Despite not having a car on sale for around a decade, the TVR brand is still very much at the top of people’s mind when the notion of a modern-day (yet ‘traditional’) British sports car is invoked - though little that can objectively be called traditional with regards to their cars.
The brand seems to be back on their feet, or at least capable enough to launch an ambitious new car project that will combine low weight with a Cosworth-built 5.0-litre V8 engine for a power-to-weight ratio of over 300kW/tonne - in contrast to the usual straight-six engines they’re used to shoehorning - and a body engineered in conjunction with Gordon Murray Design.
That motor should be quite a screamer too, if the side-mounted exhaust vents teased here are any indication, and able to propel the 1,200kg-odd two-seater to 100km/h in less than 4 seconds and on to a top speed beyond 320km/h.
If TVR insists on sticking to its roots, there’s no way anything but a three-pedal arrangement is being used to swap cogs here, meaning that this car will be as wild and visceral as the company’s previous efforts - exactly how they’re preferred.
However, with Gordon Murray’s firm playing a key role in the design and engineering behind this new car, it may not be as infuriatingly quirky as we’re accustomed to seeing. But we suspect TVR is keen to focus on attracting new buyers who would otherwise be put off by the strange button placement and unfathomable workarounds.
The new model, news of which have surfaced in tiny doses as far back as early 2016, will have a very British unveil scheduled for September, whereupon it will be unsheathed for the first time at the Goodwood Revival of Speed in Sussex, England, coinciding with TVR’s 70th anniversary as a marque, surrounded by classic models from past decades.
Les Edgar, Chairman of TVR said: “We are incredibly excited to be unveiling the new car at the Goodwood Revival. It’s the first time a global launch of a new car has occurred at the event, and it seems an entirely appropriate place for us to do it, with the marque’s motorsport heritage and an enthusiastic audience of dedicated car fans – and in our 70th anniversary year. After a series of secret private viewings organised for the benefit of existing customers for the new car, we know that we have a surefire hit on our hands, and very much look forward to seeing the public reaction in September.”
TVR is expected to produce the first 500 examples as special Launch Edition units, and are planning to attach names to this initial batch of cars prior to the unveil, but will reopen bookings after September 8th.
