TVR is basically dead. British businessman Les Edgar tried to revive the legendary sports car manufacturer in 2017 with the amazing Griffith concept. But by 2023, Edgar and his team had lost the rights to the Ebbw Vale factory in Wales, where production was due to begin. We haven’t heard a peep from the company since.
That hasn’t stopped a few intrepid enthusiasts from keeping the TVR name alive – surprisingly, in the United States. A company called TVR Garage is opening a new showroom in Las Vegas, Nevada, dedicated to importing TVR models for fans to look at – and hopefully buy.
Founded by Andi Hughes and Gavin Bristow, two lifelong TVR enthusiasts, TVR Garage wants to share their love of quirky British sports cars with a wider audience. Although the company has been around for a few years, it recently took a big step forward by partnering with auto broker CarWiz to open a new 15,000-square-foot facility.
In an interview with Road and railco-founder Andi Hughes explained that TVR Garage focuses on importing low-mileage, unmodified TVR models wherever possible. The company is able to restore certain cars, but prefers cars that are almost roadworthy.
Photo by: TVR Garage
Due to the 25 year import rule, only selected TVRs are eligible for import. Anything built before the year 2000 is eligible, including early versions of some of the brand’s most iconic models: the Cerbera, Chimaera and Griffith. Hughes said he once considered importing LS swapped TVRs for reliability, but U.S. import laws prohibit modified vehicles.
For the time being, TVR Garage is deliberately keeping its activities small. “It would be cool to have 10 customers a year,” Hughes said Road and rail“but for time management we prefer to stick to a few at a time.” As a result, landing one of these imported British sports cars is only open to a select few.
Currently TVR Garage lists one handful of models for sale on her websiteincluding a few Tuscans, some Cerberas and a droptop Griffith. Each car has less than 60,000 miles on the odometer and is in near perfect condition.
Prices vary depending on the model. Some Tuscan and Cerbera examples exceed $90,000 to $100,000, but the Olympic Blue Griffith is a bargain by comparison, at just under $40,000. That car features a 5.0-liter V-8 that produces 335 horsepower, paired with a six-speed manual transmission.
While we certainly wish TVR were still building new sports cars, TVR Garage is the next best thing.
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