The fortunate 'Franj' with P&J.
PHer Alex Franjieh (aka Franj) explains his love of Blackpool rock.
"My TVR passion can be traced back to 1996 when I was 16. My friend's dad bought a Chimera 400 in green with cream leather & I was in love. Being young I liked anything that had two seats, a soft top, and a large engine that that sounded amazing when it took off.
11 years later I had a Williams Clio in the garage and an Audi A4 diesel which I was using every day. As a single lad I realised the Audi was a tad too sensible and therefore something fun had to be purchased. My search started with Chimeras. There were plenty to choose from but I wanted something special as two other guys at work had them so my attention turned to the Griffith.
I sold the Audi, put the Williams up for sale, and was now seriously looking. I only viewed two Griffiths - the first was a proper dog with ripped leather seats, a cracked wood dash and a strong smell of petrol in the cabin. It wasn't for me. When I viewed the next one initially I was put off by the colour (blue) and some paint chips, but it was mechanically sound and the interior was clean. I figured I could get it re-sprayed one day so I emptied my bank accounts to make the purchase. Fortunately I sold the Williams (no 263 If anyone has it please let me know) on the same day I was picking up the TVR so no need for a daddy loan to make up the difference!
I decided to trust professionals with the servicing and I make the journey to Offord TVR whenever the service is due. Thankfully nothing major has been needed doing to it except when I was putting it in the garage last year and managed to really badly scratch it. After I wiped the tears from my eyes I decided it was time to get a re-spray. I also used the opportunity to address the old Griff' overheating problem by acquiring a Griffith bonnet with Chimera vents to help encourage the hot air out of the engine bay.
After seeing a black Griff' with cream leather I thought 'that's the colour I want!' But after speaking to the sprayers it was pointed out to me that the darker it is, the easier you can see the warping of the fibreglass, so it was back to the drawing board. I came across a picture of a white one and thought that if mine was painted the same and with some black alloys it would be awesome.
The excitement with the TVR starts when you first turn the key in the ignition and hear the throaty rumble from idle. I have been known to drive under bridges just to hear the roar of the engine as I give it some stick! Now I have my perfect Griffith with a classic shape and a colour twist which is a real head turner. It looks and sounds fantastic. It feels like a brand new car and brings an even bigger smile to my face every time I drive it."