The road to TVR’s rebirth hasn’t been easy.
It’s been nearly four years since the letters T-V-R reentered the automotive vernacular as an active company. Its revival came with a reborn Griffith sports car, but unfortunately, that rebirth was soon fraught with delays followed by complete silence. In fact, it’s been almost two years to the day since our last report on the new TVR company, so yeah, we wouldn’t blame you if the Griffith slipped your mind.
However, it seems not all is lost. Among other things, TVR’s website is still active and there’s even a button inviting folks to place a deposit for the new sports car. Granted, things are a tad behind schedule but a new report says TVR is fresh with a £2 million ($2.7 million) loan through London-based Fiduciam. According to Insider Media Limited, the three-year loan was granted through the UK’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS). It should be enough to finish updates to the TVR factory in Wales, which have also been delayed by regulations and red tape surrounding contractors.
Gallery: The TVR Griffith Returns
The report cites TVR Chairman Les Edgar as saying the company endured a further delay because of Coronavirus, but there’s confidence that TVR is in “the final straight to commence manufacturing, with the first cars being delivered in 2022.” The new loan is in addition to a £6 million ($8.2 million) credit already plugged in from Fiduciam. TVR reportedly has £40 million ($60 million) worth of Griffith orders sitting in the books.
When the Griffith debuted in 2017, it was said to have a sticker price of £90,000 ($123,685) though it’s unclear if that will change considering nearly four years have passed since then. For that matter, the Griffith will technically enter production as a four-year-old design, wielding a Ford-sourced 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 with Cosworth tuning making 500 horsepower (373 kilowatts) for the rear wheels. With a weight of approximately 2,800 pounds, the lightweight Griffith should hit 60 mph in under four seconds and go 200 mph flat out.
Source:
Insider Media
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