My TVR Griffith 500
Discussion
Just a little write up about my wonderful car.
I think these Griffs divide opinion well. I'm aware that many people find the styling awkward from some angles and some just don't 'get' them. But I'm also aware that there are a good number of people who find them beautiful and perhaps the most iconic TVR that the company ever produced.
After owning my (at the time) affordable dream car, a 350i Wedge for about 5 years...
So 80's
.... it finally had to make way for a Griffith and I wanted the biggest engined 5.0ltr version. So I set about looking for something with a budget of £15K back in 2002. At the time, this was going to be enough for something around the 'M' or 'N' registered models.
I sourced this car from the Pistonheads classifieds....
The original advert
It looked great on the photos, was within my budget and it had two owners from new. So a trip to Surrey to see it with my wife and the deal was done. It was the first one I looked at too. I guess I got lucky. It was mint and I picked it up one week later.
The car is quick. Really quick. The quoted times from TVR for the 500 were 167mph and 4.1 to 60. I know TVR are renowned for being a little ficticious with numbers but this car is a good one and I think the figures quoted are not far off what it'll achieve.
It's made the trip to Le Mans 6 times without any issue, except this year when the notorious 100amp fuse decided to give up the ghost and required replacing on the Le Mans campsite.
Stickers on ready for Le Mans
Still dirty from Le Mans
I ventured into the world of Sprinting a few years ago and attended a few meets. We set some decent times considering the car was still bog standard and on its original shocks.
Giving it some at Three Sisters near Wigan
We've also been on some track days. Oulton Park, Donington, Rockingham and Silverstone.
Giving it some more at Donington, pre suspension upgrade!
Ironically, I upgraded to a set of Nitrons a couple of years ago and we haven't been on a track since! But I plan to change this fact during 2012. The Nitrons have transformed the handling beyond recognition. Helped by having Eibach springs, it's very sure footed as it was professionally set up for Sprinting which suits my driving style. Nice.
Sitting, looking purposeful at Oulton Park
I spent some money on a Car Limits driving day with Andy Walsh at North Weald a few years back. This guy can drive. Properly. He had the car doing things which I didn't think it could and he opened up a whole new world of car control to me. A very well spent few quid. Andy's driven many Griffs and I was very pleased when he told me it was one of the quickest standard 500's that he'd driven.
Nice angle
The car is a great cruiser and it's no word of a lie that it's one of the most comfortable cars I've ever driven. It will happily be driven lazily, where I can enjoy the scenery and drive like an old codger. But when you want to have some fun, it reacts with a Nascar like V8 bark. It's an animal at heart and is just relentless through the gears, pure unadulterated raw power.
A breather during a blast across the EVO triangle
Of course, there are no driver aids whatsoever. So for me, this makes it hard to beat as an out and out drivers car. Great fun but it needs to be respected. Driving in the wet certainly keeps me awake and can make my brow damp at times.
I reckon it's a well built car, this one. The roof has never leaked and it still feels really tight in every department. The Borg Warner T5 gearbox is as tight as when it was new. It feels fantastically sure through the gears.
A great place to be sat
Now with just over 70,000 miles on the clock, the engine is also still feeling great. The only thing outside of general maintenance has been a cam replacement at c60,000 miles but this is a semi-expected procedure for these engine at this mileage. It was a Grand to fix. No massive deal.
I think I've just cured an intermittent misfire issue too but time will tell.
All in all it's been great to own and any niggles I've had have been the type which you'd get in any car of its age.
It's hard to believe it's a 16 year old car. I still think the shape looks fresh on todays roads. Many people stop and stare and it still has the ability to make kids point and shout 'TVR' and some of these kids are alot younger than the car itself.
Parking at Donington, believe it or not
I love it. I want a Sagaris but I'll never sell this car. A Sagaris would only ever be an addition but that's gonna have to remain a dream for now.
A little note to those who are interested in TVR's but are maybe put off a tad by their unfair (in my mind) generalisation of poor reliabilty. You can buy and run a Griffith or Chimarea with little to worry about as long as you buy in good condition. They're quite basic and if you do need to repair or replace bits, it won't cost a fortune.
So for me, it's a perfect car to own and enjoy. The looks, the power and the 'occasion' of driving it (which can only ever be understood if you own one). I took the plunge and it's the best move I've made to date in my car purchasing mode.
Hope I haven't bored you too much.
Cheers
Lazy
English Sporstcars - Love em'
I think these Griffs divide opinion well. I'm aware that many people find the styling awkward from some angles and some just don't 'get' them. But I'm also aware that there are a good number of people who find them beautiful and perhaps the most iconic TVR that the company ever produced.
After owning my (at the time) affordable dream car, a 350i Wedge for about 5 years...
So 80's
.... it finally had to make way for a Griffith and I wanted the biggest engined 5.0ltr version. So I set about looking for something with a budget of £15K back in 2002. At the time, this was going to be enough for something around the 'M' or 'N' registered models.
I sourced this car from the Pistonheads classifieds....
The original advert
It looked great on the photos, was within my budget and it had two owners from new. So a trip to Surrey to see it with my wife and the deal was done. It was the first one I looked at too. I guess I got lucky. It was mint and I picked it up one week later.
The car is quick. Really quick. The quoted times from TVR for the 500 were 167mph and 4.1 to 60. I know TVR are renowned for being a little ficticious with numbers but this car is a good one and I think the figures quoted are not far off what it'll achieve.
It's made the trip to Le Mans 6 times without any issue, except this year when the notorious 100amp fuse decided to give up the ghost and required replacing on the Le Mans campsite.
Stickers on ready for Le Mans
Still dirty from Le Mans
I ventured into the world of Sprinting a few years ago and attended a few meets. We set some decent times considering the car was still bog standard and on its original shocks.
Giving it some at Three Sisters near Wigan
We've also been on some track days. Oulton Park, Donington, Rockingham and Silverstone.
Giving it some more at Donington, pre suspension upgrade!
Ironically, I upgraded to a set of Nitrons a couple of years ago and we haven't been on a track since! But I plan to change this fact during 2012. The Nitrons have transformed the handling beyond recognition. Helped by having Eibach springs, it's very sure footed as it was professionally set up for Sprinting which suits my driving style. Nice.
Sitting, looking purposeful at Oulton Park
I spent some money on a Car Limits driving day with Andy Walsh at North Weald a few years back. This guy can drive. Properly. He had the car doing things which I didn't think it could and he opened up a whole new world of car control to me. A very well spent few quid. Andy's driven many Griffs and I was very pleased when he told me it was one of the quickest standard 500's that he'd driven.
Nice angle
The car is a great cruiser and it's no word of a lie that it's one of the most comfortable cars I've ever driven. It will happily be driven lazily, where I can enjoy the scenery and drive like an old codger. But when you want to have some fun, it reacts with a Nascar like V8 bark. It's an animal at heart and is just relentless through the gears, pure unadulterated raw power.
A breather during a blast across the EVO triangle
Of course, there are no driver aids whatsoever. So for me, this makes it hard to beat as an out and out drivers car. Great fun but it needs to be respected. Driving in the wet certainly keeps me awake and can make my brow damp at times.
I reckon it's a well built car, this one. The roof has never leaked and it still feels really tight in every department. The Borg Warner T5 gearbox is as tight as when it was new. It feels fantastically sure through the gears.
A great place to be sat
Now with just over 70,000 miles on the clock, the engine is also still feeling great. The only thing outside of general maintenance has been a cam replacement at c60,000 miles but this is a semi-expected procedure for these engine at this mileage. It was a Grand to fix. No massive deal.
I think I've just cured an intermittent misfire issue too but time will tell.
All in all it's been great to own and any niggles I've had have been the type which you'd get in any car of its age.
It's hard to believe it's a 16 year old car. I still think the shape looks fresh on todays roads. Many people stop and stare and it still has the ability to make kids point and shout 'TVR' and some of these kids are alot younger than the car itself.
Parking at Donington, believe it or not
I love it. I want a Sagaris but I'll never sell this car. A Sagaris would only ever be an addition but that's gonna have to remain a dream for now.
A little note to those who are interested in TVR's but are maybe put off a tad by their unfair (in my mind) generalisation of poor reliabilty. You can buy and run a Griffith or Chimarea with little to worry about as long as you buy in good condition. They're quite basic and if you do need to repair or replace bits, it won't cost a fortune.
So for me, it's a perfect car to own and enjoy. The looks, the power and the 'occasion' of driving it (which can only ever be understood if you own one). I took the plunge and it's the best move I've made to date in my car purchasing mode.
Hope I haven't bored you too much.
Cheers
Lazy
English Sporstcars - Love em'
Edited by lazyitus on Saturday 31st December 17:53
gf15 said:
Great write up.
We ran a Chimaera for 3 years and all over Europe on 2 occasions. Wonderful car, fast, fun and the most reliable car we have ever had.
If only everything in life was as reliable as our much missed 500!
That's the thing with these cars - they're generally very reliable if well looked after. We ran a Chimaera for 3 years and all over Europe on 2 occasions. Wonderful car, fast, fun and the most reliable car we have ever had.
If only everything in life was as reliable as our much missed 500!
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