The sun sets on TVR
TVR is to Blackpool what Peugeot was to
Wednesday's announcement all production work is to be
"outsourced" remains a bitter pill to swallow.
The last bastion of the British sports car industry once rode on the crest of a
wave and made
That has all changed.
Many TVR fans have already besieged website chat forums to state this week's
announcement has ripped the very British heart out of the company now destined
for mainland
The company began its life in 1947, like many great ones do, in a shed in a
back garden. It was Trevor Wilkinson's shed and he had big plans for the cars
he made from his Fylde home.
His dreams went on to be come a byword for style,
class and classic cool.
Mr Wilkinson started trading as Trevcars,
but soon changed the name to the three consonants of his name to give it a
sleeker image.
in his earlier models, he used and created his own
chassis and an old Ford engine. But it was 10 years later that the company
began to forge a reputation in the industry with the Grantura.
Dozens of the cars were created and despite a luke-warm
reception from the motoring press, the bulky Grantura
was welcomed by some enthusiasts who eagerly awaited the next TVR to roll off
the production line.
After less than 20 years at the helm of the company and having built up a solid
workforce in
Martin, who still lives on the Fylde coast, was a former Lotus dealer and knew
what enthusiasts demanded from a sports car.
During the 60s, as the rest of the
Engine sizes were changing and the American Ford V8 was the choice for many new
sports cars.
Under his direction, the company grew and produced new models such as the
Vixen, the Tuscan, the 2500M and 3500M and the Taimar.
The Tuscan still remains a firm favourite with TVR
enthusiasts today, with thousands produced and hundreds still roaring along
roads across the
Lilley is credited with improving the production quality and managing to grab
the headlines when nude models were used at the TVR stand at the Earl's Court
motor show in 1971.
Now based at its current site in
Good times continued. During this decade the workforce grew beyond 500 for the
first time, new models were on the drawing board and the TVR name became a
world-wide brand.
Throughout the 1980s, TVR headed to new heights when it was bought by its third
owner, former engineer Peter Wheeler. Enthusiasm for the car reached fever
pitch.
Peter Wheeler had the same credentials as its previous owner and had the
personal drive to take TVR further than it had gone before.
The Wheeler years were the real boom-time for the sports car, which saw the
development of cars such as the Chimaera, the Cerbera and the model equivalent to the iconic 60s
On the race track, TVR was out-performing some of the greats and even the boss
could be seen behind the wheel of some of his creations.
During the 1990s, more than 2,000 cars were being sold each year and double
that were rolling off the production line.
More than 500 happy workers were not just the pride of Blackpool,
but the envy of the
Even the harsh critics of BBC's Top Gear got in on the act
,proclaiming the new TVR models far exceeded their expectations.
And the firm was gaining celebrity status.
David Beckham, the world's most famous football icon, bought one, comedienne
Dawn French chose hers in pink, pop star and flash car guru Jay Kay from Jamiroquai has one and TVR became the stars' car of choice.
TVR even made the silver screen when Hollywood A-Lister John Travolta drove a
Tuscan Speed Six in the blockbuster Swordfish, along with Tinseltown
babe
But the good times did not last. The champagne years were quickly followed by a
painful hangover.
The end of the 90s saw a decline in the number of models being produced and
worker numbers dwindled. It was a sign of things to come.
Wheeler finally sold his company in July 2004 to the as-yet-unknown Russian
"playboy" Nikolai Smolenski.
Nicknamed the "baby-faced billionaire", Smolenski's
roubles were being seen by insiders as the saviour for TVR.
But the then 23-year-old first had to deal with a major downturn in fortunes
within the firm after sales fell by 22 per cent to £16.7m.
But the problems were only going to get worse for both owners and workers at
the
Smolenski, the only child of banker Alexander Smolenski, had long been a big fan of fast cars and told
the press he wanted to take TVR beyond even his expectations and make it a
global brand once again.
He was rumoured to be friends with Chelsea FC
chairman Roman Abramovich but sadly, unlike the
millionaire superstars on
As TVR's profits went into free-fall, Smolenski turned his attention to the now defunct MG Rover
last year, saying he was interested in buying the
Unfortunately, with his attentions turned elsewhere, TVR was losing its
reputation both at home and abroad. The difficulties the company has faced in
the global sports car market were underpinned in TVR's
last published accounts. These showed a pre-tax loss of £11.8m in 2005,
equivalent to about 70 per cent of its £16.7m turnover.
In February last year, the company laid off 90 workers, blaming a pretty much
empty order book.
Eight weeks later, two-thirds of the workforce came back on short-term
contracts.
Smolenski made no bones about his problems with the
In April this year he laid off another 71 workers, only to bring most of them
back, thanks largely to union pressure.
But TVR could not hide its failure any longer. In May they said it was leaving
Summer came and went without a word, until September when TVR management said
they were to stay in the
In two years' time, the company was due to make a fresh start at a
purpose-built factory at
But one thing is for sure. The quintessentially British car is British no
longer.
So, farewell then TVR. It has been one hell of a
rollercoaster ride – even by
nick.hyde@blackpoolgazette.co.uk
20 October 2006