Corvette power for revived TVR
British sportscar brand renowned for blistering performance but dodgy build quality is gearing up for a revivalBritish niche sportscar specialist TVR has had a chequered history that culminated in the company going bust in 2006, but the firm's owner, Russian tycoon Nikolai Smolenski, reportedly has plans to revive the brand with a new Corvette-powered model.
A recent report by UK's Autocar magazine suggests the new model would be built in Germany by Gullwing, which currently makes the AC MkVI, a modern-day AC Cobra.
Among the hurdles that must be cleared if TVR is to make a comeback is the need to engineer in a higher level of quality and reliability than has been the case in the past.
TVRs have always been renowned for brutally fast acceleration and striking looks, but they've been equally notorious for dubious build quality and a penchant for regularly breaking down.
Among the models produced by the company before it ceased production in 2006 were the Tamora, Tuscan (pictured) and Sagaris. The company's collapse reportedly left 250 workers without jobs.
However, Smolenski has been talking up the prospects of a revival in an interview with Autocar, revealing that the proposed new car will have a modified version of the traditional steel backbone chassis and all-independent suspension that underpinned previous TVRs.
Smolenski said the brand's bespoke V8 and straight-six engines were dead and buried, due to homologation and cost reasons.
"We looked at every engine available -- including making our own -- and decided that the Corvette was the most powerful off-the-shelf design going. Fitting it to our chassis allows us to meet all current regulations and is not too big a step," he told Autocar.
Smolenski went to on to tell the publication that a hybrid model was also on the cards: "I always wanted an automatic model, but the chassis wouldn't allow either a regular auto or an automated manual. The hybrid concept would allow us to kick out the conventional gearbox completely."
The Russian suggested the new model would be a convertible in the vein of the Tuscan, because he believed there was more demand for an open-topped car than a fixed-head coupe.
He went on to reveal to Autocar that a new car "shouldn't cost any more" than the European price of an equivalent Corvette.
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