TVR (car)
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| Private | |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1947, Blackpool (TVR Motors Company Limited) 2013, Whiteley (TVR Automotive Limited) |
| Headquarters | Whiteley, Hampshire |
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Area served
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Europe, Japan |
| Products | Automobiles, Automotive parts |
| Owners | Syndicate of British Businessmen |
| Website | tvr |
TVR is an independent British manufacturer of high-end sports cars. The company manufactures lightweight sports cars with powerful engines and was, at one time, the third-largest specialised sports car manufacturer in the world, offering a diverse range of coupés and convertibles.
The company is planning to bring a range of new cars to market from 2017 with partners Gordon Murray and Cosworth.
The history of TVR can be divided into several eras, each of which is associated with the company's owner at the start of that period:
Trevor Wilkinson (14 May 1923–6 June 2008) was born in Blackpool and left school at 14 to start an engineering apprenticeship at a local garage.
In 1946, he purchased an old wheelwright's workshop in Beverley Grove, Blackpool, to start an engineering business that he named Trevcar Motors. Initially, the company performed general engineering work (not always automobile related), and would also refresh and service cars and trucks. In 1947, local auto enthusiast Jack Pickard joined the company. Trevcar Motors was subsequently renamed to TVR Engineering (dropping several letters from Wilkinson's first name), and it continued to find general mechanical engineering work through the following years.
In 1949, TVR built its first original chassis. The Hotchkiss-style rear suspension used the live axle from a Morris Eight, and the front suspension was of an independent trailing-arm design. The engine was a Ford 1172cc sidevalve from a 1936 van, tuned to 35 hp. Even before the car was bodied, it was crashed by the man hired to create the bodywork, Les Dale. After repairs, the body was styled and built from aluminium, and painted British racing green. Although neither Wilkinson nor Pickard found the finished bodywork to be very aesthetically appealing, it was functional, and the two men conducted the first successful test drive on the runway at Squires Gate aerodrome in 1949. Later that year, TVR Number One was sold to Wilkinson's cousin for £325. It was later crashed and salvaged for parts.
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Wikipedia