Some Company Called TVR to Sell Cars in America?

YSSMAN · Apr 12, 2007

Yes, its true!

AutoWeek - TVR Headed to the US

Here are the quick deets:

- Two American owners to import them to the US
- There will be a 45-dealer network in the US
- Only the 400 BHP Sagaris will be available (at first)
- The bodies and engines (?) will be built in the UK, final assembly in Italy, 5000 models to come to the US per year.
- MSRP will be $120,000 USD.

While I'm excited that TVR is finally here, and I'm certain they will sell well, we'll have to see how that price works itself out here. Granted, performance-per-dollar, there aren't many cars that are going to be able to beat it (outside the Z06 and SRT-10), but I don't think they are too worried about it.

...Lets cross our fingers and hope to see more models come to the US eventually, as it would appear as though they are planning on continuing as much production and overall sales as they can in Europe while introducing the car in the US as well...

Sage · Apr 12, 2007

Good goodness, I so hope they completely follow through with this (I think I have an issue of C/D from 2001 or 2002 promising that TVR would come to the States). I’ll wet myself if I ever see a Sagaris on the street.

SlipZtrEm · Apr 12, 2007

Hmmm, for some reason, given the car's character, I get the feeling I probably shouldn't hold my breath for it to make the trek north of the border.

Sweet news though, there's nothing wrong with TVR's being here, and they arguably do the "angry sports car" thing better than most American cars anyways. Those new five-spokes look even better than the old trademark sevens, what a pissed-off looking car. Awesome 👍

GT Pro · Apr 12, 2007

Looks like you finally got what you wanted, and right off the mark a Sagaris? lucky bastards...

If they sell well in the US, which they will without any doubt, they should strongly consider Australian shores in the next 100 years or so. But given that the newly rebuilt Dodge brand in Australia hasn't given word yet even for a Viper, I'm not too optimistic.

Jim Prower · Apr 12, 2007

WHOOO! TVR!

Gran Turismo-ites in the U.S. rejoice! one of two european brands in the series from conception.

Dave A · Apr 12, 2007

Dodge Viper SRT-10 coupe 0-60 - 3.9 seconds
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 0-60 - 3.6
TVR Sagaris 0-60 - 3.6 seconds
Dodge Viper SRT-10 coupe 0-100 - 9 seconds
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 0-100 - 8.3
TVR Sagaris 0-100 - 8.1 seconds

Thoes are the best figures I have for thoes cars. In terms of performance, on and off a track I'd say the Sagaris is definitely the better of both it and the Viper. Put the Z06 in the mix and I'd say on a track it has to be the Z06, off it I'd still go for the Sagaris. But the Sagaris will cost more in the US than it does over here, thanks to import costs and exchange rates. Imagine the Sagaris with an extra 100bhp though. There's a few 450bhp Sagaris' in the UK, I don't think anyones done a 500bhp one. I've seena 600bhp Sagaris and Tuscan lookalie, it has a Sagaris front and a Tuscan rear and it was built on a Tuscan Challenge chassis. Completely custom bodywork btw, but it looked cool.

Danny · Apr 12, 2007

Good news.

But if they become a hip-hop trend, I will kill all.

Anyhow, having a dealer network may open up the door to used models.

Griffith, anyone?

Dave A · Apr 12, 2007

The Griffith won't meet US laws, especially US emissions.

Danny · Apr 12, 2007

Even the 4.0?

Geez, will anything meet the emissions laws?

Dave A · Apr 12, 2007

Not much in the way of low volume European sportscars. Even the Sagaris as it currently is doesn't meet them, the ones that will be sold in the US will have some work done on them to meet US laws.

Tornado · Apr 12, 2007

As Dave said, the Sagaris would probably wipe the floor with the Viper. Its the 'Vette that it needs to fight.

Will it even pass crash testing, is what I wonder.

Dave A · Apr 12, 2007

It shouldn't have any trouble in crash testing, it'll just need air bags fitting. TVR's are very good in crashes, the bodywork get's messed up badly because it carries the force around the cabin instead of into it. Thats a good thing when it comes to saftey.

Danny · Apr 12, 2007

Toronado
As Dave said, the Sagaris would probably wipe the floor with the Viper. Its the 'Vette that it needs to fight.

Will it even pass crash testing, is what I wonder.

There's no airbag. In any.

Edit: Should have read the above :ouch:

Scaff · Apr 12, 2007

Dave A
It shouldn't have any trouble in crash testing, it'll just need air bags fitting. TVR's are very good in crashes, the bodywork get's messed up badly because it carries the force around the cabin instead of into it. Thats a good thing when it comes to saftey.

👍 Quite unusually TVR have actually put a lot of work into developing 'programmed deformation' with the body and more importantly crush structures under the skin (the actual skin is a small part of it). Traditionally fibre-glass is far to brittle to work well in terms of energy absorption, but TVR have developed it to quite an art and when combined with the normal TVR backbone chassis and spaceframe makes for a incredibly resilient crash structure

The following piece from a review of the Sagaris in Evo covers it well..

EVO
Underneath all this gappy glassfibre is the traditional TVR spaceframe, a double-deck ladder backbone structure made of large- diameter tubes with outriggers onto which the body is mounted. It's traditional technology in an age of carbonfibre and spot-welded steel, but TVR's argument is that its backbone set-up has all the required torsional stiffness and is far lighter than slicing off the top of a steel monocoque and then having to reinforce the resulting structure.

TVR also reckons that its lengthy experience with mat and resins and the combination of triangulated tubes and glassfibre, laid up around a central core, provides exceptional energy absorption in a shunt; it might surprise you to learn that during the Type Approval crash tests for the Tuscan, which has a very similar layout, many of the occupant injury criteria were 'significantly below the permitted limits' without recourse to airbags.

Source - http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/cargrouptests/55962/slash_burn.html

...see airbags are for girls.

Regards

Scaff

Edited to add - almost forgot - on top of all the above, most modern TVRs (in coupe form at least) have a fully integrated roll-cage as well and that does include the Sagaris.

Jay · Apr 12, 2007

GT Pro
If they sell well in the US, which they will without any doubt, they should strongly consider Australian shores in the next 100 years or so.

As they are RHD, enthusists here can get them pretty easy already by grey imports.

GT Pro
But given that the newly rebuilt Dodge brand in Australia hasn't given word yet even for a Viper, I'm not too optimistic..

Well the Viper GTS was sold here as a Chrysler only a few years ago, they wanted a ridiculous price for them ($289,000) and sold very few. I doubt we will see the SRT-10 here anytime soon, but if someone really wants one they can get them grey imported (and converted).

Barracuda · Apr 12, 2007

My hopes is that more European companies will follow by example. I would love too see Citreon's and Peugeot's, instead of toyota's and nissan's.

Scaff · Apr 12, 2007

Sage
Ill wet myself if I ever see a Sagaris on the street.

Seeing one is only part of it, the sound (particularly in tunnels) is just as stunning, if not more so, as the looks. Fingers crossed that doesn't get diluted to meet US legislation because its a big part of the whole TVR experience.

Again I quote the EVO piece on the Sagaris.

EVO
Second thing you'll notice is the rich variety of sounds coming from the exhausts. Prod the pedal and there's a muffled, breathy growl that sounds as if there's too much gas trying to get out, overlaid as the revs and load build by a flatulent rasp. It makes for a seductive aural cocktail and will cause you to crank down the window the better to listen to TVR's irreverent disregard of political correctness.

Regards

Scaff

Dave A · Apr 12, 2007

VIPERGTSR01
As they are RHD, enthusists here can get them pretty easy already by grey imports.

Any new TVR's can be built lhd at the customers request. The chassis and spaceframe allow it to be done with almost no extra effort over putting the steering on the right. I'd presume that the TVR's being sold in the US will probably be built lhd.

Tornado · Apr 12, 2007

Dave A
Any new TVR's can be built lhd at the customers request. The chassis and spaceframe allow it to be done with almost no extra effort over putting the steering on the right. I'd presume that the TVR's being sold in the US will probably be built lhd.

I think he was speaking about Australia specifically, where I believe you can't drive a LHD car unless it is 25 years old or so.
Though that is interesting to note. Are TVR's sold anywhere where most cars are LHD?

Dave A · Apr 12, 2007

France, Italy, Austria, Germany and Russia. They're sold in Japan as well, but Japan is rhd.

Tornado · Apr 12, 2007

France is LHD? Wow. I never knew that. Immediately after posting I remembered that Germany and Italy were, though. Silly me.

Jay · Apr 12, 2007

Dave A
Any new TVR's can be built lhd at the customers request. The chassis and spaceframe allow it to be done with almost no extra effort over putting the steering on the right. I'd presume that the TVR's being sold in the US will probably be built lhd.

Yeah, although I said "As they are RHD" I didn't intend it as they all are RHD (I notice I did word it a little misleading though), I am aware they would go to the US as LHD's.

Toronado
I think he was speaking about Australia specifically

Yes thats right

Toronado
where I believe you can't drive a LHD car unless it is 25 years old or so.

Yep, 30 years though.

Dave A · Apr 12, 2007

Sorry about that, I just missunderstood what you meant 👍.

Toronado
France is LHD? Wow. I never knew that. Immediately after posting I remembered that Germany and Italy were, though. Silly me.

It's just the UK and Ireland that are LHD in Europe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_on_the_left_or_right

Pebb · Apr 12, 2007

You guys are going to love the Sagaris, I would say it is miles better then the Z06, that includes its handling. However you lot in the States will still get a left hand drive version, since some were exported in left hand drive to Holland.

YSSMAN · Apr 13, 2007

I'm certainly excited, and I know I'm going to have fun trying to explain how cool the car is to all of my friends who haven't heard of it before... But for being better than the Z06, thats a hard one to beat in the US. Considering that you get pretty much the same performance, better reliability, not to mention a price that is $50K less (Who wants a CTS-V?), the deal is a hard one to make...

That said, if I had the money, I'd just buy the TVR anyway...

Eric. · Apr 13, 2007

ultrabeat
Good news.

But if they become a hip-hop trend, I will kill all.

Anyhow, having a dealer network may open up the door to used models.

Griffith, anyone?

Nah, I don't think the hip-hop community can tolerate something that doesn't come with 20" wheels standard, bigger optional.

They don't have an A/C either, or do they now?

harrytuttle · Apr 13, 2007

I'm as stoked as the next guy about this, but wasn't TVR put into receivership (bankruptcy?) and the whole factory put on hold? What are they importing -- used TVR's (similar to Motorex)?

Joey D · Apr 13, 2007

While this is cool I doubt you'll see many of them roaming around, there isn't much a of brand recognition with them. A guy I knew in high school, his dad had some TVR from the 70's or something that he had shipped over from the UK, I think I was the only person to ever know what a TVR was.

Also 120k is really expensive, since the Blue Devil (or whatever the hell it's going to be called) should be due out next year for about 100k. I think the people that will buy it will be the people who just want something no one has seen on these shores before and not really look at what kind of performance it offers.

I'll still be waiting to see one, and I will be excited when I do...eerrrr wait, I'll just see one when I'm in the UK this summer

JCE · Apr 13, 2007

YSSMAN
Yes, its true!

AutoWeek - TVR Headed to the US

Here are the quick deets:

- Two American owners to import them to the US
- There will be a 45-dealer network in the US
- Only the 400 BHP Sagaris will be available (at first)
- The bodies and engines (?) will be built in the UK, final assembly in Italy, 5000 models to come to the US per year.
- MSRP will be $120,000 USD.

While I'm excited that TVR is finally here, and I'm certain they will sell well, we'll have to see how that price works itself out here. Granted, performance-per-dollar, there aren't many cars that are going to be able to beat it (outside the Z06 and SRT-10), but I don't think they are too worried about it.

...Lets cross our fingers and hope to see more models come to the US eventually, as it would appear as though they are planning on continuing as much production and overall sales as they can in Europe while introducing the car in the US as well...

$120k? Are they insane? They need to drop $30k-40k off of the price and they will sell like no one's business. TVR could be VERY profitable in the US if they played their cards right. If they had a model that sold in the $40k range could you imagine how many would sell? **** I'd try my best to buy one.

Dave A
Dodge Viper SRT-10 coupe 0-60 - 3.9 seconds
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 0-60 - 3.6
TVR Sagaris 0-60 - 3.6 seconds
Dodge Viper SRT-10 coupe 0-100 - 9 seconds
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 0-100 - 8.3
TVR Sagaris 0-100 - 8.1 seconds

Thoes are the best figures I have for thoes cars. In terms of performance, on and off a track I'd say the Sagaris is definitely the better of both it and the Viper. Put the Z06 in the mix and I'd say on a track it has to be the Z06, off it I'd still go for the Sagaris. But the Sagaris will cost more in the US than it does over here, thanks to import costs and exchange rates. Imagine the Sagaris with an extra 100bhp though. There's a few 450bhp Sagaris' in the UK, I don't think anyones done a 500bhp one. I've seena 600bhp Sagaris and Tuscan lookalie, it has a Sagaris front and a Tuscan rear and it was built on a Tuscan Challenge chassis. Completely custom bodywork btw, but it looked cool.

It would be a great race around a circuit for the ZO6 and Sagaris. I suspect it would be a driver's race for the most part.

ultrabeat
Good news.

But if they become a hip-hop trend, I will kill all.

Anyhow, having a dealer network may open up the door to used models.

Griffith, anyone?

It won't become a hip-hop trend because you really can't pimp something that would actually physically resist it. And I would love to see a Griffith over here, those were probably my favorite old TVRs.

ultrabeat
Geez, will anything meet the emissions laws?

Only a hybrid--and only when its running on battery power only. [/sarcasm]

I hate the US, I really do. Will the Nannifying ever end?

TVR&Ferrari_Fan
You guys are going to love the Sagaris, I would say it is miles better then the Z06, that includes its handling. However you lot in the States will still get a left hand drive version, since some were exported in left hand drive to Holland.

Miles better than the ZO6? Are you smoking crack? They are as dead even as you can get in almost every respect. The ZO6 just edges the Sagaris out on a track, but I still maintain that it would be a driver's race.

Joey D
Also 120k is really expensive, since the Blue Devil (or whatever the hell it's going to be called) should be due out next year for about 100k. I think the people that will buy it will be the people who just want something no one has seen on these shores before and not really look at what kind of performance it offers.

Agreed. The "Blue Devil" should wipe the floor with just about anything--assuming they put a more modern suspension for dealing with the extra power.

Scaff · Apr 13, 2007

Ebiggs
They don't have an A/C either, or do they now?

TVR's have had AC as either standard (most models) or an option for a long time now. Despite the lack of Airbags, ABS, etc; they are still quite nicely fitted in the interior.

harrytuttle
I'm as stoked as the next guy about this, but wasn't TVR put into receivership (bankruptcy?) and the whole factory put on hold? What are they importing -- used TVR's (similar to Motorex)?

TVR was put into receivership, the owner then split the company up, bought back bits of it and then sold it off to two Americans. Not a massive surprise to hear that a government investigation of the whole thing is planned. Not the UK motor industries finest moment.

Regards

Scaff

Some Company Called TVR to Sell Cars in America?

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