Some cars write their own stories. This TVR prototype could fill a book. Crafted in 1988 as a precursor to TVR’s 1990s evolution, the production version never hit the ground; TVR instead shed the wedge idiom in favor of organic curves, à la the Chimaera and the Cerbera. But for a few years, TVR Chairman Peter Wheeler adopted the White Elephant as his daily driver. He put more than 27,000 miles on the car, riding companionably with his dog, Ned. Ned had his own “seat” in the rear of the car, alongside whatever shotgun was carried that day in service of hunting. Of course, no car story is worthwhile without the near-miss associated with profound neglect: after tacking away from the wedge shape, TVR consigned the White Elephant to its rear yard for years, where it duly deteriorated. TVR enthusiast Howard Bryan bought the car from Wheeler in 2004, embarking on a thorough restoration. Today, it is offered from the third owner’s portfolio; the seller aspires to a price in excess of £100,000. Thanks to PRA4SNW for spotting this unicorn for us!
Situated on a 420 SEAC chassis and running a front-mounted, 16-valve, Group A Holden “Walkinshaw” 5.0-liter V8, this prototype was more race car than road car. Initial experimentation with anti-sway bars made the car nearly untractable. Disconnecting the rear bar improved the handling. A cooling issue also arose, as Wheeler wanted the radiator to lie as flat as possible to enable that slopey profile; I’d want to tool around in traffic to see what’s up with the thermostat. The car is equipped with a Borg-Warner T5, a good match for the 440 hp mill. Braking is via discs at all fours, inboard at the rear. Top speed is estimated at 170 mph; the car was clocked at about 4 seconds to 60 mph.
Prospective buyers should note that Peter Wheeler was 6’6″ tall. The seating set-up was customized to his frame. That’s a long reach to the pedals. If you are 5’6″ like yours truly, better hire a specialist to reconfigure the interior. Ned, too, didn’t take to his cubbyhole in the rear; like all dogs, he preferred to sit up front with his owner. Outside of the dimensions, the car is appropriately luxe inside, with piped green leather upholstery, wool carpets, and walnut dash trim.
John Ravenscroft designed the body, engineering it to fit the SEAC chassis and that V8 engine. The nose was 420-esque, other body panels were reminiscent of the Tasmin. The result is unlike anything you’ll ever see on the road, and whether it’s graceful or brilliant is certainly open for debate. Though the White Elephant proved to be an evolutionary dead-end, we can applaud its salvation from complete destruction.
Gosh that rear 3/4 view is shockingly pretty!
bt
It´s one of the most gorgeous rrear ends (on a car) I´ve seen.The front and the iinterior aren´t too shabby either.
They should have built this. Probably would have been more successful.
RHD anything…deal killer for me.
Best looking TVR. Ever.
I like the front end of the car and the side. The side reminds me of a Nissan 300Zed of the mid to late 1980s, while the front of the car reminds me of miniature Corvette. As for the rear? I don’t know what the hell it reminds me of. It’s when you climb into the car, you realise you’re driving a different animal. I hope whoever buys the car enjoys it and takes care of it.
Rear end photo reminds me of the Avante.
Avanti, I owned a 70 ll last summer for two months…
An interesting preservation- seems there must be a museum with a penchant for prototypes or TVTs – great effort, thanks.
All these “anything RHD = deal breaker” comments – not just here but everywhere; it really is not all that difficult. Millions of us Brits take our RHD vehicles to mainland Europe and therefore drive on the right of the road.
After about fifteen minutes you don’t think twice about it.
How many of you Brits go out of your way to own and drive LHD cars in Great Britain is the real question.
Crown, I live in Australia which is also a RHD country and on any given weekend there are literally hundreds if not thousands of LHD US cars on our roads. I’m a member of The Cadillac LaSalle Car Club which was founded purely because of the large number of US cars in the country back in 1993, the club caters for all US cars regardless of make as long as it’s a US manufactured vehicle. Driving a LHD vehicle on the left hand side of the road isn’t a problem at all and if it seems like a massive problem people shoud stick to riding a bicycle or just stay home! It’s all in the mind and you’ll never know how easy it is until you get up the guts to try it ! All of your USPS guys do it on a daily basis and you don’t hear them complain do you?
@BJ. Good for you! To each there their own.
Here in the UK, LHD vehicles tend to fall into one of three categories;
1. The largest category is older ie: classic vehicles. These are normally “summer-only” or “dry day only” vehicles, so not daily drivers, as they often have limited-mileage classic insurance policies;
2. The next largest tend to be cars that we could have had new but didn’t; for example the original Renault Twingo. Renault decided it would be too costly to engineer a RHD version. However, many were imported privately from the continent and are often daily drivers.
3. The smallest group are cars that were available new but never in RHD; one that immediately springs to mind was the Lancia Delta Integrale (lesser Delta models were available in RHD).
There are always exceptions to every rule but those are the three major groups.
However, go to any car show in the UK and you’d be surprised just how many LHD vehicles we do have here.
Edit to the above: I should have stressed UK-registered LHD vehicles.
Very cool, i would like mine in red please.
Last week, I just watched a segment on the ‘Retro Car’ channel on YouTube about this car.
https://youtu.be/ixEiyDnA7kk?si=CVNpwBjw0aamr0gw
Avanti, I owned a 70 ll last summer for two months…
Funny, I’m the only one on this site that thinks this ” White elephant ” is butt ugly! To each his own I guess but definitely not my cup of tea. Better looking TVRs out there in the wild.
To all the LHD-RHD debate. I drove a new 1961 VW all over England for about 2 years, you do get used to it somewhat, difficult to pass unless you have a passenger. It still feels right with the steering wheel next to the centerline
I drive a lot of rhd cars in continental Europe. For (pre-war) cars like Rolls and Bentley it makes no difference at all. Here you sit high and don’t overtake anyway.
For my rhd Healey 3000 it is sometimes more difficult as I like to drive it somewhat fast and it can be tricky overtaking.