Question of the Day: Can Old TVRs Be Imported to the States Successfully?

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

Thanks to the 25-year EPA and NHTSA exemption for imports, a company called TVR Garage is bringing back the British sports car.


The headline above is mildly clickbaity, I suppose, since "successful" here is a definition that needs to be taken in context. TVR Garage isn't likely looking to sell in huge numbers -- TVRs have always been niche -- but the company is working with a British company, Str8six, to import classic and restored TVRs from overseas.

The Tucson-based TVR Garage will have service centers in Arizona, Florida, and California.

It will start with TVRs from 1997, with others becoming available as the 25-year mark passes for certain models.

So, you tell us -- will this small company be able to bring enough TVRs from the '90s across the pond to be able to consider itself a success?

*Editor Note: The initial headline on this post could be interpreted to mean the bran was returning to the States. That was not my intent and the headline has been changed.

[Images: TVR Garage]

Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by  subscribing to our newsletter.

Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

More by Tim Healey

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 21 comments
  • El scotto El scotto on Jul 19, 2024
    In my mind, I'd be barreling down a British B road with the top down, flawlessly heeling and toeing. Instead, I'd be in line to get on the D.C. Beltway.
  • Zerofoo Zerofoo on Jul 21, 2024
    According to some here, there is zero demand for these sorts of vehicles, because the are not EVs....or Tellurides.....or something.
  • ChristianWimmer I love how in this day and age something as simple as frigging car door handles have tons of electronics and built in complications stuffed into them…. It’s a frigging door handle! Why make them complicated?
  • Douglas How does the road/wind noise (and CVT groaning) compare to the outgoing Kicks? I had a 2023 Kicks SV as a rental car recently for about 4 weeks, and actually grew quite attached to it. Around town it was a fun commuter, but long interstate trips were loud and tiring.
  • Daniel J This was an odd duck. I knew folks who had these with over 200k miles on them and others that chucked a wobbly at 50k. I just liked the fact you could get an SS with lots of HP.
  • Dale I want to know if Kicks just keep getting harder to find? Do you think that Kicks will bring you peace of mind?
  • Redapple2 When will you kill the NA V 6 in the Frontier? (One of the last, if not the last in this class) I might need to get one. Call me a weirdo but I dont think turbo 4 bangers are a durable, long term, trouble free engine. (and in real world use, have the same MPG)
Next