True Spirit of TVR

[zebra]

Hi Guys - (just popping in from the lotus forum) - as a non-tvr-owner, I would love to have a griff; beautifully styled because there is no waste anywhere, no frilly bits of detailing, nothing pretentious about its form, fabulous soundtrack and it has that glorious 5.0l engine.

zebra

[Aeroman]

Hi Guys (just popping in from the Morgan area),

Don't have a TVR, but for me the Griff epitomises the spirit of TVR. V8 power with that fabulous sound-track, beautiful in a macho-way (sorry ladies!), and the very essence of the British sportscar running through it's veins.

Good luck with the rally on the 26th, I wish I had a TVR as then I would come too.

Cheers
Aeroman

[jsr]

Although i have a Chimaera, i would say the Griffith is the True Spirit of TVR

The Chimaera has it's place too as it was the bread and butter of TVR in the 90s

[Tripps]

the pits said:

but I agree the true spirit of TVR has to have a TVR engine, that's the most amount of TVR you can squeeze into a TVR.

So they've only had full-on, 100% TVR spirit for the last 12 years or so then?

In which case, were they below this full standard for the previous 47 years

[HarryW]

Marki said:

sen 18 said:

Its got to be the 3000M TURBO. TVR were the first car manufacture to build a Turboed car for public,that was 1976 how about that then.

No mate , i belive Porsche and BMW beat that

[splitting hairs mode on]
The BMW 2002 was Europe's first production Turbo'd car in 1973 and the TVR 3000M was the UK's in 1976

[HarryW]

Got to be the Cerbera .
It was the first with an in-house designed, developed and built engine, which in my mind is the defining point in TVR history. It takes it a step above the kit car image of the previous bitsa cars imho.
If you don't think that buying in major components is a problem then it goes to the Griff on styling alone.

[simply red]

For me it can only be the Griff - I went out 2 years ago looking for a Chim and came home with my georgious 1992 Griff 4.0 pre-cat, the look, the noise, 2 years on and it is still the most exciting car to drive!

[TT Tim]

gnasher said:

My Vixen is as much fun on hillclimbs & sprints as any Griff, Cerby or Chim, and it attracts a crowd in the paddock, so it should get an honourable mention.

...and may I add beautifully screwed together, shame about the dodgy nut behind the wheel!

Tim

[fairclp]

If I was to buy a second TVR for the weekend hoons, the very thought has been passing once or twice recently, I would get a Griff' 500.

I remeber drooling over the Griff when I ordered a brochure from TVR when I was early twenties. Far too young, inexperienced and poor at the time, but now...

[the pits]

Tripps said:

the pits said:

but I agree the true spirit of TVR has to have a TVR engine, that's the most amount of TVR you can squeeze into a TVR.

So they've only had full-on, 100% TVR spirit for the last 12 years or so then?

In which case, were they below this full standard for the previous 47 years

a TVR with a TVR engine has to be more of a TVR than a TVR with someone else's. Surely?

My vote still goes for the T400R race car. It won a few GT races for goodness sake. They had no right to go stuffing Porsche, Ferrari and GM's millions where the sun don't shine but they did. True grit. True Brit. It looked gorgeous too.

[griff2be]

I asked Peter Wheeler which was his favourite car from his ownership of TVR just after he sold the business in 2004. He replied that it was the one he was sat in at the time... the Tuscan Challenge race car. He explained that all modern TVRs are descended from it in terms of chassis design...

I might be biased but I agree

[jamessim]

For me it has to be the Griffith, the look on Clarksons face as he was entering Switzerland was pure Devilment and I knew from that moment I had to have one.
I've done it loved it and moved on to the lovely flowing lines of the Tuscan, but once again the sound and contours of the Griffith make it for me AS the spirit of TVR.

Regards,

James Sim.

[toma500]

Read in a magazine article something that rings true to me , the griffith was likened to a spitfire and the chimeara a hurricane a great observation i thought the spitfire/ griffith being the good looking one used as a moral booster in WW2 and the chimeara/hurricane the true workhorse in the battle of britain , Im a griffith owner and my favourite aircraft is the spitfire .But then isnt it everyones.Quite where the cerbera ,tuscan ,t350, tamora ,and all the modern TVR stable would figure in this context is a topic for a whole new discussion , and what about all the older TVR vixen grantura taimar etc sopwith camel or schneider trophy seaplane. And all the wedges vulcans victors or hawker hunters perhaps, OOH ive gone all patriotic , cue dambusters music,.

[sidewayz]

the pits said:

Tripps said:

the pits said:

but I agree the true spirit of TVR has to have a TVR engine, that's the most amount of TVR you can squeeze into a TVR.

So they've only had full-on, 100% TVR spirit for the last 12 years or so then?

In which case, were they below this full standard for the previous 47 years

a TVR with a TVR engine has to be more of a TVR than a TVR with someone else's. Surely?

My vote still goes for the T400R race car. It won a few GT races for goodness sake. They had no right to go stuffing Porsche, Ferrari and GM's millions where the sun don't shine but they did. True grit. True Brit. It looked gorgeous too.

oooooooooooohhh! Yus! Get's my vote

[loose cannon]

i first discoverd tvr when i was about 7 my auntie's new boyfriend had a white vixen with black alloys
and i thought it was the tits he is now my uncle and its about time it went back on the road its been many years now in hibernation
would love to go out in it again
but the car that really shouted tvr for me was the griff,
to be honest i would happily have cradle to present day if i had the money and the room

[Uncle Bulgaria]

VOTES SO FAR(The Spirit of TVR)

Griffith 25
Cerbera 5
T400R race car 2
Chimaera 2
3000M Turbo 1
Original Tuscan 1
Vixen 1
350i 1
Tuscan Challange Race Car 1

[Monkeylegend]

[quote=the pits]this is a silly thread. People will (not unreasonably) just vote for their cars.


But maybe thats the reason why each of us bought our particular cars in the first place, so it's not surprising that we then vote for them.

In my case it's 100% the Griff. I wouldn't want to own any other TVR.

[Tripps]

the pits said:

a TVR with a TVR engine has to be more of a TVR than a TVR with someone else's. Surely?

Not really, the way TVR made even mundane engines like the Ford Granada 2.9 V6 lump sound and go so fantastic makes it rise above the fact it's an outsourced engine.

The spirit of TVR to me is more than just the sum of it's parts and cannot be measured in terms of bhp and mph alone, it's the styling and personality, yes the AJP V8 and Speed 6 have bags of personality, and so do all the other. But the 4.3BV engine is the Brain Blessed of personality in the world of TVR engines

[NHyde]

The one I own at the time , or both at some times !

The Chimaera , because it was our first ( MrsH and I)
The Chimaera and the 400SE .
The 400SE and the SEAC .
The SEAC .
The Cerbera.

We've loved them all , but I guess we would have to say the SEAC above all , as that to us sums up TVR , loud , brutal and absolutely unique and off the wall

[zo-fo]

Griffith 200 (1963 to 1965). The first of the TVR V8s.