Happy Birthday Griffith!
10/24/2020
We almost missed the opportunity to send our congratulations. But to whom? Peter Wheeler passed away a while ago (2009). The former oil millionaire was responsible for the creation of the TVR Griffith back then. Legend has it that Wheeler and his designer stood on the highway to find suitable rear lights for the car. In the end, they chose the lamps from the Vauxhall/Opel Vectra, which were simply mounted upside down.
The TVR Griffith was unveiled at the British motor show in Birmingham in September 1990. The Automobil Revue wrote briefly: "The latest sports car design from Blackpool appeals with its harmonious lines, compact construction and powerful engine (3.9 V8, over 240 hp), which promises a lot of driving pleasure."
However, the car could only be purchased a year later and the engine capacity was soon 4.3 liters (Griffith 430) and a few years later five liters (Griffith 500). This meant that the car had around 320 to 340 hp, which for a sports car weighing less than 1.2 tons and the size of a Mazda MX-5 made for quite a sporty temperament.
Of course, like its predecessors, the Griffith was built by hand in Blackpool, and I myself was one of the buyers of a brand new Griffith 500 in 1996. And I was allowed to visit the factory when my car was half-finished and was able to photograph the "Griffith" painted on during construction, which very few TVR buyers ever saw because it was covered with carpet as part of the finishing process.
So now the TVR Griffith has become a classic car, although most of the cars sold at the moment are still capable youngtimers.
Happy Birthday!
