The autophiles over at the UK's CAR tracked down Jean Michel Santacrue and Adam Burdette, TVR's new overlords, as well as teenage Russian baznillionaire Nikolai Smolenski who is expected to soon cut all ties with TVR and head back to Austria. Smolenski accepts responsibility for workers' ire at the Blackpool shutdown, but lays the demise of British-built TVRs squarely at the feet of the British government. Meanwhile, Santacrue and Burdette are planning to go with either Pininfarina or Bertone for manufacturing purposes (previous reports generally revolved around the latter), while retaining a crew of 20 engineers and designers in the UK.
The duo claims to be working with American authorities on crash and emissions standards. Will TVR return to American shores? Will TVR survive? This whole may seem more brain-melting than the ins and outs of the Chrysler situation...except TVR actually seems to have some semblance of a plan at this point. Which is more than we can say for the cats out in Auburn Hills or over in Stuttgart.
TVR interview exclusive [CAR]
Related:
TVR Out of the Terlet and Into the Florida? [Internal]