Every nine months or so, Les Edgar — the guy who runs TVR these days — pops up to say that the company does in fact still exist; the Griffith is in fact, still coming; and its launch plans have slid somewhat. In January of 2021 I penned a blog titled “The TVR Griffith Is Coming Next Year, When This Headline May Still Be Accurate.” It is still accurate, because production and delivery of the Griffith is now slated for the end of 2023, according to what the company’s most recently told Evo. What’s more, TVR’s hoping to introduce an electric version of the Coyote V8-powered coupe in 2024.
The latter announcement is the big news coinciding with the brand’s newly-minted sponsorship of Formula E. Courtesy Autocar:
Company chairman Les Edgar said the sponsorships “not only demonstrate our commitment to revolutionising the TVR brand, but to EVs, and becoming a sustainable, net-zero business”.
He went on to confirm that the company is progressing with plans to bring EVs to market, following the delayed launch of the combustion-engined Griffith and a now-confirmed pure-electric Griffith variant in 2024.
The announcement follows the recent formation of a joint venture between TVR and South American lithium mining firm Ensorcia Metals, which was devised both to fund production of the Griffith and to guarantee a supply of batteries to support future electrified TVR models.
The thought that this may be contingent on the support of a lithium mining company is more than a little worrying, but after all the setbacks TVR’s experienced, it’s also hardly unsurprising. Bureaucratic hangups and construction woes have delayed the firm’s restoration of an old facility outside Cardiff, Wales that it’s still yet to move into. That’ll supposedly happen in the coming months; even then, TVR’s got a lot of work ahead to get the space and staff in order.
Someone at reception should also maybe give Gordon Murray a ring, based on this eye-opening passage from the Evo story, last updated earlier this month. The Griffith was designed to incorporate Gordon Murray Automotive’s iStream chassis. Pertinent snippet bolded by yours truly.
‘It’s rarely a case of “They must be doing brilliantly because they’re not saying anything”,’ says Edgar, who comes across as someone who has fast-tracked the automotive industry course on how to resurrect a car brand. ‘The key thing is everything takes longer, from deciding how to do the car with Gordon [Murray] to working with shareholders.’ A source at GMA has subsequently confirmed to evo that no one from TVR has made contact with them regarding production of the new Griffith.
Repeated postponement jokes aside, I want to see TVR succeed and so should you. The badge encapsulates British muscle unlike any other, and has given us so many weird and wonderful celebrations of power that we should reflect fondly on more often — like the Sagaris and all its missing chunks of bodywork. Or the simple elegance of the original Griffith, which I still hold to be one of the most beautiful cars ever made. The new one looks great too — like a pretty F-Type. Yeah, I said it.
Sure, common sense would dictate that TVR should probably concentrate on manufacturing the one car we know it can build before announcing another, but that’s regretfully not the way business works anymore. Personally, my hope is that the next time I write about the Griffith, the headline won’t include mention of a year.