I am employing the past tense to delineate the ephemeral resurgence of the TVR brand and the unrealized Griffith sports car. Contrary to a genuine revival, it wasn’t; TVR was a clown show from the outset. I harboured reservations about it since around 2019. Six years later, all they have is a mere show car. TVR had intentions to manufacture the Griffith in a factory situated in Ebbw Vale, Wales. In 2018, the Welsh government acquired a 3% stake in the company, anticipating that a new sports car factory would generate over 150 jobs.

Fast forward to today, it appears that TVR has distanced itself from the Welsh government and relinquished exclusive rights to the Ebbw Vale factory. Nevertheless, the Ebbw Vale factory was a red flag from the start due to its dilapidated state and substantial overcapacity for a small sports car manufacturer.

As an example or point of comparison, the Ebbw Vale factory spans 180,000 square meters, surpassing the size of Aston Martin’s factory in Gaydon, Warwickshire, which measures 150,000 square meters. Given this straightforward statistic, one must question why TVR, with a history of low-volume production runs, necessitates such an expansive facility. Surprisingly, no one in the motoring press seemed to raise this crucial point.

I am certain that behind the scenes, within the premier motoring news desks, editors and journalists were scrutinizing the viability of TVR. However, this private doubt never surfaced in the optimistic news coverage lavished on TVR. I can only surmise that the motoring press was engaged in access journalism, seeking exclusive access to the first drives of the mythical Griffith.

The second cause for concern arose with TVR’s chairman, Les Edgar. Without delving into potentially litigious matters, Les Edgar is a smooth talker, adept at skillfully weaving sentences together with a high level of clarity and conviction. He is remarkably persuasive, particularly to those who may be easily swayed, but I suppose many motoring journalists were willing to be deceived in the hope of witnessing TVR’s resurgence from the ashes.

However, TVR is essentially defunct; the Griffith will never reach production because it should have already commenced. Regardless of whatever or whoever they choose to blame, actions indeed speak louder than words. The entire TVR sideshow has exposed the demise of motoring journalism—the absence of inquiry, curiosity, reduced to mere stenography.