Re: New TVR 'On Sale In 2012' Says Smolenski
Discussion
Whether or not it is tosh or hype and even if Smolensky is a tit and clueless I'm actually quite excited. I'd buy another new TVR if I could, even if it wasn't as 100% pure as a Griff or Cerb. I love them but Wheeler's collapsing Cerb nearly put an end to my relationship. If there's ANY hope a new model can get to the market I'm all ears 
I don't hold out much hope of success (or indeed even seeing a car make regular production)
After all the guy is Russian, the son of a (shady) Banking Billionaire oligarch, with NIL experience of running a motor business and whose first effort resulted in abject failure & several people's careers trashed and an iconic British motoring name evaporating down to farce levels.
Then to cap it all he uses language like that quoted above & effectively sticks 2 fingers up to the essence of TVR, Britain's motoring heritage & a host of passionate owners.
Got it all going for him hasn't he?
After all the guy is Russian, the son of a (shady) Banking Billionaire oligarch, with NIL experience of running a motor business and whose first effort resulted in abject failure & several people's careers trashed and an iconic British motoring name evaporating down to farce levels.
Then to cap it all he uses language like that quoted above & effectively sticks 2 fingers up to the essence of TVR, Britain's motoring heritage & a host of passionate owners.
Got it all going for him hasn't he?
Frimley111R said:
tallmat said:
The guy sounds a right ar$e. What set TVR apart in it's latter years was that it was
using it's own engines and the cars weren't just another hand crafted body around a mass produced engine.
You opinion but from 'outside' TVR I wouldn't say so. What made them stand out was there fantastic styling. They are still v.much 'wow' cars today.using it's own engines and the cars weren't just another hand crafted body around a mass produced engine.
Grey Ghost said:
convert said:
Ooo look.
It would be nice to see something come of all these rumours. Everyone knows it won't be the 'original' TVR any longer, and lets face it he'd be a fool not to play on what is left of the brand identity, so please everyone stop bleating about the changes. Stuff happens.
He's also following that all important roadmap to producing a very high quality car by.........
....pissing off the people who are building it sooooo much that they don't even want to finish it, and then taking it to someother poor outfit, who then has to try to smooth over the previous companies rough bits and bodge it up in half the time.
Wow, it's gonna be a world beater, i bet Wiesmann are possitively quaking in there boots...... ;-)
....pissing off the people who are building it sooooo much that they don't even want to finish it, and then taking it to someother poor outfit, who then has to try to smooth over the previous companies rough bits and bodge it up in half the time.
Wow, it's gonna be a world beater, i bet Wiesmann are possitively quaking in there boots...... ;-)
Brand. These corporate idiots just don't get it, do they?
They put the TVR logo on it, and they think it's a TVR; well it's not.
TVRs were TVRs because they were made in Blackpool. They were TVRs because they were hairy-a***d, quirky, hand-made sports cars which sounded incredible and went like stink.
You cannot move production to Germany, change virtually everything about the car and still expect it to be a TVR. That brand is now effectively dead as things stand.
The clincher is his statement that, "it isn't very important whether you're based in Lancashire or Saxony".
Oh yes it is mate! Somewhere else in the UK might just be OK, but TVRs are British made, that's partly why we're so f*****g proud of them.
So Mr Smolenski, here's a bit of advice should you happen to ever look at this site.
Sell your entire holding to someone who actually understands what TVR is about and cares for the heritage it represents - Lawrence Tomlinson or someone of that ilk if you can find someone interested. Cut your losses. Get out, because you're out of your depth. Give someone who actually has an inkling of what TVR means a chance to resurrect the real brand, not this poxy imitation.
Because I'll tell him now; the number of current TVR owners who will buy his German imitations will be tiny. And without them, the venture is doomed.
They put the TVR logo on it, and they think it's a TVR; well it's not.
TVRs were TVRs because they were made in Blackpool. They were TVRs because they were hairy-a***d, quirky, hand-made sports cars which sounded incredible and went like stink.
You cannot move production to Germany, change virtually everything about the car and still expect it to be a TVR. That brand is now effectively dead as things stand.
The clincher is his statement that, "it isn't very important whether you're based in Lancashire or Saxony".
Oh yes it is mate! Somewhere else in the UK might just be OK, but TVRs are British made, that's partly why we're so f*****g proud of them.
So Mr Smolenski, here's a bit of advice should you happen to ever look at this site.
Sell your entire holding to someone who actually understands what TVR is about and cares for the heritage it represents - Lawrence Tomlinson or someone of that ilk if you can find someone interested. Cut your losses. Get out, because you're out of your depth. Give someone who actually has an inkling of what TVR means a chance to resurrect the real brand, not this poxy imitation.
Because I'll tell him now; the number of current TVR owners who will buy his German imitations will be tiny. And without them, the venture is doomed.
I can feel the range bubbling inside.
I think we can expect to see a£300,000 tvr turn up when tvr is supposed to be the Supercar for 2years wages for the average man.
My current hope is that he contracts it to caterham who might just get back to the original values. I would however say that awesome though the Tuscan is ( still love the shape) marketing a new car on a 10 year old design is a f
king stupid idea. 30 years can pass as retro. 10 years makes any car look old.
I think we can expect to see a£300,000 tvr turn up when tvr is supposed to be the Supercar for 2years wages for the average man.
My current hope is that he contracts it to caterham who might just get back to the original values. I would however say that awesome though the Tuscan is ( still love the shape) marketing a new car on a 10 year old design is a f
king stupid idea. 30 years can pass as retro. 10 years makes any car look old. You have to chuckle at this guys press releases, so much misplaced hope and arrogance
My 2p is that he's not going to get anywhere selling a car based on fairly old tech, in the same way and with the same components that dozens of others do or have done. As IIRC GB was the largest market for TVR's, insulting your potential customer base, is more than a tad silly!
Would love to see TVR back in the market, but not with this recycled foreign nonsense and most definitely without the Russian halfwit in charge.
ETA, as someone has just commented to me, Smolenski seems to be to TVR what Gillett & Hicks were to Liverpool FC
My 2p is that he's not going to get anywhere selling a car based on fairly old tech, in the same way and with the same components that dozens of others do or have done. As IIRC GB was the largest market for TVR's, insulting your potential customer base, is more than a tad silly!
Would love to see TVR back in the market, but not with this recycled foreign nonsense and most definitely without the Russian halfwit in charge.
ETA, as someone has just commented to me, Smolenski seems to be to TVR what Gillett & Hicks were to Liverpool FC
Edited by AndrewW-G on Saturday 16th October 10:19
robsco said:
Frimley111R said:
tallmat said:
The guy sounds a right ar$e. What set TVR apart in it's latter years was that it was
using it's own engines and the cars weren't just another hand crafted body around a mass produced engine.
You opinion but from 'outside' TVR I wouldn't say so. What made them stand out was there fantastic styling. They are still v.much 'wow' cars today.using it's own engines and the cars weren't just another hand crafted body around a mass produced engine.
I agree the engines sounded wonderful and a brave I idea but I think they were a big mistake. The money spent on development would have been better off spent on production processes and improving sales in export markets. In fact an engine available in the US might have opened that market.
The Chimera sold well with a Rover engine and to many people the idea of TVR's own engines is quite off putting. Let's put it this way - you wouldn't be put off by a Jaguar, BMW or Audi engine under that long bonnet?
But hindsight is a wonderful thing; it's Peter Wheeler and his Blackpool team who turned TVR into the household name it is today. Yes they made mistakes but the roads would be a lot duller if they hadn't. Without that link TVR is nothing but a badge.
Who are you guys trying to kid. That perfomance will always attract another influx of non-enthusiast, Porsche / AN Other performance brand buying, mechanically unsympathetic buyers. The same happened when the styling of the Swordfish Tuscan hit the big screens and again when Sag made the huge splash it did in the motor media. These guys will dabble and then go back to their GT2, 458, Gallardo, R8 etc
The customer he is aiming at is a very different animal to the majority of us who hope to hold onto our P&J for the medium to long term, nurturing and upgrading as we go. Our Russian chum has outwardly stated in the past, he thinks he is going after Aston Martin and Porsche when Typhon was on the table...so you can be expecting to pay north of £80k entry point for your 600+ bhp 'Tuscan-alike'...especially if he is planning on only building 250 a year gives an indication on the level he is aiming for.
Given the 'cheap' manufacturing markets are not even being mentioned...he wants either British or German brand attributes and I don't think he or his intended customer will care which.
Strategically he thinks he will pull off a re-run of TVR's Chim and Grif selling 'value performance' into the Yuppie late 80's market...instead of the city, he will be sending this into Shanghai, Moscow, Eastern Europe etc markets which have plenty of cash rich extroverts wanting something different to dick swing about in the vodka bar or perfomance pound their mates Ferrari, Porsche, Aston, SLS with.
Regretably this concept would probably sell bloody well as a 2 seater under a Tuscan skin, followed by a Macca 3 seater rip off and presumably a 2+2 Rapide / Panamera so some of these rich boys can kill even more of their mates in one go showboating.
If he actually gets this off the ground, it will fly. You can also tell by the fact he stop one stop short of calling us something untypable, that he gives not a st for our little island's contribution to that.
The customer he is aiming at is a very different animal to the majority of us who hope to hold onto our P&J for the medium to long term, nurturing and upgrading as we go. Our Russian chum has outwardly stated in the past, he thinks he is going after Aston Martin and Porsche when Typhon was on the table...so you can be expecting to pay north of £80k entry point for your 600+ bhp 'Tuscan-alike'...especially if he is planning on only building 250 a year gives an indication on the level he is aiming for.
Given the 'cheap' manufacturing markets are not even being mentioned...he wants either British or German brand attributes and I don't think he or his intended customer will care which.
Strategically he thinks he will pull off a re-run of TVR's Chim and Grif selling 'value performance' into the Yuppie late 80's market...instead of the city, he will be sending this into Shanghai, Moscow, Eastern Europe etc markets which have plenty of cash rich extroverts wanting something different to dick swing about in the vodka bar or perfomance pound their mates Ferrari, Porsche, Aston, SLS with.
Regretably this concept would probably sell bloody well as a 2 seater under a Tuscan skin, followed by a Macca 3 seater rip off and presumably a 2+2 Rapide / Panamera so some of these rich boys can kill even more of their mates in one go showboating.
If he actually gets this off the ground, it will fly. You can also tell by the fact he stop one stop short of calling us something untypable, that he gives not a s
t for our little island's contribution to that.Edited by Ed on Saturday 16th October 10:24
Have to say I'm left utterly cold by the prospect of this coming to market (which is doubtful anyway) but even if it does I'm not sure what it's purpose is. Very few traditional TVR buyers will want it for the obvious reasons which leaves the rest of the car buying public. These people will no doubt still imagine a TVR to be something that spends most of it's time on a recovery truck and this coupled with a no doubt hefty price to cover development costs for international markets will make it something I can't forsee many people buying.
I love the fact he says he respects the image of TVR! What I don't understand is why he bought the company in the first place. He's planning to outsource production and his ideas are deviating further from what TVR was all the time. Why not just start up his own company?
I love the fact he says he respects the image of TVR! What I don't understand is why he bought the company in the first place. He's planning to outsource production and his ideas are deviating further from what TVR was all the time. Why not just start up his own company?
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