1988 TVR

The 1988 TVR "White Elephant" 5.0 V8 Prototype

The Ultimate Holy Grail of Blackpool History – A Factory One-Off Built for Peter Wheeler

Shmoo Automotive is proud to present "Nelly," the legendary 1988 TVR White Elephant. This is not merely a rare sports car; it is an unrepeatable piece of British motoring bravado, a rolling artefact of personality, and the most singular TVR of its age. Built as a personal experimental prototype and daily driver for TVR’s iconic, 6ft 6in Chairman, Peter Wheeler, this one-of-one machine represents the evolutionary missing link between the brutal SEAC wedges and the curvaceous Griffith.

The Ultimate Specification: A Bathurst Heart in a Blackpool Body

Beneath the hand-sculpted fibreglass bodywork lies a machine engineered without compromise:

The Engine: A 5.0-litre Holden V8. This is a genuine racing-homologated unit from the legendary VL SS Group A SV lineage—the mechanical DNA that conquered Australia's Mount Panorama at Bathurst. Gifted directly to Wheeler by Tom Walkinshaw, this engine is set up in a far wilder tune than standard road cars.

The Power: An estimated 440 bhp and 380 lb-ft of torque propelling a car weighing just 1,180 kg. It delivers an outrageous 370 bhp-per-tonne ratio, launching from 0-60 mph in 4.0–4.5 seconds with a top speed of 170–185 mph.

Drivetrain & Chassis: Power is fed through a heavy-duty Borg-Warner T5 five-speed manual gearbox down to a Salisbury limited-slip differential. The foundation is a widened, reinforced SEAC-spec tubular steel spaceframe. [

Brakes & Suspension: Stopping power comes via four-pot AP Racing callipers gripping ventilated discs all around, sitting behind original Compomotive split-rim alloy wheels. [

Pioneering Design & Eccentric Touches

The White Elephant pioneered the very techniques that shaped TVR’s 1990s rebirth. Designer John Ravenscroft hand-sculpted the body using spray-on expanding foam carved to shape—a rapid-prototyping process that became factory standard.

Because it was built to take the boss to work and his dog to the moors, the bespoke grey Connolly hide interior features fascinating personal touches:

A custom circular recess behind the passenger seat designed specifically for Wheeler's gun dog, Ned.

Concealed, carpet-trimmed compartments built to house shotguns, cartridges, and game.

The first-ever internally illuminated rear number plate seen on a TVR.

Restored to Greatness

After languishing in a factory graveyard following its retirement in 1989 due to emissions laws, the car was rescued in 2004 by Howard Bryan. It underwent a painstaking, nine-year total restoration completed in 2013, returning the chassis and body to pristine running order.

Since taking custody, Shmoo Automotive has treated the vehicle as a living project.

Engine & Fueling: Full service, cleaned induction/ram pipes, modified and strengthened original low-clearance sump, and a custom fuel pump cut-off switch to safely build oil pressure before cold starts.

Exhaust: Restrictive rear silencers removed to liberate the true, raw, aggressive touring-car theatre of the Walkinshaw V8.

Driveline & Handling: Full differential rebuild by Grantura Engineering, comprehensive suspension refresh with new bushes, bespoke steel inserts to correct rear mount play, and rare replacement front spring platforms to reset the correct factory geometry.

Driveability: Refined idle control valve and secondary throttle calibration sorting cold-start behaviour alongside original TVR engineer Warwick Bryce. The fixed seats have also been mindfully adjusted to accommodate normal driving statures (currently comfortable for Ed at 6ft 1in).

A Living, Breathing Masterpiece

Unlike standard Rover-powered TVRs that surge with elastic delivery, the White Elephant delivers a sharper, harder-edged, and far more visceral race-car behaviour. It idles with a hard metallic pulse and accelerates with an angry Antipodean war cry.

Accompanied by a massive history file spanning trophies, magazine features, photographs, and invoices, "Nelly" is highly usable and ready for her next custodian. This is a completely unique opportunity to own a car that defines pure British character.

Price: £89,999

Serious inquiries and global collector interest welcome.