 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(April 2018) |
| TVR Griffith 200 | |
|---|---|
 A TVR Griffith 200 at Brands Hatch | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | TVR |
| Also called | Griffith Series 200 |
The TVR Griffith 200 (or Griffith Series 200) was a lightweight fibreglass-body sports car. In the United States, the make was Griffith and the model was Griffith Series 200, whilst the United Kingdom the make was TVR and the model was Griffith 200.
Jack Griffith came up with the idea for the car in 1964, and secured rights to market the cars in the US. Griffith ran a car repair workshop in the US for patrons such as Gerry Sagerman and Mark Donohue who had both driven a TVR Grantura at Sebring International Raceway in 1962. The concept for the Griffith Series 200 originated during a dinner with Carroll Shelby, where Griffith declared he could build a car that could outperform an AC Cobra.
Griffith's first attempt was to put the Ford V8 engine from Mark Donohue's AC Cobra into a TVR Grantura. While this did not work, the idea prompted further conversations. Griffith wanted TVR to supply him with modified TVR Grantura chassis, without an engine or transmission, and TVR complied with his request.
In an effort to get the engine and gearbox to fit, some of the Grantura's chassis was removed, and various other parts of the chassis were simply hammered until the powertrain elements fit.[ citation needed ] The brakes remained stock, but the car was fitted with slightly wider tyres.
The Griffith Series 200 could either be fitted with a 195 hp (145 kW; 198 PS)289 cubic inches (4.74 L) overhead-valve Ford smallblock V8 engine as standard (of the type fitted to Ford Mustangs of the era), or an optional "K-code", "high-power" or "HiPo" V8 of similar displacement that put out 271 hp (202 kW; 275 PS), like those fitted to the contemporary Shelby GT350. It could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 3.9 seconds, and had a 150 mph (241 km/h) top speed.[ citation needed ]
The British motoring journalist and former racing driver John Bolster reported that he had tested a Griffith from 0-60mph (97 km/h) in 5.2 seconds and covered the standing quarter-mile in 13.8 seconds. Top speed was 163 mph (262 km/h). Bolster wrote that "over 150 mph (242 km/h), things become somewhat fraught. One must either choose a still day or risk becoming one of Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines." This Griffith had the HiPo engine, fitted with three twin-choke Holley carburetors. Bolster believed the engine developed at least 285 hp (213 kW; 289 PS) at about 6500 rpm. [1]
The immense power, short wheelbase, and light weight of the cars allegedly made them difficult to handle.[ citation needed ] Despite their performance, just 192 Griffith 200s were made in the US, before the model was superseded by the TVR Griffith 400 (Griffith Series 400).
The Griffith Series 200 was followed by the Griffith Series 400 and the Griffith Series 600 before the company ceased operations. In the early 1990s TVR paid homage to the original Griffith by introducing the TVR Griffith. This was the first true use of the name "TVR Griffith".
AC Cars, originally incorporated as Auto Carriers Ltd., is a British specialist automobile manufacturer and one of the oldest independent car makers founded in Britain. As a result of bad financial conditions over the years, the company was renamed or liquidated many times until its latest form. In 2022, the new corporate structure began the production of new AC Cobra models, with a slightly modified structure to adapt it to modern safety and technology requirements and obtain the European road homologation certificate.
TVR is a British manufacturer of sports cars. The company manufactures lightweight sports cars with powerful engines and was, at one time, the third-largest specialised sports car manufacturer in the world, offering a diverse range of coupés and convertibles.
The AC Cobra, sold in the United States as the Shelby Cobra and AC Shelby Cobra, is a sports car manufactured by British company AC Cars, with a Ford V8 engine. It was produced intermittently in both the United Kingdom and later the United States since 1962.
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Carroll Hall Shelby was an American automotive designer, racing driver, and entrepreneur. Shelby is best known for his involvement with the AC Cobra and Mustang for Ford Motor Company, which he modified during the late 1960s and early 2000s. He established Shelby American in 1962 to manufacture and market performance vehicles. His autobiography, The Carroll Shelby Story, was published in 1967.
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The TVR Griffith, later models being referred to as the Griffith 500, is a sports car designed and built by TVR, starting production in 1990, and ending production in 2002. The Griffith name appeared again on a sports car introduced under a revived TVR brand in 2017.
The Caterham 21 is a two-seat roadster designed and hand built by Caterham Cars in the 1990s. It was based on the mechanicals of the Caterham 7 and was intended to be a more practical version of that car with more conventional sports car styling.
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The TVR Griffith Series 400 is a 2-door coupe sports car produced by Griffith Motor Company in Plainview, New York, between 1964 and 1967. It was the successor to the TVR Griffith 200, featuring improved cooling via a larger radiator with twin electric fans, redesigned rear suspension, and a redesigned rear with better visibility and the round taillights sourced from the Ford Cortina Mark I.
The TVR Tuscan Challenge is a one-make series dedicated to the second incarnation of the TVR Tuscan sports car, and takes place throughout the United Kingdom. Inaugurated in 1989, its high power-to-weight ratio, capability of reaching 190 mph (310 km/h) and loud engine noise, combined with close racing in a field consisting of over 30 cars at its peak, made the series become, at the time, the premier one-make series in the UK with an extensive TV coverage; over the years, many drivers who competed in the series moved on in major championship series and many notable drivers have guest driven in a race. The company underwent management changes in 2005, and the TVR Tuscan Challenge was merged with its owner club's series, which has been reformatted to allow for all TVR models.
The TVR Tasmin is a sports car designed by Oliver Winterbottom (coach) and Ian Jones (chassis) for TVR and built in the United Kingdom by that company from 1980 to 1987. It was the first of TVR's "Wedge"-series which formed the basis of its 1980's model range. The Tasmin/280i was available as a 2-seater coupé, as a 2+2 coupé and as a 2-seater convertible.
The TVR Vixen is a hand-built sports car which was produced by TVR in Blackpool, England from 1967 until 1973. Ford-engined in most of its configurations, it succeeded the MGB-engined TVR Grantura 1800S. It is also the basis for the high-performance TVR Tuscan which was available in both V6 and V8 configurations.
The TVR Tuscan was a front engine, rear wheel drive sports car built by TVR from 1967 to 1971 in the company's Blackpool, England factory. It was the second car developed by TVR during the Martin Lilley era of the automotive firm.
The TVR 350i is a sports car built by British company TVR from 1983 until 1989. In 1982 TVR's then new owner Peter Wheeler found himself wanting more power than the Cologne V6-equipped Tasmin 280i could offer. Thus, based on the existing car the TVR Tasmin 350i appeared in August 1983. Using the same chassis and body, a 3.5-litre Rover V8 was installed. After a year, the "Tasmin" part of the name was dropped and the car became just TVR 350i.