Some Company Called TVR to Sell Cars in America?

[Danny]

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.

No-one would buy this without being fully aware of

-the 0-60 by the time you finish this sentence

-the near-as-makes-no-difference 200mph.

I'm mean just look at it! It's speed capabilities aren't well hidden...
And on a track I think the driver competence would make the difference between the Sagaris and a Z06 being faster.
Now when the Blue Devil comes along, TVR will have the Typhon to take the fight to it...

I would pay good money to see that showdown.

 

[Dave A]

$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.

They couldn't do that and turn a profit. $120,000 is £60,000. the Sagaris retails at £55,000 over here but generally sells for £50,000 so they may actually sell for $5-$10k less than list price in the US. In the UK the Sagaris undercuts the Z06 by 10k and puts it level with the C6. You have to take that British price, convert that into US dollars, then add and any US taxes and additional costs incurred in making the car meet US laws. It's not TVR's fault you get almost 2 US dollars to the pound.

 

[Joey D]

No-one would buy this without being fully aware of

-the 0-60 by the time you finish this sentence

-the near-as-makes-no-difference 200mph.

I'm mean just look at it! It's speed capabilities aren't well hidden...
And on a track I think the driver competence would make the difference between the Sagaris and a Z06 being faster.
Now when the Blue Devil comes along, TVR will have the Typhon to take the fight to it...

I would pay good money to see that showdown.

The Blue Devil is supposed to be stupid fast, like 700hp fast. There are going to be a lot of car having issues with keeping up with it.

I realize the Sagaris is fast and I realize it's a good track performer, but dollar for dollar you can get a Z06 with the equivalent performance for quite a bit less.

 

[Scaff]

The Blue Devil is supposed to be stupid fast, like 700hp fast. There are going to be a lot of car having issues with keeping up with it.

I realize the Sagaris is fast and I realize it's a good track performer, but dollar for dollar you can get a Z06 with the equivalent performance for quite a bit less.

All true, but which would you rather sit in, something that looks like this...

...or this....

...not the most important point, but it does help illustrate that the cost difference is not just down to performance. For some when you are looking at this jind of price point, often personal preference in terms of looks, interior, etc can become just as important (plus I just love the way TVR's look on the inside).

Regards

Scaff

 

[Joey D]

The Z06 because it doesn't have a center console that looks huge and the steering wheel is on the side that I'm used to.

Yes there is plastic in the Z06 interior, but if GM had put a "baller" interior in it the price would have gone up as much as $10,000. Instead GM focused on the most important thing of a sports car...the sports part.

Most people I talk to that own a Z06 bought it solely because it's one of the fastest sports cars under 100k. People in the states won't buy the TVR's for their performance, they will buy them for their rarity.

It's like the select group that buys Maseratti's, they don't buy them cause they are remotely the best (or the coolest) but no on has them.

 

[Dave A]

The sterring will probably be on the left for US cars, there are a couple of lhd TVR's already out there that were built this year. As for the interiors, the TVR interior dumps on the Corvette interior from a huge height. The one thing the Vette has the Sagaris beat for in the US, and the US alone, is price and in the US the Corvette probably can't be beaten in that area by anything and that does imo make the Z06 on paper look like the logical choice. But paper doesn't account for personal preferrence. As I said before, the price is not something TVR could really control thanks to exchange rates, but it does leave the Z06 very temptingly cheaper. I think your probably right about the reasons people will buy them in the US, the fact they have fanatastic performance doesn't always mean that's the reason behind the purchase.

 

[Scaff]

The Z06 because it doesn't have a center console that looks huge and the steering wheel is on the side that I'm used to.

Yes there is plastic in the Z06 interior, but if GM had put a "baller" interior in it the price would have gone up as much as $10,000. Instead GM focused on the most important thing of a sports car...the sports part.

Most people I talk to that own a Z06 bought it solely because it's one of the fastest sports cars under 100k. People in the states won't buy the TVR's for their performance, they will buy them for their rarity.

It's like the select group that buys Maseratti's, they don't buy them cause they are remotely the best (or the coolest) but no on has them.

👍 My point exactly, if performance is the only factor then in the US the Z06 is arguably the one to go for. However if you want performance and an 'event' as far as the car is concerned then you will have to pay for it. After all you can have the 'vette with a far better interior (if you are willing to pay for it)...

...as in the Callaway C16.

The centre console is as huge as it looks (and don't forget in the UK the 'vettes steering wheel is on the wrong side and unlike the TVR can be built to be on the 'correct' side for each market. However the transmission tunnel is a part of modern TVR's, hopefully when you get a chance to see one in the 'glass-fibre' you will see (and hear) what those of us from the UK are on about.

Regards

Scaff

 

[Danny]

Just for my own curiosity Scaff...

You do realise it's brown, yes?

 

[Scaff]

Just for my own curiosity Scaff...

You do realise it's brown, yes?

Sshhhh, it was the nicest looking 'vette interior I could find at short notice.



Scaff


See another one in a different shade of brown/tan

 

[OZZYGT]

All true, but which would you rather sit in, something that looks like this...

...or this....

...not the most important point, but it does help illustrate that the cost difference is not just down to performance.

Honestly, I'm really hating that TVR interior, I mean, look at that clutch pedal, the humongous center console, and those knobs near the steering wheel. Ugh. I'd take the Z06 in a heartbeat; but then again, it is my personal opinion.

I'm not too crazy about TVR coming to America. Yes, some of them are trully beautiful and fast, but it's not like we don't have better sights on the road...
Like someone else stated already, people will buy TVR not for their performance, but for their rarity; Granted, they are faster than the Z06 and the Viper, but considering much more expensive the TVR is, I really wouldn't mind loosing a second or 2 on speed times.

 

[Scaff]

Honestly, I'm really hating that TVR interior, I mean, look at that clutch pedal, the humongous center console, and those knobs near the steering wheel. Ugh. I'd take the Z06 in a heartbeat; but then again, it is my personal opinion.

Each to their own, personally I would rather have the leather, machined aluminium and brass bespoke fitments of the TVR over the generic plastics of the Z06 (and I have seen both in the 'metal' and just love the TVR inside and out - quite willing to admit bias on that one). Then again in the UK I could have all that and still pay less than the Z06 and have the steering on the right side for me. Personal bits aside, I think that TVR's are going to sell for very different reasons in the US and European markets.

Ta

Scaff

 

[TheCracker]

I'm not too crazy about TVR coming to America. Yes, some of them are trully beautiful and fast, but it's not like we don't have better sights on the road...
Like someone else stated already, people will buy TVR not for their performance, but for their rarity; Granted, they are faster than the Z06 and the Viper, but considering much more expensive the TVR is, I really wouldn't mind loosing a second or 2 on speed times.

With TVR's it's not really about performance figures, although those are pretty impressive too, it's more about the 'event' of driving one or even just witnessing one drive past. They're not a civilised, potential everyday driver like the Vette, they're much too raw for that. Many owners do use them as their commuter cars, but they do so knowing that they could possibly be late for work.

 

[YSSMAN]

With TVR's it's not really about performance figures, although those are pretty impressive too, it's more about the 'event' of driving one or even just witnessing one drive past. They're not a civilised, potential everyday driver like the Vette, they're much too raw for that. Many owners do use them as their commuter cars, but they do so knowing that they could possibly be late for work.

I think you've got the idea there, kinda. A lot of gearheads in the US are going to go ga-ga over the performance specs and the sheer outrageousness of the Sagaris, but to a lot of people it is going to be a crazy, uncivilised brute of an automobile... Granted, it is one of the reasons why I've loved the Sagaris so much, as it just seems like a pissed-off car that won't take crap from anyone.

...Come to think of it, it kinda reminds me of the early Dodge Vipers, and this may be a guess, but I would assume that they (the TVR) will be recieved in the same manner once the cars finally arrive on our shores...

 

[TheCracker]

...Come to think of it, it kinda reminds me of the early Dodge Vipers, and this may be a guess, but I would assume that they (the TVR) will be recieved in the same manner once the cars finally arrive on our shores...

Don't you think that they'll not recieve quite the same welcome by the fact that they're not 'Detroit' muscle?

I think TVR's success over here has been greatly enhanced by them being very 'British'. The same no doubt can be said about the Vette and Viper over there. I think a lot of sales for these sort of cars come down to a degree of national pride.

 

[Tornado]

However the transmission tunnel is a part of modern TVR's, hopefully when you get a chance to see one in the 'glass-fibre' you will see (and hear) what those of us from the UK are on about.

Like on a Hummer? Cool.
Anyways, given the money I would buy the TVR for that steering wheel alone.

Don't you think that they'll not recieve quite the same welcome by the fact that they're not 'Detroit' muscle?

Actually, I don't think it would matter. The Viper sold essentially because it was a modern reacreation of the Cobra 427: Raw, violent and touch to drive, but stupid fast. The Sagaris, at least by my understanding, is even closer to that milestone then the original Viper was.

Besides, rich people have a tendency to be stupid, so they probably won't know the difference.

 

[JCE]

They couldn't do that and turn a profit. $120,000 is £60,000. the Sagaris retails at £55,000 over here but generally sells for £50,000 so they may actually sell for $5-$10k less than list price in the US. In the UK the Sagaris undercuts the Z06 by 10k and puts it level with the C6. You have to take that British price, convert that into US dollars, then add and any US taxes and additional costs incurred in making the car meet US laws. It's not TVR's fault you get almost 2 US dollars to the pound.

Then TVR needs a "baby" version to sell in the US to compete with the regular C6 Corvette. Just my opinion...

All true, but which would you rather sit in, something that looks like this...

...or this....

Depends actually. Daily driver? The ZO6. Every OTHER day cocking about on the motorway? The TVR.

 

[Dave A]

Then TVR needs a "baby" version to sell in the US to compete with the regular C6 Corvette. Just my opinion...

You don't seem to be getting this, it's the exchange rates. In the UK the sagaris cost the same as the C6 but hammers it in performance. For TVR to sell a car that competes with the base C6 in the US for both price and performance they'd need to have it selling in the UK and making a profit at a similar cost to the Golf R32. It's simply not possible to get a car to the states that cheap with the US dollar as weak as it is.

Depends actually. Daily driver? The ZO6. Every OTHER day cocking about on the motorway? The TVR.

Thats the first time I think I've ever heared someone say the Z06 is a better daily driver than a Sagaris. In the reliability stakes, sure, for everything else everything we read over here puts the Z06 behind in that area. And rather oddly, I would say that the Z06 would be more suited to the every other day on the motorway more. Is that simply a result of the different approaches to the cars by the media in the US and UK perhaps?

 

[JCE]

You don't seem to be getting this, it's the exchange rates. In the UK the sagaris cost the same as the C6 but hammers it in performance. For TVR to sell a car that competes with the base C6 in the US for both price and performance they'd need to have it selling in the UK and making a profit at a similar cost to the Golf R32. It's simply not possible to get a car to the states that cheap with the US dollar as weak as it is.

I am quite aware what the exchange rates are. I don't care what the car costs in the UK, I don't live in the UK. Unfortunately I'm a German stuck in America. TVR could most certainly make a cheap sports car, they choose not to. TVR could easily snag a 6cyl. engine from somewhere and tune it to give 350bhp-ish power and sell it for C6 money in America--AND make a profit. Whether or not that is a good thing I am not here to discuss. You do realize that TVR could develop and thus build a model in the US? As I recall alot of automakers do this.

Thats the first time I think I've ever heared someone say the Z06 is a better daily driver than a Sagaris. In the reliability stakes, sure, for everything else everything we read over here puts the Z06 behind in that area. And rather oddly, I would say that the Z06 would be more suited to the every other day on the motorway more. Is that simply a result of the different approaches to the cars by the media in the US and UK perhaps?

You are joking right? Just look at the interiors of both cars...you can't honestly tell me with an open mind that the ZO6 doesn't have a better interior for everyday use? Its got navigation for christ sakes. Without sitting in a Saragis I can't comment on its driver comfort, but I'd probably guess the seats are more comfy in the ZO6. I'd also say both probably have a very rough ride because of the suspension settings geared towards track use so at least in that aspect they both lose. lol I'm going to say the fact America slants the ZO6 and the UK slants the Sagaris is mainly due to country pride. If they both were the same money, again, I must choose the Sagaris for a couple of reasons over the ZO6. But, they aren't the same price, in the US or the UK. So naturally one will take the cheaper of the two.

*edit*
Seems the ZO6 interior pic has disappeared. So I'll post my own:

 

[Dave A]

I am quite aware what the exchange rates are. I don't care what the car costs in the UK, I don't live in the UK. Unfortunately I'm a German stuck in America. TVR could most certainly make a cheap sports car, they choose not to.

Erm, no they DO. They make sporstcars from £35k that can beat cars that cost twice as much. The fact is that you keep semmingly not understanding, is that cheap sportscar in the UK market does not translate to cheap sportscar in the US market. The C6 Corvetet is a cheap sportscar n the US, but over here it's bargain status is wiped out because the base C6 costs as much as a Sagaris, a car that competes on a higher level performance wise.

TVR could easily snag a 6cyl. engine from somewhere and tune it to give 350bhp-ish power and sell it for C6 money in America--AND make a profit.

The Sagaris IS a 6 sylinder engine. And the engine is largly what makes a TVR a TVR, not just any engine will do, it has to match the character of the car.

Whether or not that is a good thing I am not here to discuss. You do realize that TVR could develop and thus build a model in the US? As I recall alot of automakers do this.

When was the last time a low volume European specialist car manufacturer was able to afford to manufacture cars in Europe and in the US? Wherever you are, your cars are going to be more expensive somewhere. Thats why the C6 Corvette over here costs almost twice as much as it does in the US.

You are joking right? Just look at the interiors of both cars...you can't honestly tell me with an open mind that the ZO6 doesn't have a better interior for everyday use?

Im my honest opinion and in my experience of having sat in both cars, yes, the TVR has a much, much , much, much nicer interior than the Z06's dull cheap plastic.

Its got navigation for christ sakes.

So, you can get sat anv in a TVR, since when did sat nav become some big thing that defines if a car is usable everyday or not.

Without sitting in a Saragis I can't comment on its driver comfort, but I'd probably guess the seats are more comfy in the ZO6.

Well I can, and the Sagaris is by far the better car inside imo.

I'd also say both probably have a very rough ride because of the suspension settings geared towards track use so at least in that aspect they both lose.

Only the Sagaris is supposed to be a good car on the road and track, the Z06 has been absolutely hammered for it's poor ride on the road.

lol I'm going to say the fact America slants the ZO6 and the UK slants the Sagaris is mainly due to country pride.

Possibly, but I'm going to say it's more the cost. The British have proven that they don't buy sub par products simply over national pride, Rover failed twice. To be good in England you have to actually be good , and TVR's simply are. Personally regardless of which cost more in this country, if I could afford either, I'd take the Sagaris at a heartbeat, to me it holds far more appeal both with the interior materials, the looks of the car and the fact it's good on the road and the track.

The one area the Z06 is probably better on the road than the Sagaris if any, is in wet conditions.

 

[Tornado]

TVR could most certainly make a cheap sports car, they choose not to. TVR could easily snag a 6cyl. engine from somewhere and tune it to give 350bhp-ish power and sell it for C6 money in America--AND make a profit. Whether or not that is a good thing I am not here to discuss.

That would be the Tamora, if I am getting you.
The problem is that the car starts at Boxster money, which would be about 60 grand or so when sold in the U.S. Still not bad, and pretty close to the Base C6, but also pretty close to the Z06.

Its got navigation for christ sakes.

You can get navigation in the Sagaris.

 

[Dave A]

That would be the Tamora, if I am getting you.
The problem is that the car starts at Boxster money, which would be about 60 grand or so when sold in the U.S. Still not bad, and pretty close to the Base C6, but also pretty close to the Z06.

That's $60,000 beofre you factor in the cost of getting the car to the US and then making the required changes to the car so it meets US laws. It'd probably end up around the $70-75,000 mark.

 

[JCE]

I'm not going to get into another [edit by mod] arguement in another thread because of trivial [edit by mod]. I'm done in here.

AGREE TO DISAGREE. PERIOD. I'M OUT.

 

[kjb]

I'm so excited TVR is coming to America again.

 

[YSSMAN]

Don't you think that they'll not recieve quite the same welcome by the fact that they're not 'Detroit' muscle?

I think the fact alone that they are British will get sales, beyond that the fact that many performance-oriented Americans have been dying to see these cars come to the US for years. Thanks to videogames like Gran Turismo and movies like Swordfish, beyond that the coverage the cars receive in American automobile magazines, trust me, they won't have a hard time moving them...

What I'm hoping for is a resurgence of the 'build it at home' phenomenon, similar to the nature of the Sagaris and M14. We'll see what comes of it here in the US, as that market is pretty much dominated by Cobra replicas, GT500-E replicas, and then the obvious home-brewed sports cars like the Mosler MT900S and the Saleen S7...

Thats the first time I think I've ever heared someone say the Z06 is a better daily driver than a Sagaris. In the reliability stakes, sure, for everything else everything we read over here puts the Z06 behind in that area. And rather oddly, I would say that the Z06 would be more suited to the every other day on the motorway more. Is that simply a result of the different approaches to the cars by the media in the US and UK perhaps?

I know we've discussed this dozens of times, but in America the Z06 was at one point considered 'too road-oriented' by some, and thusly was thought to be the cause of the 'twitchyness' associated with the at-the-limit handling. I'd put money in the Z06's bowl and say that it rides better, and is truly a better daily-driver. The updated suspension has helped out again by leaps-and-bounds, not to mention the more 'comfortable-yet-racy' interior, the wide array of 'creature-comforts' that are actually usable by someone who hasn't sat in a Corvette before, etc...

Granted, when you're a hardcore gearhead, you aren't going to want a lot of the stuff thats in the Corvette, and it is part of the reason why they want to do a 'Blue Devil' or some other kind of 'stripped' Z06 ala 997 GT3... The cars clearly cater to the same crowd, but in that, the Z06 and the Sagaris see to fit two completely different types of people...

...My heart and my mind tends to push me towards the Z06, but my nether-regions and curious fingers tell me to go for the Sagaris...

I would take either, as they are both awesome.

 

[harrytuttle]

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.

Ah. The "sold it off to two Americans" part was the piece I was missing.


So, um, which two Americans?

Honestly, I'm really hating that TVR interior, I mean, look at that clutch pedal, the humongous center console, and those knobs near the steering wheel. Ugh. I'd take the Z06 in a heartbeat; but then again, it is my personal opinion.

That's the gas pedal. It's floor-hinged and long-travel to substitute traction control. That is, your own common sense dictates how much rubber slips and how much grips.


As for TVR's pricing, it is a bit high, but no more so than a 911 Turbo or SL65 AMG. Both of those have similar performance to the Sagaris, don't they? And what you may be losing in heritage, you gain in style. Few cars have the panache of a TVR.

 

[SagarisGTB]

This Sagaris sounds interesting. I hope its quick, passionate and looks so bad ass that youd think it runs on baby seals. Cant wait to see one.

 

[Kent]

Yeah... reading the last page, I'd like to remind everyone (specifically JCE3000GT) that side-stepping the swearfilter is something we do not consider acceptable.

That said, I get a feeling that TVR can do well in the U.S. as long as they keep the numbers low, really low. I'd think they will be sold through a larger dealer brand or exotic only dealers out of large cities.

Hopefully I will get to see one in person sometime in the near future.

 

[YSSMAN]

Well, a 40+ dealer network is pretty impressive for an upstart company. Outside of the major cities in the US (largely NYC, Miami, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Denver, Las Vegas, Seattle, Los Angeles), you do have to wonder where the others will pop-up. When considering that Ferrari has only 35 dealers in North America, the 40+ seems even more impressive...

 

[racerboyjamie]

Well I've heard that the people buying TVR have pulled out and that a factory is being built near Blackpool with a big TVR logo on it. So hopefully TVR is back and staying British! Which is great since Britain really needs cars like this and companies like Noble. This is just a rumour by the way, it may not be true but it's good to hope

 

[Omnis]

All true, but which would you rather sit in, something that looks like this...

...or this....

...not the most important point, but it does help illustrate that the cost difference is not just down to performance. For some when you are looking at this jind of price point, often personal preference in terms of looks, interior, etc can become just as important (plus I just love the way TVR's look on the inside).

Regards

Scaff

I would need A/C, so the TVR looks like a no-go.