TVR could still remain in Britain

[Pebb]

Source: Piston Heads

Will takeover talks keep the company here?

Is TVR about to be taken over again?

Amid stories of the company's move of its production facilities to foreign shores comes a rumour that former workers at Jensen Motors, which sadly collapsed in 2002 before it could sell any of its £40,000 SV-8s, have bought the rights to the Speed Six-powered product line as well as all the cars currently stalled in production.

According to one local news outlet (see link below), the North West Development Agency is in talks with TVR and a buyer, as yet unnamed.

A meeting apparently took place this week somewhere in the south of England between the interested parties, according to the local TGWU convenor, and negotiations remain in progress. An announcement is expected within the week.

Keep your fingers crossed: maybe TVR will remain British after all.

 

[kikie]

Keep your fingers crossed: maybe TVR will remain British after all.

Let's hope for the best.

 

[Dave A]

A lot of that is guess work, there's been a lot talks going on with TVR and Smolenski and it's situations like TVR is in at the moment that tend to bring potential buyers out of the woodwork, just because potential buyers are having talks or making themselves known, it doesn't mean Smolenski is interested in handing the company over to someone else. If TVR do get bought and stay in Britain, great, but if they end up being owned by the people that bankrupt Jensen after trying to revive them, then think about that, Jensen is hardly a bottom of the barrel brand name. I'd rather TVR exist and only have the powertrain built in England, than for them to collapse. Ofcourse, the right offer will sway most men, but this position with interested parties is nothing unusual for a company in TVR's current situation. My fingers are crossed that TVR survive, anything involving them staying in Britain whilst fulfilling that hope is a bonus, but their survival is the most important thing at the moment.

 

[Tornado]

I'm not sure how to look at this. There have been so many rumors about TVR in the past 4 months that lord knows what is actually going to happen. I'm guessing Smolenski will hold on to it, and that if Jensen does get it TVR will be run into the ground. Keeping your heritage is good, but not if it threatens financial security.

 

[YSSMAN]

Well, I'm not sure what to make of this story either. With so many things pointing to yes and no for the company in Britain. I personally would rather keep it British, but if the financial security of the company is it question, that is a problem.

...Best case scenario is that there is a joint American/British venture to buy the company out, keeps production in Blackpool, and sends cars to America. That way, everyone wins!

 

[Poverty]

Best scenario would be a german to come in and buy them

Second best scenario would be for the JJB guy to take over.

Like L4S I worry about TVR's future, especially in the hands of the jensen guys.

 

[Pebb]

Best scenario would be a german to come in and buy them

Second best scenario would be for the JJB guy to take over.

Like L4S I worry about TVR's future, especially in the hands of the jensen guys.

If I wanted a US motor company to come in and help TVR out, then I would have to pick either of these:

GM

But GM would be my last option, and if I wanted a Asian car company to help out, I would like this company to help out:

Toyota

But that would be my 2nd to last option, but I would like either of car companies to help out:

Porsche, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi or maybe even Pagani or Ferrari, even if Ferrari are owned mainly by Fiat. However you never know maybe Lotus may help out.

 

[TheCracker]

I can't see that any large motoring corporation would want to buy TVR. They'd have nothing to gain through it. The group of people with the deepest pockets, greatest enthusiasm and biggest respect for TVR history will be the best potential new owners.

 

[Dave A]

Best scenario would be a german to come in and buy them

I'm not too sure about that, while the German companies are very good at building cars they tend to opt for the hi-tech approach to car building. Imo if TVR fell into the hands of Mercedes or BMW, they would end up being tamed a lot for more mass appeal and full of electronic trickery. Perhaps the only company who wouldn't take that approach would be Porsche, since teching up the TVR's would create a blur between the brands and make TVR's more like Porsches, which is not what I'd want to see happen to TVR. In many ways the Americans might be the best for it, they have the right way of thinking. If they used the muscle car approach with TVR, it could work, the only problem with an American company taking them over is would the UK TVR's end up being diluted by America's over stringent saftey laws. As for a Japanese company, that to me would be the biggest gamble, the Japanese tend to be hugely diverse in their approaches to things, sure a lot of there culture is based on hi-tech but they also have a grasp of the idea that sometimes simple works. However I agree with TheCracker, no large company is going to touch TVR. The work they'd need to put into it to get it moving full steam again isn't worth the small profits that a compnay like TVR makes. The kind of person most likely to buy TVR (should it actually be sold anyway) would be somone who is a sportscar enthusiast, be it a proper TVR fan like myself (only a hell of a lot richer), or a fan of raw sportscars in general.

What TVR needs, is new Peter Wheeler. Smolenski had a good idea for TVR, and he had a passion for them but I think he moved too fast. The specialist sportscar market is not a stable market to be relying on, and while his plans were certain good for the copany in principal. A company as small as TVR just won't survive big transitions over such small spaces of time and I think what's happening is proof of that.

 

[Pebb]

I'm not too sure about that, while the German companies are very good at building cars they tend to opt for the hi-tech approach to car building. Imo if TVR fell into the hands of Mercedes or BMW, they would end up being tamed a lot for more mass appeal and full of electronic trickery. Perhaps the only company who wouldn't take that approach would be Porsche, since teching up the TVR's would create a blur between the brands and make TVR's more like Porsches, which is not what I'd want to see happen to TVR. In many ways the Americans might be the best for it, they have the right way of thinking. If they used the muscle car approach with TVR, it could work, the only problem with an American company taking them over is would the UK TVR's end up being diluted by America's over stringent saftey laws. As for a Japanese company, that to me would be the biggest gamble, the Japanese tend to be hugely diverse in their approaches to things, sure a lot of there culture is based on hi-tech but they also have a grasp of the idea that sometimes simple works. However I agree with TheCracker, no large company is going to touch TVR. The work they'd need to put into it to get it moving full steam again isn't worth the small profits that a compnay like TVR makes. The kind of person most likely to buy TVR (should it actually be sold anyway) would be somone who is a sportscar enthusiast, be it a proper TVR fan like myself (only a hell of a lot richer), or a fan of raw sportscars in general.

What TVR needs, is new Peter Wheeler. Smolenski had a good idea for TVR, and he had a passion for them but I think he moved too fast. The specialist sportscar market is not a stable market to be relying on, and while his plans were certain good for the copany in principal. A company as small as TVR just won't survive big transitions over such small spaces of time and I think what's happening is proof of that.

McLaren comes to my mind now, think about it F1 tech, with good ways to sell the cars at a good low cost or maybe Noble could help out. But this whole new take over talk will still be raging for a good 5 months I reckon.