New TVR: The 600BHP Typhoon

[TVR IS KING]

Originally Posted by Top Gear

News reaches us of mysterious happenings behind the closed doors of TVR.

Just as the British sports car company looks like becoming some sort of European hotchpotch, it goes and lets slip about a 600bhp birthday present.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of TVR by Trevor Wilkinson and the firm is celebrating with a limited run of just 60 exceedingly fast supercars.

The 600bhp beast will be called the Typhoon, and TVR will be putting the 'ooh' into the machine with a top speed rumoured to be well in excess of 200mph.

The engine is a much-tweaked version of the 4.0-litre Speed Six and will use the firm's usual five-speed manual 'box in beefed-up form.

Lightweight body panels and attention to the aerodynamics will help push the Typhoon beyond 200mph, although TVR is keeping quiet about final specification.

It's also hush-hush on the price, so we'll have to wait until the wraps come off at the Geneva motor show in March.

Curiouser and curiouser.

No pictures.
http://www.topgear.com/content/news/stories/1349/

Cant wait. I really cant. Nothing like a TVR for styling...

[Vaigra]

Do you mean this?

[RazaBlade]

I certainly hope so! Love the styling of the T440R/Typhon, really aggressive look, perfectly complement to Sagaris.

[Ferrer]

If Bertone builds TVRs from now on, will they style new ones too? I think they'd definitely imporve TVR's styling.

[blingbling]

So its a 600HP I6?

[jediali]

the original typhoon project would have a V12 based on 2 AGP i6's, 700+ hp

[Coventrysucks]

Originally Posted by Vaigra

Do you mean this?

No.

Really sums up TVR management's attitude, doesn't it.

"Let's say for 4 or 5 years that we're going to make a car called the Typhon, which everyone will call 'Typhoon' because they don't know that 'Typhon' is actually a word. Then, we'll cancel that project and announce a new, but very similar sounding project, and call it the "Typhoon", so all the people who called the Typhon the 'Typhoon' will think it's the old car, and all the people who knew it was the Typhon will think people talking about it are making the same mistake as before and think it is the old car as well. Genious!"

c. £120,000, 60 to be built for TVR's 60th anniversary.

Nice to know they've got all the money to blow on such a project, but can't, as promised on many occasions, keep TVR in the UK

I can't help thinking that it won't be a rip-roaring success.

Customer:

"Hmm, I've £150,000 to spend on a supercar - what shall I buy?
Lamborghini Gallardo? Ferrari F430? Porsche 911 Turbo, Ruf RT-12, CL65, Aston DB9 or Vanquish? Maybe I could stretch to a 599, or a Murcielago...

Wait, I know, I'll put a deposit down for a £120,000 TVR, despite the fact that they don't appear to have a factory, or anyone to build it, and for the last year have constantly been rumoured to be on the verge of serious financial trouble!"

[Clique]

Lunacy - a highly tuned speed six engine when they have so many problem with the standard engine?

There is no way TVR are ready to compete properly in that market segment. I think it will be interesting to see how Noble fairs with the move up to the £70K bracket with the M15 as that is a tough enough challenge - but for TVR to introduce a model £50 - 60k more expensive that usual?!

They need a Boxster style model to generate a larger customer base and make the brand more acccessable and well known, then they can introduce a halo model to help customers move up through the model line ups over time.

I can't see them finding many willing customers for this unless it really is something special, which is a shame.

[:Exige:]

They'll sell 60 quite easily if they price it under £100k ... I know a lot of TVR owners who have shown interest in the Typhon/oon. Anything over that and they'll struggle to move them at all.

@Jediali: I do believe you are talking about the Cerbera Speed Twelve and Speed 12, and not the T440R/Typhon/Typhoon.

[TVR IS KING]

I believe this is the Typhoon, after the Typhon project was axed. Perhaps the Typhon was the original name of the project, but they decided to call the car Typhoon, and now we have information.
Either way, this is to be the 600BHP Typhoon. I think its gunna look like the Typhon. I mean, that looked like a hardcore Tuscan as it was.

Originally Posted by Autoblog

A new 600-hp Typhoon (not to be confused with the Typhon) is being planned.

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/11/16/t...hoon-supercar/

Originally Posted by Autoblog

TVR spokesman Jason Oxley was quoted as saying that a guesstimated a price of around £120,000 "is about right." That's $226,500. Gulp.

[Coventrysucks]

Originally Posted by Clique

Lunacy - a highly tuned speed six engine when they have so many problem with the standard engine?

There were no problems with the standard engines.

There was a problem with the quality of some of the components TVR initially used - finger followers & cams - but the actual design of the engine is sound enough.

Don't forget that the Speed 6, along with the AJP-8, was designed by Al Melling, who is hardly someone who would be unable to design a reliable engine.

TVR themselves made changes to the design which greatly improved the reliability of the engine - don't forget that TVR offers a 36,000mile warranty - could they really afford that if the engines really were as bad as everyone makes out?

Originally Posted by Clique

They need a Boxster style model to generate a larger customer base and make the brand more acccessable and well known,

No they don't.

Who would want a TVR "Boxster" when you can have a Porsche Boxster for the same sort of money - with a better specification, better quality, electrical reliability, less depreciation, better service and sales support, and the knowledge that if you put an order in a group of workers in Germany will actually build the car - as opposed to ??? building your car in ???, as TVR is now.

If you want to spend Boxster money on a TVR - there are plenty of second hand models around to satisfy.

TVR were successful in the past because they were the only company building that type of car, the major manufacturers have now spotted that market, and with their economies of scale they can produce a much better car for the same money.

They can't go down in price because they will not generate enough profit.

They can't go up in price because there are less customers to sell to in that market, and there are more and better alternatives to what TVR produce.

They need to do what they had been doing recently - focussing on improving quality and specification so that they are a more appealing alternative to the mainstream offerings.

I do not doubt that their move abroad is made with that aim in mind, however it is at the cost of isolating the company from a large chunk of its existing (and therefore almost certainly future) owners, not to mention that the way in which they have made the move will probably have deterred any number of people new to the marque.

[Coventrysucks]

Originally Posted by TVR IS KING

I believe this is the Typhoon, after the Typhon project was axed. Perhaps the Typhon was the original name of the project, but they decided to call the car Typhoon, and now we have information.

That is very a confusing statement.

This is not the Typhon.

The Typhon was a supercharged, carbon composite version of the "Tuscan R" - the coupe which was eventually sold as the T400R & T440R, and raced in various GT championships.

The newly announced car - the Typhoon - will use aspects of the "Tuscan R" project - namely the supercharged engine, carbon composite processes - but with a new package and styling.

Originally Posted by TVR IS KING

I think its gunna look like the Typhon.

If you'd read the article you linked to you'd see that
a) they've Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V'd the story from Pistonheads, and they themselves don't have a clue what they are talking about, since they say that the TVR workers were in Liverpool, as opposed to Blackpool.

b) "A new 600-hp Typhoon (not to be confused with the Typhon) is being planned"

c) While admitting the car would be recognizable as a TVR, Oxley also said he couldn't describe exactly what it will look like.

Wait the Geneva show in March.

Until then this may all be academic speculation...

[:Exige:]

I'd much rather they built this:

It looks more like a supercar, it was going to be £120k like the Typhoon and it would end your life in a wonderful and glorious manner unless you have hairs on your chest ... like a TVR should.

[TVR IS KING]

Originally Posted by Coventrysucks

That is very a confusing statement.

This is not the Typhon.

The Typhon was a supercharged, carbon composite version of the "Tuscan R" - the coupe which was eventually sold as the T400R & T440R, and raced in various GT championships.

The newly announced car - the Typhoon - will use aspects of the "Tuscan R" project - namely the supercharged engine, carbon composite processes - but with a new package and styling.



If you'd read the article you linked to you'd see that
a) they've Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V'd the story from Pistonheads, and they themselves don't have a clue what they are talking about, since they say that the TVR workers were in Liverpool, as opposed to Blackpool.

b) "A new 600-hp Typhoon (not to be confused with the Typhon) is being planned"

c) While admitting the car would be recognizable as a TVR, Oxley also said he couldn't describe exactly what it will look like.

Wait the Geneva show in March.

Until then this may all be academic speculation...

I was under the impression the Typhon had been axed completely. I dont know where I heard that...I should perhaps have tried Wikipedia.
How many were sold as the T400R & T440R?
How embarrassing. Sorry about that...Thanks for the kind correction.

[Kitdy]

Coventrysucks, you are very good at laying the smack down. Mad respect from me man. Not like your arguments are always airtight, but nobodys are. Clear and logical destruction that few seem to want to counter as they know your points are good.