What is an LE Griff

[brummiewedge]

Hi All, i am looking at a 500 Ltd Edition Griff next week on a V plate. What does LE actually mean if anything?

[Horse_Apple]

The last 100 were made for the French market

[richb]

Take a look at this, it should answer all your questions www.griffith500se.co.uk/

p.s. I think it's SE not LE?

[97octane]

richb said:

Take a look at this, it should answer all your questions www.griffith500se.co.uk/

p.s. I think it's SE not LE?

Indeed, SE for Special Edition (not sure why not Special Equipment or Limited Edition, but there you go, it's a TVR after all)
Obvious changes include 7" headlamps, Corrado wing mirrors, 4-light rear clusters, Cerbie seats and a hybrid Chimera interior. Very nice, possibly collectable, holding value nicely. Later ones criticised for not having the traditional Griff backlit rear number plate but sloped ones instead.
Mine is No.57

[gaffer]

There were in fact a few more than 100 "last griffs"

In the usual TVR style

Claire

[97octane]

gaffer said:

There were in fact a few more than 100 "last griffs"

In the usual TVR style

Claire

Claire, have you spoken to Roger Thompson (thomr)? he needs everything he can get info-wise for the SE website and I know he is specifically after inside knowledge from TVR itself, even PW's e-mail address if anyone knows it. If you have anything he can use, we SE owners would be grateful.
Cheers!
Alan

[Podie]

97octane said:

... even PW's e-mail address if anyone knows it.

[gaffer]

97octane said:

gaffer said:

There were in fact a few more than 100 "last griffs"

In the usual TVR style

Claire

Claire, have you spoken to Roger Thompson (thomr)? he needs everything he can get info-wise for the SE website and I know he is specifically after inside knowledge from TVR itself, even PW's e-mail address if anyone knows it. If you have anything he can use, we SE owners would be grateful.
Cheers!
Alan

Ummm...nope - not been contacted about anything like this (I think).

Claire

May not be able to reply tonight as I have busted - well and truly - my wireless connection. So fixing that is my evening.

[Ricardo Bertone]

Claire

If there were indeed more than 100 SEs what were the additional ones labelled as on the SE plaques in the cars?

Rather than there being a surplus there seems to be a big hole around the 20s - anyone got a 20 or know where they are? I know around six were left hand drive - were they some of the 20s?

Ricardo

[Gaffer]

Ricardo Bertone said:

Claire

If there were indeed more than 100 SEs what were the additional ones labelled as on the SE plaques in the cars?

Rather than there being a surplus there seems to be a big hole around the 20s - anyone got a 20 or know where they are? I know around six were left hand drive - were they some of the 20s?

Ricardo

No idea- I have heard that from 5 senior PRW management that that was the case. I guess they thought no one would ever check.

Claire

[thomr]

brummiewedge said:

Hi All, i am looking at a 500 Ltd Edition Griff next week on a V plate. What does LE actually mean if anything?

Its just possible that someone has a Griff 500 SE with a "V" plate (01/08/1999 - 28/02/2000) as the SE's were manufactured between 2000 and 2002. However, the oldest registration of an SE that I've found is an "X" reg, unless its a special plate such as "V8 xxx".

Also I noticed that when gathering information from "The Griffith Pages" website - www.thegriffithpages.com/ - there are many Griff owners who call their car an SE, even though they say it was manufactured in the 1990s. I can only assume that people don't really know what they have got, or they wrongly start to call their car an SE because they have modified it (i.e. and think it now has Special Equipment).

I would be interested in any details of the car for my website - www.griffith500se.co.uk/ - if it really is an SE!

Roger (Thomas)

Edited by thomr on Saturday 25th November 09:58

[richb]

I bought my Griffith 500 new in March '99 and visited the factory around that time and can absolutly confrim that the SE's were NOT being made at that time. Rich...

[Ricardo Bertone]

Didn't the TVR factory just announce their intention to cease Griffith production with 100 SEs in early 2000?

Ricardo

[roop]

97octane said:

...PW's e-mail address...

PRW...Email...PRW...Email... Nope, can't ever see that happening. He struggles to use a telephone not because he can't but because he hates talking to people. I'd be amazed if he can operate a computer

Anyway, back on topic - what is it with those rear lights...? I saw one of these the other day - now where was I...? Somewhere around Halifax. They look bloody awful...! Looks like a Halfords conversion. The rest of the car is very nice though. Just bring back the Cav clusters...!

Sorry, i haven't been much help have I...? Righto, I'll get me coat...

[richb]

roop said:

Anyway, back on topic - what is it with those rear lights...? I saw one of these the other day - now where was I...? Somewhere around Halifax. They look bloody awful...! Looks like a Halfords conversion. The rest of the car is very nice though. Just bring back the Cav clusters...!

Roop I agree with you 100% but sometimes people like things simply because they are newer. To me the Cavalier light units complement the styling of the doors i.e. the scalloped leading edge of the doors became a TVR design statement first introduced on the Griffith, the rear lamps are also scalloped into the bodywork to complement this. Simple but effective, just like the Griff

[97octane]

richb said:

roop said:

Anyway, back on topic - what is it with those rear lights...? I saw one of these the other day - now where was I...? Somewhere around Halifax. They look bloody awful...! Looks like a Halfords conversion. The rest of the car is very nice though. Just bring back the Cav clusters...!

Roop I agree with you 100% but sometimes people like things simply because they are newer. To me the Cavalier light units complement the styling of the doors i.e. the scalloped leading edge of the doors became a TVR design statement first introduced on the Griffith, the rear lamps are also scalloped into the bodywork to complement this. Simple but effective, just like the Griff

We've had this discussion before, haven't we boys?!
I like the SE changes, both outside and inside. I always thought the Cav lights shouted "PARTS BIN"!!!

[richb]

97octane said:

richb said:

roop said:

Anyway, back on topic - what is it with those rear lights...? I saw one of these the other day - now where was I...? Somewhere around Halifax. They look bloody awful...! Looks like a Halfords conversion. The rest of the car is very nice though. Just bring back the Cav clusters...!

Roop I agree with you 100% but sometimes people like things simply because they are newer. To me the Cavalier light units complement the styling of the doors i.e. the scalloped leading edge of the doors became a TVR design statement first introduced on the Griffith, the rear lamps are also scalloped into the bodywork to complement this. Simple but effective, just like the Griff

We've had this discussion before, haven't we boys?!

Have we? It was a long time ago brains not what it used to be.

[roop]

The Cav clusters are very much parts bin, without doubt, but my view is the car looks designed around them, whereas the SE clusters look like cheap lenses stuck into a fibreglass plug that fills a hole. Oh hang, on, that's exactly what they are. Remind me of scratbox hatches with "Lexus" style rear clusters - cheap looking silvered plastic with bargain basement lenses glued into them like they were 99p buy-it-now from eBay.

Regards the Griff, ff the plug was blended into the body it might make all the difference mind.

All the above just opinion - as I said - the rest of the car is sublime...

[tvr_nut]

rich b said << Have we? It was a long time ago brains not what it used to be.

Interesting news recently in scientific press that in fact brain cells do actually grow back to replace those that die (of alcohol poisoning, probably). I wonder what alcohol intake equates to steady state - probably nowhere near enough to enjoy one's self.

Sorry to go off topic - to make amends, I'm a "Cav rear lights on the Griff man" me'selfs.

tvr_nut