New TVR still under wraps!
Discussion
bertie said:
Max_Torque said:
GetCarter said:
Spent the afternoon with GM (who completed their part in Nov 2017). Good news, it's a bloody great car to drive and he has a deposit on one. Bad news... some way off yet. Not allowed to give any details I'm afraid.
My understanding is that the GMD part of the project was to deliver a working prototype and the necessary design and production data to enable the vehicle to be "productionised".Given that Nov 2017 is getting on for 18 months ago, what has been done, engineering wise, and by whom, since? Making a single hand build, not-off-tools, not-off-process prototype is laughably easy compared to the really, really hard slog in them making the car fit for volume (even low volume) production. On a typical OE project, the productionisation and certification would have a budget around 100 times that of the prototype build, and sure, TVR aren't going to meet full OE standards or requirements, but it's still a massive, massive amount of work to get from the prototype to customer cars, so my question stands, who's doing that bit??
Absolutely bang on the money in my experience to.
skwdenyer said:
GetCarter said:
Les Edgar is 'trying' to do it.
Intended or not, this seems to burst the balloon of hope offered by the earlier comment.Tyre Smoke said:
So he hasn't got enough money to start building cars then?
That's what you're saying isn't it?
I presumed that is obvious from before, otherwise they'd already be building the factory and getting things on the go. Hence the lack of updates - they won't be wanting to start investing lots of money if they know they can't finish it. But you can't really tell people that you're just hoping someone will eventually say yes and throw you some cash otherwise nothing happens.That's what you're saying isn't it?
Tyre Smoke said:
So he hasn't got enough money to start building cars then?
That's what you're saying isn't it?
I don't know how much money he has or whether he has started building the cars...I didn't go into detail with GM, but he mentioned the plethora of tests (NCAP etc) all of which take (lots of) time and money. He's still looking forward to getting his car, so it can't be that bad.That's what you're saying isn't it?
Maybe I'm being naive, but I wouldn't be announcing to the world that I was going to start building TVRs without the necessary finance in place.
I certainly wouldn't be wasting what money I did have putting stickers on a Rebellion LMP1 car.
I also wouldn't be making promises I can't ever hope to keep about when the car is going to appear.
It's just never going to happen.
I certainly wouldn't be wasting what money I did have putting stickers on a Rebellion LMP1 car.
I also wouldn't be making promises I can't ever hope to keep about when the car is going to appear.
It's just never going to happen.
Agreed, you can't help but think that any finance needed to progress this should have been in place at this stage of the process.
The fact that it appears not to be signals to me that there is nobody out there willing to commit based on the prospects of TVR ever selling enough cars to continue long term beyond the current Griffith even if it did make it to launch.
The longer these delays continue the less likely this is with what will already be an outdated 2015 offering of a car totally at odds with the way the motor industry is moving in the current "eco" climate.
I see no long term future at all. TVR is a brand that belonged to the last 30 years or so and should have been left to lie in peace .Nothing that is produced today will ever be able to match that era.
The fact that it appears not to be signals to me that there is nobody out there willing to commit based on the prospects of TVR ever selling enough cars to continue long term beyond the current Griffith even if it did make it to launch.
The longer these delays continue the less likely this is with what will already be an outdated 2015 offering of a car totally at odds with the way the motor industry is moving in the current "eco" climate.
I see no long term future at all. TVR is a brand that belonged to the last 30 years or so and should have been left to lie in peace .Nothing that is produced today will ever be able to match that era.
Edited by Monkeylegend on Sunday 21st April 11:43
Tyre Smoke said:
Maybe I'm being naive, but I wouldn't be announcing to the world that I was going to start building TVRs without the necessary finance in place.
I certainly wouldn't be wasting what money I did have putting stickers on a Rebellion LMP1 car.
I also wouldn't be making promises I can't ever hope to keep about when the car is going to appear.
It's just never going to happen.
The problem with that is if you have nothing then you're then trying to sell a complete dream to investors, and they're likely to see loads of these all the time so not be interested. By having the deposits etc then you can show you have people interested (we have xyz who have "confirmed" to buy). Advertising would help get more interest and hopefully deposit holders etc. It also builds brand awareness. Le Mans is likely a great place for targeted advertising to raise more funds - with all the millionaire/ billionaires pay drivers who are interested in cars, and have been willing to put money into car companies (at least racing ones). I certainly wouldn't be wasting what money I did have putting stickers on a Rebellion LMP1 car.
I also wouldn't be making promises I can't ever hope to keep about when the car is going to appear.
It's just never going to happen.
It seems you have to be in the right place at the right time, have the right design, and get lucky. Even then a lot of companies show once you start building the cars then a few years later it still doesn't work (financially) anyway. Hence the likely difficulty in getting backing.
GetCarter said:
Les Edgar is 'trying' to do it.
But one man cannot a city build (or some other similar nearly quote)!It needs a team of suitable skilled people, especially experienced production engineers, to get from a demonstrator to a volume built model, as soon as you are build more than say 5 of them. Those sorts of skills will need to be bought in to TVR and right now, the entire automotive industry is suffering from a significant lack of engineering resource, and especially experienced resource, who can take a problem and solve it with only a small amount of support.
If those tasks have not yet been started, and the people put in place, then just "having a factory" is going to be irrelevant. This really backs up my suggestion that TVR get a small industrial unit, employ 3 very good experienced automotive engineers (ie ex aston, ex lotus for example...) and a team of say 5 very good technicians, and 5 very good purchasers/production enigneers, and build a limited run of LE cars as cheaply as possible.......
The problems are so numerous there’s loads of reasons this might fail.
The main reasons are that it looks odd and the advertising and organisation and communications are rubbish.
The lack of factory and people cancelling deposits and delays and questions about funding are all due to the above.
It’s not some bad luck or fate or whatever it’s because it looks silly and the organisation is poor.
The main reasons are that it looks odd and the advertising and organisation and communications are rubbish.
The lack of factory and people cancelling deposits and delays and questions about funding are all due to the above.
It’s not some bad luck or fate or whatever it’s because it looks silly and the organisation is poor.
So in the last day we seem to have it that the Griffith project is now at a complete standstill until more funding is gained, this being the real reason why there are no updates, PR, factory progress etc.
This implies that nothing is going to happen unless one day someone resurrects TVR again.
Is this the case as I had really hoped the hold ups were more of a comma rather than a full stop if you get my drift....?
This implies that nothing is going to happen unless one day someone resurrects TVR again.
Is this the case as I had really hoped the hold ups were more of a comma rather than a full stop if you get my drift....?
I used to have a Tuscan. Was great fun and I've got a soft spot for the marque, but I honestly can't fathom why anyone would keep their deposit in anymore.
There is nothing happening to convince me that things are progressing.
Brand loyalty is one thing, blind loyalty is else something else altogther.
There is nothing happening to convince me that things are progressing.
Brand loyalty is one thing, blind loyalty is else something else altogther.
Ok ,you have millions to invest.You have no interest in the marque and no interest in owning the car.Would you invest your own money in a product that was right at the end of its lifecycle due to upcoming legislation and the worldwide shift in personal transport requirements.I especially love V8 engines and own the smogiest noisiest available and don't care how much fuel they use nor how much poison comes out the tail,but they're at the end of their life and so too are ultra fast street legal 'racecars' in general.Modernise or don't exist....
Just a thought? So the Welsh Ministers (government) gave TVR a nice big loan of around £2.5m on the understanding more investment would be found as 'progress' was made. That loan is due to be repaid in 2021 and with interest is close to £3m. The Welsh Ministers have a charge over TVR (including name, rights etc) so, if the unthinkable should happen and it all falls apart and the loan cannot be repaid, then presumably TVR would fall into Welsh hands? 
m4tti said:
They need to get over to Africa or some other third world places that haven’t seen the industrial revolution. They’ll love it. 
.....My personal recollections of Africa are that most people walk everywhere which is ideal training for the previous models at least 
.....only joking as mine never let me down!Gassing Station | General TVR Stuff & Gossip | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff