1965 Griffith Series 200

Trevor Wilkinson founded TVR in the late 1940s in Blackpool, initially making various 'specials' before introducing its first series-production model in 1954. Dubbed the TVR Sports Saloon, most were sold in kit form. It was the Grantura, however, that earned TVR its popularity. Introduced in 1958, the Grantura received a multi-tubular spaceframe chassis with Volkswagen trailing-link independent suspension and attractive fiberglass coachwork. The adequately sized engine bay could accommodate a variety of engines including those from BMC and Ford. The 1.2-liter Coventry Climax FWE unit was popular with those intent on racing.

An American dealer named Jack Griffith was, perhaps, inspired by Carroll Shelby's successful implementation of the 'big engine/small car' formula, adopting the same concept of the MKIII Grantura. A prototype example was shipped to the United Kingdom and after gaining approval from the factory, entered production towards the close of 1962. Like the Cobra, the Griffith offered exciting motoring and nearly all examples were exported to the USA.

The Griffith 200 was sold in the UK as the TVR Griffith and in the United States as the Griffith 200. The Griffith 200 was powered by a 289 cubic-inch Ford engine and had many similarities to the TVR Grantura MKIII. The engine produced around 200 horsepower and some believe this is the source of the name '200'. A HiPo engine boosted horsepower to 271.

The cars sat atop of a short wheelbase, had lightweight body skin, and a very powerful engine. Zero-to-sixty took just under five seconds, all for around $4000. It is believed that just under 200 (192 Series 200) examples of the Griffith 200 were produced.

Before the company ceased operations, the Griffith Series 200 was followed by the Griffith Series 400 and the Griffith Series 600. TVR paid homage to the original Griffith when, in the early 1990s, introduced the TVR Griffith - the first true use of the name 'TVR Griffith.'

by Dan Vaughan

Fastback Coupe

This Griffith Series 200 is a hybrid fiberglass coupe powered by a Ford 289-cubic inch V8 with factory tri-power carburetion and four-speed transmission. It was a project of Jack Griffith and Mark Donohue in the Griffith assembly plant in Syosset, NY. These cars were imported as basic TVRs and mated with the Ford drive-train. The advertised price in 1965 was $3,995, and the dry weight was 1,824 pounds. Performance was startling, with a zero-to-sixty mph time of 4.9 seconds. With independent suspension designed by Grantura Plastics, Ltd., of England, the handling was superb, and the rack-and-pinion steering was very precise. The chassis is multi-tubular, with a wheelbase of 85.5 inches and an overall length of 138 inches. This example has just completed a five-year restoration.

Fastback Coupe

TVR Engineering was formed in 1947 by TreVoR Wilkinson in Blackpool. The TVR Griffith began as the brainchild of Jack Griffith in 1962. Griffith ran a Ford Dealership in the US for patrons such as Gerry Sagerman and Mark Donohue. Griffith wanted TVR to supply him with modified TVR Grantura chassis without engines or transmission and TVR jumped at this idea. The Griffith 200 could either be fitted with a 200-horsepower motor or a Hi-Po 289 that pumped out 271 horsepower. Performance was virtually unbelievable at zero-to-sixty mph in 3.9 seconds and a 150 mph top speed.

Fastback Coupe

This is chassis number 11 of the 192 Series 200 Griffiths built. The owner is the former factory test driver for Griffith Motors. The original price was $4,995. Received 'Best in Class' at Lowes Motor Speedway Auto Fair in 2006.

Fastback Coupe

Ford dealer Andrew 'Jack' Griffith campaigned an early Shelby Competition Cobra. Driven by Bobby Brown and Mark Donahue, it was painted Viking Blue and wore the number 41. Jack's success with this car inspired him to build his own Anglo-American monster. TVR, a builder of sports cars in Blackpool, England, was contracted to supply body-chassis units. Ford furnished their new 289 cubic-inch V8 and four-speed transmission. This hybrid was named the Griffith Series 200. Period magazine articles raved about the car's brutal acceleration and revealed Jack's plan to campaign a Griffith factory racer.

Sold new in November of 1965 by Bailey Motors in Middletown, CT, this car is number 154 of 192 built. The original owner managed only 1,904 miles before crashing. The resulting 42 years of storage ended upon its purchase and restoration in 2008. The featured paint scheme is modeled after Jack's Competition Cobra.