Mr. Peter Wheeler passed away last night after a short illness.
Mr. Wheeler, born in 1945 and graduated as chemichal engineer, acquired TVR in 1981 from Martin and Arthur Lilley. The Lilleys acquired TVR in 1965 from Trevor Wilkinson, TVR founder, and created the Grantura MK4, the first Tuscan V8, the Tuscan V6, the TVR Vixen, the Taimar and the 3000M Turbo, the UK’s first production turbo-charged car. Peter Wheeler bought a TVR Taimar Turbo in 1980 and had the car serviced at the factory. At the end of 1981, as TVR was going towards bankrupt another time again, he acquired all assets. “I liked the product so I bought the company” – he answered whenever someone asked him the reason.
Under his guide TVR surely lived the best period of its entire story: innovation and new products were the leading qualities of the factory. Peter Wheeler, a real motoring enthusiast (he was also used to race with the TVR Tuscan race version in the Tuscan Challenge Championship actually with a great reputation in England) created a lot of cars. He went on with the Wedges but the real “great” period started in early ’90s with the TVR Griffith. Then came the TVR Chimaera, the TVR Cerbera (including the mighty TVR Cerbera Speed12), the TVR Tuscan (and its race-version), the TVR Tamora, the TVR T350 and the TVR Sagaris. All these cars have nowadays strong reputation for their style and sporty feelings. But, most of all, they were equipped with two engines entirely developed by TVR: the V8 AJP8 engine (on the TVR Cerbera), and the TVR Speed-6 engine (Tuscan, T350, Sagaris).
Peter Wheeler, in 2004, sold the Blackpool based brand to young Russian Nikolai Smolensky. The Russian boy tried to continue Wheeler’s job (David Oxley, TVR’s number two at the time announced a new TVR Typhoon which would have been ready for 2007 Geneva Auto Show but this car remained only a draw) but he failed. TVR was split into three smaller units: TVR Engineering, TVR Cars Distribution Ltd and Blackpool Automotive (the manufacturing division at Bristol Avenue in Blackpool). On December 22nd 2006 TVR went into receivership. Blackpool facility was closed and all workers given the boot.
Finally last year it seemed TVR could start again a new rebirth thanks to David Oxley: on last 10th of July a new TVR Sagaris 2 was introduced at the new TVR development facility in Wesham near to Blackpool. But after that event a new silence lays upon TVR’s destiny.
Peter Wheeler, in 2005, created the Scamander a very particoular vehicle he called a Rapid Response Vehicle. “I created it for me, to be honest. I enjoy shooting, sailing and driving on track, so I wanted something that could cover all these elements. I call it an RRV, for rapid response vehicle. Just don’t call it a car…” – he said.
