TVR has finally returned to motorsport but not in the way we'd hoped

It has been over 10 years since we saw a TVR take to the racetrack with factory backing. But through the rejuvenated company that has returned to road car production with the new Griffith, we have a new racing car emblazoned with a TVR sticker on its nose.

So it's not really a TVR racing car at all - it's Rebellion Racing's LMP1 car for the 2018/19 WEC season with rather large TVR stickers on it. The Oreca R-13 prototype will make its debut at the WEC Prologue event at Circuit Paul Ricard on 6 April.

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TVR isn't exactly a new boy to sportscar racing, seeing as it was racing at Le Mans in the '60s and participated in the early Noughties with race-prepped Tuscans.

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The new TVR has a 5.0-litre V8 and is crammed with clever aero | DriveTribe

The 500bhp sportscar will be looking to dominate the Porsche 911 through sheer downforce

According to TVR, the partnership with Rebellion will feed knowledge down into its road car development, with the Griffith already boasting a serious aerodynamic package that taps into the world of ground effects.

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Les Edgar, Chairman of TVR, said: “When we resurrected the TVR brand, we knew that we wanted to achieve a return to the race track. Our partnership with REBELLION Racing allows us to achieve that goal, while bringing about valuable operational and technical knowledge, which directly transfers to our road car operation and future racing activities."

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For us Brits, the return of TVR will certainly give us a team (along with Ginetta) to support in the top LMP1 tier. We're still anxiously waiting for a racing version of the Griffith to take on the 911 RSR and Aston Vantages of this world but at least this LMP1 entry is a step in that direction.