TVR's multi-national future

[Pebb]

Source: AutoCar

The Blackpool era's over, but TVR is here to stay. That's the message from TVR boss David Oxley and owner Nikolai Smolenski, who say the firm's future is assured, and it's heading for good times, with a new 600bhp model due late this year. What's more, TVRs look set finally to get traction control and possibly airbags, too.

Late last year TVR signed deals with Ricardo (near Cambridge) to supply engines and gearboxes and IM Kelly (Coventry) to supply trim, and it has now signed up to outsource body and chassis construction to Jimmy Price, a South African who already makes Nobles and Superformance Cobra replicas. Instead of heading to Blackpool, all components will go to Bertone for final assembly in Italy, as reported by Autocar last year.

The proposed new TVR range will consist of the Tuscan, Tuscan convertible and Sagaris. Assembly is due to start in around April, with the intention of building 480 cars in 2007, but up to 5000 cars a year thereafter.

TVR is also planning a new Typhon with 600bhp and a £100,000-plus price. Only 60 will be made, with the first cars being delivered later this year. It'll use a carbon monocoque and possibly carbon brakes.

Further in the future, there's a new Cerbera planned for 2010, and designed with help from the engineering and design departments of Manchester University.

 

[Dave A]

Ooh a Typhon mk2, if it tops the 0-60 in 3.6 seconds and top speed of 220mph of the current Typhon I will be impressed.

 

[Pebb]

Ooh a Typhon mk2, if it tops the 0-60 in 3.6 seconds and top speed of 220mph of the current Typhon I will be impressed.

And don't forget about the supercharger.

 

[Bram Turismo]

TVR + 600 Bhp? Never can go wrong 👍

 

[Dave A]

As long you don't drive in the wet at least. I guess that's what the tration control is being introduced for . The Cerbera replacment has been pushed back though, 2010 is a long wiat for the best selling TVR of all times replacment to come out.

 

[Pebb]

As long you don't drive in the wet at least. I guess that's what the tration control is being introduced for . The Cerbera replacment has been pushed back though, 2010 is a long wiat for the best selling TVR of all times replacment to come out.

I rather wait that long, because that will mean a new version of the Cerbera Speed 12 most likely. I just hope the Typhon Mk2 will have a supercharger or even two superchargers.

 

[Dave A]

It almost certainly will be supercharged, I don't think the engine would run smooth enough producing 600bhp otherwise. Also the Typhon is kind of unique in the TVR range for having a supercharger.

 

[Bram Turismo]

As long you don't drive in the wet at least. I guess that's what the tration control is being introduced for . The Cerbera replacment has been pushed back though, 2010 is a long wiat for the best selling TVR of all times replacment to come out.

Aww common, you know what I mean. When was the last time TVR build an ugly car? Models like the Sagaris, and that with 600 Bhp, that's got to be a huge thing 👍

 

[Pebb]

The question with 600BHP, will be what do you think will be the top speed of the Typhon Mk2?

I am hoping the 240MPH mark.

 

[Dark Elite]

Great news, although the old adage of the Blackpool Rockets may be lost, at least TVR's future looks fairly safe. Traction control, though? Hmm, there's always at least one problem with things these days Just so long as there's a nice button to turn it off, the purity and raucousness won't be lost by the addition of an airbag. Air con is too heavy, though

What do we think about the new Cerbera, and updated Speed Six of old or a cross between the Speed Six and the Speed Twelve? Somewhere between the Speed Six and the Sagaris? Or something entirely different?

DE

 

[Dave A]

Regarding traction control, I said this many months ago, I'm actually for traction control being included, under the one condition that it is controlable and you can switch it off.

The new Cerbera will when it arrives, take the mantle as the flagship model range in TVR's lineup which is where the old Cerbera left off leaving the lineup to be headed by the Tuscan and now the Tuscan MK2. For that to happen properly though TVR will have either ended production of the Typhon by 2010, or they will produce a Cerbera of higher perfomance than the Typhon. Smolenski did let slip that he is keen on building a new supercar, though the new Typhon fits the bill as being a new supercar he also said "like the one TVR expermineted with in the 90's" or something to that effect. He basically provided a massive hint that he was interested in building a new Speed 12.

The question with 600BHP, will be what do you think will be the top speed of the Typhon Mk2?

I am hoping the 240MPH mark.

I don't think it will be close, it'll probably be around the 220 mark of the current Typhon which isn't far behind with 580bhp. Theres a lot more to a cars top speed than it's power, it takes a different level of design and engineering to get a 600bhp car to 230mph+, with the Speed 12 TVR used brute force to achieve that, the 800bhp Koenigsegg which is far more suited to thoes speeds from a design and drag principal than a Speed 12 needed over 800bhp. The Mclaren F1 is probably the most wonderous 240mph car ever, and that needed over 600bhp, infact in standard road legal spec it never actually hit 240mph.

 

[Pebb]

I cannot wait to see what the Tuscan Mk3 looks like, but I would like to see a new Griffth made.

 

[Dave A]

The Griffith to me remains one of the finest looking cars ever made, if TVR made a new Griffith it would have a lot to live upto looks wise. If they got it right, it could well be my fave model in their lineup. The only thing is though Smolenski doesn't want a complicated lineup of cars, I think that at any one time he'll have mo more than three model ranges, at the moment he has two, he has the T series and the Tuscan series. I'm wondering if he'll have a third introduced through the year that would last until the new Cerbera.

 

[Pebb]

The Griffith to me remains one of the finest looking cars ever made, if TVR made a new Griffith it would have a lot to live upto looks wise. If they got it right, it could well be my fave model in their lineup. The only thing is though Smolenski doesn't want a complicated lineup of cars, I think that at any one time he'll have three models ranges, at the moment he has two, he has the T series and the Tuscan series. I'm wondering if he'll have a third introduced through the year that would last until the new Cerbera.

The thing they would need to beat is the sound of the original Griffiths, which has to be one of the best sounding TVR's of all time.

 

[YSSMAN]

...And to have the Americans complain once more, it still doesn't look like they are coming here...

(I wants me a Sagaris, nowzerz!)

 

[Dave A]

I think they will be heading to the US, but not overnight. According to an interview with Smolenski a few months back, the US does play a part in TVR's long term plans, but but the Sagaris will probably be long gone by then.

 

[Pebb]

They have already exported some left hand Drive Sagaris's.

 

[Dave A]

They do offer lhd as an option for buyers overseas, but TVR doesn't ship any cars to America. The reason TVR doesn't sell in America anymore is becuase of America's stingent vehicle requirements. The AJP6 engine currently doesn't meet American requirements, and all TVR's are currently AJP powered.

 

[Poverty]

I think the MK2 typhon will still "only" do 220mph, but just get there even quicker. It would require way too much money for all the requirred development to make it safe at 240mph etc

 

[Philly]

TVR does only use one engine, their Speed6. Don't expect 600 hp in all of their cars. Horsepower will probably atart around 350, that of the first S6. Production skyrocketing tells me that they are opening up to a new market, although I do not think the US will be tapped next year. Road and Track does say TVR will come here soon. Can't wait.

 

[Dave A]

Ofcourse, the new Typhon will be the only TVR with over 500bhp for a few years. The next Tuscan could start with as high as 400bhp, it depends what other models will be available at the same time. If the T350 is still going then they may hold the T350 as the bottom model with the C and T having 350bhp and the other model ranges being positioned to start above that. This would fall in line with Smolenski's plans put more structure to the model line up, whereas before you had the Tamora, 350bhp 35k, T350C, 350bhp, 35k, Tuscan started with 350bhp and around 35k. This was confusing to a lot of people who didn't understant what was different between the models besides the looks, though the three models were vastly different to drive, most people wouldn't know that.

 

[Bram Turismo]

The question with 600BHP, will be what do you think will be the top speed of the Typhon Mk2?

I am hoping the 240MPH mark.

That's a little too high, don't you think? I think an extra 100-150 bhp is needed to reach those speeds, well. depends on the weight but still...

 

[Dave A]

Vehicle weight at thoes speeds has a very minor influence, it's more about the shape of the car, the power, the tyres and the gearing. At thoes speeds the car will need to be producing downforce, the weight created by the downforce at thoes speeds is a lot greater than the weight of the car. For a car like the Tuscan or Typhon to reach 240mph, not only will it need the right gearbox, but it will also need probably over 800bhp. I'll try to work it out when I'm at home if I can find the frontal area and Cd figures.