TVR Is Dead: The Fall of a British Sports Car Legend
TVR’s revival started promisingly with the unveiling of the Griffith in 2017 at the Goodwood Revival. This was TVR’s first new car in over a decade, reviving the classic formula of a lightweight, naturally aspirated V8 sports car, rear-wheel drive, and manual transmission. The Griffith was to be built using Gordon Murray’s innovative iStream production method, aimed at creating a strong yet lightweight composite body and frame. The target weight was just 1,200 kg, embracing TVR’s heritage of power-to-weight performance.
Despite the exciting launch and initial promise, serious problems soon derailed progress. The biggest blow came when TVR lost the rights to use the iStream platform in 2023 after it was acquired by another company. Without that vital technology, TVR no longer had a viable way to produce the Griffith. This loss dealt a critical hit to the project’s foundation.
Adding to the turmoil were major factory and financial issues. TVR’s planned production facility in South Wales — key to making the Griffith — was delayed repeatedly due to bureaucratic hold-ups and structural damage, including from an illegal rave that caused serious harm to the site. Financially, the company struggled with mounting debts, owing millions and unable to secure the funding to complete the factory on time.
Attempts to resolve ownership and investor problems brought a further twist. The major new stakeholder, Saucier Metals, pushed TVR’s focus toward electric vehicles, changing the company name to TVR Electric Vehicles Limited. This pivot from traditional petrol-powered sports cars alienated many fans and created uncertainty about the brand’s direction.
By late 2023, with no factory, no platform, mounting debts, and no new cars on the horizon, TVR’s future looked bleak. The Welsh government, frustrated with years of delay and missed deadlines, put the factory up for sale, and the company faced ongoing leadership turmoil with the resignation of CEO Jim Bryman in 2025.
Despite TVR’s multiple ownership changes, bankruptcies, and repeated resurrections over the decades, this latest collapse feels like the final nail in the coffin. The brand that once proudly built raw, rebellious British sports cars now exists mostly as a memory. Although there have been thoughts of renewed efforts, including a brand center at Thruxton Circuit that never materialized, no tangible progress has been made.
TVR’s impact on automotive history remains undeniable. Its legacy of lightweight, powerful sports cars built with passion and defiance will not be forgotten. But the difficulties in modern times — challenging production technologies, financial hurdles, shifting market demands, and legal troubles — have proven too much for the once-iconic marque.
For fans, former owners, and the British motorsport community, the story of TVR is a cautionary tale of how even the most beloved brands can face extinction without clear vision, stable funding, and the ability to adapt. The dream of a new TVR Griffith capturing the spirit of classic British sports cars remains just that — a fading dream.
In conclusion, the latest resurrection attempt to save TVR has ended in failure. The company has lost its platform, factory, financial backing, and leadership. While the name may endure in stories and memories, TVR as an automotive force appears to have reached its final curtain. The British sports car world now says a reluctant goodbye to a brand that once raced on the edge of performance and passion but ultimately ran out of road.