In 1946, Trevor Wilkinson purchased an old wheelwright's workshop in Beverley Grove, Blackpool, to start an engineering business that he named Trevcar Motors. Initially, the company performed general engineering work (not always automobile related), and would also refresh and service cars and trucks. In 1947, local auto enthusiast Jack Pickard joined the company. Trevcar Motors was subsequently renamed to TVR Engineering (dropping several letters from Wilkinson's first name), and it continued to find general mechanical engineering work through the following years

1949  no. 2

In 1949, TVR built its first original chassis. The Hotchkis-style rear suspension used the live axle from a Morris Eight, and the front suspension was of an independent trailing-arm design. The engine was a Ford 1,172 cc sidevalve from a 1936 van, tuned to 35 hp. Even before the car was bodied, it was crashed by the man hired to create the bodywork, Les Dale. After repairs, the body was styled and built from aluminium, and painted British racing green. Although neither Wilkinson nor Pickard found the finished bodywork to be very aesthetically appealing, it was functional, and the two men conducted the first successful test drive on the runway at Squires Gate aerodrome in 1949. Later that year, TVR Number One was sold to Wilkinson's cousin for £325. It was later crashed and salvaged for parts.

jomar

TVR began work on what would become the Jomar in 1955 by creating a space frame chassis around a central backbone. This facilitated lowering the driver and passenger seats so they were only six inches from the ground. The trailing arm rear suspension from the Volkswagen was used both front and rear to create a fully independent suspension. The earlier models of the Jomar were open but, in order to create a practical day to day road car a coupe was needed and this appeared in 1958. By this stage the TVR Jomar MkII were being offered with a choice of three engines; the Ford 100E side-valve (optionally with a Shorrock supercharger), the Coventry Climax, or the MGA 1489cc. The TVR Jomar  could also be ordered with either fiberglass or aluminum bodywork.

The very first TVR Jomar was an open roadster with a sleek and elegant body. It did not take long for a coupe version of the car to be fashioned, creating many characteristic TVR lines for years to come. When presented at the New York Auto Show, the public loved the car and a flood of orders were made, far to many for the limited TVR to produce.

grantura

The TVR Grantura is the first production model in a long line of TVR cars. It debuted in 1958 and went through a series of developments leading to the Mark I to Mark IV and 1800S models. The last ones were made in September 1967.

These coupés were hand-built at the TVR factory in Blackpool, England with varying mechanical specifications and could be had in kit form. All cars featured a cocktail of Austin-Healey brakes, VW Beetle or Triumph suspension parts and BMC rear axles.

The Grantura bodyshell was made from glass-reinforced plastic and made use of a variety of proprietary components. The bonnet was front hinged. There was no opening at the rear but the boot could be accessed from inside the car - the spare wheel had to be removed through the front doors. Buyers could choose from a range of powerplants which, dependant on the model in question, included a choice of side or overhead valve engines from Ford, a Coventry Climax unit, the engine from the MGA and, ultimately, the 1798cc BMC B-series engine.

griffith series

Jack Griffith came up with the idea for the car in 1964, and secured rights to market the cars in the US. Griffith ran a car repair workshop in the US for patrons such as Gerry Sagerman and Mark Donohue who had both driven a TVR Grantura at Sebring International Raceway in 1962. The concept for the Griffith Series 200 originated during a dinner with Carroll Shelby, where Griffith declared he could build a car that could outperform an AC Cobra.

Griffith first attempt was to put the Ford V8 engine from Mark Donohue's AC Cobra into a TVR Grantura. While this did not work, the idea prompted further conversations. Griffith wanted TVR to supply him with modified TVR Grantura chassis, without an engine or transmission, and TVR complied with his request.

In an effort to get the engine and gearbox to fit, some chassis triangulation was removed compared to that of the Grantura Mk 3, and various parts of the chassis were simply hammered until the drivetrain fitted.^{[citation needed]} The brakes were not upgraded either, although slightly wider 185 section tyres were added.

The Griffith Series 200 could either be fitted with a 195 hp  motor, or a 4.74 l motor that put out 271 hp. It could accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.9 seconds, and had a 241 km/h top speed.

The Griffith Series 200 was followed by the Griffith Series 400 and the Griffith Series 600 before the company ceased operations. In the early 1990s TVR paid homage to the original Griffith by introducing the TVR Griffith. This was the first true use of the name "TVR Griffith".

Trident Cars Ltd was a British car manufacturer based originally in Woodbridge, then in Ipswich, Suffolk between 1966 and 1974, and again after being restarted in 1976 from premises in Ipswich. The new company stopped production in 1977-78.

Their first car, the prototype Clipper convertible, was based on a prototype TVR model which had two seater coupé steel and aluminium bodywork styled by Englishman Trevor Frost (also known as Trevor Fiore, and also responsible for the Elva GT160) and built in Italy by Carrozzeria Fissore.^[2] This TVR Trident Coupé was shown at the 1965 Geneva Motor Show and in addition two more coupés and a single convertible prototype were also made.

Due to a financial crisis at the TVR company, the project passed instead to one of their dealers, W.J. (Bill) Last, who created a separate Trident Cars company to manufacture it using the premises previously used by him for making the Peel Viking Sport. The cars were at first fitted with Ford 4.7 litre V8 in a chassis that was a near copy of the one used on the Austin-Healey 3000 and had similar styling to the TVR prototypes, but were made instead in fibreglass. The first Trident Clipper Convertible prototype was displayed at the Racing Car Show at Olympia in London in January 1966 but little more was heard until the first Clipper Coupé was shown, again at the Olympia Racing Car Show, in January 1967.

The engine problems and financial climate in the 1970s resulted in the company closing down in 1974. An attempt was made to restart production in 1976 but few cars were made before final closure in 1977. Between 1967 and 1977 about 39 Clippers, 84 Venturers and 7 Tycoons were produced.

1967 clipper coupé 

trident

The TVR Trident story is probably the most intriguing and dramatic chapter in TVR history. Between 1964 and 1966 TVR produced only four Tridents before losing the manufacturing rights to a local TVR dealer who started making his own (non TVR) Tridents. The TVR Tridents are unique in many ways: designed by an Italian/English designer, handmade by Carrozzeria Fissore in Turin and powered by an American Ford Cobra V8. They are also the only TVRs to date to feature a steel/aluminium body work. The ‘wedge’ body work was made of steel with a one-piece aluminium bonnet. Power came from a 4.7 litre Ford Cobra V8, developing 270 bhp, linked to a four speed gearbox. Wheels were Dunlop 72 spokes. The Italian roots were reflected in the Alfa Romeo rear lights, Fiat front lights and many Alfa Romeo switches inside.

A local TVR dealer from Suffolk, Bill Last, approached Fissore with a view to obtain the manufacturing rights of the forgotten TVR. How exactly Last acquired the rights has never been clear, but acquire them he did. This enabled Last to commission a brand new Trident from Fissore and to market it as a Trident.
The car’s design differed significantly from the original TVR Trident as it was based on an Austin Healey 3000 chassis. Moreover the body work was made of glass-fibre rather than steel. Between 1966 and 1976 Tridents Cars and its successor Trident Motor Company, built some 130 cars.

1966

s series

1986-1994

The TVR S series, a line of sports cars, was announced at the 1986 British International Motor Show. Due to a massive positive response, the car went into production in less than 12 months, with 250 pre-manufacture orders. This was Peter Wheeler's first major development since buying the company from Martin Lilley, and the turning point in TVR's fortunes. Between 1986 and 1994, TVR produced 2604 S-series cars; 410 of these were the V8S model.

The V6 S-series cars used Ford's Cologne V6 in 2.8 L, 160 hp (S1) and 2.9 L, 170 hp (S2–S4) forms. The early "S" cars are often referred to as "S1", to distinguish them from later versions. The S3(c) and S4c were fitted with longer doors, although some late S2 cars also had these. The S3c and S4c had catalytic converters.

The V8S contains a 4.0 L fuel-injected Rover V8 engine, with gas-flowed cylinder heads, higher lift camshaft, compression ratio upped to 10:5:1, revised manifold, new chip for the engine management system and a limited slip differential. The result is 240 bhp  at 5250 rpm and 366 N⋅m of torque at 3000 rpm.

0-100 mph could be achieved in 4.9 seconds. It was faster than an Aston Martin Virage, a Ferrari Testarossa, Lotus Esprit Turbo SE and Porsche Carrera 2 the supercars of the early 1990s.

wedges

The TVR Wedges are a series of wedge-shaped sports cars built by British specialist sports car manufacturer TVR between 1980 and 1991. There were 2-seat convertibles and 2-seater or 2+2 liftback coupés, with four-, six- and eight-cylinder engines from a variety of manufacturers. The name refers to their sharp-nosed angular shape, particular to the late seventies when they were designed. The Tasmin name was used on most of the 200 and 280i TVRs, as well as for early 350i versions.

1980-1984

1988-1991

griffith again

Like its forerunner namesakes, the Griffith 200 and Griffith 400, the modern Griffith was a lightweight, 1,060 kg  fiberglass-bodied, 2-door, 2-seat sports car with a V8 engine. Originally, it used a 4.0 L 240 hp  Rover V8 engine, but that could be optionally increased to 4.3 L 280 hp  in 1992 with a further option of big-valve cylinder heads. In 1993, with a TVR-developed 5.0 L 340 hp  version of the Rover V8 became available. All versions of the Griffith use the Lucas Industries 14CUX engine management system. All models use a five-speed manual transmission from Rover and TREMEC.

Although the Griffith was almost mechanically identical to its sister car, the Chimaera, it had a different body design and was produced in much smaller numbers.

In 2000, TVR announced that the Griffith production was going to end. A limited edition run of 100 Special Edition (SE) cars were to be built to mark the end of production. Although still very similar to the previous Griffith 500 model, the SE had a hybrid interior using the Chimaera dashboard and Cerbera seats.

2020 griffith

On 8 September 2017, to coincide with the marque's 70th anniversary year at the Goodwood Revival, a new Griffith was revealed under the now resurrected TVR marque, featuring design work by Gordon Murray. It features a Cosworth modified Ford Coyote 5.0-litre V8 engine^[a] producing 500 bhp, double wishbone suspension with adjustable coilover dampers, a carbon fibre ground effect chassis. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in approximately 4 seconds, and can achieve a top speed in excess of 322 km/h .

cerbera

The TVR Cerbera is a grand touring sports car manufactured between 1996 and 2006. The name is derived from Cerberus, the three-headed beast of Greek legend that guarded the entrance of Hades.

Prior to the Cerbera, TVR had purchased V8 engines from Rover and then tuned them for their own use. When Rover was purchased by BMW, Peter Wheeler did not want to risk supply chain problems should the Germans decide to stop manufacturing the engine. In response, he engaged the services of race engineer Al Melling to design a V8 engine that TVR could manufacture in-house. The result was called the "Speed Eight" (official designation 'AJP8') after Al Melling, John Ravenscroft and Peter Wheeler, a 4.2 litre V8 rated at 360 hp  and gave the Cerbera a top speed of 297 km/h. A 4.5 litre version of the engine was later offered with 420 hp.

The AJP8 has one of the highest specific outputs of any naturally aspirated V8 in the automotive world.

Following the success of the Speed Eight engine program, Peter Wheeler also undertook the design of a "Speed Six" engine. This engine also made its debut in the Cerbera but was a 4.0 litre inline slant six design with four valves per cylinder to the Speed Eight's two. The early engines proved too unreliable with many requiring a rebuild.

cerbera speed 12  a7.7 v12  800hp

 tuscan/typfon

Between 2000 and 2004 TVR built a total of seven race cars and six or seven road cars. Of the latter, the 2001 prototype (since scrapped) had the TuscanR body but from 2002 the other cars were of T400R design. The road cars had no standard interior as these were specified by the customers.

Shortly after TVR built the two road-going prototypes (the homologation cars) the project name changed. Originally both badged as TuscanR, the FIA rules for Le Mans stipulated that there had to be two models so in 2002 the red car was rebranded as the T400R and the Fleetwood Brown car as the T440R (the latter with a 4.2L S6 opposed to the 4.0), named for the proposed BHP outputs of the models, and priced at £71,995 and £74,995 respectively. The road project would also offer a two-seater car with a long-range race tank or a 2+2 with a standard-sized (51L) tank.

When TVR delivered the first (and only) T440 customer car they announced that all cars would be 2+2 and with the longer range fuel tank (70L). The monocoque design had also been altered to offer better side impact protection. At the same time they announced the birth of the Typhon (in late 2003 named the T550R). The Typhon would be a supercharged 4.0L T440 with larger brakes and the option of a sequential gearbox over the standard 5SP manual. It would also run 'sequential' injection, instead of the traditional 'batch' of other S6 cars. The T400R badge was dropped as the new Typhon model would retain the two-model line-up required by the FIA. The red T400R was seen briefly with the T440R badge before being re-styled in the De Walt colours and used as a Le Mans promotional vehicle. This car is owned by Richard Stanton and is currently being recommissioned at TVR101.

Before any customer Typhons could be delivered, Peter Wheeler sold TVR; and the general development of both the race cars, the T440 and the Typhon was halted. With no race cars to support, the T440R badge was also dropped at this time, leaving just the Typhon brand name to cover both NA and FI road cars.

tamora

The TVR Tamora is a 2-seater sports car built from 2002 by British automobile manufacturer TVR, filling the gap left by the company's Chimaera and Griffith models. Introduced at the 2000 Birmingham Motor Show, the car is named after Tamora, a character in William Shakespeare's play Titus Andronicus and served as an entry-level model in the TVR range. Peter Wheeler was directly responsible for design and the exterior of the car which was co designed by Lee Hodgett and Darren Hobbs. The interior of the car was design by Damian McTaggart.

The Tamora is fitted with a TVR's in-house 'Speed Six', a DOHC  3.6 L six-cylinder engine rated at 350 hp  at 7,200 rpm and 393 N⋅m of torque at 5,500 rpm, mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. Brake rotors are 300 mm up front, and 280 mm in the back. The braking system was manufactured by AP Racing. The Tamora was intended to be a more practical and urban-friendly model in the TVR range. Based on the Tuscan Speed Six, the Tamora used the same chassis and suspension as the Tuscan.

According to Autocar magazine, the Tamora is capable of accelerating 0–100 km/h in 4.4 seconds.

sagaris

Based on the TVR T350,  the Sagaris was designed with endurance racing in mind. The multitude of air vents, intake openings, and other features on the bodywork allow the car to be driven for extended periods of time on race tracks with no modifications required for cooling and ventilation. The car's name comes from the sagaris, the Greek name of a lightweight battle-axe used by the Scythians, which was feared for its ability to penetrate the armor of their enemies. The car was designed by Graham Browne.

In 2008, TVR unveiled the Sagaris 2, which was designed to replace the original Sagaris. The prototype had minor changes to the original car, including a revised rear fascia and exhaust system, and modifications to the interior.

The sagaris had a TVR Speed Six engine with a  displacement of 3,996 cc and a power output of 406 bhp.

Formula 1 design legend Gordon Murray's organisation is developing the new range of TVR sportscars that are set to take the British sportscar marque back to the Le Mans 24 Hours.

TVR, which was purchased by a group led by gaming entrepreneur Les Edgar in 2013, has firmed up its plans to return to the marketplace with two new models.

It has exclusively revealed to AUTOSPORT sister publication Autocar that Gordon Murray Design is leading development of the cars, that they will be powered by V8 Cosworth engines and that sales are due to start in 2017.

TVR bosses have yet to go public on any firm racing places, but Edgar revealed to AUTOSPORT earlier this year that a return to the tracks was an essential component of the company's relaunch.

griffith

The new TVR Griffith stays true to the brand’s rich heritage, while employing cutting-edge engineering.The exterior has been designed to be as striking as it is aerodynamically efficient.The timeless sports car silhouette is accented with deep air intakes, generating high levels of downforce and cooling.

Employing Gordon Murray Design’s innovative iStream^® architecture with carbon composite structure and body panels, the new TVR Griffith weighs just 1250kg, offers exceptional torsional rigidity and a perfect 50:50 weight distribution.

Powering the new TVR Griffith is a naturally aspirated 5.0-litre Cosworth-enhanced V8, which enables 400bhp  and is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. The new TVR Griffith achieves a top speed of more than 321 km/h, and accelerates from 0-100 km/h in less than four seconds.

le mans

TVR, the company that makes the Griffith street car with a 500-horsepower V8 and a manual transmission, announced  that it’s entering the WEC Le Mans Prototype 1 class with Rebellion Racing for the series’ 2018-2019 “Super Season.” That means the lonesome Toyota LMP1 team will at least have another group to race against this year, after all of its manufacturer competitors left.  The car is called the R13, and two of them are entered in the season that includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Learnings from TVR’s collaboration with REBELLION Racing will flow directly into the development and production both of its road car line-up, and into its future racing projects.

Sports car racing is a fundamental element of TVR’s heritage, with the very first models (TVR 1, 2 and 3) having been designed for the race track, and with a long and rich heritage of racing ever since. TVR entered its first Le Mans event with its Grantura in 1962, and TVRs competed in myriad championships throughout the years. TVR participated at Le Mans in 2003, 2004 and 2005, and ran a number of successful one-make race series in the UK until 2006.

www.rebellion-racing.com