You want a TVR in North America? Let me know.

[JonGwynne]

I've done some research on how to pull this off and come up with a way.

The question is whether or not it will be practical to do so and that depends on how many people are willing and able to buy TVRs in the US.

So, it is no longer a matter of "can I have one?" but "Do I want one?" or "Can I afford one?"

If you live in North America and are interested in getting your hands on a modern TVR, please send me an e-mail at [e-mail].

It would help enormously if you could include the following details.

1. Name and contact information.
2. Model/engine-type in which you are interested.
3. Would you prefer a used car or a new one? Would you insist on one or the other?
4. Equipment/spec requirements (e.g. air-con, reflex paint, etc.)
-----

Any information you provide will be held strictly confidential.

Before you reply, please consider the following.

1. I cannot make any commitments (or accept any deposits) as to delivery dates until I have a firm idea of the level of interest in such a service and the nature of that interest. First things first.

However, my expectation is that the process of getting the car from the UK to the US/Canada and to the point where it can be registered to drive on public roads should take approximately 60-90 days.

The cost of the service will depend on the amount of interest, and the sorts of cars people want but should be in the area of 15% of the price of the car.

2. I will not be in a position to provide any conversions to left-hand-drive. In other words, you'll have to want one badly enough to be willing to learn to drive on the right side of the car.

3. I will (initially at least) only assist in the acquisition/importation/registration of the car, I will not be providing any service/parts.

4. I am not affiliated in any way with TVR or any of their subsidiaries. I'm just a guy who found a way to bring TVRs to a sadly deprived continent.

5. The US Dollar is falling precipitously against the British Pound. This will increase the cost of anything British to anyone American. It is currently at about $1.65 to the pound (compared to about $1.40 a year or so ago).

So, if you still want a TVR after all that, let me know.

Cheers,

JG

[JonGwynne]

harley said: I want one, but am concerned that the car won't be kosher and will be confiscated by the feds.

Are you going to import it sans engine? That's the only way I can think of.

My intention is to provide a car that can legally be registered in any of the 50 states or Canada without any dodgy shortcuts.

Naturally, this would eliminate any possibility of confiscation/deportation of the car by authorities.

After all, if that isn't possible then no one in their right mind would be interested.

[JonGwynne]

fizz said: JG, I'd love to get a TVR Tuscan. Problem is that I'd like it factory backed. I'm sure you are a good guy, but how do I know the car has not been crashed? What about the mechanics? Will TVR sell the parts necessary to the USA? What about the dodgy electrics?
I want a TVR Tuscan bad--but it has to be factory endorsed.

Part of the service would have to include the option to have it fully inspected before making any larger commitment to preclude any possibility of mechanical or crash damage. My basic premise is that I wouldn't try to sell someone a car I wouldn't be perfectly comfortable buying myself.

What about dodgy electrics? I don't understand the question. TVR's are known to develop electrical niggles on occasion and these can be dealt with. They're certainly not the only car in the world with such a reputation. It doesn't/didn't stop people buying Ferraris or Audi-built Porsches just to give two examples.

The issue of parts availablity is a good question and the best assumption to make is that TVR will not provide parts to anyone but authorized repair facilities. Still, they could be contacted and if they choose to sell a given part then there's no problem.

However, since many electrical system components are supplied by third parties (e.g. Bosch) it would be best to go directly to the supplier. In situations where certain custom-made parts wear out, it would be necessary to either find a suitable substitute part or have it custom-fabricated.

Factory endorsed? Do you mean that you want to wait until TVR establishes a formal presence in North America with authorized dealers/service centers and such? You're certainly free to do that but you may be in for a wait.

In the meantime, it seems like there are some people who want their TVRs now and are willing to go to the trouble necessary to have one now. If that's true, I think there is a way for me to help them.

[JonGwynne]

fish fried fred said: JG, I think the TVR enthusiasm will come when the factory sanctions distribution of their cars--like Morgan, Caterham, Lotus, Dare/Ginetta and the like. If TVR would tell us they wanted to sell cars in the USA and who was selling them, I think there would be a lot of interest.. There are too many issues with getting the cars in (emissions, crash testing, airbags, etc.), that people don't wnat to make the investment only to see their car taken away by the feds.
BTW, the new Viper has only a steering wheel airbag. How hard is it to fit an airbag to a steering wheel ? If Morgan can do it, so can TVR--if they want to. The dearth of TVR and the USA information has really tempered any enthusiasm for TVR's very exciting new cars--which is too bad.
I don't want to get political, but I know many people who would gladly buy something besides a German sportscar (if the Germans and French can't support us when we need their help, why should we support their economy?) preferrably British and fast. That leaves one choice TVR.
Too bad PW doesn't see the potential presented to him...

I'm not sure the potential is as great as it need to be. Also, there is a lot of difference between "interest" and being willing and able to throw down $50k-$80k on a car that, for most people, would be a 2nd or 3rd vehicle for use on sunny weekends.

There is some basic math standing in the way of TVR making an official move to the US profitable.

It would cost an easy $20 million to federalize TVRs and set up a dealer/service network in the states. Then there would be the ongoing expense of sustaining such a network. That's a lot of cars to sell just to break even.

Look at it another way. I bet if you look closely at Chrysler's books you'd see the only way the Viper is profitable is because it isn't the only car they sell.

Plus, the American sportscar market is pretty soft right now and even if it wasn't, does TVR really want to go up against Corvettes, Mustangs, Vipers, BMWs, Mercs, Porsches, Ferraris, Maseratis, etc.?

The only thing more dangerous than trying to break into a niche market is to exclusively target one that is already very crowded.

Porsche's even making SUVs (Maserati is planning one and I think Lamborghini still might turn out the off LM). These companies know that concentrating on two-seater sports-cars is a dangerously limiting thing to do.

Face it, the American car buyer is not attracted by the same things as the Brits and Europeans. Lee Noble's company makes awesome sports cars as well and he doesn't seem to be making any moves to cross the pond. The M12 would probably be cheaper/easier to get approved for US sale because it uses a Ford engine. I think they even have airbags.

In the meantime, if you want to drive a TVR (or a Noble), you can always take a vacation in England. Lots of places here rent these sorts of cars by the day, the weekend or by the week.

That way, your dollars can enrich a country whose Prime Minister supports America's desire to bomb the cr@p out of Saddam without being distracted by things like logic or reason. ;->