The TVR White Elephant..... A very special car.
This is the well-known prototype built in 1988 as a platform for the development of the TVR product into the 1990s. (TVR didn't end up going in this direction, or with the Holden powerplant, so hence the name of the car..).
The car did however, get used for some 27,000 miles by the Chairman Peter Wheeler. Famously, he had a special seat designed for his dog, Ned, which you can see from the cutout behind the passenger seat, and a special storage area for his shotgun/shooting paraphernalia. Ned apparently preferred the front seat, but it's the thought that counts hey? :)
Fitted with a pre-production prototype SS Group A SV engine and the first TVR to be equipped with a T5 box. The same engine that went into the 1988 HSV VL SS Group A SV, also known as the "Walkinshaw," a limited-edition Holden Commodore built for Australian Group A touring car racing homologation. Sitting on. modified SEAC chassis.
The car was sold by Peter Wheeler in 2004, to Howard Bryan. Howard had been asking Peter for many years if he could buy the car, and the week before Wheeler sold the TVR Car company to Nicolai Smolenski, he was rewarded for his persistence. The car was a total wreck, so over the next decade, Howard and a large group of ex-TVR Factory employees set about the task of rebuilding the car. This included an engine rebuild by Ric Wood Motorsport and many, many hours of work to get the car back to its former glory. There is an extensive history file, and 100's of photos of the car during this period. It was featured in many magazines and won plenty of awards at various shows after its completion, and beyond.
Howard sold the car to me in June 2024, something we'd been talking about for a couple of years. Since then, I've had my TVR Tech go over it and we've carried out a few improvements. I've only done a handful of miles in it, and only taken it to one show this summer, where it turned a lot of heads.
In the 37 years since it was built, the car has never been for sale on the open market, until now. A car that is a significant part of TVRs history, and could most certainly be featured in any museum or exhibition for TVR/British cars. Maybe that's where it will end up one day?
I would hope that it will stay in the UK, but there is obviously an attraction for this car to Australian and US collectors. If you would like to speak to me about the possibility of EXPORT, give me a call on +44 7970 464360 or if you'd like a shipping quote, see myGlobal Sales page for a direct link to my Shipping contact.
GET IN TOUCH IF YOU HAVE A VERY, VERY SERIOUS OFFER. This would need to be north of £100,000.
There are many articles and magazine features about this car; some of you will know the story, and some of you will be hearing it for the first time.
If you'd like to read a few of those, there are links below....
You'll also find some videos of the car on my Instagram channel https://www.instagram.com/shmooautomotive/
Here's one of the articles, should you like to know a bit more....https://www.classiccarsmagazine.co.uk/blog/features/driven-tvr-white-elephant/
..and another link...https://www.lancasterinsurance.co.uk/news/2021/march/1/car-of-the-month-howard-bryan-s-tvr-white-elephant/
In the meantime, enjoy the photos and videos.
Ed
