TVR has been sold

[Tuscan 6]

Well the news is out that TVR has been sold to a 24 year old Russian with (allegedly) deep pockets.

Naturally there are lots of rumours flying around and the TVR old-guard are falling on their swords muttering something about the last bastion of British sportscar manufacturing having fallen into the hands of treacherous Johnny Foreigner.

There were already concerns about the grid numbers in the Tuscan Challenge and many of us were calling for investment in the series (or a replacement) to restore it to its former glory. It will be interesting to see if the new owner is as committed to motorsport as Peter Wheeler clearly was.

The question to you guys is what would you like to see, if anything?

Personally I would love to see TVR produce and sell 20 Sagaris race cars with the same kind of subsidised deal that they did with the Tuscan in 1989 and relaunch the series for 2005. With a revamped paddock presence and some decent promotion.

Any other views, or would you be content to see the Tuscan Challenge quietly fade away?

[kickstart]

Assuming for a moment that TVR has been sold - I would be amazed if the new owner is not very passionate or deeply interested in motorsport.
Maybe we will see more investment (Like Chelsea) and a serious shot at Le Mans -
I would love to see a new set of race cars out there - but full grids or else race within an existing championship.

[foreversideways]

A man who clearly likes a wet footwell

[rdjones]

As our Russian friend is going to "hands on" do you think the will racing in the Tuscan Challenge anytime soon......

[kickstart]

I understand that the new owner is a 24 year old - Nikolai Smolenski from Highgate in London. If I was 24 and had just bought a sports car company I would be out racing the products and having some fun. However this probably explains why I don't own such a company.

[Tuscan 6]

Originally posted by kickstart
Assuming for a moment that TVR has been sold - I would be amazed if the new owner is not very passionate or deeply interested in motorsport.
Maybe we will see more investment (Like Chelsea) and a serious shot at Le Mans -
I would love to see a new set of race cars out there - but full grids or else race within an existing championship.

1) I can assure you the company has been sold

2 I don't know that he has previously had any interest in motorsport but I assume he is passionate about the marque

3) The press releases do mention increased investment. Both Le Mans efforts were entries by private teams, not TVR. We'll see.

4) I can't think of a championship that could take the Tuscans. We're quicker than all the GT Cup cars and several of the N GT cars.

It would be great to have 20 or more cars on the grid - the Tuscan Challenge is one of the best one make series anywhere and certainly one of the most spectacular.

[Fogelhund]

http://www.tvr-eng.co.uk/news_tvr_purchase.htm

Tuesday 27 July 2004
BRITISH CAR MAKER TVR IS SOLD

Peter Wheeler today sold 100% of the shares of UK car maker TVR to Nikolai Smolenski. Based in the north west of England, TVR is the leading British sportscar manufacturer and is unique among companies of its size in that it designs and manufactures in house its own range of engines to power its spectacularly designed range of sportscars.

The company employs 400 people in Blackpool and new investment in the factory and the technology therein will bring great benefits to both the cars and the workforce.

"I am very enthusiastic about the potential of TVR and am grateful for the opportunity to become a car manufacturer," explains Nikolai Smolenski. "I have always been a fan of British car manufacturing and believe that the best automotive designers and engineers are in this country."

Founded in 1947 and built up over the last 23 years by Peter Wheeler, TVR's profile has grown dramatically over the last ten years. "It's been a fascinating time and I shall be very sad when I eventually leave," said Wheeler earlier today. "However, it's time to hand the reins over to a younger man and I look forward to helping him with his exciting plans."

Peter Wheeler remains on board as a senior consultant overseeing styling and engineering.

Plans to bring the new Sagaris and Tuscan 2 models into production continue unchanged and the first demonstrators of both cars will be arriving in dealerships in the UK, Japan, mainland Europe and South Africa over the next couple of months.

For further information please contact Ben Samuelson at TVR on +441253 509007, +447976 442602 or at bsamuelson@tvr.co.uk. High res pictures of the TVR range are available at www.tvr.co.uk

[carrera]

They are looking at this on "Working Lunch" on BBC2 tomorrow.

[Kicking-back]

So it looks like Peter Wheeler's still running the show, but with a lot more financial muscle.

Good news.

[R59]

According to Sir Trevor McDonald, not much more than 15minutes ago, our new owner is keen to make TVR a global player in the market.

Good luck to them.

Buy a Tuscan R, get three cases of imported vodka free.. hmmm a good reason to buy one if ever I heard one.....

[ActiveMS]

Perhaps the new investment will mean the factory does its own testing rather than offloading it to the customer base.

If they improve the quality and consistency then I may be tempted back to the TVR fold one day as they are fantastic cars. But after my 9month old tuscan caught fire (new engine and whole new front end) and an initial response from the factory of "well, its insured isnt it?" they have some way to go on the customer satisfaction front too.

Good luck to the new owner, I wonder if he realises what he has ACTUALLY taken on?

[HoTWire]

Maybe the new owner will bring the build quality up to the standards of Russian cars

More investment is a good lets hope they spend it wisely.

[Tuscan 6]

This thread was intended to be about TVR motorsport, not the road car business.

The Tuscan Challenge was the premier one-make series in the UK but has sadly lost profile in recent years. I am biased, but would like to see some investment in a revamped TVR series.

A lot of drivers aspire to race the Tuscan and regard it with awe - it would be a great shame if it (or its replacement) were to be lost from British Motorsport.

[HoTWire]

Ah sorry my apologies, thought it was a general comment on TVRs takeover.

It would be a GREAT shame to see the Tuscan racing or single make TVR racing disappear. However TVR will need a motorsports programme if they really want to be a "global player", which should mean good things for the Tuscan series (or a similar follow up series). Possibly even a decent LeMans bid?

[redshoes]

There's a similar thread in the Road Car forum (http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...threadid=57552) if you want to discuss the implications to the company in general or it's products.

[Slowcoach]

Anyone know how much it went for ?