It’d been about 4 long years since we first heard of TVR making a comeback, after a consortium of well-heeled, passionate enthusiasts had banded together to purchase the TVR name from a Russian ‘mini-oligarch’ who had up to that point done precious little to bring the brand back from the dead. That consortium were determined to not only put the TVR name back on the lips of driving enthusiasts around the world, but to go back to its roots by delivering the greatest amount of bang for your buck.
And if this, the new TVR Griffith is anything to go by, they’ve brought that dream to fruition.
“The unveiling is the culmination of nearly three years of tireless work by the team, and we’re proud to be able to show the new TVR Griffith to the world. This is unmistakably a TVR, a British muscle car that’s as awesome and brutal as it is charismatic and refined. Importantly, the new TVR offers levels of technical sophistication, comfort, reliability, and practicality, never seen by the brand before.” - Les Edgar, Chairman, TVR Automotive Limited
It was thought that the TVR name was well and truly dead when the Blackpool marque ceased production in 2006, as previous-owner Nikolai Smolenski sought to rationalise his businesses and no longer saw fit to burn money to keep the brand alive. More than a decade has passed since though, and there’s little doubt that with the Griffith, the TVR brand is truly alive and well, as was made clear during the Griffith’s static debut at the Goodwood Revival in September. With power coming from a Ford V8 under the bonnet, going to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual (!) transmission, this has all the hallmarks of a true drivers car, though undoubtedly one firmly rooted in today.
The Griffith not only brings the TVR name back from the pages of history however, as the ‘Griffith’ name itself was affixed to one of TVR’s most recognisable cars (and one that this writer has had a couple of adventures in himself). And like the namesake car, the new Griffith goes to great lengths to incorporate advanced aerodynamics to aid performance, thanks in part to the iStream platform the Griffith is built on.
iStream is actually the product of Gordon Murray Design, as is the look of the thing. iStream features a bonded carbon-fibre and steel frame that offers remarkable rigidity and integrity without much of a weight penalty, as told by the new TVR’s weight of just 1250kg.
And propelling that lightweight frame is an American heart, a Ford 5.0-litre V8 straight out of the new Mustang. However, it wasn’t just plonked in wholesale: The engine’s had a looking-over by famed English tuners Cosworth, and now produces a colossal 372kW (500bhp). That power is capable of propelling the Griffith from rest to 100km/h in less than 4-seconds, with a top speed north of 320km/h (200mph).
All that power, in a car lighter and smaller than a Porsche 911.
TVR claims that the Griffith was shaped using “intelligent engineering over electronic aids,” suggesting that the direct man-and-machine relationship that previous TVRs were famed for will remain intact. There’s complex suspension geometry front and rear with double wishbone suspension and adjustable coilover dampers all round. There are two-piece brake discs in all corners too.
The Griffith will not seek to change TVR’s status as a small, specialist company though, with an annual production target of about 1,000 cars after the first 500 ‘Launch Editions’ have been sold off. Sales will be focused in the UK, with prices expected to hover around the £90,000 mark, with further variants expected to push that price up and down (depending on spec).
Stay tuned to CarShowroom as we bring you more updates as they come.
