appropriate place for us to do it, with the marque’s motorsport heritage and an enthusiastic audience of dedicated car fans – and in our 70th anniversary year. After a series of secret private viewings organized for the benefit of existing customers for the new car, we know that we have a surefire hit on our hands, and very much look forward to seeing the public reaction in September.
Look for further details, and further images, following the Goodwood Revival.