TVR’s unique ‘White Elephant’ is a mammoth of the marque

One dictionary definition of a ‘white elephant’ describes an object that “is useless or troublesome, especially one that is expensive to maintain or difficult to dispose of”.

The White Elephant here may well prove a bit troublesome (it is a TVR, after all) and could be expensive to maintain – but it certainly isn’t useless, and owner Ed Gibson of Shmoo Automotive doesn’t expect it to be difficult to dispose of when the time comes.

As dyed-in-the-wool TVR fans might know, the White Elephant was a prototype built in 1988 specifically for the marque’s then-managing director Peter Wheeler.

The ‘wedge’ appearance for which TVRs were famous was beginning to look long in the tooth, so Wheeler envisaged something a little more rounded – which chief designer John Ravenscroft created by experimenting with the quick-drying foam and glass-fibre matting combination that eventually became TVR’s favoured medium.

Flush-fitting headlamp glass and a seamless rear panel added to the smoother look, while suitably modern performance was guaranteed through the use of a version of the 5-litre, fuel-injected Holden V8 that had been developed to enable high-performance Commodores to compete in the Bathurst Racing Series in Australia.

Inside, the car was entirely bespoke to Wheeler, with the ergonomics of the fixed seat, pedal box and steering wheel being set  to accommodate his 6ft 6in frame, while the rear load area featured a half-moon shaped ‘nest’ for his gundog Ned and a flat platform for his shooting kit.

Wheeler used the 170mph car regularly for 18 months to commute from his Harrogate home to Blackpool, prior to shelving ideas for a production model and consigning the White Elephant to TVR’s infamous ‘graveyard’ at the back of the factory. It languished there for more than a decade before TVR fan Howard Bryan (now a key member of the marque-specific Blackpool Thunder Car Club formed in 2020) saved it from oblivion just a week before the business was sold to 24-year-old Russian banker Nikolay Smolensky in 2004.

Although it was missing its bonnet and rear screen, had a tree growing from the load bay and mice nesting between its rocker covers, Bryan and a group of former TVR employees embarked on a meticulous, nine-year restoration of the White Elephant, successfully returning it to its original condition.

Bryan kept and used the car for a further decade, making it a regular sight at TVR events and car shows prior to selling it to Gibson.

Recently subjected to a thorough “going-over” by TVR specialists, the White Elephant is now described as being in “perfect working order” and – as of now, could be looking for a new home.

Gibson is reluctant to publish a price tag but, being a unique, bespoke car built for a key player in TVR’s history, it has to be worth six-figure money.

So, if you fancy a White Elephant in your life, give Gibson a call. And don’t forget to tell him you ‘herd’ it here first.

1988 TVR ‘White Elephant’

On offer with Shmoo Automotive – Leicester, Thurlaston, Leicestershire. Asking price: £POA. shmooautomotive.co.uk

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