RE: TVR production likely delayed by factory setback
Discussion
Any news on delays should be communicated to the deposit holders first, the people who have actually put there money down on a car. To leek info onto the market via the back door is a bit poor considering the deposit holders have waited nearly three years so far and very little has happened in that time. TVR should be engaging with them at every opportunity to keep them on board with this project after all the deposit money is probably the bulk of the money invested in the start up.
natben said:
Any news on delays should be communicated to the deposit holders first, the people who have actually put there money down on a car. To leek info onto the market via the back door is a bit poor considering the deposit holders have waited nearly three years so far and very little has happened in that time. TVR should be engaging with them at every opportunity to keep them on board with this project after all the deposit money is probably the bulk of the money invested in the start up.
My son can help with "leek info"...
...as he works in the fresh produce section of a leading supermarket. And all the leeks come in via the back door - it's where the loading bay is.
He could leak the leek info, if you'd like...
cidered77 said:
I cannot imagine how more cynicism on pistonheads could in any way, shape, form or universe be a good thing. At all.
This is a forum for cars - objects of desire. Escapism. Whether a 40something who had Athena Testarossa posters as a kid, a max power refuge from the 90s, a track dayer, racer, etc etc.
Instead - most posts i scan, regardless of the subject matter, are filled with people queuing up to show how unimpressed they are. Even the Aston ****king Valkyrie thread is infected.
My point is not that this TVR project is without risk. but i'll wager your typical depositee does not come to this forum to judge that. People with that kind of disposable income tend not to be muppets. My point is that the underlying desire to see it fail, and to revel in pointing that out - not just here, but on anything new or brave, or exiting... or... anything for that matter. That is the problem. I just don't get why so much misery and negativity everywhere.
Anyway - it's Friday afternoon. You miserable old men can stick to pointing out the flaws in other people's business plans; i'm going to build a snowman.
So because it's a car site, we can't be critical?! Eh? So you want to live in some communist state where we all have to smile and say thank you for what we are given?! It's the debate that makes it interesting! This is a forum for cars - objects of desire. Escapism. Whether a 40something who had Athena Testarossa posters as a kid, a max power refuge from the 90s, a track dayer, racer, etc etc.
Instead - most posts i scan, regardless of the subject matter, are filled with people queuing up to show how unimpressed they are. Even the Aston ****king Valkyrie thread is infected.
My point is not that this TVR project is without risk. but i'll wager your typical depositee does not come to this forum to judge that. People with that kind of disposable income tend not to be muppets. My point is that the underlying desire to see it fail, and to revel in pointing that out - not just here, but on anything new or brave, or exiting... or... anything for that matter. That is the problem. I just don't get why so much misery and negativity everywhere.
Anyway - it's Friday afternoon. You miserable old men can stick to pointing out the flaws in other people's business plans; i'm going to build a snowman.
I think also you are misunderstanding a great deal of what is being said. I owned two TVRs going back, an S3 and a Chimaera, both of which I loved. When I saw that another TVR comeback attempt was being made, I looked on with interest. This should be right up my street I thought to myself. I love 911s, but more recent offerings have left me a bit cold, and I'm in the market for a £100k ish car. Then it was unveiled, and I have to say I was a bit underwhelmed with the looks, but thought I will go and see it in the metal as pics don't always tell the full story. Then having seen it at Goodwood my view of the looks didn't really improve much. By which point the delays were beginning to kick in, and I thought why risk a deposit on a car that I don't much like the look of (subjective I know) that might not even get made.
Many of the comments to my mind just shriek of frustration at how the British car industry can be both brilliant at coming up with some great ideas yet hugely disappointing at actually delivering them. I'd love this to succeed (recognising I wish I liked the looks a bit more). I'd certainly go and test drive one.
But all is not lost, you can see I'm not without optimism. I've never owned a Mclaren, and while the reliability aspects do concern me a bit, hey I owned 2 TVRs! And the current glut of 720Ss looks very appealing......and that is what TVR is up against. The fact that I can now buy a British car that actually competes with the best already.
All of this OJEU tendering.....
Is it not possible to split down each component of the premises work into sub units with a lower value? E.g. rather than say a £10m project going out to tender, it could be 300 smaller ones? I know it would be a pain, but still potentially faster than going through the whole process?
Is it not possible to split down each component of the premises work into sub units with a lower value? E.g. rather than say a £10m project going out to tender, it could be 300 smaller ones? I know it would be a pain, but still potentially faster than going through the whole process?
There are two ways of dealing with a barrier - through it or around it.
I have not had a TVR for 12 years now, but before that a decade of ownership. The camaraderie between owners really enhanced the ownership experience. I loved the Peter Wheeler era. I do hope that the latest incarnation of TVR can tough it out. This is probably their hardest time. It would be good to see some more flamboyant cars in the future but I think the market is challenging. It used to be £40K cars with the power and looks to rival a Ferrari. They were affordable supercars. I fear now that deeper pockets will be required, putting them out of the reach of many previous owners. Saying that, a £100K 500 bhp low volume car could still stack up against a Huran at £250K. Interesting times.
I have not had a TVR for 12 years now, but before that a decade of ownership. The camaraderie between owners really enhanced the ownership experience. I loved the Peter Wheeler era. I do hope that the latest incarnation of TVR can tough it out. This is probably their hardest time. It would be good to see some more flamboyant cars in the future but I think the market is challenging. It used to be £40K cars with the power and looks to rival a Ferrari. They were affordable supercars. I fear now that deeper pockets will be required, putting them out of the reach of many previous owners. Saying that, a £100K 500 bhp low volume car could still stack up against a Huran at £250K. Interesting times.
cidered77 said:
Mackofthejungle said:
It's easy to say people are just miserable.. I think mostly they just have their eyes open. Constant "leaks", teaser photos, silly numbers, unrealistic aims...it's all a bit tiresome. TVR have built a concept so far.. They're really not that much further on from there. Fine if they were going to hand build 5 cars a year, not fine if they actually want to get back into the sports car market.
I love TVR, I grew up being terrified in the passenger seats of quite a few then bought the rattiest Chimera I could when I was 20 or so, and I'd love for them to start making affordable exotics again, but you have to cry b
ks when you see it!
A bit more cynicism is a good thing.
I cannot imagine how more cynicism on pistonheads could in any way, shape, form or universe be a good thing. At all. I love TVR, I grew up being terrified in the passenger seats of quite a few then bought the rattiest Chimera I could when I was 20 or so, and I'd love for them to start making affordable exotics again, but you have to cry b
ks when you see it! A bit more cynicism is a good thing.
This is a forum for cars - objects of desire. Escapism. Whether a 40something who had Athena Testarossa posters as a kid, a max power refuge from the 90s, a track dayer, racer, etc etc.
Instead - most posts i scan, regardless of the subject matter, are filled with people queuing up to show how unimpressed they are. Even the Aston ****king Valkyrie thread is infected.
My point is not that this TVR project is without risk. but i'll wager your typical depositee does not come to this forum to judge that. People with that kind of disposable income tend not to be muppets. My point is that the underlying desire to see it fail, and to revel in pointing that out - not just here, but on anything new or brave, or exiting... or... anything for that matter. That is the problem. I just don't get why so much misery and negativity everywhere.
Anyway - it's Friday afternoon. You miserable old men can stick to pointing out the flaws in other people's business plans; i'm going to build a snowman.
TUS373 said:
There are two ways of dealing with a barrier - through it or around it.
I have not had a TVR for 12 years now, but before that a decade of ownership. The camaraderie between owners really enhanced the ownership experience. I loved the Peter Wheeler era. I do hope that the latest incarnation of TVR can tough it out. This is probably their hardest time. It would be good to see some more flamboyant cars in the future but I think the market is challenging. It used to be £40K cars with the power and looks to rival a Ferrari. They were affordable supercars. I fear now that deeper pockets will be required, putting them out of the reach of many previous owners. Saying that, a £100K 500 bhp low volume car could still stack up against a Huran at £250K. Interesting times.
Problem is an R8/Huracan, Ferrari and Porsche are all getting Battered by the new ever growing McLaren. Now Lotus are about to make a serious bid for peoples cash lower down the Market place too! Shame as i thought the Sagaris was the nuts.. the very thing this new TVR is quite literally short of I have not had a TVR for 12 years now, but before that a decade of ownership. The camaraderie between owners really enhanced the ownership experience. I loved the Peter Wheeler era. I do hope that the latest incarnation of TVR can tough it out. This is probably their hardest time. It would be good to see some more flamboyant cars in the future but I think the market is challenging. It used to be £40K cars with the power and looks to rival a Ferrari. They were affordable supercars. I fear now that deeper pockets will be required, putting them out of the reach of many previous owners. Saying that, a £100K 500 bhp low volume car could still stack up against a Huran at £250K. Interesting times.
smig12345 said:
+1. This has to be one of, if not the, most negative forums on the internet, a new M5, new Focus RS, new TVR, etc, etc. and almost all you get is negativity on here. It is depressing. There are forums for depressed people that are more upbeat than this place.
LOL you think anyone should be happy with that new "Focus RS" 4 door estate car that likes to blow itself up? Even the Sales/ Tech staff at Ford ive talked too hate the thing and wouldnt touch it with a barge pole. Im super happy and the glass is always half full, but then in general i dont buy rubbish half baked crap, cuz im fully aware that if i do then they will keep building it and that really will be depressing!
I want TVR to do well
TUS373 said:
All of this OJEU tendering.....
Is it not possible to split down each component of the premises work into sub units with a lower value? E.g. rather than say a £10m project going out to tender, it could be 300 smaller ones? I know it would be a pain, but still potentially faster than going through the whole process?
Not an option really as a get round - others have tried. But as I have said before don't be taken in by all this scapegoating nonsense about the procurement process because -Is it not possible to split down each component of the premises work into sub units with a lower value? E.g. rather than say a £10m project going out to tender, it could be 300 smaller ones? I know it would be a pain, but still potentially faster than going through the whole process?
- it shouldn't; be news to anybody involved in the project
- compliance with the EU rules is really no big deal . I've done scores , if not hundreds , and some of the rhetoric I've read about this from TVR is risible . eg 'we've got to advertise the contract in every country in the EU,it's so complex and time consuming ' . But that doesn't mean you have to stick ads in the Turin Times and the Barcelona Builders Gazette - all that is necessary is to do a proforma e-advert . I am a slow typist but even I could do them in minutes . And that's about it - contract is same as you'd use for any big build and in practice very few, if any, firms from outside UK will bid . Evaluation of bids can be slightly fiddly but not if you are used to doing it And so what if the best bid is from afar ? TVR aren't averse to sourcing their engine from 3000 miles away...
- if you take tax payers money in the form of a grant etc you really would have to be head in sand naive not to expect some ts and cs to apply .
smig12345 said:
+1. This has to be one of, if not the, most negative forums on the internet, a new M5, new Focus RS, new TVR, etc, etc. and almost all you get is negativity on here. It is depressing. There are forums for depressed people that are more upbeat than this place.
Mostly though, that "negativity" as you call it actually turns out to be true. IME, PH is one the forums with both a high intelligence level (not much use of the word "init" round here, init) but also has as it's members (often long standing) a lot of people who actually work in the industry. When TVR originally announced their new Griffith project and their claimed timescale, in my very first post i said "not a hope in hell guys" and yes, lots of people on here said "don't be so negative" but guess what, i was right, you can't get from nothing (no people, no facilities, no engineers, no supply chain) to a production car, and have the 1st one off the line in 3 years. Not possible, never has been, never will be. Now i know this because i've spent the last 25 years of my life doing projects just like this. Cars such as the Vanquish and Mcl P1 to mention just two i've developed, cannot be developed to the point of sale in that period of time, even with an unlimited budget, so with a limited one, and limited resource as well, it was clearly an impossible target.
Unfortunately, whilst you claim it's a "British thing" to knock everything down negatively, it also seems to be a "British thing" to blatantly ignore all evidence as to the likely practicability of any new scheme or endeavour.......
In reality the only people that have any real direct concern are the people who paid a deposit, the rest of us are in the peanut gallery.
Other than those, I doubt anyone will actually buy one of these cars anyway as it will be so out of date and expensive that mainstream buyers wont want to know it.
At best there may be a small run of the cars, and they will be a bit like those rerun MG V8s, quaint but thoroughly outclassed, but at least the die hard fans will have a car with a tvr badge on it again.
Other than those, I doubt anyone will actually buy one of these cars anyway as it will be so out of date and expensive that mainstream buyers wont want to know it.
At best there may be a small run of the cars, and they will be a bit like those rerun MG V8s, quaint but thoroughly outclassed, but at least the die hard fans will have a car with a tvr badge on it again.
I love TVR’s I really do. Probably the Cerbera with the 4.5 AJP is my favourite. I have seen this new Griff several times, I even toyed with putting a deposit down. I can’t help feeling that by the time these first cars actually materialise this isn’t going to feel like a modern performance car, it’s gojng to be an old design before it even starts?
BJWoods said:
What TVR just released below:
Christmas is almost upon us (for some it arrived early apparently, as it’s seemed to become increasingly difficult to get stuff done over the last week!), and I thought I’d send out a brief message to extend our best wishes to you for the season and to let you know where we are generally before we adopt the ‘if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em’ adage and head off for some festive cheer.
Thank you to everybody who filled in the questionnaire – we had a fantastic response, and (perhaps unsurprisingly) some very polarised views! We are collating the information gathered and propose to circulate a refined version to give you an idea as to what we are prioritising in terms of options etc. We are waiting for the finalised exterior colour options to come through, so you can get a first look at the car in the various potential ‘standard’ colours, plus lots more that might excite you into being a little different.
We have noticed that some people did not receive the questionnaire, and this may be as a result of the delivery medium – SurveyMonkey – causing your spam filter to go into meltdown. If you haven’t received it and it’s not in your spam folder, please contact us using ‘dearles@tvr.co.uk’ so we can resend or arrange an alternative delivery method, which you’ll receive week commencing January 7th - everyone's feedback is important to us. [click HERE to request]
The press has been particularly active over the last few weeks with all sorts of speculation – The Telegraph Business section gave us some shattering stories: “George Soros places £20m bet against Aston Martin”; “Goldman offers staff sex-change”; and Evans Cycle Stores were closing. Closer to home though, they ran a story “TVR’s stalled progress is blamed on EU red tape”. Now, the article is broadly factual, but not entirely, and not news - I have been talking about this delay caused by the tendering process for the last few months and mentioned it in depositor updates – as recently as that which went out with the Survey – prior to the article in question.
The article goes on to mention that we are “raising money from new and existing investors for a redesign to make the car fit US standards”. True, we are raising money with Federal (and global) cars in mind, but not a redesign of the Griffith for UK/Europe. We, like everyone, have no clear idea yet what the precise implications of Brexit – hard, soft, crumbly, flaky or just a bit plain chewy(!) will be, and we took the view that we should accelerate our business plan to be selling cars in other territories sooner than we had initially planned. The expenditure on further development was already in our original business plan, but to bring the development forward we can’t fund it from cashflow generated by sales so are raising the finance externally – more on which in another update soon, together with the ‘BIG NEWS’ which is not only still coming, but getting even bigger (hence the reason it’s still coming!).
Additionally, we plan to allocate additional funds to accelerate start of production in Wales, in order to recover some of the time lost due to the above delays. We hope to be able to make a formal announcement that works are under way on or shortly after 15th January. More the moment we have it...
Good ‘ol Autocar picked up the story the following week and did a nice piece on the history of the Gilbern marque, built in Wales during the 60’s and 70’s with a few references to TVR’s rebirth and the factory in EBBW Vale. I was (correctly) quoted as saying “Under EU rules, the Welsh Government has had to follow a 7-month tender process for the work to bring the building up to standard. At last, that period has run, and in January next year, the contract will be given to the winning company. From then it’s going to take six months to get the building ready for us...”
However, Autocar followed this up with a completely inaccurate statement along the lines of ….the tendering process means that work on the factory is unlikely to commence for many months to come..! It made me bl**dy cross, I can tell you!
So, if you’re reading, Autocar(!), the accurate latest is this:
Tender process complete – YES.
Shortlist of successful candidates asked to provide further detail & any questions – TICK.
Deadline for the above passed – YEP.
All proposals in front of the Government for decision on chosen contractor – WE ARE TOLD YES.
Nominated contractor appointed – DUE EARLY JANUARY.
Work to commence – JANUARY.
Work to complete (Building Refurb) – SUMMER.
One thing that we really value on this journey, as well as the pleasure and pride in repatriating and resurrecting our iconic Great British marque, and delivering a car as frankly fantastic as the new Griffith, is the support and friendship of the TVR community, of which you as depositors are of course in essence the core. We really value your support and engagement, and we hear regularly from lots of you in really heart-warming terms. One of the emails I received recently really sums this up nicely (reproduced here with the permission of the author):
“Dear Les,
I thought I’d drop you a note to thank you and all the team at TVR for all you are doing to bring the brand back. I can only imagine the challenge you and the team face resurrecting the TVR brand and building a new car in a difficult political and financial climate. If this isn’t enough of a challenge, doing all of this in the unforgiving glare of the automotive press and the elements of the TVR community who are not so forward looking.
I thought you’d appreciate some balance and you should know there are more of us who are far less vocal on the forums but who are delighted with what’s being worked on and are happy to support the project while the foundation challenges are dealt with.”
…Martin goes on to say that he has a deposit on both an early and a late car…
“..as I quite like the idea of a matching pair of what I know is going to be an iconic car that relaunches the TVR brand.
I hope the above helps you and the team understand how important we all feel what’s being done is and how appreciative we all are of the hard work and commitment being brought to the project.
I trust the TVR team will have a well-deserved Christmas break and look forward to hearing news of further developments in the New Year.
Best regards
Martin”
Although we are all 100% truly committed to TVR ourselves, it’s always nice to have re-affirmation from those that genuinely want us to succeed and are prepared to support us through thick and thin – thanks Martin, and to all of you who have written, emailed and called in with their good wishes!
Configurator
As I mentioned above, we are working on the car configurator which promises to be a different take on this normally relatively ‘samey’ and dare one say mundane process. The first step is to give you exterior colour renderings of the car in not only the popular choices (as defined in the survey), but also some potential optional colours and some very different ones. We aim to have this to you by the end of January (as ever don’t shoot us – or anyone for that matter! – if it’s a week or two later), along with some of the key results of the survey.
‘Nice to meet you’
In this update, I would like to make an introduction or two and take a moment to express my thanks to those who have supported us over the phenomenal process of bringing TVR back. It goes without saying that you, the depositors, are top of this list, but there are a number of unsung heroes that spring immediately to my mind – our silent shareholders (well, some are silent!), sitting quietly in the background, pumping their hard-earned in when needed and providing counsel to help us steer through the quagmire of business life in the very challenging automotive sector. In particular, I would like to say thanks to:
John Chasey: Our Operations Director (effectively MD) and tireless servant of the cause – has probably done more miles on the M4 over the last few years than he’d care to mention - many of them in his beloved Cerb! A successful background in multiple start-ups over the years, with an emphasis on software and telecoms. Races a Caterham and has a series 3 Elan which he’s nut and bolt rebuilding himself when time (doesn’t!) allow.
Matthew Truelove: A stalwart, 3500+ laps of the ‘Ring, racing since the late 1980s and campaigns a 1960’s Griffith amongst others. Dailies a T350 with a Dom 4.3. Circa 25 other cars from the sublime to the ridiculous (1065bhp Mk 1 Sierra anyone?!) Fond of a good motorcycle too. Matt was one of the main instigators of the TVR rebirth, and will not accept anything less than global success as an option. You’ve already seen Matt (well, his hands, actually) at the wheel in some of our recent video clips (Silverstone, Castle Combe, Beaulieu etc.). Runs a successful firm of legal eagles in his spare time.
Martin ‘the Ball’ Overington: What can I say - another inveterate car nut and collector – in fact he makes the rest of us look tame! Everything from blower Bentleys, F1, Group C, and a collection of classics generally to die for. Martin also owns the Hotel de France near Le Mans – famous as the stop-off point for the drivers between stints at the 24 hour race, in days of old. If you visit, be sure to note the pair of ‘60s TVRs in the bar’s bespoke wallpaper collage! He can occasionally be seen towing his 962 behind the Bentley – exhausts glowing red, hair blowing in the wind, shouting at the Gendarmes. Which gets a firm 10/10 from me on all fronts! For light relief, Martin runs a successful construction company. While writing, we're also delighted to say that Martin has just been appointed to the Board at TVR, and we’re delighted to welcome him on board.
The Welsh Ministers: Famous for Daffodils, Dragons, Rugby and..Leeks! Obviously too many names to individually mention here, but a special thanks to everyone for your continued support and (whisper it!) helping us circumvent as much in the way of circumnavigable bureaucracy as possible - iechyd da boyos!
We'll be introducing some others in our wider investor group over the next few updates, and as ever we all enjoy meeting many of you at the various shows and events, and needless to say can't wait to welcome you all to our new factory when the day comes.
Anyhow, that’s probably enough for now and all that remains for me is to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and best wishes for a successful New Year – looking forward to updating you further on progress in January!
All the best
Les
TVR Manufacturing Ltd
So then. How much of this stated above has occurred?Christmas is almost upon us (for some it arrived early apparently, as it’s seemed to become increasingly difficult to get stuff done over the last week!), and I thought I’d send out a brief message to extend our best wishes to you for the season and to let you know where we are generally before we adopt the ‘if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em’ adage and head off for some festive cheer.
Thank you to everybody who filled in the questionnaire – we had a fantastic response, and (perhaps unsurprisingly) some very polarised views! We are collating the information gathered and propose to circulate a refined version to give you an idea as to what we are prioritising in terms of options etc. We are waiting for the finalised exterior colour options to come through, so you can get a first look at the car in the various potential ‘standard’ colours, plus lots more that might excite you into being a little different.
We have noticed that some people did not receive the questionnaire, and this may be as a result of the delivery medium – SurveyMonkey – causing your spam filter to go into meltdown. If you haven’t received it and it’s not in your spam folder, please contact us using ‘dearles@tvr.co.uk’ so we can resend or arrange an alternative delivery method, which you’ll receive week commencing January 7th - everyone's feedback is important to us. [click HERE to request]
The press has been particularly active over the last few weeks with all sorts of speculation – The Telegraph Business section gave us some shattering stories: “George Soros places £20m bet against Aston Martin”; “Goldman offers staff sex-change”; and Evans Cycle Stores were closing. Closer to home though, they ran a story “TVR’s stalled progress is blamed on EU red tape”. Now, the article is broadly factual, but not entirely, and not news - I have been talking about this delay caused by the tendering process for the last few months and mentioned it in depositor updates – as recently as that which went out with the Survey – prior to the article in question.
The article goes on to mention that we are “raising money from new and existing investors for a redesign to make the car fit US standards”. True, we are raising money with Federal (and global) cars in mind, but not a redesign of the Griffith for UK/Europe. We, like everyone, have no clear idea yet what the precise implications of Brexit – hard, soft, crumbly, flaky or just a bit plain chewy(!) will be, and we took the view that we should accelerate our business plan to be selling cars in other territories sooner than we had initially planned. The expenditure on further development was already in our original business plan, but to bring the development forward we can’t fund it from cashflow generated by sales so are raising the finance externally – more on which in another update soon, together with the ‘BIG NEWS’ which is not only still coming, but getting even bigger (hence the reason it’s still coming!).
Additionally, we plan to allocate additional funds to accelerate start of production in Wales, in order to recover some of the time lost due to the above delays. We hope to be able to make a formal announcement that works are under way on or shortly after 15th January. More the moment we have it...
Good ‘ol Autocar picked up the story the following week and did a nice piece on the history of the Gilbern marque, built in Wales during the 60’s and 70’s with a few references to TVR’s rebirth and the factory in EBBW Vale. I was (correctly) quoted as saying “Under EU rules, the Welsh Government has had to follow a 7-month tender process for the work to bring the building up to standard. At last, that period has run, and in January next year, the contract will be given to the winning company. From then it’s going to take six months to get the building ready for us...”
However, Autocar followed this up with a completely inaccurate statement along the lines of ….the tendering process means that work on the factory is unlikely to commence for many months to come..! It made me bl**dy cross, I can tell you!
So, if you’re reading, Autocar(!), the accurate latest is this:
Tender process complete – YES.
Shortlist of successful candidates asked to provide further detail & any questions – TICK.
Deadline for the above passed – YEP.
All proposals in front of the Government for decision on chosen contractor – WE ARE TOLD YES.
Nominated contractor appointed – DUE EARLY JANUARY.
Work to commence – JANUARY.
Work to complete (Building Refurb) – SUMMER.
One thing that we really value on this journey, as well as the pleasure and pride in repatriating and resurrecting our iconic Great British marque, and delivering a car as frankly fantastic as the new Griffith, is the support and friendship of the TVR community, of which you as depositors are of course in essence the core. We really value your support and engagement, and we hear regularly from lots of you in really heart-warming terms. One of the emails I received recently really sums this up nicely (reproduced here with the permission of the author):
“Dear Les,
I thought I’d drop you a note to thank you and all the team at TVR for all you are doing to bring the brand back. I can only imagine the challenge you and the team face resurrecting the TVR brand and building a new car in a difficult political and financial climate. If this isn’t enough of a challenge, doing all of this in the unforgiving glare of the automotive press and the elements of the TVR community who are not so forward looking.
I thought you’d appreciate some balance and you should know there are more of us who are far less vocal on the forums but who are delighted with what’s being worked on and are happy to support the project while the foundation challenges are dealt with.”
…Martin goes on to say that he has a deposit on both an early and a late car…
“..as I quite like the idea of a matching pair of what I know is going to be an iconic car that relaunches the TVR brand.
I hope the above helps you and the team understand how important we all feel what’s being done is and how appreciative we all are of the hard work and commitment being brought to the project.
I trust the TVR team will have a well-deserved Christmas break and look forward to hearing news of further developments in the New Year.
Best regards
Martin”
Although we are all 100% truly committed to TVR ourselves, it’s always nice to have re-affirmation from those that genuinely want us to succeed and are prepared to support us through thick and thin – thanks Martin, and to all of you who have written, emailed and called in with their good wishes!
Configurator
As I mentioned above, we are working on the car configurator which promises to be a different take on this normally relatively ‘samey’ and dare one say mundane process. The first step is to give you exterior colour renderings of the car in not only the popular choices (as defined in the survey), but also some potential optional colours and some very different ones. We aim to have this to you by the end of January (as ever don’t shoot us – or anyone for that matter! – if it’s a week or two later), along with some of the key results of the survey.
‘Nice to meet you’
In this update, I would like to make an introduction or two and take a moment to express my thanks to those who have supported us over the phenomenal process of bringing TVR back. It goes without saying that you, the depositors, are top of this list, but there are a number of unsung heroes that spring immediately to my mind – our silent shareholders (well, some are silent!), sitting quietly in the background, pumping their hard-earned in when needed and providing counsel to help us steer through the quagmire of business life in the very challenging automotive sector. In particular, I would like to say thanks to:
John Chasey: Our Operations Director (effectively MD) and tireless servant of the cause – has probably done more miles on the M4 over the last few years than he’d care to mention - many of them in his beloved Cerb! A successful background in multiple start-ups over the years, with an emphasis on software and telecoms. Races a Caterham and has a series 3 Elan which he’s nut and bolt rebuilding himself when time (doesn’t!) allow.
Matthew Truelove: A stalwart, 3500+ laps of the ‘Ring, racing since the late 1980s and campaigns a 1960’s Griffith amongst others. Dailies a T350 with a Dom 4.3. Circa 25 other cars from the sublime to the ridiculous (1065bhp Mk 1 Sierra anyone?!) Fond of a good motorcycle too. Matt was one of the main instigators of the TVR rebirth, and will not accept anything less than global success as an option. You’ve already seen Matt (well, his hands, actually) at the wheel in some of our recent video clips (Silverstone, Castle Combe, Beaulieu etc.). Runs a successful firm of legal eagles in his spare time.
Martin ‘the Ball’ Overington: What can I say - another inveterate car nut and collector – in fact he makes the rest of us look tame! Everything from blower Bentleys, F1, Group C, and a collection of classics generally to die for. Martin also owns the Hotel de France near Le Mans – famous as the stop-off point for the drivers between stints at the 24 hour race, in days of old. If you visit, be sure to note the pair of ‘60s TVRs in the bar’s bespoke wallpaper collage! He can occasionally be seen towing his 962 behind the Bentley – exhausts glowing red, hair blowing in the wind, shouting at the Gendarmes. Which gets a firm 10/10 from me on all fronts! For light relief, Martin runs a successful construction company. While writing, we're also delighted to say that Martin has just been appointed to the Board at TVR, and we’re delighted to welcome him on board.
The Welsh Ministers: Famous for Daffodils, Dragons, Rugby and..Leeks! Obviously too many names to individually mention here, but a special thanks to everyone for your continued support and (whisper it!) helping us circumvent as much in the way of circumnavigable bureaucracy as possible - iechyd da boyos!
We'll be introducing some others in our wider investor group over the next few updates, and as ever we all enjoy meeting many of you at the various shows and events, and needless to say can't wait to welcome you all to our new factory when the day comes.
Anyhow, that’s probably enough for now and all that remains for me is to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and best wishes for a successful New Year – looking forward to updating you further on progress in January!
All the best
Les
TVR Manufacturing Ltd
When the obvious is staring you in the face there comes a point when you have to remove the hope, stop forgiving the over ambition and appreciate it is little more than fantasy. Don't get angry, it just continues to cloud rational thought. This has failure written all over it, like 90% of ALL cars like this we see over and over and over.
Edited by Housey on Saturday 2nd February 21:05
Housey said:
So then. How much of this stated above has occurred?
When the obvious is staring you in the face there comes a point when you have to remove the hope, stop forgiving the over ambition and appreciate it is little more than fantasy. Don't get angry, it just continues to cloud rational thought. This has failure written all over it, like 90% of ALL cars like this we see over and over and over.
Have sent them an email.. one test. is they either start recruiting very soon, or they don't.When the obvious is staring you in the face there comes a point when you have to remove the hope, stop forgiving the over ambition and appreciate it is little more than fantasy. Don't get angry, it just continues to cloud rational thought. This has failure written all over it, like 90% of ALL cars like this we see over and over and over.
Edited by Housey on Saturday 2nd February 21:05
BJWoods said:
Have sent them an email.. one test. is they either start recruiting very soon, or they don't.
They will need a 16k RAM pack on their ZX81 then as last time I asked it was "on order, no worries, due any day soon, had it confirmed by too many people to mention here, but Sir Clive said sure, no problem".Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff