TVR History
TVR was born in 1947 by young engineer Trevor Wilkinson. He built a small number of cars carrying his name - TreVoR. Having competed in some motorsport, demand for his specials grew and business grew. The early cars were built very much according to the owners' requirements using BMC engines.
Wilkinson exported a car to a customer in the USA which ultimately led to a display at the New York Motor Show and the first full production car - the Grantura - was born a year later in 1958.
The company struggled for a few years and Brian Hopton and Keith Aitchison took over in the early sixties. Their greatest success was the introduction of the Griffith - a Grantura with an American V8 engine which went like stink and proved a great success.
1965 saw the company taken over by Martin Lilley and his father Arthur who began shaping the company into the operation we know today. Lilley relocated the company to Bristol Avenue where it lives today.
TVR in the seventies started using a variety of engines to power their increasing range of cars. Engines from Triumph and Ford were used culminating with the extreme Taimar Turbo. Exports to the USA had initially proved lucrative but problems with the distribution of cars in the US caused Lilley to have to withdraw and in 1982 he sold the company to Peter Wheeler.
Wheeler took over at a time when the wedge shaped cars had been introduced but weren't selling in large quantities. He set about improving the range of cars and specified Rover's V8 engines for the marque. TVR made a name for themselves as producing extremely powerful cars that sounded amazing.
It was the introduction of the 'S' that made the company what it is today though. The relatively cheap Ford V6 powered car was styled in a manner similar to the cars of the 70's but with a modern feel. With 170bhp it was no slouch, sounded good and sold in its thousands.
Wheeler followed the S with V8 powered Chimaeras and Griffiths enjoying production levels never ever seen before in the Blackpool factory. Wheeler then set off on the ambitious project of producing his own engines. The AJP V8 was fitted to the Cerbera and the next generation of cars would all be fitted with TVR's own straight six engine.
Wheeler turned the company around from a bit part player into an internationally recognised brand producing affordable supercars.
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