What's the latest news on TVR?
What's the latest news on TVR?
Author
Discussion

NDT

Original Poster:

1,767 posts

292 months

Sunday 20th September 2009
quotequote all
Does anyone know what the situation is with TVR?
Is the company totally dead or are they progressing stuff with the Italians and Ricardo?

V8 GRF

7,299 posts

239 months

Sunday 20th September 2009
quotequote all
NS just recently laid off all the remaining staff. Negotiations 'supposedly ongoing' with a third party to do I know not what.

Don't hold you breath.....

Davel

8,982 posts

287 months

Sunday 20th September 2009
quotequote all
Sounds like a tragic ongoing farce.

What a bloody shame that a marque such as TVR should be allowed to wallow in such a way.

dvs_dave

9,040 posts

254 months

Monday 21st September 2009
quotequote all
The problem lies in the fact that NS wants £15m for the TVR name! With every day that passes, the TVR brand depreciates as it falls further from memory.

I've heard that he's approached various people in the trade and said to them that if they can get 10 £10k deposits, he'll build the cars (Tuscan Convertible). How, where and when is not known.

He's still in dreamland if he thinks he's any hope of recouping his losses. Especially in this day and age.

Blown2CV

31,650 posts

232 months

Monday 21st September 2009
quotequote all
The name retention thing is not intended to get in the way of re-launch - there is no re-launch. He has hung on to the TVR name so that one day when someone decides that TVR is a great name of old to rekindle in the same way as Jensen and all the other ones that this has happened to, he can sell them it and make a load of cash. If NS brought the co back now they would need to clear up all the messy details, probably restart production with Sag and maybe Tusc, and the onus would be on him to make it as good and better than before and to keep the old guard and the new guard happy whilst conforming to various regs and legislation that has emerged in the intervening period. It's a tall, if not impossible order. He would be bound to the mistakes and inefficiencies of the past, yet have to embrace the future - and make it all work. The world has moved on. This isn't a matter of cash, I don't think TVRs in their recent form would be a goer. People remember the good things and not so much the bad - rose tinted specs. If you leave it a good few years, the slate is clean, and you can start afresh; and all the residual owner and brand-champion animosity would have gone and you can come up with some new designs, cars and new manufacturing practices and methods and business models that are not so true to how they were before, but the ones that care will have forgotten or will have gone.

TVRUnoficialBlog

189 posts

224 months

Monday 21st September 2009
quotequote all
NDT said:
Does anyone know what the situation is with TVR?
Is the company totally dead or are they progressing stuff with the Italians and Ricardo?
ITALIANS???? Why I don't know anything? What Italian fellow wants to restart production???

V8 GRF

7,299 posts

239 months

Monday 21st September 2009
quotequote all
TVRUnoficialBlog said:
NDT said:
Does anyone know what the situation is with TVR?
Is the company totally dead or are they progressing stuff with the Italians and Ricardo?
ITALIANS???? Why I don't know anything? What Italian fellow wants to restart production???
VERY old news from early 2007. Rumours abounded that Bertone had been approached to build cars. Either not true and/or scotched by Bertone themselves going into bankruptcy.


Edited by V8 GRF on Monday 21st September 13:19

julian64

14,325 posts

283 months

Monday 21st September 2009
quotequote all
The sag and the tuscan were never the future of TVR.

The only way TVR would make a comeback is to go back to the Cerbera, instil a Chevy engine and market that.

Its no co-incidence that lotus did a lot of +2 cars. Lots of people like me could never really have a pure two seater. The money's in two seaters that you could convince the other half are practical. That means +2 at the very least and percieved reliability. Sad as it may be that counts for a lot.

NDT

Original Poster:

1,767 posts

292 months

Monday 21st September 2009
quotequote all
V8 GRF said:
TVRUnoficialBlog said:
NDT said:
Does anyone know what the situation is with TVR?
Is the company totally dead or are they progressing stuff with the Italians and Ricardo?
ITALIANS???? Why I don't know anything? What Italian fellow wants to restart production???
VERY old news from early 2007. Rumours abounded that Bertone had been approached to build cars. Either not true and/or scotched by Bertone themselves going into bankruptcy.


Edited by V8 GRF on Monday 21st September 13:19
IIRC they signed the contract to outsource vehicle build to Bertone.

stimshady

1,323 posts

216 months

Monday 21st September 2009
quotequote all
V8 GRF said:
NS just recently laid off all the remaining staff. Negotiations 'supposedly ongoing' with a third party to do I know not what.

Don't hold you breath.....
are you sure about this, i heard sketchy, potential details to say otherwise.

V8 GRF

7,299 posts

239 months

Monday 21st September 2009
quotequote all
NDT said:
V8 GRF said:
VERY old news from early 2007. Rumours abounded that Bertone had been approached to build cars. Either not true and/or scotched by Bertone themselves going into bankruptcy.
IIRC they signed the contract to outsource vehicle build to Bertone.
I'd be surprised if it really got that far, maybe an expression of interest but the cars where no where near being 'production' ready.

stimshady said:
V8 GRF said:
NS just recently laid off all the remaining staff. Negotiations 'supposedly ongoing' with a third party to do I know not what.

Don't hold you breath.....
are you sure about this, i heard sketchy, potential details to say otherwise.
Am I sure about what and what did you hear otherwise?

Edited by V8 GRF on Monday 21st September 14:59

NDT

Original Poster:

1,767 posts

292 months

Monday 21st September 2009
quotequote all
V8 GRF said:
NDT said:
V8 GRF said:
VERY old news from early 2007. Rumours abounded that Bertone had been approached to build cars. Either not true and/or scotched by Bertone themselves going into bankruptcy.
IIRC they signed the contract to outsource vehicle build to Bertone.
I'd be surprised if it really got that far, maybe an expression of interest but the cars where no where near being 'production' ready.
The contract (much like the engines contract) involved some redesign and of course Bertone would have wanted to retool and take some cost out, hence a long lead time from signing a contract (if they ever did) to actually building cars.

bsdnazz

762 posts

282 months

Monday 21st September 2009
quotequote all
julian64 said:
The sag and the tuscan were never the future of TVR.

The only way TVR would make a comeback is to go back to the Cerbera, instil a Chevy engine and market that.

Its no co-incidence that lotus did a lot of +2 cars. Lots of people like me could never really have a pure two seater. The money's in two seaters that you could convince the other half are practical. That means +2 at the very least and percieved reliability. Sad as it may be that counts for a lot.
All together now... 911!

cloggy

4,959 posts

238 months

Monday 21st September 2009
quotequote all
bsdnazz said:
julian64 said:
The sag and the tuscan were never the future of TVR.

The only way TVR would make a comeback is to go back to the Cerbera, instil a Chevy engine and market that.

Its no co-incidence that lotus did a lot of +2 cars. Lots of people like me could never really have a pure two seater. The money's in two seaters that you could convince the other half are practical. That means +2 at the very least and percieved reliability. Sad as it may be that counts for a lot.
All together now... 911!
I think I rather do a DIY castration at home with a blunt spoon before I get in that Dzjerman tank.

Ribol

11,995 posts

287 months

Monday 21st September 2009
quotequote all
The only person who knows what will happen to TVR doesn't post on here for two reasons, firstly his English ain't great, secondly he doesn't know.

julian64

14,325 posts

283 months

Tuesday 22nd September 2009
quotequote all
cloggy said:
bsdnazz said:
julian64 said:
The sag and the tuscan were never the future of TVR.

The only way TVR would make a comeback is to go back to the Cerbera, instil a Chevy engine and market that.

Its no co-incidence that lotus did a lot of +2 cars. Lots of people like me could never really have a pure two seater. The money's in two seaters that you could convince the other half are practical. That means +2 at the very least and percieved reliability. Sad as it may be that counts for a lot.
All together now... 911!
I think I rather do a DIY castration at home with a blunt spoon before I get in that Dzjerman tank.
I'd buy a 911 if they made one that looked nice.

TVR_owner

3,349 posts

220 months

Tuesday 22nd September 2009
quotequote all
julian64 said:
The sag and the tuscan were never the future of TVR.

The only way TVR would make a comeback is to go back to the Cerbera, instil a Chevy engine and market that.
Market it as what, a 10 year out of date failed GT car that cost the factory a fortune to build but now has a state of the art V8...?

Think Lotus and the thing that springs to mind is 2+2 cars........er, no. Think of Lotuses biggest failures and think 2+2.


julian64

14,325 posts

283 months

Tuesday 22nd September 2009
quotequote all
TVR_owner said:
julian64 said:
The sag and the tuscan were never the future of TVR.

The only way TVR would make a comeback is to go back to the Cerbera, instil a Chevy engine and market that.
Market it as what, a 10 year out of date failed GT car that cost the factory a fortune to build but now has a state of the art V8...?

Think Lotus and the thing that springs to mind is 2+2 cars........er, no. Think of Lotuses biggest failures and think 2+2.
We must have come from two different planets. The Cerb was TVR's pragmatic attempt to build a family mans car rather than the phallus on wheels that was the Tuscan and the later Saggy. The AJP8 wasn't everyones cup of tea but was substantially better lived than the speed six. Undeniably the thing that puts most people off of a TVR is percieved engine quality and the inability to be anything other than a batchelor. The Chevy engine would have sorted this matted to a +2 body.

As ridiculous as the rear two seats on a Cerb are, they are still better than nothing.

As far as the failed GT car comment goes, have you ever driven a Cerb, or for that matter do you follow the tuscan challenge racing?

grumbledoak

32,571 posts

262 months

Tuesday 22nd September 2009
quotequote all
julian64 said:
The only way TVR would make a comeback is to go back to the Cerbera, instil a Chevy engine and market that.
With respect, cobblers. TVR were at their peak with two two seaters, the Griffith (with free medallion) and the more successful Chim (with free panzee). The boom in the City helped enormously, but we've got Gordon this time 'round.

Either way, going back to a +2 model, no matter how mighty, that wasn't a huge seller the first time isn't a good commercial decision.

He'll hang on to the name, I suspect, to try to recoup his losses.

TVR_owner

3,349 posts

220 months

Tuesday 22nd September 2009
quotequote all
julian64 said:
TVR_owner said:
julian64 said:
The sag and the tuscan were never the future of TVR.

The only way TVR would make a comeback is to go back to the Cerbera, instil a Chevy engine and market that.
Market it as what, a 10 year out of date failed GT car that cost the factory a fortune to build but now has a state of the art V8...?

Think Lotus and the thing that springs to mind is 2+2 cars........er, no. Think of Lotuses biggest failures and think 2+2.
We must have come from two different planets. The Cerb was TVR's pragmatic attempt to build a family mans car rather than the phallus on wheels that was the Tuscan and the later Saggy. The AJP8 wasn't everyones cup of tea but was substantially better lived than the speed six. Undeniably the thing that puts most people off of a TVR is percieved engine quality and the inability to be anything other than a batchelor. The Chevy engine would have sorted this matted to a +2 body.

As ridiculous as the rear two seats on a Cerb are, they are still better than nothing.

As far as the failed GT car comment goes, have you ever driven a Cerb, or for that matter do you follow the tuscan challenge racing?
Cerb, driven yes and owned.

I notice you only comment on the two rediculous rear seats and forget the rediculous front seat (passenger side).

Do I follow the Tuscan challenge, yes not missed a round all year.