TVR - never say never

[phazed]

DonkeyApple said:

They could buy a Chim?

Ha ha. I swapped cars at a TD with a mate who had an Exige, he came in after one lap as he thought it was one of the worst cars he had driven, and mines good!

Anything new would have to cut it with modern machinery.

I'm sure if there are thoughts of a new model it must be a design that has moved on from what we know otherwise it'll be doomed.

[BJWoods]

swisstoni said:

As TVR owners we are, of course, incredibly butch and like our cars that way.

But I have a feeling that there are plenty of women who like the looks of TVRs but find them just that bit too heavy in the controls
department. If there was a semi-automatic or flappy paddle option and some more thought given to the roof management then I think they
might be a useful market. Women are too large a market to not cater to.
I'm not suggesting an electric roof and all the gubbins that that entails but just something that can be easily taken off and stowed without
trashing the car or their fingers.

yep. I agree if a convertioble, ditch the panel and fold down section.

[JonRB]

BJWoods said:

yep. I agree if a convertioble, ditch the panel and fold down section.

That was actually very innovative at the time, and also allows for a hard roof panel plus the option to go targa. I think also that when it was initially designed, pram hoods were far less reliable and watertight than they are now.

[glow worm]

I think TVR convertible roofs are brilliant. Simple to use and takes very little space in the boot leaving plenty of room for my golf clubs and electric trolley . If anything the Chimaera roof storage, flat against the petrol tank is better than the Tuscan Converts' way of laying it on top.

[swisstoni]

I was thinking more of the Tuscan roof which is amazingly heavy compared to Grif and Chim centre panels.

[BJWoods]

If i was buying now, I would just want a no-hassle at all fold down roof, times have moved on, I would want A/C and ABS aswell

I love my Griff, but I wouldn't buy a new one now. When I did buy it 15 years ago £38k (1998)sounded a lot, for a car without these. (vs £28k a new 4.3 cost 6 years previously)

If a new modern roof adds 50kg's, so what, not with a 480BHP LS, or equivalent. If I want a pram roof, I could buy an Elise these days. ;-)

I don't for see any new TVR being put on the road for less than £50k

Edited by BJWoods on Thursday 13th June 17:48

[DonkeyApple]

glow worm said:

I think TVR convertible roofs are brilliant. Simple to use and takes very little space in the boot leaving plenty of room for my golf clubs and electric trolley . If anything the Chimaera roof storage, flat against the petrol tank is better than the Tuscan Converts' way of laying it on top.

I think that back in the 90s they really were a great design that have flexibility, solidness at speed etc.

I suspect that today a manual roof is much like grafting in a corner shop or fast food joint, below the bizarrely over elevated importance of an Englishman.

Personally I suspect that the first car won't be a convertible but if it is then I wonder if it has to be electrical for the 21st century.

I blame two successive generations of Britons who have never had to crack the ice before the morning dump.

[jpf]

Keys to TVR success (in no particular order)
1) Incredible interiors--make it an event to sit in the car
2) Great handling
3) Engineered for global distribution (if Morgan can do it, TVR can)
4) Price the base model (4 cylinder, 200 HP) at $40,000 (30% higher than a MX5 Miata), the 6 cylinder (300 HP)to compete against the Cayman (Evora is a great car, just overpriced) and the 8 cylinder to compete against the Aston Martin. Use Ford or GM motors that are emission compliant.
5) Be light like an Elise--but be accessible. Ingress/Egress of the Elise was always its achilles heel.
6) Don't do an Invicta (how many cars have they sold?) and price yourself out of the market.
Best of luck!

[Edmundo2]

glow worm said:

I think TVR convertible roofs are brilliant. Simple to use and takes very little space in the boot leaving plenty of room for my golf clubs and electric trolley . If anything the Chimaera roof storage, flat against the petrol tank is better than the Tuscan Converts' way of laying it on top.

I agree the roofs are great. Upgrades could be 2 piece or foldable panel or well stowed solid panel. Do not go electric if it adds weight, complexity, cost. I find top gear tests that compare the lowering speeds of electric roofs laughable - who gives a sh*t - it's a rowdy sports car not a hair dressers cruiser.
Also need to feature roll hoop behind the seats or around the screen as the thought of rolling my old Tivs didn't bare thinking about. T350 padded cage looks nice and racey!

[glow worm]

Edmundo2 said:

I agree the roofs are great. Upgrades could be 2 piece or foldable panel or well stowed solid panel. Do not go electric if it adds weight, complexity, cost. I find top gear tests that compare the lowering speeds of electric roofs laughable - who gives a sh*t - it's a rowdy sports car not a hair dressers cruiser.
Also need to feature roll hoop behind the seats or around the screen as the thought of rolling my old Tivs didn't bare thinking about. T350 padded cage looks nice and racey!

You mean something like this

Edited by glow worm on Thursday 13th June 22:35

[Edmundo2]

glow worm said:

You mean something like this

Edited by glow worm on Thursday 13th June 22:35

Indeed. No need for anything electric and well resolved hoops and bars only add to the appeal if they are discreet, functional, and don't ruin the lines too much.

[Ron98]

My lass loves the T350 and drives it all the time, its even got her plate on it now!

BJWoods said:

yep. I agree if a convertioble, ditch the panel and fold down section.

[cymtriks]

Boatbuoy said:

cymtriks said:

If they are sensible they'll resurrect one of the T cars.
This is the most effective way to restart by far.

Les Edgar said:

“It’s not about looking back to 2004 – there’s nothing wrong with the cars from 2004, they were fantastic cars. But it’s time to move on.”

Oh dear.
He's just let himself in for all the expensive of a new chassis, a new set of moulds, a new driveline installation, a new suspension set up, testing, more testing, and making sure the cars are at least as reliable as if he'd just copied a known set up with known faults and known fixes..

Does anyone clamouring for an all new car have any experience, any at all, of actually doing an engineering project?

[jammy_basturd]

I imagine he probably knows that creating a new car from scratch is going to be a lot more expensive than a resurrection.

[Boatbuoy]

cymtriks said:

Does anyone clamouring for an all new car have any experience, any at all, of actually doing an engineering project?

Yes thank you.

[Andy JB]

phazed said:

DonkeyApple said:

They could buy a Chim?

Ha ha. I swapped cars at a TD with a mate who had an Exige, he came in after one lap as he thought it was one of the worst cars he had driven, and mines good!
.

Strange because i drove an Exige through France & thought it was the worst car i'd ever driven. On a track its great but honestly how much time do we spend doing that & if i did I would be in a track car a la Westerfield or Radical etc - its all relative. Plus i wouldn't call an Exige modern today either.....

[Andy JB]

phazed said:

DonkeyApple said:

They could buy a Chim?

Ha ha. I swapped cars at a TD with a mate who had an Exige, he came in after one lap as he thought it was one of the worst cars he had driven, and mines good!
.

Strange because i drove an Exige through France & thought it was the worst car i'd ever driven. On a track its great but honestly how much time do we spend doing that & if i did I would be in a track car a la Westerfield or Radical etc - its all relative. Plus i wouldn't call an Exige modern today either.....

[phazed]

That's what I meant, the Exige was ace on a track and the Exige owner completely disliked my chim, cheek!

[danger mouse]

BJWoods said:

If a new modern roof adds 50kg's, so what, not with a 480BHP LS, or equivalent. If I want a pram roof, I could buy an Elise these days. ;-)

If a proper (ie folds down without messing up its rear window and actually descends below the deck-line) manual convertible roof is done, powering it need not add a huge amount of weight.
You can always drive it via cables and plop any heavy motors somewhere that helps with weight distribution.

DM

Edited by danger mouse on Thursday 20th June 08:09

[Frio3535]

I was watching the Chris Harris review of the F-type last night and the way he described the car touches on what a lot of people would like from a new TVR. It came across like a modern day Griff/Chim, albeit with a large power, weight, and price hike.