Stuart Garner Norton was a disaster
2008-2020
Stuart Garner bought Norton in 2008 and operated until 2020 when the brand collapsed. The V4SS launched 2017 was the flagship — a 1200cc V4 superbike with claimed 200bhp. Only a handful of customer bikes were delivered. Subsequent owners identified 20 safety-critical issues including engine seizure, fuel tank leaks and electronic failure. SVA-only meant no proper type approval. Garner was later disqualified as a director.
TVS rescued the brand
April 2020
TVS Motor Company (India) bought Norton's assets out of administration in April 2020. New CEO Dr Robert Hentschel, new factory in Solihull, £200m+ investment. Their first job: redesign the V4 platform to fix it, then ship promised orders to customers who had paid deposits years earlier.
428 of 900 components changed
Engineering rework
Norton's engineers identified 35 design faults with the original V4 and redesigned roughly 428 of the bike's 900 components. New cooling system, heavily revised lubrication, reworked valvetrain, more reliable ECU firmware, fixed gearbox internals. The result: the V4SV — sold from 2022, the same fundamental platform but functionally a different bike.
Power dropped 15bhp
200 → 185bhp
The redesigned V4SV is rated at 185bhp at 12,000rpm, down from the original 200bhp claim. Norton say this reflects honest dyno measurement under proper homologation conditions. Either way: still less than the 208bhp Ducati Streetfighter V4 or 207bhp Brutale 1000RR at similar money. Buyers don't choose Norton for headline numbers.
V4CR added in 2023
First all-new TVS-era model
The V4CR launched 2023 — café-racer styling, exposed air intakes, naked bodywork, but the same V4SV chassis and engine. Limited to 200 units worldwide. The first completely new Norton designed under TVS ownership.
Price: £40,000+ entry
Genuinely premium
V4SV at £44,000, V4CR at £41,999. For comparison: BMW M1000RR £30,935, Ducati Panigale V4 SP2 £34,295, Aprilia RSV4 Factory £23,000. The Norton is more expensive than apex-predator superbikes that out-perform it on every metric. Buyers are paying for British hand-build, exclusivity and the brand's racing heritage — not lap times.
Manx R supersedes both
2026
Norton's all-new 2026 Manx R is the future. It uses a completely new 1200cc V4 engine (not derived from the V4SV's lump), 206bhp, semi-active Marzocchi suspension, Brembo Hypure brakes, full international type approval. The V4SV and V4CR will continue in limited UK-only production while the Manx R takes the brand global.
