The authorities of Wales are selling the premises where TVR Automotive had wanted to launch the production of its Griffith supercar. According to South Wales Argus referencing the city administration of Ebbw Vale, the automaker still has the option to rent the building – but will no longer have exclusive ownership rights to it.
The classic TVR car brand was revived by investors around a decade ago and started taking pre-orders for its front-engine, rear-wheel-drive supercar named Griffith eight years ago. Based on some of the tech invented by the famous automotive engineer Gordon Murray, it was envisioned with a state-of-the-art 5.0-liter, Cosworth-tuned V8 engine from Ford. The first prototype debuted in 2017 and the production was expected to begin in the following year, initially capped at 500 units as a test batch.
All along, TVR has been trying to procure investment for the construction of its own factory and overcoming bureaucratic hurdles. It ended up postponing the production start multiple times: for example, the company announced in April 2022 that the deliveries would finally begin in the fourth quarter of 2023, but they never did.
In 2021, the automaker secured a new partnership with Ensorcia Metals, a lithium mining corporation based in South America, and decided to switch to EV design and production. It has since previewed a concept study named Griffith EV, but that one never went beyond 3D renderings and sketches. Its gas-powered counterpart was never shelved, but TVR Chairman Les Edgar admitted to the media last spring that many customers who pre-ordered the car no longer had any faith in the project and asked for their money back.