Thursday 10th November 2005

EXCLUSIVE: New Factory for TVR

New facility could be open within 18 months!

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PistonHeads can exclusively reveal that the green light has been given by TVR's boss Nicolai Smolenski to plans for a new factory complex in Blackpool. Tenders for the work have already been submitted and are in the final stages of consideration before the contract is awarded.

The new factory will remain in TVR's home town of Blackpool and will be built on a new five acre site.

The existing factory in Bristol Avenue has been home to TVR since 1970. Since that date the site has grown to cope with significant growth in production, making use of every corner of the site.

Bristol Avenue in 2000

TVR believe a new factory with modern facilities is crucial to facilitate their longer term plans and to increase production levels and quality.

Anyone who's visited the Bristol Avenue factory will know that whilst it retains significant charm, a new purpose build facility is bound to offer significant improvements to both production and development departments.

A spokesman for TVR said that they hope to have it up and running within 18 months - "We don't intend to hang around," he told us.

[PetrolTed]

[Plotloss]

Blimey!!

Excellent news that such a significant investment is being made in TVR's future.

[Seasider]

A spokesman for TVR said:

"We don't intend to hang around,"

Lets hope the cars don't as well

Agreed excellent news...

>> Edited by Seasider on Thursday 10th November 11:59

[dick dastardly]

Well done NS for continuing to put heaps of money in.

[Podie]

Interesting...

Wonder what they'll do with the Bristol Avenue site..?

[PinkPanther]

Great news!

PP

[Terminator]

Podie said:

Interesting... Wonder what they'll do with the Bristol Avenue site..?

I was told that PW owns the Bristol Avenue site. Expect to see housing on it eventually.

I've heard the '18 months' guess time and time again from TVR. Anyone want to bet that in April 2007, TVR are still in the old place?

[beano500]

Witty Article said:

....whilst it retains significant charm....

[singh]

dick dastardly said:

Well done NS for continuing to put heaps of money in.

Definately....really good news.

This and Bliar being humbled yesterday, its looking like a good week

[Digga]

[quote=Terminator
I've heard the '18 months' guess time and time again from TVR. Anyone want to bet that in April 2007, TVR are still in the old place?
[/quote]

Doesn't take long to throw some steel portal frames together and clad them with "crinkly tin". Were having a new (diddy, wee 1/2 acre) place built for our engineering guys and we're looking at 6 months to construct and get the machines in and running. (Fingers crossed.)

That of course assumes the TVR factory project gets actually the finance and green light quickly.

Glad to see more tangible evidence of NS's commitment.

[TurboNelly]

Blimey, top scoop!

That is great news - can only mean increased build quality...hopefully.

[bertie]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I would like to bet they will be a nett gain from selling Bristol Avenue for residential development and building elsewhere.

Good news though!

>> Edited by bertie on Thursday 10th November 12:36

[Terminator]

Digga said:

(Fingers crossed.)

My point. Exactly.

[FlipFlopGriff]

Good news. That should secure the future of TVR for some time. Wonder if it'll coincide with a Back Home 2007 as this is the 60th anniversary year?????
FFG

[julianc]

I hope that NS will re-introduce servicing at the new factory.

[tdr]

And for a lot of cars no more Back Home Tours needed (when was the last one again?)

[TonyToniTone]

bertie said:

I would like to bet they will be a nett gain from selling Bristol Avenue for residential development and building elsewhere.

Great news, not sure who would want to live opposite a tip ecycling center tho..

[Podie]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

"Shrewd" is a polite way of putting it I think

I've heard stories that when he bought the company from Martin Lilley, TVR still had debts. Wheeler took the company, but Lilley was still left with the debts.

Not sure how true it is mind...

[infinity]

Good news, i will miss the mess though. Been there for appr. 7/8 times during the last 12 years (in the earlier years with Sue Stoker, the later years with Daniel Revill) and always found it something very, very special.

But considering the substantial investment NS did i think this is the logical way to go.

I hope they wil recognize the importancy of customers being able to stay close to the production-process of their hand-made cars, since i consider this one of the main reasons to go for an -often less quality-product- that a hand-made/custom made sportscar is!!

Like the remark about the old fox wheeler being the owner of the current property. I have great respect for him as well.

Would really like to see which direction NS is heading with the new models and if he dares to buy reiable engines (V8's) from someone else?? I wouldn't mind i would even like it, i consider Rolls Royce, Bentley, Morgan, McLaren, Aston Martin and Range Rover A-labels with a rich heritage as well. Do they produce their own engines?

[Neezer]

I believe they may be moving just 'down the road' to a new industrial/technology estate that has been built. Its about half a mile to the east from the current location.

That's what ive heard, anyway. (Local knowledge off the grapevine and all that).