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TVR provides a peek at its new car

You may already know TVR is back, but no one has seen what the new sports car will look like. But now, one teaser video later, we have some idea.

The British manufacturer posted a video on YouTube that shows three designers create an image using drafting tape. By the end we can see two classic TVRs, a Griffith on the left and a Tuscan on the right. 

But wait, what’s that in the centre? The video description says the image is of ‘TVRs past, present and future’ – the future bit is the mystery car in the middle, complete with bullet holes in the grille.

Autocar claims TVR plans to revive the Griffith name. True or not, a Ford Cosworth engine has been confirmed and Gordon Murray (of McLaren F1 fame) is using his iStream technology to make it cheaper and more eco-friendly to build. 

Murray’s input will also make it lighter, which means greater performance. And greater performance is what TVR is all about. Well, that and a lack of safety systems such as ABS and an interior that looked amazing but fell apart if you breathed on it.

Exactly what engine will be used is unconfirmed, but that new Ford Mustang 5.0-litre V8 would make a lot of sense and there’s plenty of potential to eke out more than 431hp with Cosworth at the helm.

We do, however, know what beast we are dealing with. Speaking to Top Gear in 2015, Edgar said: “Our new car will be more of a GT, a two-seater coupe you might occasionally take on the track.”

He added: “There will be great materials inside, and we’ll do something spectacular with the interior design. The attention to detail will also be second-to-none. It has to be. Frankly, we’ll be doomed if it isn’t.” 

It had looked like the British brand had gone the way of the dodo, leaving swathes of petrolheads pining for its comically loud approach to styling and even louder engines, but then it was bought by someone with deep pockets (again) in 2013.

That person was Les Edgar, a British entrepreneur, and now there is a ten-year plan to not just revive the brand, to make it profitable, too. 

TVRs were famous for offering brutal performance – the Sagaris could smash 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds and that was in 2005. And it cost around £50,000, making it excellent value for money. Until it went wrong.

We doubt the new TVR and its carbon fibre body will be as cheap to buy (although estimates are between £55,000 and £85,000), but we really hope it can still call itself affordable. Preferably motoring journalist affordable.

TVR says there have been more than 300 orders for the new car, which is aiming for launch in 2017, so maybe, just maybe, TVR will last a bit longer this time.

Video: TVR The Rebirth

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