carl

You have to remember we're not comparing like with like here. A >350bhp, 1100kg TVR will cost you around £45k. To get equivalent performance from a (well-built) Porsche, you'd be looking at a 996 Turbo at around £90k

TBH I'm surprised that TVR can afford to sell them at the price they do -- bearing in mind they make all their own interiors, switchgear and engines (unlike Noble, for example).

Howee

But look at the quality and technology used in a £90k Porker. R&D costs money which is part of the problem (and why the technology TVR adopt is a bit crude and why they're made of plastic). But don't forget that all the warranty work, etc. when totted up will cost them considerably more than the initial investment in R&D would have. Maybe they need the revenue from early sales to finish off the development properly, though this is a little short sighted for a company that is trying to grow....

Another way of looking at it is what do you think the mark up is on a Porsche 996? Does it really cost that much more for a large, well set up factory to produce a better car? And the market is willing to pay for for the porsche brand so they can charge pretty much what they like. That's certainly not the case for TVR which has a reputation for high performance (but not necessarily handling), fantastic looks but poor reliability, build quality, customer service, etc. I believe they're getting better at the latter now tho....?

mn_angrybeats

One way of solving it I suppose

Mine was a 97P....

TVR's are glorified kit cars thats it...

Their use of spaceframe chassis, fibreglass panels and nicking bits off the parts shelf means that their tooling costs are next to bugger all compaired to Porsche for example who would need 1 million to pay for a bumper or facia tool etc etc and take 3 years testing with early prototypes...

Chalk an cheese really, its a shame TVR didnt have a far bigger budget as if it were reliable I'd have another one tomorrow, the dealers also in my experience need a kick up the ****..

[Edited by mn_angrybeats - 1/8/2004 7:04:24 PM]

carl

I bought mine (and get it serviced) from an independent whom I can't fault (yet ).

Fortunately, as they're plastic there's nothing to go rusty when they leak. I see TVR as being no worse than Ferrari were about 20-25 years ago (remember, they made plastic 308s), but of course they don't have Fiat money behind them.

And for a small company, they've got a big model range now (Chimaera, Cerbera, Tuscan, Tamora, T350, T440/Typhon plus all the variants of them).

Howee

Porsche can easily recoup their costs due to the numbers they sell and the prices they can charge. If TVR had a better reputation they'd sell more cars which would in turn release more capital to invest in new models and new facilities. Porsche started out somewhere but always put the customers first giving them what they wanted.

TVR don't have that ability yet and will never get it until they adopt a different attitude about the development of their product and the customer. There's only a certain market for that type of car and it's getting smaller by the day by the sound of it

[Edited by Howee - 1/9/2004 1:05:39 PM]

14,500rpm

I think he meant a million as in pounds for the bumper tool rather than writing the cost off over a production run of a million cars.

Howee

I realised that 2nd time round and changed the reply accordingly

Note to self: Must learn to read and understand posts before replying

Mungo

er, is George Bush the world's most dangerous man?

14,500rpm

Glad its not just me that does that!

[Edited by 14,500rpm - 1/9/2004 9:55:20 PM]