Photo: Collage with Autocar and TVR images
TVR just cast a huge shadow of doubt over its whole operation by using what has proven to be a slightly reworked third-party rendering to show its future customers what the future car might look like.
We were telling you yesterday about Les Edgar’s latest update on the fate of TVR, the company he’s bought and promised to bring back to life once again as a low-volume British sports car manufacturer. Following what seemed like a credible plan and riding on the enthusiasm of the brand’s very fiery fan base, the first year’s worth of production - 250 units - have already been preordered with the subsequent deposits paid.
This gave TVR a great input to move forward quickly, but this latest stunt the company pulled off does make you wonder where exactly the new car’s development is really at. The most recent statement speaks about scale clay models and “a number of final concepts differing now only in relatively small detail, with only a few decisions left to be made,” but then why not use a real teaser - showing off a small portion of the actual model the designers are working on?
We’re not saying Les Edgar is lying and that he’s looking for a plane ticket to a non-extradition country as we speak, but it does show some poor judgment on his part. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea if he hired a PR person to manage the communication in the future, someone with a little experience that could spot a major flop such as this one.
The sketch in question was designed by Autocar a while ago, but TVR did away with the red paint by opting for a monochrome approach. Other than that, the image is virtually identical. TVR admitted to using the image, but said it wasn’t meant to reveal any actual production details, but merely give the clients a view of what their car might look like. Not that they hadn’t already seen it, if they also happened to be Autocar readers.
However, Autocar doesn’t seem to mind the blooper, which is probably a sign that they too are too excited about the possibility of hearing a new TVR model (whatever its name will be) burst back into life. And we’re with them on this one.
This gave TVR a great input to move forward quickly, but this latest stunt the company pulled off does make you wonder where exactly the new car’s development is really at. The most recent statement speaks about scale clay models and “a number of final concepts differing now only in relatively small detail, with only a few decisions left to be made,” but then why not use a real teaser - showing off a small portion of the actual model the designers are working on?
We’re not saying Les Edgar is lying and that he’s looking for a plane ticket to a non-extradition country as we speak, but it does show some poor judgment on his part. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea if he hired a PR person to manage the communication in the future, someone with a little experience that could spot a major flop such as this one.
The sketch in question was designed by Autocar a while ago, but TVR did away with the red paint by opting for a monochrome approach. Other than that, the image is virtually identical. TVR admitted to using the image, but said it wasn’t meant to reveal any actual production details, but merely give the clients a view of what their car might look like. Not that they hadn’t already seen it, if they also happened to be Autocar readers.
However, Autocar doesn’t seem to mind the blooper, which is probably a sign that they too are too excited about the possibility of hearing a new TVR model (whatever its name will be) burst back into life. And we’re with them on this one.
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