Classic pearls of the future - TVR Griffith
05/01/2013
In 1990, a small sports car company from Blackpool exhibited a prototype called the TVR Griffith at the Birmingham Motor Show, which drew crowds and made them marvel and dream. An order was noted down every eight minutes, a lot for a company that was producing several hundred cars a year at the time. Yet the Griffith was not even finished yet, still resting on the chassis of its predecessor.
Many months passed before the first production vehicles with the adapted chassis of the Tuscan racing car could be delivered in 1991, first with a 4.0-liter Rover engine, then with a 4.3-liter displacement and from 1993 with a five-liter displacement and 340 hp, now called the Griffith 500. Over 2,400 units were produced by 2002/3, the last 100 as special editions at the end of the series.
The Griffith looked spectacular with all its curves and short overhangs, the headlights crouching under glass covers and the many design features. The doors opened electrically, controlled by a handle in the center console. Anyone who didn't know this had to climb out. And if you ran out of power, you could only open the car using a hidden mechanical lock. They had their peculiarities, these cars, but thanks to an unladen weight of just under 1,000 kg, they spoiled us with super sports car performance and a beguiling sound, especially in the English version, reminiscent of the CanAm racing cars of days gone by.
In England, there are meetings dedicated solely to the Griffith ("Griff Growl") and a Griffith book has even been published. It did not make an appearance as a racing car; its more powerful brother, the Tuscan Racer, was responsible for that. Nevertheless, it completely fulfills the requirements of a classic and in a few years' time we will wonder why we didn't buy one in time, as they are still reasonably affordable.
