RE: TVR will succeed: Smolenski
RE: TVR will succeed: Smolenski
Thursday 13th July 2006

TVR will succeed: Smolenski

View the cars at the motor show


Tuscan Convertible: at the show?
Tuscan Convertible: at the show?
TVR boss Nikolai Smolenski reconfirmed today that he remains focused both on the company and on making it a global success.

It follows Smolenski's recent emergence from his self-imposed purdah to give interviews to Evo magazine and The Sun, stating his commitment to TVR and his ambitions for it. Smolenski also said "categorically" that he's not selling the company, despite any rumours, and that he has neither plans nor are there negotiations underway for the company's sale.

Smolenski said he and the company invite all owners, enthusiasts, fans and followers of the marque to visit them on the TVR stand at the British International Motor Show, which will run at ExCeL, London, from Thursday 20 July until Sunday 30 July.

He didn't say that there would be new cars on show -- but the company has launched new models in the not-too-distant past and you could expect those to be there.

And while you're there, don't forget to visit PistonHeads on stand 548.

Author
Discussion

GTRene

Original Poster:

22,492 posts

253 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
I'm not a fan of the Tuscan range...the 350 and Sagaris I like...but I would like to see a good V8 in them...like the chevvy LS engine! good reliable power and they can do it remember the old griffith V8 from the sixtys and the tuscan V8 also 60<>70ties very quik so a TVR with a USA engine is not new come on TVR do it!!! please...I also hoping for a new sort Cerbera with the LS7(Z06) engine in it...
GTRene

Edited by GTRene on Thursday 13th July 09:45

Venom

1,864 posts

288 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
I've got a feeling that you'll be disappointed if you're hoping to see never-seen cars at the show. There hasn't been any real news from the facory indicating anything imminent, even though I'm sure they will be working on new ideas.

Seems a bit early in the company's life cycle for the minute.

GTRene

Original Poster:

22,492 posts

253 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
I'm wisching that within the next 2 years... there will be indeed not many new things around the show...but TVR surprices us everytime hope the surprice is a good one!
And ofcorse I wish them all the luck achieving that!
GTRene

Edited by GTRene on Thursday 13th July 10:11

arlesj73

18 posts

243 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
Bring back the Griff!

_Deano

7,414 posts

282 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
i would like to see a V8 tuscan too!

dinkel

27,783 posts

287 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
I expected - it was announced - some variations on current themes.

More on the Cerb2 . . . a bit more than those sketches . . .

r988

7,495 posts

258 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
IIRC from the interview in Evo didn't he say they were working on a V12 or something?

yellt350t

2,658 posts

242 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
rumour heard ,sagaris smooth bodied,and 350 gonna be dropped.

Beefmeister

16,482 posts

259 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
Well on the Autocar site, they have this pic in the 'Whats in the car park today?' bit:



With this below it:

"TVR's improved Sagaris, with a new rear end and rear-exiting exhausts rather than the side-exiting ones of old."

Which means that there are some mods done, which will undoubtedly be on the motor show cars.

Looks like the gurney flap is gone (though its hard to tell in that picture)...

GTRene

Original Poster:

22,492 posts

253 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
yellt350t said:
rumour heard ,sagaris smooth bodied,and 350 gonna be dropped.

the Sagaris smooth bodied? and 350 dropped? so we will have a mix between those 2... I think not a bad idea if you want to survive and not have to many different cars in your family...
So in the end TVR will have a Sagaris, the Cerbera mrk2, the Griffith and the Chimeara
2 hardtops, and two chameleons(targa/cabrio)...not a bad idea, fix on those 4 names and make some nice machine's, then you've got a lot potentional when you also bring a proper V8 back!
cheers
GTRene

GTRene

Original Poster:

22,492 posts

253 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
Beefmeister said:
Well on the Autocar site, they have this pic in the 'Whats in the car park today?' bit:



With this below it:

"TVR's improved Sagaris, with a new rear end and rear-exiting exhausts rather than the side-exiting ones of old."

Which means that there are some mods done, which will undoubtedly be on the motor show cars.

Looks like the gurney flap is gone (though its hard to tell in that picture)...

They kept the single bubble in the roof(helmet) why not make it universial and create a doubble bubble looks better too! and also the roof is useble WW, a bit like some hardtops from some Vipers double bubble?
GTRene

Edited by GTRene on Thursday 13th July 12:47

MAG

1 posts

256 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
I just absolutely love the looks and presence of the Tuscan, but every time I get to the verg of buying one I chicken out and get an M3 upgrade. I only do 3k a year and even though I'm in love with the beast I'm still living will the good old plain and reliable girl. TVR need to do something convince us closet fans to up-sticks.

anonymous-user

83 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
MAG said:
I just absolutely love the looks and presence of the Tuscan, but every time I get to the verg of buying one I chicken out and get an M3 upgrade. I only do 3k a year and even though I'm in love with the beast I'm still living will the good old plain and reliable girl. TVR need to do something convince us closet fans to up-sticks.



Had 2 Tuscans over 3 years, no engine probs at all.

With the 3 year warranty now there's really nothing to stop you buying one except the things dangling between your legs.

mk1fan

10,913 posts

254 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
unrepentant said:
MAG said:
I just absolutely love the looks and presence of the Tuscan, but every time I get to the verg of buying one I chicken out and get an M3 upgrade. I only do 3k a year and even though I'm in love with the beast I'm still living will the good old plain and reliable girl. TVR need to do something convince us closet fans to up-sticks.



Had 2 Tuscans over 3 years, no engine probs at all.

With the 3 year warranty now there's really nothing to stop you buying one except the things dangling between your legs.


seefive

8,353 posts

262 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
arlesj73 said:
Bring back the Griff!


Yeah - I need another money pit

The picture of the Tuscan Convertible is to my eyes essentially a Griff with a different nosecone, rather spoiling the retro style lines for me - but then again I am a laggard where change of design is concerned. Having said that, I feel that the new closed headlight set-up is more in line with the Griff curves than the earlier attempt of mixing it with those multiple frenched lights of the Tuscan coupe. I assume that everything else is different underneath....

I have to agree, from experience of my Vette's Chevy LS lump, it should make the car more practical / reliable than my experience with old Serpentines. Never had an AJP pushed TVR so can't comment, but the forums seem to be full of issues. It's nice (and waaay cheaper) to have a first service interval of 100,000 miles rather than the usual TVR 6,000 interval. And I don't think I ever got away with a service bill of less than £1,000 with the Griff from a TVR main agent. Chevy - just oil and filters when the computer says so, with the odd chassis lube, about 60quid for the oil and 4quid for the filter, easy DIY or about 110 quid all done from a garage. TVR's dealers would go skint with the lack of service revenue if they went Chevy power....

TVR certainly make different and interesting cars. Sagaris certainly looks wacky and by reports goes like stink. No disrespect to any male owners, but the Tamora looks too cute and girly ever go quick, but apparantly does, so nice one again guys - I'd love one for the missus. Although I love TVRs, I would not buy another one after experiences of the last two Griffs I had. Good luck to them - I hope they get it right for the rest of us that love to see and hear them burbling around, but I couldn't stand the "idiosyncrasities" of owning one again.

guitarman

112 posts

272 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
As you say, the TVR dealers rely on the revenue from rip-off servicing and repair bills to survive. They would never be able to exist on car sales and reasonable maintenance costs. People that are happy to throw their money away on rip-off servicing are either mental or too rich to care.

If they stuck a reliable proven engine in their fantastic looking cars,then the company would have a much rosier future.

maddoganderson

1,220 posts

269 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
I think the AJP engines were more or less sorted reliability wise in their latter years - mine certainly never put a foot wrong in two years - it was the crippling service costs (even given that it was a 'race' engine for the road) and silly niggly problems that grated a bit. I certainly wasn't put off Tiv ownership whatever my gripes and will probably return to the fold in due course.

zaktoo

1,401 posts

269 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
GTRene said:
I'm not a fan of the Tuscan range...the 350 and Sagaris I like...but I would like to see a good V8 in them...like the chevvy LS engine! good reliable power and they can do it remember the old griffith V8 from the sixtys and the tuscan V8 also 60<>70ties very quik so a TVR with a USA engine is not new come on TVR do it!!! please...I also hoping for a new sort Cerbera with the LS7(Z06) engine in it...
GTRene


To be honest, I feel that would be a massive step backwards. I like the fact that TVR have developed their own engines, and I am sure the kinks will be worked out. Having your own power plant really sets you aside from many others competing in the same niche market. The premier sports car manufacturers have their own engines, and especially going back to pushrod OHV engines would be a penny-wise, pound-foolish kind of manouever (I am not even going to try & spell that right!) in my book...

GTRene

Original Poster:

22,492 posts

253 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
zaktoo said:
GTRene said:
I'm not a fan of the Tuscan range...the 350 and Sagaris I like...but I would like to see a good V8 in them...like the chevvy LS engine! good reliable power and they can do it remember the old griffith V8 from the sixtys and the tuscan V8 also 60<>70ties very quik so a TVR with a USA engine is not new come on TVR do it!!! please...I also hoping for a new sort Cerbera with the LS7(Z06) engine in it...
GTRene


To be honest, I feel that would be a massive step backwards. I like the fact that TVR have developed their own engines, and I am sure the kinks will be worked out. Having your own power plant really sets you aside from many others competing in the same niche market. The premier sports car manufacturers have their own engines, and especially going back to pushrod OHV engines would be a penny-wise, pound-foolish kind of manouever (I am not even going to try & spell that right!) in my book...


and especially going back to pushrod OHV engines would be a penny-wise, pound-foolish kind of manouever

Ferrari could do that too that will save some service cost you don't need to change cambelts every time and in some Ferrari's thats very very expensive...so pushrod in a ferrari
but to be serious, those latest LS7 engine's are very good, and not that expensive to run, also fuel economic(for such big lump)
Ok its very nice to have your own develloped engine in your car..a race engine...keep it in the race cars...they don't bother to change after a view races
If I had to choose, a big new LS7 would be my choice in a TVR plenty info about them, and the more the better the cheaper the easyer to understand , get parts for and cheaper to mentaine?
You can always devellop your own ECU and special exhaust for the TVR or Marcos sound...
I don't see anny troubles...they will sell good
GTRene

grumbledoak

32,571 posts

262 months

Thursday 13th July 2006
quotequote all
zaktoo said:

To be honest, I feel that would be a massive step backwards.




Just sort the reliability and move forwards.
Look to Porsche's market and profits, and make the whole car.

No-one really wants their 70s cords / flares / haircut back for more than a theme party...