Words: Shubham Choukse
The legendary British carmaker TVR has finally made a comeback with the unveiling of the new Griffith at the 2017 Goodwood Revival event. This is the first car from TVR’s stable after its resurrection in 2013.
And according to TVR, the new Griffith brings back TVR’s British DNA in the form of a front engined, rear wheel drive, 2-seater sporstcar. Design of the car is reminiscent of its ancestors but the smooth flowing curves seen on the older models now give way to more angular lines and sharp edges. Though it retains most of the TVR’s signature elements such as the long sculpted bonnet, exhaust pipes exiting behind the front wheels, a sloping roofline and a tightly proportioned rear end.
Underpinning the car is a new steel-aluminium chassis based on Gordon Murray Design’s iStream process, which involves extensive use of carbon-fibre composites resulting in a low kerb weight of just 1250kg and remarkable torsional rigidity.
It is powered by a new 5-litre V8 motor mated to a 6-Speed manual gearbox from Tremec. The engine is manufactured by Ford (same engine as seen on the new Mustang) and tuned by Cosworth with new custom clutch, flywheel and ECU to produce power in the range of 500bhp. The car can accelerate from standstill to 100kmph in under 4 seconds while top speed is over 320kmph. And keeping true to its DNA, the new car emphasizes on mechanical grip and engineering finesse rather than electronic assistance; the only electronic aids available to the driver are electric power steering, ABS and configurable traction control system. Sure the new Griffith lacks many electronic assistance technologies when compared to the other modern day sporstcars, but that is what makes it so different.
In terms of the interiors it features racing seats with 4-point harnesses, aluminium pedals, three-spoke flat-bottom steering and extensive use of leather everywhere. Other features include a touchscreen infotainment system, keyless-ignition and TFT display console behind the steering wheel.
TVR will begin the production of the new Griffith in late 2018 and the deliveries will begin in 2019. The company will also produce 500 Griffith Launch Edition models that will feature full leather interior, exclusive launch edition colours and other cosmetic variances.