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Subject: NYTimes.com Article: Fast, English, Eccentric And Headed This
Way
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Fast, English, Eccentric And Headed This Way
February 23, 2001
AUTOS ON FRIDAY / International
By RICHARD FEAST
BLACKPOOL, England -- If you are in the market for the fastest car in
America, Peter Wheeler says he has just the thing. But he would
advise you to wait, since the vehicle he has in mind isn't at
dealerships yet. Actually, there aren't any dealerships, but he
says they are coming.
That pledge, made during a recent interview at the headquarters of
TVR Engineering here, represents a U-turn for Mr. Wheeler, who
pulled TVR out of the United States in 1986 and has hitherto shown
little interest in nurturing foreign markets for his
lightning-quick sports cars.
But the company's reliance on British enthusiasts it exported
just 5 percent of its output last year makes it vulnerable to a
downturn at home. Sales for 2000 totaled just 1,200, off from 1,750
in 1998.
TVR, tiny and thriving, is like no other automaker in the world.
By ignoring accepted automaking practices, it has survived even as
niche companies like Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Jaguar, Lotus
and Rolls- Royce have lost their independence.
TVR has an unrivaled amount of independence. Since 1982, Mr.
Wheeler, who is almost 57 he was born on Feb. 29, 1944, a leap
year has been sole owner of what amounts to a private fief. He
makes all decisions there are no pushy shareholders or board
members to appease though he calls on specialists for advice
about production, purchasing, engineering, sales and the like. None
of these employees have formal titles, just areas of
responsibility.
TVR has no wind tunnels, market researchers or computer-aided
engineering. Its distinctly Dickensian factory has no robot
welders. The cars practically spring from the mind of one man.
A new model is shaped by sculpturing foam blocks until Mr. Wheeler
thinks the look is right. Then he and three colleagues hone the
cars on weekends at British racetracks. There are no sophisticated
marketing campaigns; the company allocated just $225 for
advertising last year.
TVR now has four related models the Chimaera, Griffith 500,
Tuscan and Cerbera. The Griffith is being phased out and the Tamora
is starting production; the Tamora roadster and Tuscan coupe may be
the first cars to reach the United States.
All TVR's have sleek bodies that hide their old-fashioned,
labor-intensive manufacture. Quirky design features include a
button hidden under the outside mirror that opens the door.
Blisteringly fast, the front- engine, rear-drive TVR's have the
ride and handling of racecars. But they are challenging to drive,
given their balky gearshifts, unprogressive clutches and nervous
steering.
How many American customers the company finds will be entirely
dependent on pricing, Mr. Wheeler said, but it could be up to 1,000
a year a number that would practically double the company's
recent output. In Britain, the Tamora will cost about $55,000 when
it goes on sale next month. The Tuscan is about $72,000. These
prices pitch TVR's into broad competition with Porsches cars that
TVR's are designed to outperform on the road.
Make no mistake: TVR's are seriously fast. The Tuscan races from 0
to 60 m.p.h. in 4.2 seconds and can top 180 m.p.h.
Cars earmarked for America would be powered by TVR's own
straight-six engine. In the Tamora, it displaces 3.6 litres and is
rated at 330 horsepower; the Tuscan's 4-liter version produces 360
horsepower. But TVR has a secret ingredient beyond raw power:
extremely light weight. Both cars have a tubular steel chassis
wrapped in sleek plastic bodies reinforced with glass fiber. The
Tamora weighs just 2,200 pounds and the Tuscan, which has a
removable top, weighs 2,425 pounds. That gives both cars higher
power-to-weight ratios than the latest Porsche, the 462-horsepower
GT2 coupe.
"Quite simply, if you want to buy the fastest car in America,
you'll have to have a TVR," Mr. Wheeler said.
Although domestic demand has recovered recently, Mr. Wheeler says
it is time to explore distant horizons. He has begun investigating
distribution options, financial requirements and certification
rules. Even with no firm plans in place, he suggested that the
Tuscan and Tamora could be on sale in the United States this year,
an estimate that seems highly optimistic.
TVR's last adventure in the American market ended badly, amid a
dispute with the importer and high liability premiums.
"The plan is to do it in a much bigger way than in the past," Mr.
Wheeler said. "We want to set up a proper TVR of America, which
would be more than a just a guy in an office." He said he was
negotiating with three possible joint venture partners, and even
suggested that TVR's could be assembled in North America by a
partner.
The company was founded by Trevor Wilkinson his name,
abbreviated, became the company's in 1947, and it was always a
marginal business until Mr. Wheeler came to the rescue. A chemical
engineer with no auto experience his only tie to the company was
a TVR he owned Mr. Wheeler turned out to possess remarkable
intuition about what sports car buyers want. Today, he says, TVR is
debt free and earns enough to ensure its continued independence.
TVR's quirks do not end with its owner and its cars. Its
operations are jammed into a residential area of Blackpool, a
kitschy resort in northern England, far from the auto factories of
the Midlands. Despite its tiny size, it makes its own components
when it can including chassis, bodies, engines and, soon,
transmissions defying the prevailing wisdom that automakers
should buy ever-increasing percentages of parts and services from
outside suppliers. TVR even makes its own gauges, switches, pedals,
circuit boards, interior trim and seats.
With automated assembly and modular components, mass producers
build sedans in 20 to 30 hours, but it can take 600 hours to make a
TVR. Once built, they roll onto TVR's own trucks for the trip to
dealers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/23/automobiles/23CARS.html?pagewanted=2?ex=983940726&ei=1&en=9e9c5a2bace67329
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