Was you expecting a two-speed powerglide…?
Thank you for the input, that’s very helpful. I was wondering about those exact things as I’m not as nimble or flexible as I used to be.
But the exterior design is very nice as was the E-Type, and the performance is excellent.
I’ve always thought of it as the poor man’s Aston Martin.
I’ve had a 540i and other such, so maybe I’ll wait and see what other roadsters are produced in the near future.
1 Like
I’m loving that red Fiat 500 - one of them starred in one of the best comedy movies of all time “A touch of class” starring Glenda Jackson and George Segal which has so many achingly brilliant witty one liners that you’ll wish they still made movies like that today…
I can’t honestly remember if I have ever posted a picture of my TVR Griffith 4.0 litre pre-cat but I’ve owned her twice! 1996-1997 and 1998-date. We’ve had many, many amazing adventures together some good, others (like breaking down outside the church on my wedding day!) memorable for all the wrong reasons…
She can be a temperamental mistress as you might expect but I truly believe the Griffith is one of the most beautiful cars of all time and an absolute design classic. About ten years ago I set about an expensive gradual restoration including a full respray, chassis outrigger replacement and ultimately a complete interior retrim in Blackpool her birthplace. While up there I had some modifications done to the dashboard backlighting which originally used tungsten bulbs and fibre optics but is now LED and had the (originally useless) interior ventilation fan relocated and upgraded so the thing actually demists properly and heats/cools the cabin as needed!
Finally, the last picture is not my car but a TVR factory publicity shot, but it’s my favourite TVR picture of all time because to me it symbolises what TVR were always about. As I wrote in the TVR club magazine in a big article on my car:
*Starting the engine is always an event in itself, particularly in any of the TVR V8s which fire up and rumble like a Merlin engined Spitfire and evoke a bygone age where heroic fighter pilots duelled with their counterparts in the skies over Dover. Your nostrils will be assailed by the smells of internal combustion, of hot racing oil and leather just like the grand prix heroes of a bygone age were. You glance around and can almost see Stirling Moss roaring down the main straight at Goodwood in the Aston DBR1, past a line of hay bales and old Duckhams oil drums. Echoes of the past and of glory and drama on long lost motor racing circuits fill the air. Finally there’s the driving experience, that feeling of flying by the seat of the pants, the sheer rawness of the drive with none of the refinement or aids of a modern BMW M3, Toyota Supra or Jaguar F type. The steering feels alive, indeed the whole car feels alive and there’s an instantaneous wall of torque available in any gear at any speed that hurls you at the horizon with rapidly increasing velocity to a soundtrack that is unforgettable. This is a muscular car with the stance and power of a panther, it’s intimidating, but oh so very rewarding on the right road when your senses are lost in the moment and can just relish the sheer joy of driving a car such as this. *
Finally there’s the fact that TVRs have always been reasonably affordable. This was never a car for the Ascot set, it’s not Pimms and polo but rock ‘n roll and northern soul, blue jeans and gritty cobbled streets. TVRs are supercars for the everyman, they’re achievable but they can outperform the aristocratic thoroughbreds from Porsche, Lamborghini and Ferrari at a fraction of the cost. Everyone loves an underdog and TVR were the underdog that conquered the world with the Griffith. Nothing so pure of line, so focused in design, so elegantly and purely styled has ever followed it. Like Concorde it remains incomparable and unassailable, a strange fusion of great beauty and savage power, a symphony of muscle and curves and speed.
33 Likes
Lovely, and great pics. I agree a design classic, and unlike many that extends to the utterly unique interior. Yours looks in fine condition too. My friend had a Chimaera when I had my Caterham 7. We insured each other for ours cars and swapped around for a rather memorable summer weekend. Incredibly different experiences, neither of us would have swapped for good but so glad we each drove these icons.
Bruce
3 Likes
Bruce - thanks for your comments!! That’s a brilliant idea you had swapping insurance with your friend on the Caterham - both really interesting takes on what a British sports car should be about! I have never been in a Caterham but gather the handling is sublime!! I must admit if I won the lottery I would love a Morgan (plus a Lotus Esprit Turbo and a McLaren too!) That’s the amazing thing I think about British sports car manufacturers - they made/make ‘sports cars’ in so many different flavours and they’re all equally wonderful in their own way…
In a way I would love to have tried some of those other cars - the Esprit in particular which I still think is one of the best looking cars of all time - and heck 007 drove one which instantly makes it utterly iconic…
I suspect actually that eventually I’m going to have to part with my Griff and my Toyota GT86 daily driver and seek something easier to drive (the Griff due to arthritis in my ankles) and cheaper to run (due to retirement in I hope about 5 years). I’m thinking that a late Mazda MX5 might be my best choice for economical roof down motoring and Toyota-like reliability when my needs are for a run to a pub or National trust place in retirement. It’s probably the only option which covers all bases really and it embraces some of the character of British sporting cars I think. Just a shame the headroom is so awful in it!! The Griff and GT86 by contrast are positively roomy for my 6ft 1.5" height…
JonathanG
I have ridden in a classic Morgan, I have to say it was disappointing, and my spine took some time to recover. I did have an MX5 Mk2 from new as a daily driver and it was a fabulous thing, nothing to do with power or speed but tactile and rewarding, and just great simple design. I am not sure the newer designs are as pleasing or how they compare to drive.
I’ve had an Elise too. Would love to drive an Esprit!
Bruce
2 Likes
I had a Mk1 for 10 months in 1991. Huge fun. Later had a couple of Caterhams - the rover k series engined cars had the most sublime, delicate handling
A friend had a Griffith and I had a ride in it once but never a drive. Glorious sound and I have always loved the shape. A girlfriend in the early 90s when I pointed one out in the street said “why doesn’t the door fit?” 
Edited to add - I had an Elise before the 7s. Never liked it all that much
1 Like
The third generation MX5 is a little bit larger than the first two, both which I couldn’t quite fit into, and gives you the option of a hard top if you want one.
I can vouch for that they’re also bloody difficult to get out at my age. I fell out of it in front of a crowded cafe.
1 Like
I did try one of the ones with a roof a while back, great fun but defo. cosy and I’m only 5’8”!
You kinda wear an MX5 as much as you ride in it. I always heard say that once you’ve owned an MX5 you’ll always miss it when it’s gone. It’s true. It’s a car that makes you feel like a great driver and best of all, they’re dead reliable.
2 Likes
We had a MX5 for a weekend loved it but hated sitting in traffic especially trucks the fumes were unbearable. However once out in open country roads it was wonderful.
1 Like
Couldn’t agree with you more Pete!
Couldn’t agree more. I bought my fiancé (now wife) a 1.8s in 2003. I adored it, thought it was one of the best cars I’ve ever driven, that’s still true today 20 years later. I often think of buying a similar vintage one.
1 Like
Great to hear all the positive recommendations for the MX-5, it’s a shame the British motor industry was never ever to build anything quite like it in the past 30 years although I suspect the Elise was the closest. It was so heavily influenced by the Lotus Elan it should have come with a catsuit wearing Diana Rigg!!
If you want an economical, reliable convertible sports car it is pretty much the only game in town nowadays and I can certainly see a point in the future when I am retired and there would be nothing better to drive to country pubs in while knowing that if I wanted to visit a friend 180 miles away it would be a suitable motorway cruiser too.
Sad to hear the Morgan was disappointing though Pete - sounds like I need to cage my desire to spend my retirement as a mildly eccentric Leslie Phillips style character with a penchant for cravats while occasionally remarking “I say old boy…”
One thing is certain I have no desire to buy a boring car. Motoring can be such a pleasure and a good drivers car really adds to the enjoyment of a trip to for example Bodiam Castle, a good pub, the Lake District or indeed anywhere. I spend a fairly large amount of time commuting to Heathrow now and frankly the journey is made far more enjoyable because I am doing it in a GT86. I finished work the other night around 11pm and drove back the 55 mins or so on largely empty roads savouring the drive, the stars, the handling and the excellent driving position (something Toyota really nailed in the 86). With a good podcast on (about the history of ITC cult TV) it was an enjoyable and relaxing end to my working day.
JonathanG
12 Likes
I got my lovely wife to agree to me having a gt86 / brz and a cheap merc estate at one point but didn’t go through with it (no idea why) - perhaps cos I got a discovery and a bmw i3 instead
2 Likes
The GR86 is allegedly even better if you can find one. They only brought a smallish number to the uk and they all sold before the even arrived in the uk.
1 Like
Fantastic, the GT86 is a real fun car. Karen had a red one with black stripes, some of the greatest fun you can have in a car below 30 mph.
2 Likes
Yes - lovely balance to it
1 Like