T plate silver(ish) griff A140 Hainford
Discussion
Hi there! Just checked the forum - that was me on A140 last Saturday, heading up towards Aylesham.
In nearly two years of TVR ownership, that's the first time I've been spotted by a PHer, very exciting!!
I've only had the Griff for about a month, but loving every minute of it. I had a blue Chim before that, which I adored too. The week before last I did a near 900 mile round trip to the Lake District and back in the Griff. It was a joy, and it didn't miss a beat.
It's good to know there's another avid TVR fan in Norfolk - you don't see many TVRs about there. Presumably you live around Norwich? I live in London now, but quite often pop back to Norfolk to visit family / friends.
Hope to maybe cross motoring paths in Norfolk at some stage in the future.
All the best,
Oliver
In nearly two years of TVR ownership, that's the first time I've been spotted by a PHer, very exciting!!
I've only had the Griff for about a month, but loving every minute of it. I had a blue Chim before that, which I adored too. The week before last I did a near 900 mile round trip to the Lake District and back in the Griff. It was a joy, and it didn't miss a beat.
It's good to know there's another avid TVR fan in Norfolk - you don't see many TVRs about there. Presumably you live around Norwich? I live in London now, but quite often pop back to Norfolk to visit family / friends.
Hope to maybe cross motoring paths in Norfolk at some stage in the future.
All the best,
Oliver
Hi Harley, will do!
Your Chim 500 looks great (assume it's the red one in the photo), will look out for it in Norwich. I had a Chim 400 before the Griff, and have been quite surprised by the noticeable extra performance from the 5 litre vs. 4 litre.
Where do you take your Chim for servicing etc. around Norfolk? I use Kerridges in Needham Market, who I rate very highly.
Oliver
Your Chim 500 looks great (assume it's the red one in the photo), will look out for it in Norwich. I had a Chim 400 before the Griff, and have been quite surprised by the noticeable extra performance from the 5 litre vs. 4 litre.
Where do you take your Chim for servicing etc. around Norfolk? I use Kerridges in Needham Market, who I rate very highly.
Oliver
Hi Oliver,i purchased my Chim last May from Fernhurst(fully serviced),so haven't had the joy of getting it done yet.At the moment it has a full TVR history,so it would be nice to stay with the dealers,however,we're obviously fairly restricted around here!
I'm tempted to use a specialist such as Scole Engineering though,i've heard a few good reports about them and they also look to be loads cheaper than Kerridges.Maybe you could tell me different?
I took a Noble M400R for a test drive last summer from Kerridges,and although well impressed with the ride and handling,when i got back in my (red) motor,hood down,leather clad,loud V8 soundtrack with a distant background of GnR,I just couldn't stop grinning to myself.Certainly had the better motor(IMHO)
I had always wanted a Chim or Griff,and are so glad that i went for the 500,so much so,that i often feel like doing rude things to her
Just don't tell my missus!
Harley.
I'm tempted to use a specialist such as Scole Engineering though,i've heard a few good reports about them and they also look to be loads cheaper than Kerridges.Maybe you could tell me different?
I took a Noble M400R for a test drive last summer from Kerridges,and although well impressed with the ride and handling,when i got back in my (red) motor,hood down,leather clad,loud V8 soundtrack with a distant background of GnR,I just couldn't stop grinning to myself.Certainly had the better motor(IMHO)
I had always wanted a Chim or Griff,and are so glad that i went for the 500,so much so,that i often feel like doing rude things to her
Just don't tell my missus!
Harley.
Hi Harley,
I've heard Fernhursts are excellent - I nearly went to look at a Griff there in fact, but then before I had the chance I spotted my silver one at Kerridges.
I know what you mean about the Nobles. They're amazingly accomplished cars, look good and reportedly have awesome handling (although I've never actually driven one), but somehow they're a touch on the stripped out / track-day side for me. Like you, I prefer the more classic looks, stitched leather interior, wind in the hair and V8 burble of the V8 Griffs/Chims. And from what I've heard / read about reliability (including from TVR dealers themselves), I definitely wouldn't want to swap for a Speed Six car either!
Oliver
I've heard Fernhursts are excellent - I nearly went to look at a Griff there in fact, but then before I had the chance I spotted my silver one at Kerridges.
I know what you mean about the Nobles. They're amazingly accomplished cars, look good and reportedly have awesome handling (although I've never actually driven one), but somehow they're a touch on the stripped out / track-day side for me. Like you, I prefer the more classic looks, stitched leather interior, wind in the hair and V8 burble of the V8 Griffs/Chims. And from what I've heard / read about reliability (including from TVR dealers themselves), I definitely wouldn't want to swap for a Speed Six car either!
Oliver
COMPLETELY agree Oliver.Although i still love T350's,Tuscans etc,three things put me off when I was looking to buy a Tiv. 1.Reliability issues
2.Servicing and maintenance cost.
3.
Oh wow,the noise of that old Rover lump is (IMHO)soo much sweeter than the six. I've noticed on P.H & in various press(tvrcc) some people swapping their RV8's for the vett lump for the increase in power.I personally find that mine is pokey enough,and call me a pussy if you like,but i just could not sacrifice that lumpy sound for any ammount of power.I really think TVR got the balance right with the Griff and Chim,ok,so they dont look absolute state of the art anymore,but they still have amazing presence,go well,sound well,and will never become 'old',but 'classic' instead.I honestly don't think that anything I ever drive will enduce a smile to my face like my Chim.
I've done about 3500 miles in her so far,been to a few shows and meets,went to North Yorkshire last August with my mate and his green Chim(other one in the picture),and just like your Griff,they never skipped a beat.
I've loved every second of ownership,and I would never swap it for anything else(except maybe a Griff - obviously
) All the best,
Harley
Hi Harley,
I couldn't agree more, the Chims and Griffs are definitely the ones to have. As you say, they still look great, they're already classics, and reliable too - I did 10,000 miles in my old Chimaera in 18 months and the only issues were drivers headlamp went and power steering reservoir cracked (£100 to fix).
The newer TVRs do look awesome, but some of them now look like they're trying a bit too hard to look good, rather than simple beauty, and they also have more things to go wrong (electronic dash display gizzmos etc) And the S6 engines seem to need a rebuild every time they go for a spin around the block!
That V8 noise is the main attraction for me too - the S6 sounds like a load of nails in a tumble dryer in comparison, even if all the banging and spluttering is fun for a while. You also have to really rev the S6 to get the performance. I hate revving engines really hard (I love my Griff too much), and what I like about the 5 litre is you just don't need to - silly amounts of power immediately in any gear at any speed. Put it in 4th and it's an auto! And frankly with 0-60 in 4.1 secs anyway, realistically how much faster is an S6 or a Corvette engine going to be for a normal driver on a real life road. Not much. My Griff basically sees off everything else on the road like it's standing still anyway, which is enough for me!
Oliver
I couldn't agree more, the Chims and Griffs are definitely the ones to have. As you say, they still look great, they're already classics, and reliable too - I did 10,000 miles in my old Chimaera in 18 months and the only issues were drivers headlamp went and power steering reservoir cracked (£100 to fix).
The newer TVRs do look awesome, but some of them now look like they're trying a bit too hard to look good, rather than simple beauty, and they also have more things to go wrong (electronic dash display gizzmos etc) And the S6 engines seem to need a rebuild every time they go for a spin around the block!
That V8 noise is the main attraction for me too - the S6 sounds like a load of nails in a tumble dryer in comparison, even if all the banging and spluttering is fun for a while. You also have to really rev the S6 to get the performance. I hate revving engines really hard (I love my Griff too much), and what I like about the 5 litre is you just don't need to - silly amounts of power immediately in any gear at any speed. Put it in 4th and it's an auto! And frankly with 0-60 in 4.1 secs anyway, realistically how much faster is an S6 or a Corvette engine going to be for a normal driver on a real life road. Not much. My Griff basically sees off everything else on the road like it's standing still anyway, which is enough for me!
Oliver
Reminds me of watching Clarkson's "Hot Metal",where he compares the sound of a Sagaris to a wedge(no comparison).I think he described the sound of the wedge as "two fat people mud wrestling in a well!"
I gave the chim about five hours of cleaning today.Outside nice and early,the plan was to get it cleaned and stick it back in the garage ready for next weeks regional PH
meet,before the forcasted rain started.Finished about 1:00pm and the sun looked glorious,hence, one roof off and one dirty car(again).I was amazed how many waves i got today,bearing in mind that i dont normaly wave first unless the other car's a Tiv,a few bikers stuck their hand up,a couple of scooby's,a 911,928,360 spider & M5 to mention just a few.Aint it just great getting respect from other drivers!
It'll be my first PH meet next week,i did a few TVRCC meets last year,but they don't seem to have to much going on,probably due to the lack of TVR's in the area though.
If you're ever in the area when the meets on,or fancy a hoon out in the cars,give us a shout,be great to have a look round the Griff,maybe get some video footage etc,
All the best chap,
Harley
Hey Harley - wow, you got waves from Porker and Beemer drivers?! The Chim must have really looked good!! Everytime I've tried to wave enthusiastically at one of those guys they just give me a poker face. I'd given up on them, perhaps I should spend five hours cleaning up the Griff and give them a second chance! I always wave at Noble and Marcos drivers though.
Will let you know when I'm next likely to be passing by, would definitely be good to meet up and go for a hoon.
In the meantime, enjoy the PH meet, and let's hope for plenty more sunshine to get the hoods down now spring has finally arrived.
Oliver
Will let you know when I'm next likely to be passing by, would definitely be good to meet up and go for a hoon.
In the meantime, enjoy the PH meet, and let's hope for plenty more sunshine to get the hoods down now spring has finally arrived.
Oliver
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