British automaker TVR->ke89 hasn’t been around the automotive scene for a decade now, but news has spread that the company is prepared to make a dramatic return with a new sports car->ke506 that’s going to redefine the sports car game. Those are admittedly big words, especially coming from a company that has had its fair share of financial problems in the past. But, if TVR chairman Les Edgar is to believed, it’s a dawn of a new age for the once proud British marque, and the company is preparing to turn the industry upside down with its first offering, a fastback sportscar codenamed “T37”.

TVR has actually released a few details about the T37 in the past. Most recently in December 2015, it was announced that the car will receive an optional carbon fiber chassis that will be created using Gordon Murray’s iStream Carbon assembly process. Apparently, TVR isn’t just stopping with the T37’s chassis because the company has just announced that a limited number of “Launch Edition” units will feature carbon construction as standard. Essentially, that means that the T37 will have a stand-alone tub and shell that will also be made from carbon fiber composite. Subsequent models, aka the “regular” T37s, will also be available to receive the same carbon fiber treatment, albeit as an optional package.

The prevalent use of carbon fiber for a sports car isn’t entirely new, but TVR is upping the ante by essentially building the T37 mainly out of the lightweight material. The company is able to do that because of the involvement of Murray and his iStream Carbon assembly process. This partnership, together with TVR’s other partner, Cosworth, is bringing so much needed buzz back into the British sports car brand. It’s definitely exciting times over there at TVR, but as they say in the business, only time will tell if the T37 will live up to all the hype it’s been getting.

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Why it matters

It’s hard not to get caught up in the excitement surrounding TVR. I feel it, and I’m sure that a lot of people do too. I know TVR’s history and I know what a loss it has been for the British car industry not having the company that was responsible for sports cars like the Tuscan and the Sagaris. Heck, at one point in time, TVR was once considered the third-largest specialized sports car manufacturer in the world.

Of course, none of that matters now. Whatever legacy it has isn’t going to help the brand moving forward. So instead of dwelling on what it once was, TVR is now focusing all of its time on what it can be moving forward. Having Gordon Murray in the fold is a huge coup for the TVR. After all, this is the man who is largely credited for designing the most iconic British supercar of all time: the McLaren F1.

With him on its side, TVR can take full advantage of Murray’s iStream Carbon assembly process and build the carbon fiber construction at a fraction of the cost that other traditional methods in allow. Imagine having the resource to use the world’s first affordable, yet high volume carbon fiber chassis and body structure on your car. That’s a big deal for TVR because no other company will be able to offer the same thing, at least for the price that TVR expects to sell the T37.

Just as important is TVR’s partnership with Cosworth. Knowing that the car will reportedly run on Ford’s 5.0-liter V-8 Coyote engine, having Cosworth, who knows its way around Ford engines, in the mix will be incredibly beneficial in building a powertrain that can live up to the TVR name. There have already been reports that Cosworth has started testing this engine for the T37 and is routinely getting anywhere from 450 to 500 horsepower out of it. I don’t know if that’s what we’re going to see in the car, but I can’t say that I’m not excited to find out.