New TVR will have ‘best power-to-weight’ in class

TVR says its 5.0-litre V8 sports car, weighing 1,200kg, will have a huge 406hp-per-tonne.

What's the news?

The revived TVR has announced that its forthcoming, all-new sports car will have the highest power-to-weight ratio (PWR) of any vehicle in its class.

Using a carbon fibre construction - courtesy of Gordon Murray's iStream architecture - and a host of other weight-saving design features, the TVR will have a whopping 406hp-per-tonne. That's thanks to the 5.0-litre Cosworth-enhanced V8 that will power it; and although TVR hasn't specified the peak output of this lump, it has said the car will weigh 1,200kg, so a bit of back-maths suggests that we're looking at 487hp (or thereabouts) in total.

So what cars are in the TVR's class to compare this 406hp PWR to? Well, the British firm quotes the Porsche 911 Turbo S (369hp-per-tonne), the Jaguar F-Type SVR Coupe (344hp-per-tonne), the Aston Martin Vantage GT8 (297hp-per-tonne) and the Maserati Granturismo MC Stradale (261hp-per-tonne) as the chief competitors.

TVR further says that the new model is the most compact car in its class, at 4,300mm long (that's 199mm shorter than a 911) and 1,271mm tall (43mm lower than the F-Type). However, the marque is at pains to say the interior will nevertheless 'offer levels of comfort and practicality that clearly reflect the manufacturer's intention that this will be a suitable car for everyday use'.

Anything else?

John Chasey, of TVR Manufacturing, said: "We have been ambitious and rigorous in establishing performance benchmarks for our new car. Our intentions for power-to-weight, size, practicality and quality standards were set high from the very start. We know that the new TVR must be able to compete at the very highest levels, and I'm delighted to say that the car has met or exceeded all of our own very exacting requirements, hands down."

The all-new TVR will get its world debut at the Goodwood Revival in September, which is a first ever premiere of car for the world-renowned event.

Published on: July 28, 2017