It’s been almost 20 years since TVR launched a sports car. Think about how long that’s been. A generation’s worth of gearheads know TVR as nothing but a fragment of days gone by, not realizing that one point in time, it was the creator of some of the most exciting British sports cars to hit the streets. Since the launch of the Tuscan in 1999, TVR has trudged through the mud of mediocrity, collapsing into administration in 2006 through numerous ownership changes. Fast forward to this year and things are finally looking up for TVR as it’s on course to present its first production sports car in 18 years. The car still doesn’t have an official name (it’s codenamed “T37”), but if recent teaser photos are any indication, the name can come later. What’s important is the car is set to make its debut at the Goodwood Revival this coming September.

TVR has released a number of revealing information about the car, but in true automotive fashion, it's kept most of the details under wraps, opting to release a handful of teasers of the model, including this one featuring the sports car’s manual transmission. It’s admittedly not much to go by in the way of deciphering the car’s design, but the revelation of it coming with a manual transmission means that customers will have to make good use of their driving skills if they hope to drive the car up to its full potential.

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Teasers don’t reveal much, but who cares, really

Give credit to TVR for this much: its choice of teaser photo is pretty interesting. We’ve seen three of them over the course of three months and we’re still no closer to figuring out what the car is going to look like. The latest teaser is the first time we get a peek at its interior, and while it doesn’t show the whole cabin, we are treated to a revealing look at a short and stocky manual gear lever sitting comfortably at the base of the center console. Look closer and you’ll see three round knobs on the console and what appear to be switches on the opposite end of the transmission, just in front of the center storage compartment. I’m tempted to think that those switches will be for something completely race-centric, which makes the car even more intriguing than it already is.

It certainly helps, too, that the previous teaser photos show some unconventional details about the T37. The exhausts, for example, appear to be located on the side section of the car. It’s not exactly a ground-breaking feature since we’ve seen cars with similar configurations, including the old-school Corvettes and the Dodge Viper. It’s unusual but it’s been done before, too. In some ways, it adds to the uniqueness of the Gordon Murray-designed T37 that it has a subtle feature like this that very few of its rivals have, especially now that the Viper is headed to FCA’s woodshed.

note: teaser photo of the TVR T37’s side exhaust

As far as its front profile is concerned, TVR already teased this section of the sports car, and based on first impressions, it looks really good. I especially like how the design seems to have been inspired by its rivals, yet still maintains something outwardly original about it. I know there’s not much to look at given how dark the teaser is, but stare at it long enough, and you’ll start to see elements of the Jaguar F-Pace in there. It may be the shape of the headlights or how the lighting and shadow-play work in highlighting certain sections of the car and keeping others in the dark. Whatever the case may be, the TVR T37 is looking like a proper sports car.

note: teaser photo of the TVR T37’s front profile

Speaking of which, it’s not surprising that TVR is keeping the sports car’s name under wraps this close to its world debut. It’s a well-placed strategy that helps add intrigue to the model while also adds momentum ahead of its much-hyped unveiling. That said, a report back in May 2017 revealed that TVR had trademarked the name “Griffin,” which could very well end up being the name of this model. It’s not completely unfounded either since the company has used the Griffith name in the past, most recently on the two-door convertible that ran from 1991 to 2002. If the rebirth of TVR is all about tapping into the nostalgia of its past while also looking ahead to the future, it makes sense to use a name that fans of the brand are familiar with.

The TVR Griffith certainly fits that mold. It’s also a good name for a car that will receive a 5.0-liter V-8 engine that’s tipped to produce close to 500 horsepower, more than enough to send serious notice to cars like the Porsche 911 and the Jaguar F-Type. TVR also announced that the T37 – should we start calling it Griffith now? – will weigh no heavier than 1,200 kilos (2,645 pounds) and when combined with the expected output, the car will be able to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under four seconds on its way to hitting a top speed of 200 mph.

References

2018 TVR T37

Read our speculative review on the TVR T37.

2003 TVR Sagaris

Read our full review on the 2003 TVR Sagaris.