Here's Why You Haven't Heard Much About That Awesome New TVR

Dec. 03, 2018 9:00 PM ET by Jared Rosenholtz / 15 Comments

There are already delays for the new TVR Griffith.

It has been over one year since TVR, a small British sports car manufacturer, announced its return with the all-new Griffith sports car. The Griffith is powered by a 5.0-liter V8 engine, which has been borrowed from a Ford Mustang and fettled by Cosworth to produce 480 horsepower. As with previous TVR models, the Griffith features insane looks and a whiff of lunacy that is missing in today's car market.

Unfortunately, times have changed since the last time TVR produced cars. Regulations have become stricter and building cars is now more difficult than ever. For small automakers like TVR, producing a car can be tricky and according to Autocar, the Griffith is already facing delays.

Since being revealed over one year ago, we haven't seen much of the TVR Griffith. Sure, there was a short video showing the car blast around a race track but details about the car's availability have been painfully limited. Autocar says progress towards building the Griffith has now stalled due to an unintended consequence of the Welsh government's 3% purchase in TVR and its loan of £2 million earlier this year.

After accepting government funding, TVR is subject to EU rules regarding construction repairs on its aging factory in South Wales. TVR's initial plan was to use local firms to repair the factory but the EU rules require the use of firms from around Europe. Of course, this will take far longer for TVR to organize.

Following the EU rules is reportedly a seven-month ongoing process and it will not be complete until January of 2019. TVR initially said Griffith deliveries would being in early 2019, though this target now seems optimistic. "It's frustrating, that's for sure," TVR boss Les Edgar said in an interview with Autocar.

Edgar couldn't say when exactly production will start but mentioned the possibility of building cars in March at a building next door, which was initially designated for training and development. The world may have changed since TVR has been gone but this plucky British sports car manufacturer still knows exactly how to persevere in the face of strict regulations.

Here's Why You Haven't Heard Much About That Awesome New TVR

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Here's Why You Haven't Heard Much About That Awesome New TVR

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