Fewer things are more certain in life than death, taxes, and TVR's Griffith sports car facing production endless delays. A quick recap on this story: after a long hiatus from building cars, TVR announced it would return with the Griffith back in 2017, but it's been nearly five years and the company hasn't produced a single car. In the most recent update, the UK automaker claimed deliveries would begin towards the end of 2023, which is still more than a year off. To say TVR hasn't earned much confidence is an understatement, but that hasn't stopped the company from teasing three new models.
Today Formula E announced a partnership with TVR to sponsor the World Championship held at the Monaco E-Prix on April 30 and the London E-Prix double-header on July 30-31. This partnership with an all-electric racing series is perfect because TVR says it plans to build an electric sports car.
"Our collaboration with the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and on-site activations at the Monaco and London E-Prix not only demonstrate our commitment to revolutionizing the TVR brand, but to EV, and becoming a sustainable, net-zero business," says TVR Chairman, Les Edgar. "Our plans to bring TVR EVs to market are well underway, with the first of two models to be released shortly after the release of the newest Griffith and Limited-Edition Griffith EV models in 2024."
We now know that the Griffith will spawn an electric variant in addition to the 5.0-liter Cosworth-tuned V8 version (sourced from a 2022 Ford Mustang GT). Seeing as the Griffith was revealed five years ago, clearly with a V8 in mind, we aren't sure how TVR plans to adapt the platform for electrification. Shoving batteries into an ICE platform is far from a simple task. The only area large enough to accommodate so many packs would be under the hood, though the batteries would likely throw off the car's 50:50 weight distribution.
Following the Griffith, TVR intends to show off two dedicated EV models. Not much else is known about these two cars, but we imagine TVR will follow every other sports car manufacturer by revealing its first-ever SUV model. "To see TVR, an iconic manufacturer of performance sports cars, cross over and make this commitment to electric is a significant milestone and aligned to Formula E's vision of an electric future," said Formula E Chief Commercial Officer Matt Scammell. "TVR is a beloved brand and we look forward to working alongside them in Monaco and London to showcase their plans to electrify." Let's hope those plans turn into something concrete soon.