How will the Bertone TVRs be manufactured?
How will the Bertone TVRs be manufactured?
Author
Discussion

Ricardo Bertone

Original Poster:

562 posts

240 months

Friday 27th October 2006
quotequote all
Hi

Just wondering -

How will the Bertone TVRs be manufactured?
Will they try to transpose the Bristol Avenue factory experience on to Turin?
Will they change to steel or aluminium bodies?
Will they develope a monocoque rather than chassis/bodytub shell?
Will they stick with the tubular steel spaceframe chassis?
Have they already got a trained workforce?

Surely with a proposed 2007 production run of 500 units NS has this all sorted?

Ricardo



Edited by Ricardo Bertone on Saturday 28th October 13:12

cossiemetro

1,092 posts

270 months

Friday 27th October 2006
quotequote all
better i assume unless its made like a fiat X19 lol

yellow peril

5,131 posts

302 months

Friday 27th October 2006
quotequote all
If he was LA I don't think he wouldn't have to ask the questions....rolleyes

YP

kANEIT

2,856 posts

249 months

Friday 27th October 2006
quotequote all
hMMMM! VERY TOPICAL ALIAS, 'RICARDO'.

I THINK BONDED ALLOY CHASSIS AND PLASTIC POLYMER MOULDED BODY, TO INCREASE THE PERCEIVED QUALITY OF THE BRAND. I BELIEVE A LOT OF PEOPLE SEE TVRS AS A BIT 'KIT-CAR' BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY ARE BUILT BY HAND ON JIGS WITH LOADS OF MANUAL BODY FILLING AND FINISHING. NICK S WANTS TO APPEAL TO MORE PEOPLE.....BUT IS IT AFFORDABLE?

I PERSONALLY THINK THE APPROACH OF ASTON WITH THE HYDROFORMED/EXTRUDED CHASSIS SECTIONS BONDED/BOLTED TOGETHER GIVES 'A FEELING' OF HIGHER QUALITY THAN TUBULAR STEEL AND GLASSFIBRE. lOTUS USE THIS FOR THEIR ELISE CHASSIS ALTHOUGH ITS NOT MONOCOQUE IS IT? THE PLASTIC BODY PANELS USED BY RENAULT AND SMART ARE NOT GLASSFIBRE ARE THEY? I THOUGHT THEY WERE POLYCARBONATE OR A.B.S OR SOMETHING LIKE. THEY 'FEEL' OF A HIGHER QUALITY AND ACCURACY THAN GLASSFIBRE.

Ricardo Bertone

Original Poster:

562 posts

240 months

Friday 27th October 2006
quotequote all
All that sounds great kANEIT - BUT back in the real world what is achievable if a production run of 500 units is proposed for 2007, i.e. two months away?
Unless there has been alot of clandestine activity and porky pie telling by NS any production is going to be a MIRACLE.
Are we maybe just dealing with a dillusionist of MEGA proportions?

puffsorted2

2,442 posts

255 months

Friday 27th October 2006
quotequote all
kANEIT said:
hMMMM! VERY TOPICAL ALIAS, 'RICARDO'.

I THINK BONDED ALLOY CHASSIS AND PLASTIC POLYMER MOULDED BODY, TO INCREASE THE PERCEIVED QUALITY OF THE BRAND. I BELIEVE A LOT OF PEOPLE SEE TVRS AS A BIT 'KIT-CAR' BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY ARE BUILT BY HAND ON JIGS WITH LOADS OF MANUAL BODY FILLING AND FINISHING. NICK S WANTS TO APPEAL TO MORE PEOPLE.....BUT IS IT AFFORDABLE?

I PERSONALLY THINK THE APPROACH OF ASTON WITH THE HYDROFORMED/EXTRUDED CHASSIS SECTIONS BONDED/BOLTED TOGETHER GIVES 'A FEELING' OF HIGHER QUALITY THAN TUBULAR STEEL AND GLASSFIBRE. lOTUS USE THIS FOR THEIR ELISE CHASSIS ALTHOUGH ITS NOT MONOCOQUE IS IT? THE PLASTIC BODY PANELS USED BY RENAULT AND SMART ARE NOT GLASSFIBRE ARE THEY? I THOUGHT THEY WERE POLYCARBONATE OR A.B.S OR SOMETHING LIKE. THEY 'FEEL' OF A HIGHER QUALITY AND ACCURACY THAN GLASSFIBRE.


Renault panels are def not fibreglass, the front wings on my Laguna are plastic and are very flexible

sen 18

1,247 posts

242 months

Friday 27th October 2006
quotequote all
puffsorted2 said:
kANEIT said:
hMMMM! VERY TOPICAL ALIAS, 'RICARDO'.

I THINK BONDED ALLOY CHASSIS AND PLASTIC POLYMER MOULDED BODY, TO INCREASE THE PERCEIVED QUALITY OF THE BRAND. I BELIEVE A LOT OF PEOPLE SEE TVRS AS A BIT 'KIT-CAR' BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY ARE BUILT BY HAND ON JIGS WITH LOADS OF MANUAL BODY FILLING AND FINISHING. NICK S WANTS TO APPEAL TO MORE PEOPLE.....BUT IS IT AFFORDABLE?

I PERSONALLY THINK THE APPROACH OF ASTON WITH THE HYDROFORMED/EXTRUDED CHASSIS SECTIONS BONDED/BOLTED TOGETHER GIVES 'A FEELING' OF HIGHER QUALITY THAN TUBULAR STEEL AND GLASSFIBRE. lOTUS USE THIS FOR THEIR ELISE CHASSIS ALTHOUGH ITS NOT MONOCOQUE IS IT? THE PLASTIC BODY PANELS USED BY RENAULT AND SMART ARE NOT GLASSFIBRE ARE THEY? I THOUGHT THEY WERE POLYCARBONATE OR A.B.S OR SOMETHING LIKE. THEY 'FEEL' OF A HIGHER QUALITY AND ACCURACY THAN GLASSFIBRE.


Renault panels are def not fibreglass, the front wings on my Laguna are plastic and are very flexible
I dont think so, Moles will use String and Sealing Wax.

Edited by sen 18 on Friday 27th October 13:44

kANEIT

2,856 posts

249 months

Friday 27th October 2006
quotequote all
Ricardo Bertone said:
All that sounds great kANEIT - BUT back in the real world what is achievable if a production run of 500 units is proposed for 2007, i.e. two months away?
Unless there has been alot of clandestine activity and porky pie telling by NS any production is going to be a MIRACLE.
Are we maybe just dealing with a dillusionist of MEGA proportions?


I DIDN'T SAY IT WAS POSSIBLE AND REALISTIC RIGHT NOW, JUST THE NEXT BEST LOW VOLUME ALTERNATIVE TO TUBE CHASSIS AND GRP MOULDED BODIES, IN THE LONG TERM, IF THEY REALLY HAVE TO CHOOSE ANOTHER ROUTE. SURELY THE ONLY REASON TO GO TO BERTONE IS BECAUSE MR S WANTS TO BUILD TVRS USING DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES? OTHERWISE WHATS THE POINT OF THE MOVE IF THEY ARE TO DO THE SAME THING BUT IN A DIFFERNET COUNTRY? IS NICK SMOLENSKI TRYING TO SAY BERTONE WILL DO A BETTER JOB OF WELDING TUBE CHASSIS AND LAYING UP FIBREGLASS THAN THE BLACKPOOL LADS? I THINK THE PRODUCTION RUN SHOULD BE WRITTEN OFF AS IMPRACTICAL FOR A YEAR, TVR LAYING DORMANT WHILE DEVELOPING THEIR MANUFACTURING SETUP AND WORKING ON P.R biglaugh, AS I THINK THEY ARE CURRENTLY AT SQUARE ONE RIGHT NOW, STARTING JUST ABOUT FROM SCRATCH.

snorky

2,322 posts

281 months

Friday 27th October 2006
quotequote all
didn't espaces used to be f/glass ?

Wildfire

9,948 posts

282 months

Friday 27th October 2006
quotequote all
snorky said:
didn't espaces used to be f/glass ?


yes

KaNeit, less of the caps dude

KANEIT

2,856 posts

249 months

Saturday 28th October 2006
quotequote all
Wildfire said:
snorky said:
didn't espaces used to be f/glass ?


yes

KaNeit, less of the caps dude



sorry!

jerrytlr

433 posts

243 months

Saturday 28th October 2006
quotequote all
snorky said:
didn't espaces used to be f/glass ?


I have a T350 and a Renault Espace sitting outside in the driveway.

The finish and overall quality of the T350 is way, way ahead of the Espace. In fact the quality of the bodywork finish compared to most mass produced machines was one of the [many] things that attracted me to the car.

The Espace does use plastic panels (I presume ABS), not fibreglass. Only the most recent Espace uses a steel body (and weighs a lot more as a result...:-( ).

Personally I think the quality of finish that can be obtained, indeed is obtained, by TVR is every bit as high as an ABS or steel panelled car. I suspect the downside is how labour intensive a process it is to achieve this level of quality. The 'kit car' feeling in a TVR is (IMO) more due to the somewhat haphazard way much of the trim etc. is fitted to the bodyshell, rather than the material used to build it.

Cheers,

Jerry