Petition: Bring back TVR

Bring back TVR.

This campaign has had 1 signature in the last hour.

At 10,000 signatures, the government will respond to this petition.

At 100,000 signatures, this petition will be considered for debate in Parliament

This petition was created by James Mills, and the deadline is just as soon as the sun shines and you decide life’s too short to drive boring cars.

Yes, you guessed it, I’ve just reacquainted myself with a TVR. Actually, not any old TVR but what many consider to be the finest of the breed, a Griffifth.

This campaign has nothing to do with creating new, modern TVRs and building a factory in Wales. I’ve no interest in that.

I want the Blackpool factory back up and running, with the sounds of productivity mixed in with the sounds of the council refuse site on the other side of Bristol Avenue.

I want to hear tales of the men and women that worked on the two production lines building the cars leaving filthy messages for one another, scrawled in permanent marker on the untrimmed fibreglass bodies.

I want to be there the moment that Griffiths, Cerberas and Tuscans come roaring off the production line, panel fit slightly off, one wheel different to the other three – because suppliers haven’t been paid – and wiring in a muddle so that the button under the driver’s wing mirror releases the boot and the one for the boot switches on the hazard warning lights.

I want to be given an impromptu tour of the factory, after arriving to collect a test car arranged for weeks in advance, as the PR man covers for the fact that they’re fitting it with a new engine because the other one lost all compression, which is clearly never good when you know your British sports car has a BMW Z3M Coupe waiting to ‘have a word’ with it outside.

I want to hear the offbeat grumble of a Rover V8, or a Speed Six or Eight – so offbeat when cold you can’t be sure whether it’s firing on all cylinders and ask yourself if you renewed the RAC cover for the year.

I want to sit in those soft, enveloping leather seats, feel the comically-sized transmission tunnel pushing into my leg and gaze in wonder at all the switchgear, wondering what does what, taking in the instruments and pondering whether the oil pressure should be so low.

I want to blip the throttle, feel the car rock, watch as people turn to look, and then roar off up the road making more noise than a brass band fresh from a couple of sharpeners at the working men’s club.

I want to feel every mangled inch of our miserable road surfaces, revel in the roller-coaster excitement of the drive and say a little ‘thank you’ to the Gods of the road after emerging successfully from each corner, rather than binning it in the farmer’s field.

I want to meet with fellow TVR owners and indulge in TVR chat, go on a road trip together and get the phone number for the bloke that came up with the corner covers made from roof fabric to stop the edges of the targa roof wearing through when left in the boot.

And most of all, I want to smell that unmistakable aroma of warm resin, fibreglass, leather and petrol, all mixed together like an Eau de Peter Wheeler.

In a world of homogenised cars, all of this would make me very happy.

If you would like to sign my petition, enter your comments below.

Bring back TVR. All is forgiven.

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