The New Man at TVR
Who is the new boss in Blackpool?
Since the news broke of the sale of TVR, much of the concern amongst fans of the marque has stemmed from the fact that so little is known about its new owner, Nikolai Smolenski.
Smolensky is 24 years old and is more than familiar with British culture having gone to school here and with a home in Highgate. The son of one of Russia's richest men - Alexander Smolenski - Nikolai is said to be a huge car enthusiast and motorsport fan.
According to the Moscow Times, Nikolai become chairman of the Russian bank Pervoe OVK in 2001. That was later bought by another Russian billionaire. He's no longer involved with that business and his father now spends much of his time in Austria whilst Nikolai has pursued other interests.
With personal wealth estimated to be in excess of $100m, there's been much debate as to how much Nikolai bought TVR for. Figures of $15 million are being banded about but these seem likely to be based on a speculative figure mentioned in the Telegraph a month or so back.
Smolenski wasn't the only potential purchaser though. Only last night it emerged that another investor was in the process of due diligence on the Blackpool company with a view to buying it. Before that process was complete Smolensky nipped in and confirmed a deal with Peter Wheeler, perhaps based more on passion than the finite detail of the balance sheets.
What the future holds is currently unknown. Peter Wheeler is said to be staying on in a consultative position but how much time he'll actually invest in such a role remains to be seen. There's plenty of scope for change at TVR, but improving the business whilst retaining the best aspects of TVR's identity will be Nikolai's biggest challenge.
rich1231 said:
15million u gotta be kidding me! we could easilly of had that between us lot.I've seen websites sold for over 40million!
That would have worked.....Not
TVR would have been dead by Xmas if us lot had bought it!
We'd end up having to compromise and build a speed7 engine with shiny chrome bits on it.
At which point we'd be laughed out of the motoring industy forever!
Whatever the case, if he's nuts about cars, thats the main thing & presumably he'll have the cash, contacts & advisers he needs to support him on the business side.
He might even be a PH member already!
www.ulfsbo.nu/ussr/alexander_smolensky.html
If the chap has a personal wealth of over 100 million, then him buying TVR is the equivilent of one of us buying a half decent car!
I personally think that it will be his little pet that (hopefully) he will nurture into something greater than it already is.
The guy is a keen motorsport fan, and (apparently) loves TVRs (I heard he fell in love when he saw one in Russia), and having lived in Highgate has probably seem loads of them about. I can't see him changing the company in any way but for the better. I'm looking forward to seeing the outcome over the next few years anyway.
There aren't many british companies that don't have some sort of forgien investment these day.
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