- Review Centre
- Motoring
- Car Reviews
- TVR Main Page
Need to find out more about one of Britains best loved sports car manufacturers? On this page we include a history of TVRs, model reviews, links to user reviews and much more
TVR is a British manufacturer with a tradition of hand built sports cars. The firm has a considerable fan base in the US. The hallmarks of a TVR are sleek understated design, strong chassis combined with great speed and handling, all at a competitive price. TVR began in 1947 when engineer Trevor Wilkinson built a light alloy car based on an Alvis Firebird. The first vehicles were limited edition specials using drivelines from production cars, which benefited from advanced tuning and installation in the lightweight TVR frame. Initial success came in the sixties with the Griffith while subsequent models such as the Tuscan and the Cerbera also proved a big hit. In the late sixties the company gradually grew with the Grantura being replaced by the Vixen and the Griffith by the Tuscan V8. After TVR owner Peter Wheeler took over the cars got faster and more sophisticated, including the 450 SEAC from 1988, producing 324 bhp from a TVR modified 4500cc V8 engine. While using TVR proprietary engines they were so heavily tuned and modified they really had a very distinctive TVR look about them but in the 90s the popularity of the TVR brand really took off with the first TVR V8 engine. This was especially the case, in the TVR Cerbera, which was the worlds first racing engine detuned and installed in a road car. Every TVR car became uniquely TVR powered at this point, a fairly unique statement in a modern sports car manufacturer. This performance uniqueness was complimented with the unique minimal interior, which was very popular with race drivers. Not surprisingly TVR, with such a pedigree, also has a competitive race track history, beginning in the 1940s, and including successful completions of the 24 hours Le Mans, no mean feat in itself. As well as competing in numerous British and international GT championships TVR also spawned the Tuscan Challenge series, which ran for 16 seasons.
