Every TVR tells the tale of its founder—English engineer TreVoR Wilkinson (hence TVR)—and his dream that started in 1947 with the production of sports cars. One of the many manufacturers in Great Britain, land of motors that over the years has created some of the most appreciated vehicles in history. After the first successes, both on the market and in sports, in 1965 Wilkinson passed the business to Martin Lilley, who honoured his predecessor until 1981, when the so-called “Peter Wheeler Era” began. Along with the numerous appearances in various segments of world motorsport, Peter Wheeler accentuated the characterisation of the range even more, emphasising the eccentricity of TVR products with an outstanding attention to detail in the design of both interior and exterior. Fibreglass bodies of the highest quality, interiors in full grain leather, components in aluminium machined from solid: all first-rate materials to further convey the artisanal nature of these works of art on wheels.
Mr Wheeler, the businessman and genius who transformed a “mechanical workshop” into a worldwide renowned company, reached the peak of audacity when he decided TVR was to abandon the Rover engines (employed until 1996) to independently build sports engines. Supported by Al Melling (an engineer with a past in Formula One—see Benetton, Leyton House, etc.) and John Ravenscroft, he created the naturally aspirated Speed Eight (called AJP8) and Speed Six (called AJP6) fitted on the wonderful Cerbera, Tuscan, T350, Sagaris, and Tamora. The latter, developed at the very beginning of the 2000s and equipped with the 3.6 L I6, was meant to indulge a market that was asking for high performance and easy handling. The goal for the men in Blackpool was to create a less temperamental car than the others in the range—a performance car, as per tradition, but more suited to daily commute. Like a SLK or a Boxster, to be clear.

The result? 1,060 kg and 350 hp, no ABS, no airbags. Well, the mission was not wholly successful from this point of view… It seems that TVR indeed had a natural aversion for conservative sports cars and an innate propension to build cars (almost) without compromises for driving purists. The team of engineers involved in the Tamora project nevertheless managed to develop something absolutely unprecedented, all without betraying the marque’s distinctive features. The first prototype of the “little TVR” was displayed at the NEC Motor Show in Birmingham in 2000. It was then revised and corrected, and officially presented in December 2001, while the first deliveries started in February 2002. The design was the work of the TVR studio led by Damian McTaggart—an absolute guarantee (his were the Tuscan and the Cerbera)—though Peter Wheeler obviously had the final say on the project.
It was a two-seater with a targa top/roadster body style: this means it was possible to remove the hardtop (targa) and also to fold the hood behind the seats (roadster configuration). The interior was well-finished, the boot was capacious, and the overall aesthetic was round-looking, with curve lines outlining a clean and more “traditional” nose in stark contrast with the eccentric and sizeable egg-shaped rear, emphasised by small, round tail lights. The rather conspicuous rear splitter increased downforce at high speeds and broke this pattern of curves, lending visual stability and prominence widthwise. Also noteworthy were the two beautiful exhausts on either side of the number plate, also round-shaped.
The Tamora was well received by the public, possibly by virtue of its being more versatile and less extreme than the other cars in the catalogue. However, financial troubles had been plaguing TVR for some time. In 2004, young Russian Nikolai Smolenski replaced Peter Wheeler and, after a few weak attempts at keeping the company afloat, in December 2006 he had no choice but to shut the gates. The Tamoras produced were therefore a few more than 350.

The end of an era, the one of Blackpool.

Today, the marque is back in the scene. Needless to say, though, production philosophies when it comes to cars have changed.