History of TVR

In early1963 a man called Trevor Frost met with the management team from TVR in a public house near to Blackpool to discuss the building of a new TVR model.  Whilst sitting at a table, Frost sketched his ideas on a table napkin of a car that he wanted TVR to build.  It was here that the design for the TVR Trident was born.  As a result, Frost won the cooperation of Carrozzeria Fissore of Turin, who built two examples of the car, these being fastback coupes and not a great deal dissimilar to the TVR wedges that appeared Later.  Engine power came from the American Ford 4.7 litre V8, as fitted to the AC Cobra, and this was the only TVR model ever to have a metal body.  The main shell was fashioned from steel with a bonnet manufactured from aluminium, and all mounted on the existing Grantura/Griffith chassis.

However, the process of moving from the meagre drawing on that napkin to the beginning of a building project that produced the two cars was slow, and it was nearly two years before things started to take shape.  However, the cars were finished in time for the 1965 Geneva motor show where they were well received.

Early TVR’s were always known for their use of parts taken from standard production cars.  With lights from Alfa Romeo and Fiat, and with electrical switches also borrowed from Alfa the Trident was no exception.  Such was the reception of the car at the motor show that orders were placed with Carrozzeria Fissore for two more cars, another coupe and a convertible, the two cars becoming the official TVR test models upon which all further production cars would be based.

Before the third and fourth Tridents could be delivered all of TVR’s hopes and dreams came to an abrupt end with the 1965 US dock strike.  Having just made a major investment in the Trident, and on the strength of US sales of the Griffith and Grantura, the sudden loss of customers once again saw TVR in serious financial difficulty, with the company again going bankrupt in August of that same year.  Yet again it was the enthusiasm for the cars that saved the company with the owner of a TVR dealership from Barnet, called Martin Lilley, and his father, Arthur, taking over the business and resurrecting it once more from the ashes, this time under the name of TVR Engineering.  By Christmas of that same year TVR was back in business.

What happened exactly to the Trident project during that ownership transfer of the business is not well documented.  Somehow, during all the frantic negotiations, the rights to the car became the subject of a dispute between the Lilley’s, Fissore, who had built the four prototypes, and Trevor Frost, whose doodle on a pub napkin started the whole thing off.  However, the dispute ended with none of the Lilley’s or Frost retaining the rights to the car.  That privilege went to a Norfolk TVR dealer by the name of Bill Last, who then formed a business relationship Fissore to build the car under the manufacturers name of Trident Cars.  Fortunately Lilley went out to Italy and rescued what was left of the third and fourth cars, which he later completed himself.  Car No.4, the convertible version, became his personal car for a while.

Car No.3 was the only one of the three coupe’s to be given an all-steel body, the others being a mixture of aluminium, and steel, and at the time of writing, it is owned by a Mr. Norman Hawkes, who himself restored it to its current pristine condition over a five-your period from 1986 to 1991 after finding it in a sad state of disassemble.

Remarkably, all four original TVR Tridents still survive today, with car No.1 in the US, 2&4 in Belgium and No.3 in the UK. Bill Last’s version of the car was different in many ways to that of the original, with the bodywork being constructed from fibreglass and the car itself being based upon the Austin Healey 100/6, that vehicle being better known as the Healey 3000.  Between 1966 and 1976 Trident cars, including the Trident Motor Company, as it later became known, produced 130 cars before it all came to an end.

When the 1965 US dock strike ended, TVR set about reviving their American export market and appointed a man called Gerry Sagerman, who had raced and subsequently bought one of the Sebring Grantura’s, as their new US agent, and through whom was launched a new Ford V8 powered car, the TVR Tuscan.  However, sales of the Tuscan were poor and it was to be a new and more modest four-cylinder car, the TVR Vixen, that put TVR back on the road towards success.

TVR TINA

In November 1966 TVR presented the Tina at the Turin Motor Show. The car was based upon the Hillman Imp, and as was characteristic of TVR’s at the time, it retained many of the component parts of the ‘Donor’ vehicle, which is of course how TVR got it’s reputation for being a kit car.  This model was a 2+2 convertible sports car and was designed by Trevor Fiore. The body shell was built by Fissore in Italy, and uncharacteristically for TVR, this was made of steel.  However, the steel construction was only for the benefit of the prototype, as in all probability any future production models would be made from reinforced glass fibre, as TVR did not have any body pressing capability.

The engine, floor pan and transmission were all from the Hillman Imp Sport, as were most of the mechanical components, even down to the wheel trims on a modified version.  Such was the disorganised chaos involved in preparing the car for the show, and in typical TVR fashion for that era, a Ford Cortina name badge was modified by having the letters Cor snapped off, thus leaving the word tina.  This was the badge displayed on the car for the show. The TVR Tina was actually named after the daughter of Gerry Marshall, who at the time was a driver of a TVR race car and a complete fan of the marque.

The original prototype had a smooth front end that was neatly rounded so as to minimise airflow disturbance, and Perspex covers over the square headlights. This design had been the subject of criticism by the press, and so the car was returned to Fissore for modifications to be made.  Fissore was still working on another version of the Tina, a fixed head coupe, that he was trying to get ready for the London Motor Show.

The concept of the Tina had been decided upon on account of flagging sales for the mainstream TVR model line-up, and Martin Lilley thought that if TVR could produce a more economical sports car this would tide them over so as to ride out the crises.  Lilley wanted both the coupe and the convertible to be ready in time for the London Motor Show as he thought it important for image that the company demonstrated the appearance of well being.

The nose of the car was restyled, and the car appeared at London with a rather blunt front end with the coupe sporting a single pair of rectangular headlights, whereas the convertible had a double pair of round ones.  Also on the stand at this time were TVR’s Tuscan V8 and the first Vixen, albeit the Tuscan appeared only as a bare running chassis.  Despite the hasty preparation of the two new models they were seen as an instant success with many people offering to put down their deposit to secure orders on the day.  Even after the show, TVR were inundated with enquiries for orders of the new car.

TVR now had a problem.  They had a design of car that many people wanted, but did not have the capacity to build it, and certainly no equipment to produce steel bodies or panels.  The parent company of the Hillman Imp, Rootes, were approached, as were Jensen and Aston Martin in an attempt to find someone who could help out in what was TVR’s hour of need.

Rootes were not keen on helping as they believed there would be a conflict of interest on account of the Tina being too close to their own Sunbeam Alpine.  Jensen were not convinced there would be sufficient demand for the car to make their involvement worthwhile, and Aston Martin was in enough financial difficulty at the time to want to take on another potential liability.

TVR tried to fabricate a glass fibre body that was bonded to the Imp sub frame, but this was not successful, this being attempted as it was thought the all steel body would actually too heavy for the little Imp engine.

The Tina coupe re-appeared at the Turin Motor Show in 1967 where it was exposed as a 100mph sports car that would still return over 40-miles to a gallon of fuel.  Claims were made by TVR that full production of the car would begin in early 1968, when the on the road price would be just shy of £1,000. Unfortunately, all the great promises never cam true, and after consuming of £15,000 in costs, the Tina project was scrapped.

TVR VIXEN

Developed from the Grantura, the new Vixen offered a choice of Ford's new 1600GT cross-flow power unit, as fitted to the MkII Cortina, or BMC’s 1800cc engine, as fitted to the MGB, although the BMC unit was soon dropped on account of Ford offering a better deal.  When the car was shown at the 1967 London Motor Show it was received with enthusiasm, resulting in many orders being taken.

During this time most TVR’s sold in the UK were supplied in kit form, which actually involved little more than installing the engine and gearbox to complete them.  As kit cars weren't subject to the taxes normally levied on production cars it was possible to have a brand new TVR on the road for three-quarters of the cost of buying a factory completed car, and could be achieved after just a few weekends of work.  This was often the only way most owners could afford to buy one, but despite this the majority of TVR’s still went abroad with the United States and Canada taking 70% of the 200 Vixens sold during 1968, this being the same year that TVR went back into profit.  Two years later the situation was reversed, with most Vixens being sold in the UK. In 1970, due to the volume of orders for the cars, TVR had to move to larger premises in Bristol Avenue, Blackpool, where the company remained until 2007.

V6 AND STRAIGHT SIX POWER

Despite the Tuscan V8 failing to sell in the United States, TVR still felt sure there was a market for a more powerful version of the Vixen across the Atlantic, and with that in mind the Tuscan V6 was introduced using Ford's 3-litre Essex V6 engine as fitted to the Ford Capri 3.0 and the Granada Consul series.

Somewhat more mild mannered than the Tuscan V8, and with an easily maintainable home-grown power unit, the Tuscan V6 found a niche market.  UK buyers, who wanted more grunt from their TVR than offered by the Vixen, were keen to buy the car, which was sold under the name of the TVR 3000 M.  However, the car was found not to be suitable for the American market on account of the restrictions the US placed on exhaust emission levels.  To counter this the Triumph 2.5 straight-six engine, as fitted to Triumph’s 2.5 PI saloon, TR5 and TR6 sports cars, was fitted, but with twin Stromberg carburettors replacing the customary fuel injection system.  This was a measure that had already been taken up by Triumph with their US specification TR5 and TR6, the former being sold there as the Triumph TR250.  The American export TVR was named as the TVR 2500M, which was also available in the UK in the more powerful petrol-injected form and was sold along side the Ford powered 3000M model.

SHAPELY BODIES

In 1971 an improved chassis formed the basis of two new cars, whose Motor Show debut sparked media frenzy thanks to a shrewdly planned operation that caused TVR to become front-page news.   The models that caused such a fuss were not a new M-Series coupe, nor the SM prototype, but the two naked blonde women that TVR had draped over the cars on press day.  This was to be remembered as one of the greatest publicity stunts of that period, and one that made sure the gaze of the motoring world was well and truly focused upon the TVR stand.

Although the SM prototype never reached production, the M-Series sold well on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, until 1973 when newly introduced taxes put kit car prices up by 30%.  This instantly killed off most of TVR's home market making the company once again primarily dependent on its US orders. Fortunately US agents provided sufficient interest in the marque to keep things alive and the company continued to thrive, despite the 1974 oil crisis and problems in the supply of components caused by frequent strikes at British Leyland; the source of many TVR parts.

FACTORY FIRE

In January 1975 TVR suffered another major set back when a fire caused the works to be closed for a period of three months. The basic need to resume production meant the company couldn't spend time meeting new US regulations and as a result very few cars reached America during that year.  Fortunately a recovery in production coincided with an increasing demand for the cars in the UK enabling TVR to sell all the cars it could make, which helped get them back on their feet.1976 saw TVR production back in full swing, and as well as the launch of the hatchback Taimar and 3000S roadster, both of which being based on the 3000M, and also available in turbo-charged form.

American exports were also back on track, but not for much longer due to a new agent completing some import documents incorrectly, resulting in twenty five 3000 S’s being impounded by the US authorities.  This caused a loss of £250,000 worth of stock and resulted in the US market being closed.  This minor administrative error cost TVR greatly and represented another harsh blow for the company to have to bear.

THE SHAPE OF THE 80’s

The new decade saw two new TVR models, one being the TVR Taimar and the other providing a new look in the form of the Lotus inspired wedge-shaped Tasmin.  Exhibited in 1981, the Tasmin was offered with the choice of the Ford 4-cyclinder 2-litre Pinto engine, or the 2.8-litre Cologne V6 engine.  Body choices were that of a coupe, with two-plus-two seating, or a convertible.  However, the Tasmin's styling wasn't well received and sales of the car were poor.  Coupled with high development costs as well as the United States situation, TVR was again plunged into serious financial difficulty.

In 1983, and after struggling for two more years to keep the company alive, Martin Lilley finally admitted defeat and threw in the towel.  However, not wanting to see the TVR name die away he played to the enthusiasm of TVR customers, that same enthusiasm that had always saved the company from extinction in the past and which had paced Lilley in his position of the company owner.  Lilley contacted one of his customers, a Taimar Turbo driving businessman by the name of Peter Wheeler, appealing to him to save the business.

At this time the TVR Company was in a complete mess, with cars that weren't selling well and major financial difficulties caused by the earlier problems with the US customs.  It just so happened that Lilley’s appeal coincided with Wheeler selling his own chemical engineering company, and therefore he had both the time and the money to take an interest in TVR as a business.

Once he had smoothed over the problems with US Customs, Wheeler managed to resume exports to the potentially lucrative American market, and although it was not his original intention, he found himself in place as the new owner of TVR.

ROVER V8 POWER

Peter Wheeler found that there was a significant problem with the public viewpoint of the Tasmin's wedge-like styling, so in 1983 he did something that suddenly made the car more acceptable.  He built it with a V8 under the bonnet.  Unlike earlier V8 powered TVR’s, this one used a power unit that was very popular and successful in existing British built production cars in the form of the Buick designed 190bhp 3.5 litre Rover engine, as fitted at that time to the Rover SD1 3500, so giving the updated Tasmin its new V8 350i designation.

Despite the introduction of this larger power unit, the Ford V6 powered version continued in production as the 280i whilst the 2-litre model was dropped from the range.  The lighter and more powerful V8 lump provided a serious increase in performance levels, and with a blood warming exhaust note to go with it the 350i sold well on both sides of the Atlantic, although not well enough to put TVR into profit.

In 1985, due to spiralling shipping costs, new UK legislation and the worsening pound/dollar exchange rate, all these factors conspired to make American exports more and more difficult for British manufacturers, and in the case of TVR, they were certainly more aggravation than they were worth.  At this point TVR pulled out of exporting to the US a country that had frequently been its main market place.  The company had to now concentrate all its efforts on the British car market, and that was much more limited.

By this time TVR had committed itself to producing the massively powerful machines that the company has become famous for today.  Not content with the specification of the Rover 3.5 litre engine in its standard form, TVR tuned and enlarged its capacity to produce even faster derivatives of the 350i.  These cars were sold as the 390i, the 400SE, the brutal 320bhp 450SE and the outrageously be-spoilered 450SEAC, of which only a handful were ever built.

CURVES ARE BACK

Despite all the power increases that these cars now offered, it didn’t alter the fact that the wedge shape had become distinctly unfashionable and it became obvious that a new look was well overdue.  In 1987 TVR launched the S-series, which saw a return to traditional TVR styling and with a body shape similar to that of the old M-series cars.  This Ford V6 powered car was a huge success, in account of its pretty styling, exciting exhaust note, and most importantly, the affordable price tag of around £13,000.  Following the launch of this model, production at TVR dramatically increased to a point where the company was making fifty hand-built cars a week.=

The curvaceous styling of the TVR S-series seemed to be the way forward, and became very popular and over the years the car evolved in the form of the S2, S3 and S4 in 6-cyclinder form, some having a letter after the name to denote small upgrades, such as the S4C, for example.

At the 1988 London Motor Show, TVR unveiled a car they called the TVR Tuscan, which had both sexy curves and again made use of the powerful Rover-based V8 engine. Despite its stunning looks, and TVR’s original intentions to put it on sale as a road car, the car-building programme was never completed with the model only finding its way to the racetrack.  In 1989 a one-make race series was launched for the Tuscan cars and buyers were offered significant discounts if they agreed to race their car for a year in what had become named The TVR Tuscan Challenge. The success of this racing series can be judged by the fact that it is still running today

THE V8 S – A STOP-GAP

By now customers were making more and more demands for more powerful engines.  It so happened that earlier in that year TVR had bought out the Coventry based engine tuners NCK Racing (subsequently renamed TVR Power) and so gained the ability to develop and supply even more powerful engines in response to the increasing public demand for performance.  As a consequence Peter Wheeler decided that the production of the Griffith should be completely re-engineered so as to take advantage of the larger and more powerful engines, and to buy a little time to make this happen he introduced a stop-gap car in the form of a V8 powered S-series, a car that TVR customers had been long campaigning for and which still retains a very strong following even today.

Despite the success of the more curvy S-series, TVR still hadn't completely abandoned the idea of the wedge shape, and at the 1989 London Motor Show, a Speed-8 prototype was revealed, which was intended as a replacement for the 350i.

The car basically had a Tasmin body, but with the corners rounded off.  Unfortunately it still wasn't curvy enough for the buying public who by now had much preferred the look of the S-series, despite it being equipped with the less powerful Ford V6 engine.  Not to be beaten, TVR tried again with a revised Speed-8 in 1990, but that also failed to attract much attention, being displayed along side a new prototype model - the TVR Griffith.

TVR GRIFFITH

Not since TVR's infamous 1971 naked lady publicity stunt had a curvaceous body caused such a Motor Show frenzy.  The press went into a wild furore over this car, making it obvious that TVR could sell the new TVR Griffith on looks alone.  The fact that it also happened to have a big V8 just made it even more desirable.  Such was the enthusiasm surrounding the new model, TVR collected 330 firm orders by the end of the show and the wedge shape was put on the shelf to be forgotten forever!  There was no longer any doubt about it - curves and muscle were the formula for the future success of TVR.

Around this time the British economy had deteriorated and has now fallen into deep recession, but just like the car maker, Morgan, TVR found that having a long and enthusiastic waiting list of customers for its specialised products, the company was able to ride out the storm with out too much financial pain.  Had it not been for all those orders for the TVR Griffith it is likely that TVR would have folded in much the same way as the many other companies did around that time.

In 1992 the Griffith was finally launched in production form and the V8S was finally withdrawn.  The new car had a new chassis that had been developed using the knowledge and experience gained from racing cars in the TVR Tuscan Challenge.  In addition to the 240bhp 4.0-litre engine, as fitted to the V8 S-series, the option of a 275bhp 4.3 litre unit was made available, making the more powerful car one of the most sought after TVR’s of all time. With its interior of flowing leather clad curves, and a unique style in cockpit controls that have since become distinct TVR trademarks, the Griffith established TVR as the masters of car interior design.

TVR CHIMAERA

Although the Griffith was an undoubted winner in both looks and performance, it was rather uncompromising to drive, not to mention being a little tight on boot space.  To rectify this, and in 1993, less than a complete year following the launch of the Griffith, TVR introduced the TVR Chimeara.  This car used the same chassis as the Griffith, but had a larger body, softer ride and had the re-introduced and milder 4-litre engine, this still being the modified Rover V8.  Whilst being very fast the Chimaera was easier than the Griffith to live with as an everyday car and attracted enough orders to put TVR production through the 1,000 units per year barrier.  In December 1993 production of the TVR Griffith for the UK market was halted to allow time for the export orders for the car to be fulfilled, and to catch up with orders placed for the Chimaera.

Production at the factory was now running at full capacity, and the promise of greater success came with the announcement that TVR were for the first time to have its own engine, the AJP8, which announced as being destined for the Griffith.  Unfortunately the intended launch of the AJP 8 unit slipped behind schedule, and with dealers desperate for their supply of the Griffith, a 340bhp 5-litre catalysed version of the Rover V8 engine was installed instead, marking the birth of the famous TVR Griffith 500.

Launched in August of 1994 the Griffith 500 was a car with truly awesome performance.  At the time Autocar magazine even accused it of having too much power, labelling it as a potential killer.  Despite much protest from the buying public the model was sadly axed in 2000 with the ending of production with a special edition car, of which only 100 were built.  These versions will no doubt live on as a very much sought-after classic.

TVR CERBERA AND AJP POWER

In 1995 TVR added a third car to its range, marking the start of a whole new TVR era with the introduction of the TVR Cerbera, a car that was powered by TVR's own 350bhp 4.5 litre AJP8 V8 engine.  The Cerbera signalled Peter Wheeler's intention that all future TVR’s would be powered by a  TVR designed and built engines.=

Race prepared AJP V8 powered cars soon established their superiority over the Rover V8 versions in the TVR Tuscan Challenge series, and TVR set up a works team to compete in the National GT series with a Cerbera GT.  The new car showed promise and speed, but suffered somewhat from lack of development and therefore reliability.

SIX, EIGHT, TWELVE

TVR's commitment to racing was reinforced when they once again caused a Motor Show sensation with an awesome looking prototype, a car code-named 12/7.  This was a beast of a car that promised 660bhp from a new 7.7 litre TVR V12 power unit, that was actually made up from two of the recently launched AJP Speed- Six engines put together in a V configuration.  There was talk at the time of a 200mph+ top speed and a Le Mans entry.  Although Le Mans never happened for this car it did hit the racetracks during the 1998 British GT Championship, by which time it had been named the Speed-Twelve.=

Speed-Six had got underway in the year 2000, the Speed-12 prototype had been mothballed and the power unit dropped into a new chassis with wild styling based on the TVR Cerbera.  There was even an outrageous road going version of the car boasting a claimed 800+bhp!=

On the track, the new works GT2 Cerbera Speed-12 was joined by a GTO class Cerbera Speed-Six, entered by Rollcentre Racing.  Both cars were right on the pace in their respective classes with the Rollcentre entry enjoying great success both in British competition and abroad, including completing the 24-hour endurance race at Spa.

THE TUSCAN NAME RETURNS

After successfully engineering their own V8 power unit, TVR set about the design and production of a 4.2 straight six-cylinder engine, which they called the AJP Speed-Six.  This engine appeared in a Griffith based prototype and then in production form with the Cerbera, making this car available in both 6-cyclinder and V8 form.  In the year 2000, and with the demise of the Griffith, another AJP Speed-Six powered car was launched in the form of the radical and new TVR Tuscan.

With a healthy order book, and operating within a strong world economy, TVR ended the millennium in better shape than at any time in its history and with an annual production figure of almost 2,000 cars.  Not only was this close to the company’s production limit, but it was double the number of cars the company had been making at the start of the 1990’s.

THE NEW MILLENNIUM

At the first British Motor Show of the new millennium, TVR rolled out another new model. The styling of this new TVR Tamora was their most controversial of recent years with many die-hard fans accusing it of actually being ugly.  Even so, the company still took many orders for what had become the new entry level TVR equipped with its milder 3.6 litre version of the Speed-Six engine.  Any initial enthusiasm there had been for the car did not last for long and sales were poor.  Many dealers say that this was a missed opportunity for TVR, because whilst it was aimed at persuading those buying sports cars elsewhere to make an entry into TVR ownership, the car was too expensive to have the right level of appeal.  Had it been cheaper it was felt that more sales would probably have been forthcoming, which could have lead in time to those owners later buying another model from higher up the range.

Exhibited at the same show was the TVR Tuscan-R, which later was renamed as the T400R and T440R, with the model numbers being allocated according to the fitted engine size option.

Originally developed and intended as a race car, complete with composite and lightweight bodywork, it was initially produced for the road so as to meet with the homologation regulations, which it needed to be able to compete in competition.  Despite being the most expensive production TVR at the time, a healthy number of orders were taken for the 400bhp version, with customers expecting to receive their cars in 2003.

TVR T350

The Tamora based TVR T350 made its debut at the 2002 Motor Show indicating that the Blackpool company had now gone full-circle by returning to the production, albeit in updated form, of the compact fastback coupe that was their mainstay in those very early years of Grantura production.  2002 also saw an end to the production of the long-running and ever popular TVR Chimaera.

TVR RETURN TO LE-MANS

In 2003, and for the first time in over 40-years, TVR competed at Le Mans where they entered two TVR Tuscan’s sponsored by Dewalt, a power tool manufacturer. Even though neither car went the full distance the whole expedition was regarded as a huge success.  There was a TVR entry at Le Mans again the following year, and although the performance was better there were still no prizes to take home.

SAGARIS & TYPHON

In early 2004 Peter Wheeler announced plans to launch two new models, the Sagaris and the Typhon.  The Sagaris was to be a T350 based vehicle, but bristling with louvers in the bodywork, giving it very aggressive styling, and with a lot more power available from a re-worked speed-six engine.  The Typhon, on the other had, was reported to be a spectacular super car based up the Tuscan series, but with more attitude and more power, thanks to the addition of a supercharger.

The model line-up at the time consisted of the T350C, Tamora, Tuscan Speed-Six, Tuscan S and Tuscan R with a Tuscan 2 in both hardtop and cabriolet form, promised for release in 2005.  This saw the discontinuation of the TVR Cerbera, a car that represented the longest TVR production run of all time and the model most enjoyed by Wheeler on account of it being a 2+2 and he having a young family.  Sadly the Rover-based V8 powered cars were no longer made, but are still extremely popular on the second hand market, with the Griffith being already regarded as a sought after classic. Whilst he may have been there at its conception, Peter Wheeler didn’t get to see his new creations flourish.

ANOTHER OWNERSHIP CHANGE

In mid 2004, suddenly and without warning, TVR changed hands yet again, this time with the company being bought outright by a 24-year old Russian businessman named Nicolai Smolenski.  It wasn’t until after this transaction had been completed that the Nation learned that TVR had actually been getting more than a little shaky in terms of financial stability, mainly due to too many cars being returned to the factory with failed engines, other quality related faults, suppliers not being paid, dealers not getting the support they wanted, a worsening reputation for poor build quality and poor customer back-up.

The acquisition of the company by a Russian National caused a great deal of disquiet from those loyal to the TVR marque, as well as from those who were not necessarily fond of the cars, but who saw this as yet another British company falling into foreign hands.

Rumour has it, and no doubt this will become legend, that Smolenski bought the company after buying a TVR T350c from Barnet TVR for his own use and then being so impressed with the car that he made a bid for the company.  After Smolenski took over the reigns at TVR, Peter Wheeler was appointed as his right-hand man to help run the business, but after only a few days in office Wheeler cleared his desk and walked out leaving Smolenski to get on with it.

Initially all was very quiet on the news front.  TVR were keeping very quiet about what was to happen next.  Nicolai Smolenski, at the time of taking over, said that his plans for TVR were to improve build quality and reliability of the cars, begin manufacturing many parts that were previously sourced from outside contracts in-house and to erect a brand new purpose-built factory that would see an increase in car production volume.  He said that each model would only be built in short production runs before they are replaced by a new edition.  He also said that he had set his sights on re-introducing TVR to the USA, something that had not happened for 30-years and where the cars were not currently accepted.  He wanted to export to other foreign markets also.

In a press release Smolenski stated that his intentions were to put TVR well and truly on the map as a world-leading manufacturer of quality sports cars.  Certainly his apparently plentiful supply of extra money looked as though it would help the company progress and move it towards Nicolai Smolenski’s plans becoming a reality.

In 2004 the TVR Sagaris became available on the market, and although the model was conceived during Peter Wheeler’s era, it was Smolenski that put it in the showrooms, an event that seemed to almost go by unnoticed. Nonetheless this was a formidable motorcar that had the type of appearance about which you could be forgiven for feeling that it would bite your leg off if you tried to walk passed it parked on the street.  At this time the Cerbera had been killed off with no 2+2 model available to replace it, the T350, Tamora, the Tuscan range and Sagaris were the current TVR cars in production, with the carbon fibre bodied and supercharged Typhon never making it beyond the stage of prototype.

TVR TUSCAN 2

On 27th May 2005 the Tuscan 2 was shown at the Sunday Times Motor Show.  The design and appearance of the original Tuscan had always been controversial, and viewed by many critics as far too radical.  Although this car was not vastly different to the old model, the appearance had been toned down slightly and it was now available for the first time as a proper drop-top instead of the targa design of the outgoing car.  With such small changes to an existing design the Tuscan 2 received a warm welcome from the motoring press, but still there were questions concerning whether TVR had got their reliability issues sorted out.

TVR had now become the largest true British car manufacturer, and was consistently producing cars that were ever more exciting in their performance, sound and appearance.  Under the direction and ownership of Nicolai Smolenski it seemed that the future of TVR for the foreseeable future was very secure. = Certainly dealers were reporting that there was a noticeable improvement in both build quality and reliability, and to say that owners were actually using their cars more, indicating that confidence was on the up.

TVR LAY OFF WORKERS

On 21st April 2006 news broke that TVR were again in financial trouble.  Over the winter of 2005 into 2006 sales had been very poor.  With oil prices, and consequently the price of petrol, spiralling upwards due to insecurities within the oil industry, it seemed that a lean period had befallen the company yet again.  The news came as stark contrast to what all were led to believe.  Not long previously there has been the announcement concerning the acquisition of a new site for the new purpose built factory, but now the economic facts were straightforward.  TVR had changed from producing 12 cars a week near to the end of 2005, to just 2 cars a week for spring 2006.

This was not a good time for car manufacturing in the UK, as on almost the same date as this bad news from TVR, it had been announced that Peugeot were to close their factory in Coventry, and all at a time when the collapse of the Rover group was still fresh in people’s minds.  TVR laid off a third of the workforce and announced they were seeking alternative accommodation, as their change in fortune also coincided with the expiration of the lease for their current Blackpool factory, a premises that was then learned to still be in the hands of Peter Wheeler.  The worry now was whether Smolenski would keep the ailing company on British soil, or would he take it to his homeland, Russia, or somewhere else in the world?

Amidst all the gloom there was meeting with the local authority who wanted to preserve the jobs in the area and to keep TVR in the town where it belonged.  There was the promise of alternative premises on an industrial estate close to Blackpool airport, but all the time details and news were in scant supply.  This had the effect of spawning rumour, and the air of impending doom that accompanied it.

On 24th April 2006, Nicolai Smolenski issued a statement to say that he regretted the current situation, but no matte what happened he would remain loyal to TVR he being committed to securing the company’s future.  Indeed, Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged to help the company and its workforce who were facing possible redundancy.  260 people were likely to be so affected.

On 16th June 2006 there was another announcement, this time to confirm that TVR were definitely to remain in Blackpool and that a new site had been found to house the company.  David Oxley, managing director, said that there was much to do to prepare for the move, which would not be easy, but the saw it as a means of securing the future of the company.  However, hoped were dashed when on 20th September 2006 it was revealed that the proposed pans to move to the new Blackpool site had fallen through on Health and Safety grounds.

On 18th October 2006 the announcement came that no one wanted to hear.  Nicolai Smolenski was taking TVR out of Britain, possible to Italy where a well-known vehicle design house, Bertone, had shown an interest.

Emotions were now running high among not only those loyal to TVR cars, but also by those who perhaps were not so closely connected, but who wanted this British manufacturer to remain on British soil.  David Oxley this time said: "We are continuing to talk to a number of people about plans they are putting forward for the Bristol Avenue factory, but in the meantime we need to make sure we are ready to move production to the new facility as quickly and as efficiently as possible.” He went on to say, “We therefore took the decision to stop production at the optimum point for training and handover, which unfortunately means that we have no further work for production staff here.  We regret we have had to take this decision, but we must remain focused on the future of the company and ready to implement our outsourcing plans quickly."

This did nothing much about calming the emotions of TVR owners and fans, and as an indication as to their feelings on the subject, on 26th November 2006 procession of some 350 TVR’s made its way to Downing Street to deliver a petition appealing to the Government to step in and support the ailing British car maker.  During the parade, representative workers from the Blackpool factory rode as passengers in the cars they helped to build.

On 4th December 2006 it was announced that TVR had sold off TVR Power, the supplier of TVR parts and spares to TVR owners and dealers, at least securing the future of existing models.  The company was bought by its director, Dom Trickett, and under a contract signed with TVR itself, TVR Power would be the sole distributor of parts to the dealer network in the UK and Ireland.

Over the Winter of 2006 into 2007 some major administration changes took place for TVR.  Not only was the sale of TVR Power announced, but the factory at Bristol Avenue, referred to as the manufacturing arm of the company, was given the status of being a company in its own right and so called Blackpool Automotive Limited.  Having been named as such the new company was promptly put into liquidation and offered for sale.  Indeed, at the beginning of January 2007, the Financial Times newspaper confirmed that TVR was to move manufacturing to Italy for cars to be made by Bertone.

However, just as everyone was getting used to the idea that TVR production was moving to Turin under the continued ownership of Nicolai Smolenski, an announcement was made in the form of an article in the Independent newspaper.

The article revealed that following the division of what was the old TVR car maker, the company called Blackpool Automotive, formally known as TVR engineering, was still the owner of the TVR brand name and the rights to use it in the UK, US and the EU.  This a sparked speculation that any future TVR production could still remain on British soil and remain in British hands.

The story of TVR as a carmaker is a familiar one, not just of TVR itself, as indeed the company has been fortunate to survive this long given its history, but of another great sports car manufacturer, Aston Martin, in the days before that company was taken over by Ford.  Aston Martin had lurched from crisis to crisis throughout the company’s colourful history in much the same way as TVR seems to have done.  It seems that each time TVR has looked as though it would fade away it has been snatched from the jaws of death by enthusiasts.

The story has by no means finished yet, and even if TVR did cease trading, the following for the cars themselves will no doubt only grow stronger.  TVR represent something more than just a factory that produces sports cars.  Each individual vehicle has a spirit and a life-presence within it that is as individual to each as the craftsman who put it together.  That is why they are the stuff that legends are made out of.