Fasteners feature in hand-built sports cars

A Bighead Bonding Fasteners product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jun 2, 2003

Bighead fasteners are available for same day despatch or to scheduled call off, enabling TVR Sports to build customised cars very quickly without having to lock up money in stock.

TVR Engineering manufactures and markets a range of internationally prized hand-built sports cars.

Its name is associated with quality and excellence, with each vehicle receiving individual attention to detail in all aspects of its manufacture.

According to Ben Samuelson, TVR Sport's Head of Marketing and Communications, Bighead fasteners are used throughout TVR's range of glass-reinforced-plastic lightweight body shells.

Bighead fasteners come in a huge range of different types and sizes all of which are available for same day despatch or to scheduled call off.

The company's rapid despatch systems enables TVR Sports to build customised cars very quickly without having to lock up money in stock.

The TVR was born in 1947, when engineer, Trevor Wilkinson (the TVR brand derives from his first name) designed a light alloy special based on an Alvis Firebird rolling chassis.

Just two years later the first TVR emerged with its own custom-designed chassis powered by a Ford sidevalve engine.

Produced in very small numbers, these simple but effective sports cars soon built an ardent following of motoring enthusiasts, all looking for power, agility and fun for a reasonable price.

The TVR identity was formulated in the mid-1950s with the introduction of the Grantura, and over the next 30 years, a succession of cars was created.

In 1998 the 750 craftsmen and engineers at TVR's Blackpool factory produced 2000 hand-built motor cars, every one of which was built to a customer's specification, and cost less than half as much as the mass produced equivalent from Germany or Italy.

By means of a carefully balanced mix of skill, traditional craftsmanship and advanced manufacturing technology, TVR is able to produce exciting and well built cars which probably would never make it off the drawing board in a company run by accountants.

Cars like the new Tuscan Speed Six.

With everything designed and built in-house, including body, chassis, 360bhp engine and all the switch gear and dials, these cars are unique, highly desirable and temptingly affordable.

For nearly 40 years Bighead fasteners have been incorporated in thousands of plastic products.

Suitable for use with all common moulding methods and types of plastic they provide strong, concealed anchorages and enable plastic products to be joined quickly and cheaply to mating components.

They are ideal for use with prefinished materials because no expensive drilling or filling is ever needed.

They are either bonded into something or stuck to the rear of it.

In neither case can the means of fastening be detected.

About 2000 different types and sizes of Bighead fasteners are available from stock and, unlike nails or screws, have load distributing features which no other fasteners can match.

Equally important is the fact that they never require expensive 'making good'.

About 200 new designs are added each year, as well as many specials designed to meet customers' specific fastening problems.

Orders are despatched within 24 hours and the company make up samples free of charge.

Designers can contact the company and will be provided with a sample within two or three days.