Quirky and fearsome British-based/Russian-owned sports car brand, TVR, has completely disappeared off the map in the last decade but the company’s website has updated an image on its defunct website that declares: “Never say never.” Feisty.
What this exactly means remains a bit of a mystery but it appears as though TVR is planning some sort of a re-launch. The last time TVR owner, Nikolai Smolensky, spoke up he said TVR the car manufacturer was dead but a venture building portable wind turbines would live on. Bizarre.
TVR did declare its: “Support to all owners of TVR sports cars by ensuring supply of spares and the development of alternative drive trains. Nevertheless at the moment we do not manufacture any new cars.”
Will TVR really be rising from the ashes in the still murky European economic climate? Well, Dietrich Probst, Head of Marketing for VIT Technology, a company closely tied to TVR has said TVR has a “detailed plan” to launch an all-new model. Saying nothing more than TVR, are lightweight and very powerful sports cars and the new car will be much the same. He added that it will be cheaper than a Ferrari and probably just as fast. Optimistic.
Probst said to look out for information within the next two weeks. But while we do that, more speculation surrounds the idea that TVR has been sold to a British entrepreneur, Les Edgar. Russian banker, Nikolai Smolensky, who now lives in Austria, is reported to have sold the TVR name along with all the rights to produce TVR’s cars and components to Surrey-based entrepreneur, Les Edgar.
No details revealing the price or the people involved in the transaction. In 2004, Peter Wheeler sold TVR to Smolensky, but by 2006, the British company went bankrupt. We wait to see.
