Ever hear the name TVR? Well, without Raymond Saidel, Trevor Wilkinson may never have brought TVR to the production car phase of its life. In 1950, Ray Saidel sold his share of the Sky Service of New England (a charter flying service he had started after WW II) and took control of the Merrimack Street Garage, when his father Morris Saidel passed away. Ray kept flying for pleasure and as a member of the civil air patrol, while at the helm of Merrimack Street garage. As an Oldsmobile dealer, Ray was excited about the new Oldsmobile Rocket V8 engine! As required, he purchased the new 1952 display engine. In those days, it was a fully functional motor on an engine stand in the showroom of the Merrimack Street Garage.
The 1952 Oldsmobile “Rocket” V8.
By May of 1953, Ray wondered what to do with his display engine and as his interest in foreign cars was starting to take root. Ray noticed an advertisement in the British magazine Motor that had been placed by Sidney Allard. Some correspondence later and J-3201, a J2X Le Mans, was on its way across the pond to the Merrimack Street Garage. The car arrived and mechanic Sam Guimond was Ray’s choice to install the engine.
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