TVR sold to UK company 10 | 06 | 2013

THE ICONIC CARMAKER, TVR, is back in British ownership. The former Blackpool-based company has been sold to TVR Automotive by Russian owner Nikolai Smolenski for an undisclosed figure.

Rumours had been circulating in the industry for a few days, with the TVR website last week carrying a page which said simply: "never say never".

Today the page has been change to read: "Thunderous news! The distant rumble of rumour has turned to thunder and TVR is back in Britain!”

Smolenski — who now lives in Vienna — originally purchased the stricken company in 2004 from its previous owner, Peter Wheeler, for a price which was rumoured to be £15 million.

The original intention was to shift the car production to Turin, but retain engine production in the UK.

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After splitting the company in 2006, and despite a number of false starts, the Russian eventually conceded he would not build sports cars and instead planned to use the three signature letters to name wind turbines he built.

Smolenski has confirmed the rights to make TVR cars and components, and to use existing designs and manufacture components for existing cars, have been sold to TVR Automotive.

The Surrey-based company, fronted by video game entrepreneur Les Edgar, has committed to build TVR cars again.

But while Edgar stated his company “won’t make mistakes that have been made in the past”, he also explained a non-disclosure agreement currently restricts any further news. He did, however, confirm that more details will be released in due course.

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Jim McGill