TVR was originally founded in 1947 by Trevor Wilkinson under the name ‘Trevcar Motors’, but changed its name to TVR in 1954, a variation of TreVoR's name. From the very beginning, the company worked on the principle of polyester bodywork on a tubular steel frame chassis. The cars were often sold in kit form to avoid the high British taxes. This practice was only made impossible in the 1970s when the government closed this loophole in the law.