TVR has pulled the covers off their long-awaited new Griffith at the Goodwood Revival.
It’s a classic two-seater front-engined sports car, with a design echoing the past of the British company’s past, though cleverly avoiding being tagged as another retro-themed model. TVR is looking ahead, while respecting the brand’s 70-year-long history.
First the numbers: a Ford-sourced 5.0-liter V8 tuned by Cosworth produces around 500hp in a car that weighs just 1,250kg (2,755lbs). Weight distribution is a perfect 50-50, with TVR also achieving its main target, which was to offer a 400hp/tonne power-to-weight ratio.
Zero to 62mph (100km/h) comes in less than four seconds while top speed is a quoted at ‘over 200mph’ (321km/h). A Tremec Magnum XL six-speed manual gearbox is the only transmission option.
Measuring 4314mm long, 1850mm wide and 1239mm tall, the new TVR Griffith is not only smaller than a Porsche 911, it’s also more compact than a Jaguar F-Type. The chassis utilizes Gordon Murray’s iStream process, meaning inner carbon-fiber panels bonded onto a steel frame, which gives it impressive rigidity. The bodywork is also made out of carbon-fiber, keeping weight in check.
The new TVR Griffith also features a completely flat floor which is claimed to give the car full ground effect aero. Up front there’s a deep splitter, while at the back lies an integrated and rather large diffuser.
The interior adopts a simple layout, with few buttons and a portrait-style infotainment system, specifically designed for the Griffith. A digital instrument cluster is also present, completing the picture of a no-nonsense driver-centric environment.
“This is the culmination of nearly three years of tireless work and we’re all proud as punch,” said Les Edgar, TVR boss. “The Griffith is unmistakably a TVR, a British muscle car that’s as awesome and brutal as it is charismatic and refined.”
The first 500 cars will be badged as Launch Editions and will come finished in special configurations, with bespoke colors. Prices for the TVR Griffith Launch Edition start at under £90,000. The first production cars are expected to reach their owners in the first quarter of 2019.
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