Five TVR’s you should know about!

Although founder Trevor (TVR) Wilkinson already had several years’ experience building sports cars, the Grantura was a sort of genesis for TVR. The first small British sports coupe to come out of the Blackpool factories, it inspired many more to come. The layout was simple: a classic front-engine, rear-wheel-drive design with a reinforced fibreglass/plastic body. The car wasn’t delivered with a standard engine. Instead, buyers could choose from a number of engine options, including a Ford or MGA block. The Grantura already had some of the interesting TVR quirks. For example, it lacked an opening for the boot, which could only be accessed from inside the cabin, making it difficult to reach the spare wheel. It was also available as a kit car, allowing the more ambitious mechanics to assemble it themselves…

In 1980, chemical engineer Peter Wheeler bought the struggling TVR from the Lilley family. Over the next 20 years, he would take the company in a new, more creative direction. One of the most remarkable vehicles from this period was the White Elephant Prototype: a one-off prototype built in 1988 that was inspired by the old Tamsin ‘wedge’ series car. Wheeler shoehorned a 5-litre Holden V8 race engine into the pointy-nosed design and drove it as his personal vehicle. It doesn’t get more eighties than that! In 2004, the White Elephant was ‘rescued’ by a group of enthusiasts from the graveyard that the Blackpool factory had become after TVR fell into financial ruin. The car has since been restored to its former glory and can still be seen today. 

Peter Wheeler never made a secret of the fact that he wanted to see a TVR at Le Mans. So in 1997, TVR started building the TVR Cerbera Speed 12 GT1 racer. The car boasted a monstrous, naturally aspirated V12 engine that was essentially made by welding two existing Speed Six engines together. Around this, a wide, flared and winged body was built. But in 1998, the ACO changed the GT1 regulations, allowing more prototype spec cars such as the Porsche 911 GT1. TVR’s Le Mans project was abandoned and the Cerbera was turned into a road car. Without racing series restrictions, it was now able to make somewhere between 800 and 1000 horsepower. An exact figure was never given, however, as the car broke the dyno they were testing it on.

TVR was finally racing at Le Mans! In 2001, TVR developed a GT2-category racer: the TuscanR, later known as the T400R. The car was based on an existing Tuscan challenge race car, although it was heavily modified. In total, seven cars were built and raced by various teams. Although they never really made their mark in the sport, their appearance and screaming Speed Six engines made them a fan favourite. 

After years of promises and plans by new owner Nikolai Smolensky, TVR changed ownership again into the hands of Les Edgar. The new owner immediately made a deal with Cosworth and legendary designer Gordon Murray (designer of the McLaren F1) to develop a new sports car. During last year’s Goodwood Revival, the fruits of their labour were finally revealed. Introducing the new TVR Griffith: a typical British sports car featuring an aggressive-but-sleek design with a 5L Cosworth V8 engine linked to a manual gearbox… A proper drivers’ car! TVR is already accepting deposits and the car will hit the road in the coming months.