South Wales to house sports car production facilities

British sports car maker TVR has announced that it will build a new factory in Ebbw Vale, South Wales. Costing some £30million, the new factory will be part-funded by the Welsh Government.

The capacity of the factory and number of employees have yet to be announced, and the precise location has not yet been identified, but its first product is known: an entirely new sports car whose chassis and body have been designed by legendary Formula 1 designer Gordon Murray. The design incorporates F1 ground-effect technology to increase downforce and grip, and will use a V8 engine tuned and optimised by Cosworth. It will be the first car to be built using Gordon Murray Design’s iStream production process, which constructs the car around a framework of large-diameter, thin-walled steel tubes that are formed, laser-cut and profiled under computer control and welded together.