All posts in “TVR Griffith”

EU Regulations Delay TVR Griffith Until 2020

EU Makes Things Tougher for TVR

British carmaker TVR has a new Griffith sports car, and it looks awesome. That car will take a little longer than originally thought to go to production and be cruising around on European roads. According to the Dutch publication AutoRAI, the company will have will have to push back the car until 2020 due to EU regulations. 

Carscoops reported on the Dutch publication’s findings and noted that the cause for the delay was the fact that the Welsh government owns a tiny percentage of the company. Despite the fact that only three percent of the company is under Welsh government control, TVR qualifies as a state-funded company. This means it needs to take EU-bids on the South Wales factory renovation before production can begin. 

TVR GriffithTVR Griffith
Image from TVR

“It takes more time than we expected to start production, thanks to the rules of the European Union. We are now aiming for a market launch in the course of 2020,” said Heritage Director of TVR, Paul Thompson. Judging by Thompson’s responses to journalists, he sounded understandably annoyed with the rules. 

When the TVR Griffith does finally hit roads it will be a serious performance sports car. It looks amazing and has a Ford-sourced 5.0-liter V8 under the hood. The mad scientists at Cosworth also got their hands on the engine. TVR says it will make 500 hp and all that power will go to the rear wheels. The car will only weight 2,755 pounds, meaning it should go like a rocket. The car’s 50-50 weight distribution and sporty suspension, brakes, and tires should make it a force to be reckoned with. 

February 1, 2019 / Comments Off on EU Regulations Delay TVR Griffith Until 2020
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TVR Griffith revealed: Beloved British sports car company is back

Anyone who followed the British car world up until about five to 10 years ago should be familiar with TVR. A small company that specialized in sports cars with huge power, scary handling and wild styling (Side exhausts! Clear spoilers! Chameleon paint!). And, if you’ll note here around the 1:10 mark, they were personally signed by the blokes who made them — along with some creative imagery at times.

Well, after disappearing for a decade amidst economic troubles and ownership changes (to put it mildly), the brand has finally re-emerged, pulling the covers of its new TVR Griffith at the Goodwood Revival in time for the brand’s 70th anniversary.

As always, TVR has chosen a long hood, short deck configuration with a handsome fastback roofline. Though there are plenty of go-fast aero enhancements and oddities (side pipes forward of the doors), it’s less bonkers and kit car in appearance than the last go-around of TVR’s such as the Tuscan or Sagaris. It’s actually quite handsome, if a wee bit fish-like up front.

In terms of dimensions, it’s quite small, with an overall length and height that undercuts a Porsche 718 Cayman by about 2 inches (it’s 2 inches wider) as opposed to the higher-end sports cars with which it’ll compete. At 2,755 pounds, it weighs about 200 pounds less than a Cayman as well thanks to an all-new platform that makes use of the iStream Carbon manufacturing process developed by Gordon Murray.

It sure doesn’t have the engine of a Cayman, though. Powering the Griffith is a Ford Coyote 5.0-liter V8 massaged by another British motoring legend, Cosworth, to produce 506 horsepower (or an even 500 brake horsepower in Britain). TVR promises a 0-60 time in the sub-4-second range and a top speed of higher than 200 mph. A Tremac six-speed manual and rear-wheel drive are mandatory as Queen, country and God intended.

The suspension utilizes double wishbones up front and adjustable coil-overs, while electric power steering is another indication TVR has entered this century. The inclusion of ABS and traction control indicates it’s finally caught up to the last.

While much of the car would seem to be rather state-of-the-art, the cabin has the sort of parts bin look you’d expect of low-volume sports car makers. The air vents and turn signals are clearly pulled from a Ford Fiesta, for instance. Then again, Aston Martins have had Volvo tech controls and Miata door handles and no one seemed to care much. The large display screens for the infotainment system and instruments would at least show the company is making a concerted effort to keep up with the times.

TVR is presently taking orders for the Griffith with an asking price of £90,000 and a delivery date in about a year. No, you won’t be able to get one in the United States.

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September 8, 2017 / Comments Off on TVR Griffith revealed: Beloved British sports car company is back
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