TVR
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- TVR is also the acronym for Televiziunea Română, Romanian Television, which operates four channels, Romania1, TVR2, TVR Cultural and TVR international.
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TVR is a manufacturer of sports cars, located in Blackpool, North West England. TVR is unique in having survived not just as a marque, but as a thriving independent manufacturer.
History
TVR was founded in 1947 by Trevor Wilkinson, who used three consonants of his first name for the company name. The first car was built in 1949. In 1953 the concept of glass-reinforced plastic bodywork over a tubular steel backbone chassis was born, which is continued to this day. In the early years, a wide range of engines was used.
TVR is the third largest specialized sports car manufacturer of the world. A diverse range of coupes and convertibles are offered, most using an inhouse straight-6 cylinder engine design, others an inhouse V8. These cars are built from sturdy tubular steel frames, cloaked in aggressive (and sometimes bizarre) body designs.
The life of TVR can be divided into four eras, based on who owned the company:
- 1947–1965: Trevor Wilkinson
- 1965–1981: Martin Lilley
- 1981–2004: Peter Wheeler
- 2004–present: Nikolai Smolenski
In July 2004, 24 year old Russian, Nikolai Smolenski, bought 100% of the company from its owner Peter Wheeler, for about £15 million. Despite Smolenski's Russian origin, he reportedly intends for TVR to remain a British company and continue the tradition of building lightweight high-performance cars that started more than thirty years before he was born.
Model list
| Production Years | Model | Engine | Displacement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-1977 | TVR 1600M/Vixen | Ford Kent I4 | 1599 cc | |
| TVR 1800S | BMC B-Series | 1798 cc | ||
| TVR Tasmin 200 | Ford Pinto I4 | 1993 cc | ||
| 1972-1977 | TVR 2500/2500M | Triumph I6 | 2498 cc | |
| TVR 280i/Tasmin | Ford Cologne V6 | 2792 cc | ||
| 1972-1977 | TVR 3000M | Ford Essex V6 | 2944 cc | |
| 1976-1979 | TVR 3000S/ Taimar Turbo | Ford Essex V6 | 2994 cc | turbo |
| 1980-1990 | TVR 350i | TVR/Rover V8 | 3528 cc | versions: C and T |
| 1996-2003 | TVR Cerbera | Speed Eight | 4185 cc 4475 cc | |
| Speed Six | 3996 cc | |||
| N/A | TVR Cerbera Speed 12 | Speed Twelve | 7730 cc | never went into production |
| 1992-2001 | TVR Chimaera | TVR/Rover V8 | 3948 cc 4280 cc 4495 cc 4988 cc | |
| 1958-1967 | TVR Grantura | Climax Ford Kent BMC B-Series | ||
| 1963-1965 | TVR Griffith | Ford Windsor V8 | 4727 cc | |
| TVR S Series | Ford Cologne V6 | 2792 cc 2935 cc | ||
| TVR/Rover V8 | 3948 cc | |||
| TVR Sagaris | Speed Six | 3996 cc | ||
| TVR Speed 12 | built exclusively for racing | |||
| TVR Tamora | Speed Six | 3605 cc | ||
| TVR Tasmin Turbo | Ford Cologne V6 | 2792 cc | turbo | |
| TVR Tuscan | Speed Six | 3996 cc | ||
| TVR Tuscan Racer | Speed Eight | 4500 cc | built exclusively for racing | |
| TVR Typhon | Speed Six | 3996 cc |
External links
- The Official TVR Website (http://www.tvr.co.uk)
- TVR History (http://homepage.mac.com/tvr43/history.html) gives a detailed history of both TVR and some of its automobiles.
- Gassing Station (http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/) Busy TVR forums
- TVR-Talk (http://tvrtalk.com) is an online forum for TVR enthusiats.
- Extensive TVR media gallery (http://www.sleepy-fish.com/moretvr.htm)
- The TVR Files (http://www.gspovey.demon.co.uk/garage/tvr/) Photographs of almost everything TVR have built in 5 decades.sv:TVR