TVR Supercars

Manufactures of Unique Sports Cars and Grand Tourers

admin — Sun, 01 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Britain has always had a rich automobile history. From Aston Martins to Minis to TVR there is always something new and interesting coming out of the U.K., but one of the more unique manufacturers, Noble Automotive, doesn’t get as much attention as they deserve.

Established in 1999 in Barwell, Leicestershire, England their debut car was the M10. Very few were made as buyers withdrew their money in favor of the upcoming M12. The M12 appeared in 2000 and was a very popular car. Powered by a turbo V6 and with a fiberglass composite body, the M12 would do 0-60 in 3.7 seconds. After the M12 came the M400, M14 and M15.

The M15 was designed to compete directly with the Porsche 911 turbo and Ferrari 430. With a 0-60 time of 3.3 it did just that. It was the first of the Nobles to have satellite navigation. It was a true supercar, but the designers wanted something that was even better.

The M600 is the most recent design by Noble. It has a twin turbo charged V8 and a 0-60 time of 3.0. It has a very limited production of only 50 per year.

As you can see, Noble Automotive is a unique auto manufacturer who can make super cars that compete with Ferraris. Their unique approach of simplicity and power has gained them a very cult following among auto enthusiasts.

Breaking the Tradition in Extreme Performance

admin — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Everybody loves performance. Whether it is in the world of money or cars, performance is the key. There are two types of performance. There is the bad kind when the stock market takes a dive and people end up losing money. There is the good kind of performance when a motor runs like new after an overhaul. With cars it is important that performance is maintained. When a family leaves for a vacation in a vehicle that is not performing well they run the risk of breakdowns and delays.

Top performing cars are the desire of every car enthusiast. Performance is the big ticket in sports cars. It is the tradition of sports cars that make performance such a key element. People buy the latest and great parts to enhance their car so that it runs right all of the time. The people who have excelled in performance are the ones who have broken the tradition in performance. These individuals are not afraid to think outside the box and try parts that are not normally found for purchase. Many of them have specialty parts made specifically for their car. Once the part is installed the car has better performance than the same model of car that uses standard parts.

Blackpool’s Automotive Innovation and Manufacturing Assets

admin — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The British city of Blackpool is one of several communities in the British Isles where automotive design is still practiced. At one time the nation was home to many small and independent auto manufacturers. Blackpool, Coventry and Abingdon were just a few of the towns where the British auto industry flourished.

Blackpoo l remains the home of an automotive design center and college. The design college in Blackpool provides a degree program in automotive design and engineering for students seeking to enter the world of automotive design. The company, known as Blackpool Automotive, has gone through administration and is attempting to emerge from this process. Assets of the company belong to the automotive entrepreneur Nikolai Smolenski. The purchase of the assets was completed from the administrator after the company passed through the process in 2007.

Blackpool Automotive was well known for its manufacturing innovations during the mid twentieth century. The company produced many exciting cars and assisted in the design of others for worldwide distribution. Since the administration the company has been divided into several smaller units and Blackpool Automotive retains the manufacturing equipment and operational plant in Blackpool, Lancashire. This includes the innovative manufacturing techniques and equipment that made the cars produced here some of the best in the world.

Alvis Cars

tvsupercars.com — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Well-informed TVR enthusiasts know that founder Trevor Wilkinson’s first car was built on an Alvis Firebird chassis. But just what do they know about the now-defunct Alvis Ltd?Alvis was based in the historic British “motor city” of Coventry. Viewers of BBC America on direct tv may have seen the city in series like Angels, Keeping Up Appearances, and Doctor Who. Alvis was founded as TG John and Co. Ltd. in 1919, producing “stationary engines, carburetor bodies, and motorscooters” (“Alvis Cars,” Wikipedia). The name change to Alvis is unexplainedit may be related to the Norse weaponsmith Alviss. In any case, the name was changed in 1921, a year after production on the first Alvis 10/30 began.In 1923, the company switched to the overhead-valve 12/50 model, which is recognized today as one of vintage sports cars’ most exciting success stories. Approximately 350 of the 12/50 models are still in existence today. Later models introduced innovations like independent front suspension, the first completely synchromesh gearbox, servo-assisted brakes, and front-wheel drive.The Alvis Firebird that Wilkinson modified was introduced in 1935 and produced until 1936a total of 449 units. Car production was suspended in September 1939 during the start of World War II (although some production lines later restarted), and the factory was damaged in a bombing raid on Coventry in 1940. After World War II, Alvis found it difficult to reassert itself in the automotive industry. Full-scale production didn’t resume until 1958 with the TD21. This was not enough to save the car line, and Alvis car production ceased in 1967.Alvis Limited was incorporated into British Leyland and bought by United Scientific Holdings plc in 1981. In 1998, the company name was attached to a line of armored fighting vehicles. However, there is good news for Alvis car fans. Red Triangle, which had purchased the Alvis design plans, records, and stock in 1968, re-acquired the Alvis trademarks and announced in 2010 that it would release the 4.3-Litre Short Chassis tourer. The car has been named the “Continuation Series” and has been updated to fit modern safety and automotive standards. Only 77 units will be produced, using the original chassis stock slated for production in 1938.

TVR Car Club brings fans together

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:52:44 +0000

When a brand’s as distinctive as TVR, the fans are equally unique. Admirers of TVR cars can come together in the TVR Car Club, which was originally founded in 1962 as a small London-based group of super-fans. Today, the club has over 7000 members and operates around the world.The TVRCC isn’t the club to join if you just want to sit around and talk about TVR’s glory days. Or rather, you could do that, but you’d be missing out on some of the club’s other benefitslike being able to drive your TVR around the race track several times a year. TVRCC members also enjoy spectator sports, and make pilgrimages to cheer on the TVRs in Motorsport competitions and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.The club doesn’t leave the family out, either. With events like the Big Northern Gathering, Griff Growl, and Gang on the Green in the UK alone, there’s no excuse not to bring everybody out for the fun. These shows offer a chance to admire classic cars and socialize in the beauty of the great outdoors.TVRCC proudly helps members in the upkeep of their vehicles, whether through their insurance valuations service, their Club Office in Shropshire, or the monthly 64-page magazine, TVR Sprint. If that still doesn’t answer your question, there’s a rabid fan-base ready and waiting to answer your questions online on the message boards.There are also financial benefits. With membership to the club you get access to TVR apparel including sweatshirts and sweaters along with exclusive watches and parts manuals for almost every TVR model. Finally, the exclusive insurance policy offers both limited and unlimited mileage policies for members. With all of these features, if you’re already a TVR fan, you’re sure to be a TVR Car Club fan as well.

The power of the TVR Cerbera Speed 12

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:48:32 +0000

In the late 1990s, there was a war going on in the roads. The McLaren F1 was dominating sports car makers everywhere with its futuristic design, and in 1998 set the still-unbroken record for fastest production car worldwide, 240 mph. British maker TVR, however, was not about to take this challenge lying down, and in 1996 displayed the first model of the TVR Project 7/12. The 7 referred to the number of liters in the engine, although it was actually 7.7, and the 12 stood for the number of cylinders. The engine could produce over 1000 horsepower and was so expensive to build that only five are known.In 1998, TVR was prepared to show their beauty off to the world as the newly renamed Speed 12. The company planned to bring the car to the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, but things didn’t pan out. The car did win several races at the British GT championshipwith their engines limited to 700 horsepower! Even at this speed, the car was almost impossible to control, leading many to fear how an unrestricted vehicle would drive.Unwilling to let their baby die, though, TVR segued the project into a consumer version called the Cerbera Speed 12. Only one vehicle was created to be displayed at the 2000 British Motor Show. Despite being intended for the road, the engine was unrestricted and the tires were Goodyear Fioranos. Peter Wheeler, owner of TVR at the time as well as a racer in the Tuscan Challenge, drove the monstrous vehicle home from the show and came to an unfortunate but unsurprising conclusionthe car was too powerful to ever be used on the road.The car was sold in 2003, with its engine restricted to 880 horsepower, and now has a strong afterlife in the pages of auto magazines and video games, appearing in the title Gran Turismo 4.

The long history of TVR

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:42:24 +0000

Today, TVR has a large fan-base who marvel over its sleek, sexy, and stylish cars. But how many know that it’s history stretches back more than half a century? The first car under the TVR name appeared in 1949a two-seater alloy body with a tubular chassis built by founder Trevor Wilkinson and partner Jack Pickard. The TVR brand comes from Trevor’s name.All models from this era are very rare since only a few copies of each were built, although the second one ever built still exists. Starting in 1957, TVR started normal production runs and became so popular that Wilkinson and Pickard needed to find a financial backer. A series of name changes followed this point, from Layton Sports Cars to Grantura Engineering. In 1965, the company was purchased by a Grantura shareholder and returned to its original name, as well as its original level of quality.In 1985, Peter Wheeler became owner of the company and proceeded to update it just as any TVR fan would if given the chance. The normal V6 engines were replaced with V8s, capacity rose from 3.5 to 5 liters, and body designs became exercises in beauty and efficiency that were unrivaled at the time. It was under Wheeler’s ownership that the infamous Cerbera 12 went into production.Ownership took an unexpected turn in 2004 when 24-year-old Russian millionaire Nikolay Smolensky purchased the company for 15 million. This catapulted the company into economic difficulties, with layoffs occurring in 2006. Smolensky has since resigned and then rebid for ownership of the company, then announced plans to sell in 2007. However, Smolensky is currently still in control, with German firm Gullwing slated to start producing a new car in September. Gullwing owner Juergen Mohr has hinted that the brand may move into electric car production in the future. But if TVR has shown anything in its long history, it’s that there’s no predicting what happens next.

Find books on TVR to tide you over between drives

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:32:41 +0000

You can’t spend every minute in your TVR car, as much as you might want to. Since you’ve got to get out sometime, why not look into some books to improve your driving enjoyment? There are a variety of volumes written by fans who take their work very seriouslyseriously enough to spend their days test-driving cars, interviewing insiders, and compiling it all together to give you the same thrill.If you’re just starting out in the world of TVR literature, Iain Ayre’s TVR: All the Cars (Haynes Publishing, 2007) is a comprehensive introduction to every vehicle from every era of the company, starting with Trevor Wilkinson’s earliest models in the early 1950s. In addition to the rarer early cars, the book also includes looks at never-completed prototypes and, for those interested in getting in on the fun themselves, a guide to purchasing your first TVR on any budget.For those looking to get a stronger sense of the history of the brand, TVR: An Illustrated History (Haynes Publishing, 2006) by John Tipler provides just what it promises. Don’t worry about getting bogged down in pages and pages of text as you follow the path from Blackpool to the buyout by Russian millionaire Nikolai Smolensky. Full-color photos liven up the proceedings and make even the financial trials of the recent years bearable. Interviews with the owners provide a look at the personal strength needed to run such a distinctive business.If, on the other hand, technical data is what you crave, look no further than R.M. Clarke’s TVR Performance Portfolio 1986-94 (Brooklands Books, 1994). While it obviously doesn’t cover any of the newest models, the book provides road test results, performance data, model introductions, and more from one of the company’s most distinctive periods under the reign of owner Peter Wheeler. It’s a great gift for classic gearheads interested to see just how much their favorite cars can crank out.

http://johntipler.co.uk/

Bring a TVR home today, guilt-free

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:14:42 +0000

Buying a TVR is a commitment that should not be entered into lightly. Make sure the time is ready for both you and your spouse to bring home such a special visitor. Once you’re both on the same page, there are a few tips for making the experience easy and enjoyable.The easiest way is to network with a TVR sales specialist, like Kerridges of Needham Market, Suffolk. The sales staff is made up of TVR fans who know which models are appropriate for which customersa sleek and sporty recreational car or a sturdier, more regular vehicle. Kerridges even has an official partnership with TVR and has been the launching place for models like the Griffith and the Tuscan. After ownership, Kerridges also provides reliable servicing for every car.If you’re looking to purchase a vehicle on your own, make sure you know what you’re getting into. TVRs are notoriously difficult to look after, but are very reliable as long as they’re serviced regularly. If you’re buying a used vehicle, you can get a specialist to check it out for you beforehand. Don’t trust to the owner to have kept it in pristine conditionand if it’s been mishandled, it might not be worth the cost of refurbishing it.Certain models are better than others, such as the TVR Sagaris from 2005-2006. As the last model currently in production, it builds on the strengths of its predecessors while eschewing their weaknesses, with good steering and a suitably firm ride. However, it also lacks anti-lock braking system and airbags, since Peter Wheeler believed these caused overconfidence in the driver. Just be sure you can handle it before you bring this one home for the family.