TVr Thunder rumbles into life
New club pledges low fees and diverse events
Plans to launch a new TVR club by late September were revealed at the Cumbria Classic & Motorsport Show on 18 August.
Blackpool Thunder Car Club, spearheaded by ‘White Elephant’ TVR prototype owner, Howard Bryan, and serial TVR owners, Steve Charlesworth and Alex Leith, promises to give more back to its members.
Howard, a friend of former TVR boss, the late Peter Wheeler, says that Blackpool Thunder will differ from other owners’ clubs, featuring the latest news, exclusive member discounts, lots of driving events, link ups with independent TVR specialists and an archive room packed with factory data and resources. He said: ‘We already have a room full. There’s enough material to keep us going for at least 10 years.
‘As well as using the archive as the basis for online news and articles we will also be providing archive services to club members. While there will be no charge for members, 50 per cent of any donations received will go to our adopted charity, Cancer Research UK.’
Because the new club is event-based, Howard adds that they won’t always be organising drives to the same old places year in, year out, either. He said: ‘This is what makes us very different – we all love driving and socialising, and this will be right at the very core of Blackpool Thunder.’
The club’s website will be up and running by mid-September, following a final phase of testing. Howard said: ‘We have an office at the Enterprise Centre on Lytham Road in Blackpool, which is in sight of the tower and 100 yards from the sea front. Blackpool is in our hearts.
‘The new Griffith might be being built in Ebbw Vale in Wales, but whenever a new Griffith is fired up, you’re going to hear the rumble of Blackpool Thunder.’
There’s no word yet on membership costs, but the team promises that it will be inexpensive to join because the club won’t have the expense of printing a regular magazine.
Howard said: ‘A number of us thought that it would be positive to create a new TVR club where we have a good diversity of events and that’s inexpensive to join.
‘Everything is online, these days – a number of the Blackpool Thunder team work in social media, and report news as it happens.
‘We thought it would be positive to have a TVR club that has all of that and also, we’re extremely keen on preserving the history of TVR.
‘So, a good number of like-minded people have banded together to make the club happen.’