Trevor Wilkinson
Trevor Wilkinson (born May 14, 1923 in Blackpool , † June 6, 2008 in Menorca , Spain ) was an English automobile designer and founder of TVR .
biography
Wilkinson dropped out of school at the age of 14 and began training as an engineer at a local workshop in Blackpool. In 1946 he bought a tire shop in his hometown and converted the business into a workshop with an auto business. He called the business Trevcar Motors.
In 1947 he developed his first car, a modified Alvis Firebird . He then renamed the company TVR Engineering; TVR as an abbreviation of his first name Trevor. Jack Pickard joined the company. In 1949 the first sports vehicle was created under the name Mark I, later renamed TVR Grantura .
The vehicles were very fast and agile for the time. They were equipped with a special fiberglass body and had a powerful Coventry Climax , a BMC or a Ford engine. The company followed this concept until the 1980s. The first sale in the United States followed in 1956. In the United Kingdom , the vehicles were sold in kit form in order to avoid tax obligations. In 1960 Wilkinson sold its hundredth car.
In April 1962, Wilkinson and his partner Jack Pickard left the company in order to found a construction company with him that specialized in fiber optics. He separated from the company shortly before the first TVR models were used in the Le Mans 24-hour race .
Wilkinson retired in Menorca, Spain, where he died on June 6, 2008 at the age of 85 after a long illness.
Individual evidence
- ^ Obituary in the Daily Telegraph
- ↑ Obituary in Car Magazine (online edition)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wilkinson, Trevor |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English automobile designer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 14, 1923 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Blackpool |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 6, 2008 |
| Place of death | Menorca |