The Birth of TVR

[man0war]

I am fairly new to the ownership of TVR. I bought a Tuscan last year Aug and have been nuts about TVR and all things TVR since then. In all the research that I have done about TVr, it is clear the Trvor Wilkinson started the company. Now this is where it starts getting confusing. The consensus seems to be that he started it some time in 1946, although there are some articles that state he started it in 1947, and even in 1949. The day that the first TVR was launched is nowhere to be found, nor is Trevor Wilkinson's birth date either. The best I could get in regards to TVR and Trevor Wilkinson's history is that he was born in 1923, left school at the age of 12 and worked as an apprentice mechanic and in 1946 started his own shop where the first TVR was born. The first "true" production TVR, the Grantura was only launched in 1976 though.

Can anyone help out with some more details here pls, or correct where some of these facts are wrong?

Details I am looking for are: when Trevor Wilkinson's birthday. The day or month even of when he launched the first TVR (based on the Alvis Firebird) and the day or month when the first Grantura was launched.

[FunkyGibbon]

take a look at this book

www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1844252353/qid=1143209713/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/203-1122435-2367909

[man0war]

Thanks man. I have just ordered the book, so I guess I'll see if this has all the answers.

[pistolar]

If you want to know about early TVR history there is only one book worth getting and thats Success Against All Odds by Filby. Its out of print and will set you back about £100 off ebay and worth every penny. It is compulsive reading.

[tvrgaas]

man0war said:

The first "true" production TVR, the Grantura was only launched in 1976

"The Motor" Road Test was 1959 (ebay 7012497015), 1976 would have been in the middle of the M era, and seen the launch of the Taimar. Also it saw the publication of ...

pistolar said:

TVR: Success Against the Odds by Filby.

Agreed a interesting read, cf ebay 8392330257

man0war said:

Launched the first TVR

The first few TVR were one offs, may be one a year, the second TVR still exists. The first series were perhaps the Jomar's, the fastback version of which became the Grantura.

FunkyGibbon said:

take a look at this book....

Not seen the new version, Tipler also did a [url]Complete Story| www.amazon.co.uk/gp/reader/1852237961/ref=sib_rdr_ex/202-4071628-8162206?%5Fencoding=UTF8&p=S00H&j=0#reader-page[/url] The start of the first chapter is here, which may help explain the various start dates.

[Ballistic Banana]

Dont laugh this was one of my first attempts of a website way back when have improved greatly since then

But this page I done has a Basic history up to 2002 CLICKY HERE

BB

[CiderwithCerbie]

Considering recent threads it seems you will soon be able to get the whole story from birth to........

[lundinoir]

CiderwithCerbie said:

Considering recent threads it seems you will soon be able to get the whole story from birth to........

Oh! Does this mean there's a new book to bring the history up to date with the current production models?

[tvrski]

Cantus has (or had) a copy of succes against the odds for sale, great book but really rare.

[the dodger]

I also have a copy of Filby's "The TVR Story - Success Against the Odds". It is not for sale!

[richb]

lundinoir said:

CiderwithCerbie said: Considering recent threads it seems you will soon be able to get the whole story from birth to........ Oh! Does this mean there's a new book to bring the history up to date with the current production models?

No it means CWC is on his usual hobby horse of TVR going under...