It has been five years since British sports car manufacturer TVR revealed its all-new Griffith and the model still isn’t in production. New information points to the fact that it never will, at least not with internal combustion power under the hood.
According to Autocar, TVR recently announced that the Griffith (pictured) would eventually make it to production, not with ICE under its elongated hood but as an electric vehicle. Apparently, it will be one of several new fully-electric sports cars coming from this brand, although no information on additional models was shared.
TVR says it didn’t start production of the Griffith in 2019 as planned because it first needed to renovate its factory in in the Welsh town of Ebbw Vale. Lack of funds may also have played a part in the delay, but now the company says it has secured an investment from a South American company called Ensorcia.
Gallery: 2018 TVR Griffith
The manufacturer previously announced that it needed £25-million in order set its affairs in order and begin production. Plans to hire 200 people were also made public and the company is now reportedly waiting for the tooling to be installed in the factory.
You can still place an order for a TVR Griffith on the official website today, although it’s still being listed as being powered by a V8. There is a strong chance that TVR may try to build the Griffith with a V8 first, before moving on to the electric one, but given how difficult it is becoming to sell non-electrified vehicles, it may not be legal by the time it’s ready.
The last vehicle it ever made was the Sagaris, of which it only built 211 units from 2004 to 2006. Then followed the hiatus until the 2017 unveiling of the new Griffith, so it’s been a constant struggle for TVR for over 15 years. As much as we would want to see this company start producing electric sports cars, we’re not sure if we’re ever actually going to see one.