TVR's Elephant in the room...

Posted by John Mellberg February 17, 2021

TVR's Elephant in the room...

The story of the "White Elephant" begins with an Australian 5.0ltr V8 Holden Bathurst race engine, the "VL SS Group-A SV", unit which was given to Peter Wheeler to evaluate by Tom Walkinshaw, the head of Holden Special Vehicles (HSV). This motor was one of perhaps 10 produced for testing purposes in the course of HSV's various competition engine development programs in the mid to late 80's.

According to HSV, many of these experimental builds were tested to their limits, resulting in destruction, or were further developed into new iterations. As such, this the only remaining original experimental Holden motor of its type likely to be in existence. Once in TVR hands, it was mated to an HSV supplied US Spec’ Borg Warner T5 World Series gearbox. In any chassis this would make for a potent package.

The TVR White Elephant's Holden "VL SS Group-A SV" motor

The chassis this combo ultimately found its home in a modified SEAC race chassis developed by Neill Anderson, upon which a restyled version of a Tasmin coupe's bodywork would be mounted. For fitment, the bodywork was extended and its track was widened to accommodate these powerful underpinnings. The wheel wells were increased in size, with blistered fenders worked into the body sides, to work with the more aggressive suspension and tire setup, and the Tasmin's pop-up headlights were replaced with fixed lamps under transparent covers.

The TVR White Elephant, at rear

The bodywork was modelled by TVR's (then) chief designer John Ravenscroft using spray-on expanding foam which, when dry, was cut to shape and over-coated with a layer of fiberglass. This was the first use of such a method by the company and, due to the time saved using this new technique, all subsequent TVR prototype bodies were produced in this way.

The "White Elephant" was built to Wheeler's specifications for use as both a daily driver and as a vehicle to go shooting in. He was an avid hunter, so compartments for his rifles and ammunition were cleverly hidden in the car's interior. There was also a side-facing basket for his hunting dog, Ned, and a cage for Pheasants integrated integrated into the cabin behind the two seats. All of this was clad in the finest leather and wood appointments.

The TVR White Elephant interior

The car was used by Peter Wheeler for a few years but eventually ended up in the yard of his Factory and fell into disrepair over the course of the next decade. This area at the TVR works was referred to as the "Graveyard" and a number of other mules and prototypes resided there in various states of disassembly and decay, including the fascinating "Zante" which deserves an article of its own.

It was said that the car was found with a tree growing out of the trunk and mice nesting in the engine bay. However, the White Elephant would be saved in the end. The car was revived through a nine year restoration consisting of the complete tear-down and refinishing of all its components, thanks to current owner Howard Bryan. Work was completed in 2012, at a cost of £70,000 including the original purchase of the car's remnants. The result is a beautiful piece of British specialty car history, preserved in a magnificent state.

The White Elephant is a fitting and spectacular bookend to TVR's "wedge era". The 90's would see the company go in a very different direction. Currently a new iteration of the company's Griffith is in development, hopefully reaching customers in 2022.

Sources:
The TVR Owner's Club (UK)
Drive-My.com