Sports Car Facts

TVR

Griffith through Sagaris

1991–2006

7 generations, 14 production figures and 34 sourced facts from 26 sources.

2002 TVR Chimaera in silver-blue with its roof down, front right three-quarter view on grass at a classic car show.
Photo: Steve Glover, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

TVR: Griffith through Sagaris

For most of the twentieth century TVR was a small, eccentric Blackpool sports-car maker, working through the Grantura, Vixen, M-series and Tasmin families. That changed after 1981, when Sheffield-born chemical engineer Peter Wheeler, having owned a TVR himself, bought the company and, as chairman from 1982, spent the next two decades turning it into something much sharper-edged: a maker of lightweight, brutally powerful sports cars sold deliberately without anti-lock brakes or traction control. Wheeler's stated reasoning, reported in the motoring press, was that electronic driver aids bred overconfidence; he is quoted as saying "the only purpose of ABS is to allow steering in wet conditions," and reportedly joked that a steering-wheel-mounted spike would do as much for driver caution as an airbag. Whatever one makes of the philosophy, it defined the cars: fast, raw, and unapologetically analogue, right down to interiors that swapped shared switchgear and wood veneer for milled aluminium controls and, on several models, did away with conventional exterior door handles altogether in favour of hidden buttons and twist-knobs.

The modern TVR era opened with the Griffith, shown at the 1990 Birmingham Motor Show and into full production from 1991, powered by a tuned Rover V8. Its closely related, longer-lived sibling the Chimaera followed in 1992 and went on to become, by most accounts, the best-selling model in TVR's history, though sources disagree by a wide margin on exactly how many were built (Wikipedia's figure is 5,256; Hagerty's buying guide puts the true number above 6,000). For the Griffith, Roger Shackleton's 'The TVR Griffith Story' gives 2,582 cars and Wikipedia 2,351, while TVR historians Neil Anderson and Steve Heath arrive at 2,334 and 2,445, a disagreement TVR enthusiasts trace to Griffith, Chimaera and Cerbera chassis numbers having been amalgamated in period factory records.

The 1996 Cerbera marked a turning point: it was the first TVR powered by an engine the company had a hand in designing itself, the AJP-developed "Speed Eight" V8 (offered in 4.2-litre, 360 bhp and 4.5-litre, 420 bhp forms, with a high-octane "Red Rose" tune reaching 440 bhp). From 1999 the Cerbera was joined by an even more significant in-house unit, the 4.0-litre "Speed Six" straight-six, engineered under Wheeler with designer Al Melling. The Cerbera itself was built as a 2+2: TVR's answer to customer demand for rear seats, with a sliding front passenger seat freeing extra legroom on one side, sometimes described as a "3+1" layout. Roughly 1,490 were built through 2006.

The Speed Six went on to become the backbone of TVR's later 1990s and 2000s range. The Tuscan Speed Six, introduced in 1999 and into production in early 2000 against an order bank reportedly around 1,600 deposits deep, replaced the Griffith and became TVR's flagship model, its 360 bhp launch output rising to 390 bhp in the 2001 Tuscan S. Beneath it, TVR built a smaller family from the same architecture: the Tamora, an entry-level model shown at the 2000 Birmingham Motor Show and built in relatively small numbers (356 units according to Wikipedia and autoevolution, which give production as 2002 to 2006); the T350, a more aggressive coupe and targa launched in 2002 with roughly 460 units built; and finally the Sagaris, unveiled in prototype form in 2003-04 and reaching customers from 2005, TVR's most extreme road car of the era, with 406 bhp from the 4.0-litre Speed Six and bodywork designed with sustained track and endurance driving in mind. Wikipedia gives 213 Sagaris built in Blackpool from 2005 to 2006, while autoevolution dates the model 2004 to 2006, the year a pre-production car was shown at the Birmingham Motor Show.

TVR's independence under Wheeler ended in July 2004, when he sold the company outright to Nikolai Smolenski, a 24-year-old Russian investor, in a deal reported at around £15 million. Smolenski took the company in a different direction, and sales fell sharply in the years that followed. By 2006 the historic Bristol Avenue works in Blackpool (TVR's home since 1970) had closed, with around 250 jobs lost, bringing an end to large-scale production of the Griffith-through-Sagaris generation described here.

TVR would resurface years later: in 2013 Smolenski sold his stake to a syndicate led by British entrepreneur Les Edgar, and in 2017 the revived company unveiled an entirely new Griffith, developed with input from designer Gordon Murray. That relaunch, like TVR's earlier decades before Wheeler, sits outside the scope of this account, which is centred on the Blackpool-built, largely Rover/Ford-V8-and-in-house-six-powered cars that carried the TVR name from 1991 to 2006.

Story reading list (25)
  • TVR Griffith — Wikipedia
  • TVR Chimaera — Wikipedia
  • TVR Cerbera — Wikipedia
  • TVR Speed Eight engine — Wikipedia
  • TVR Speed Six engine — Wikipedia
  • TVR Tuscan Speed Six — Wikipedia
  • TVR Tamora — Wikipedia
  • TVR T350 — Wikipedia
  • TVR Sagaris — Wikipedia
  • Peter Wheeler (TVR) — Wikipedia
  • Wheeler Era - TVR Heritage — TVR (tvr.co.uk)
  • Smolenski back in charge of TVR — Autocar
  • British Boutique Sports Car Maker TVR Sold to 24 Year Old Russian Investor — Auto123
  • End of the road for part of Blackpool cars factory — Blackpool Gazette
  • Buying Guide: TVR Chimaera (1992-2003) — Hagerty UK
  • TVR Tuscan (1999-2006): review, history, prices and specs — evo
  • TVR T350 (2002-2006) review: an exotic British icon for £30k — evo
  • TVR Sagaris: 400-HP British Sports Car With No Electronic Aids — HotCars
  • The Story Behind The TVR Cerbera's Unique V8 Engine — HotCars
  • How many tvr griffiths were made? — PistonHeads UK (forum, citing Roger Shackleton's 'The TVR Griffith Story')
  • TVR Tamora - All Models by Year (2002-2006) — autoevolution
  • TVR T350 - All Models by Year (2002-2006) — autoevolution
  • TVR Sagaris - All Models by Year (2004-2006) — autoevolution
  • A Salute To TVR's Very Weird Door Release Knob: Cold Start — The Autopian
  • This is the brand new TVR Griffith — Top Gear

Generations

Peter Wheeler, a Sheffield-born chemical engineer, bought TVR in 1981 (chairman from 1982) and over the next 23 years reshaped it from a small Blackpool kit-sports-car maker into a maker of lightweight, high-power, electronics-free sports cars sold without ABS or traction control. The Rover-V8-powered Griffith (launched 1990, production from 1991) and its closely related, longer-running sibling the Chimaera (1992) established the modern TVR formula. The 1996 Cerbera was TVR's first model with an in-house engine, initially the AJP-designed 'Speed Eight' V8 and, from 1999, TVR's own 'Speed Six' straight-six, both engineering projects driven by Wheeler and engineer Al Melling. The Speed Six then powered the Tuscan (launched 1999/2000, TVR's flagship through the mid-2000s) and TVR's smaller, later models: the entry-level Tamora, the coupe T350, and the track-focused Sagaris (debuted 2003-04, production cars from 2005). Wheeler sold TVR to 24-year-old Russian investor Nikolai Smolenski in July 2004; under Smolenski's ownership sales fell sharply and the historic Bristol Avenue, Blackpool factory closed in 2006, ending large-scale production of this generation of cars. TVR's earlier decades (Grantura, Vixen, M-series, Tasmin, 1950s-1980s) precede this era, and the marque was later revived from 2013 under a Les Edgar-led syndicate, unveiling an all-new Griffith in 2017.

GenerationYearsNotes
Griffith 1991-2002 Wikipedia gives 2,351 built; Roger Shackleton's 'The TVR Griffith Story' gives 2,582, and TVR historians Neil Anderson and Steve Heath give 2,334 and 2,445. The Rover-V8 Griffith was shown at the 1990 Birmingham Motor Show, built from 1991 to 2002, and replaced by the Tuscan.
Chimaera 1992-2003 Wikipedia gives 5,256 built; Hagerty UK gives more than 6,000 and TVR's own site about 6,000. Built from 1992 to 2003 (TVR dates it from 1991), it is described by Hagerty UK as the best-selling model in TVR's history.
Cerbera 1996-2006 About 1,490 built from 1996 to 2006, per Wikipedia. TVR's first car with its own engine, it used the AJP-designed Speed Eight V8 (4.2 litres and 360 bhp, then 4.5 litres and 420 bhp, or 440 bhp in Red Rose tune) and from 1999 the 4.0-litre Speed Six, in a 2+2 body.
Tuscan (Speed Six / Tuscan S) 1999-2006 Introduced in 1999 and built from early 2000 to 2006, with an initial order bank of about 1,600 deposits according to Wikipedia and evo. The 4.0-litre Speed Six gave 360 hp at 7,000 rpm and 310 lb-ft at launch, and the 2001 Tuscan S raised output to 390 bhp.
Tamora 2000 (debut) / c.2002-2006 (production) Wikipedia and autoevolution give 356 built from 2002 to 2006, after a debut at the 2000 Birmingham Motor Show. The entry-level model used the Tuscan's platform and a 3.6-litre Speed Six of 350 bhp at 7,200 rpm, with 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds and a 175 mph top speed according to Wikipedia.
T350 (T350C / T350T) 2002-2006 Wikipedia, autoevolution and evo give 460 built in Blackpool from 2002 to 2006 in coupe (T350C) and targa (T350T) forms. Wikipedia lists a 3.6-litre straight-six of 350 bhp and 290 lb-ft, 0-62 mph in 4.4 seconds and a 175 mph top speed.
Sagaris 2003/2004 (debut) - 2005/2006 (production) Wikipedia gives 213 built in Blackpool from 2005 to 2006, while autoevolution dates the model 2004 to 2006; it debuted at the MPH03 show in 2003 and a pre-production car appeared at the 2004 Birmingham Motor Show. It had a 406 bhp, 3,996cc Speed Six, a 5-speed manual and a 1,078 kg kerb weight, and was TVR's last all-new road car before the 2006 closure.

Production and sales figures

Each row counts one thing for one scope. Production, sales, deliveries and registrations are different measures and are not added together.

What Figure Scope
Griffith production range 1991-2002 Global 2 3
Griffith total production 2,351 examples built in total Sources differ Global 2
Griffith total production 2,582 cars produced up to 2002 (per Roger Shackleton's 'The TVR Griffith Story'), though the same source notes rival historian counts of 2,334 and 2,445 Sources differ Global 4
Chimaera production range 1992-2003 Global 5 6
Chimaera total production 5,256 units produced Sources differ Global 5
Chimaera total production more than 6,000 sold between 1992 and 2003 Sources differ Global 6
Cerbera production range 1996-2006 Global 7
Cerbera total production approximately 1,490 units built Global 7
Tuscan production end Tuscan-family production ended in 2006 Global 11 12
Tamora production range Production 2002-2006, 356 units produced Global 13 14
T350 production range Introduced 2002 in coupe (T350C) and targa (T350T) forms, produced 2002-2006, 460 units built, assembled in Blackpool Global 15 16 17
Sagaris production range Production model released for public sale in 2005; production ran 2005-2006 with 213 units built in Blackpool Sources differ Global 18
Sagaris production range Model-year/production range given as 2004-2006 Sources differ Global 19
Chimaera total production TVR's own site states approximately 6,000 Chimaeras were built in total, with production running 1991-2003 Sources differ Global 26

Dates, specifications and other facts

What Figure Scope
Cerbera speed eight displacement Original Speed Eight was a 4.2-litre V8 at 360 bhp; a 4.5-litre version followed at 420 bhp, with a 'Red Rose' high-octane tune at 440 bhp United Kingdom 7 9
Speed six displacement TVR Speed Six: 4.0-litre inline six, four valves per cylinder, produced 1999-2007; debuted in the Cerbera before powering Tuscan/Tamora/T350/Sagaris Global 10
Tuscan engine output Launch Tuscan Speed Six: 360 hp at 7,000 rpm, 310 lb-ft at 5,250 rpm from the 4.0-litre Speed Six United Kingdom 11
Tuscan s variant Tuscan S launched 2001 with the Speed Six in S specification at 390 bhp United Kingdom 11
Tamora engine output 3.6-litre Speed Six, dry-sumped, 350 bhp at 7,200 rpm, 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds, 175 mph top speed United Kingdom 13
T350 engine output 3.6-litre straight-six, 350 bhp at 7,200 rpm, 290 lb-ft at 5,500 rpm; 0-62 mph in 4.4 seconds, 175 mph top speed United Kingdom 15
Sagaris engine output 4.0-litre (3,996cc) Speed Six inline-six, 406 bhp, 349 lb-ft torque, 5-speed manual, kerb weight 2,376 lb (1,078 kg); designed with endurance/track driving in mind United Kingdom 18

Sourced statements behind the story (13)
  • Ownership start Peter Wheeler bought TVR in 1981, becoming chairman in 1982 1
  • Griffith debut TVR Griffith first shown publicly at the 1990 Birmingham Motor Show; full production began 1991 2
  • Chimaera significance The Chimaera became the best-selling model in TVR's history 6
  • Cerbera significance The Cerbera was TVR's first model powered by an engine of its own (the AJP-designed Speed Eight V8, joined from 1999 by the in-house Speed Six straight-six) 89
  • Cerbera body layout The Cerbera is a 2+2 coupe (informally described as '3+1' because the sliding front passenger seat frees extra rear legroom on one side), built in response to customer demand for a four-seat TVR; this subject's core focus stays on TVR's two-seat models 7
  • Tuscan launch Tuscan Speed Six introduced 1999, entered production early 2000, with an initial order bank of about 1,600 deposits; replaced the Griffith and sat above the Chimaera in the range 1112
  • Tamora debut TVR Tamora introduced at the 2000 Birmingham Motor Show as an entry-level model, built on the Tuscan's platform 13
  • Sagaris debut TVR Sagaris debuted at the MPH03 show in 2003; a pre-production model was shown at the 2004 Birmingham Motor Show 18
  • Safety philosophy Peter Wheeler deliberately built TVRs of this era without ABS or traction control, believing electronic driver aids encouraged overconfidence; he is quoted as saying 'the only purpose of ABS is to allow steering in wet conditions' and that airbags could be replaced by a steering-wheel-mounted spike to the same safety effect 20
  • Design signature TVRs of this era famously omitted conventional exterior door handles (e.g. a wing-mirror-mounted release button on the Tuscan, a twist-knob interior release on other models) and used milled/hand-made aluminium switchgear in place of shared/borrowed parts-bin switches and wood veneer 21
  • Ownership change 2004 On 27 July 2004, Peter Wheeler sold 100% of TVR to 24-year-old Russian investor Nikolai Smolenski, reportedly for around £15 million (one press report gives 'just over $27 million') 122
  • Blackpool closure 2006 TVR's Bristol Avenue, Blackpool engineering works closed in 2006 under Smolenski's ownership, with the loss of around 250 jobs, after sales fell away following the 2004 sale 2324
  • Post scope revival In June 2013 Smolenski sold his TVR ownership to a syndicate led by Les Edgar; the revived company unveiled an all-new Griffith at Goodwood Revival on 8 September 2017, marking TVR's 70th anniversary, with Gordon Murray design input and planned production start in 2019 125

Where sources disagree

Credible sources give different figures for these. Each figure is shown with the source that gives it.

Griffith total production

  • 2,351 examples built in total Global 2
  • 2,582 cars produced up to 2002 (per Roger Shackleton's 'The TVR Griffith Story'), though the same source notes rival historian counts of 2,334 and 2,445 Global 4

Chimaera total production

  • 5,256 units produced Global 5
  • more than 6,000 sold between 1992 and 2003 Global 6
  • TVR's own site states approximately 6,000 Chimaeras were built in total, with production running 1991-2003 Global 26

Sagaris production range

  • Production model released for public sale in 2005; production ran 2005-2006 with 213 units built in Blackpool Global 18
  • Model-year/production range given as 2004-2006 Global 19

Sources

  1. Peter Wheeler (TVR) Wikipedia · Secondary
  2. TVR Griffith Wikipedia · Secondary
  3. Wheeler Era - TVR Heritage TVR (tvr.co.uk) · Manufacturer
  4. How many tvr griffiths were made ? PistonHeads UK (forum) · Secondary
  5. TVR Chimaera Wikipedia · Secondary
  6. Buying Guide: TVR Chimaera (1992-2003) Hagerty UK · Secondary
  7. TVR Cerbera Wikipedia · Secondary
  8. The Story Behind The TVR Cerbera's Unique V8 Engine HotCars · Secondary
  9. TVR Speed Eight engine Wikipedia · Secondary
  10. TVR Speed Six engine Wikipedia · Secondary
  11. TVR Tuscan Speed Six Wikipedia · Secondary
  12. TVR Tuscan (1999-2006): review, history, prices and specs evo · Secondary
  13. TVR Tamora Wikipedia · Secondary
  14. TVR Tamora - All Models by Year (2002-2006) autoevolution · Secondary
  15. TVR T350 Wikipedia · Secondary
  16. TVR T350 - All Models by Year (2002-2006) autoevolution · Secondary
  17. TVR T350 (2002-2006) review: an exotic British icon for £30k evo · Secondary
  18. TVR Sagaris Wikipedia · Secondary
  19. TVR Sagaris - All Models by Year (2004-2006) autoevolution · Secondary
  20. TVR Sagaris: 400-HP British Sports Car With No Electronic Aids HotCars · Secondary
  21. A Salute To TVR's Very Weird Door Release Knob: Cold Start The Autopian · Secondary
  22. British Boutique Sports Car Maker TVR Sold to 24 Year Old Russian Investor Auto123 · Secondary · 2004
  23. End of the road for part of Blackpool cars factory Blackpool Gazette · Secondary
  24. Smolenski back in charge of TVR Autocar · Secondary
  25. This is the brand new TVR Griffith Top Gear · Secondary · 2017
  26. Chimaera TVR · Manufacturer

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