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2018 TVR Griffith Is the 500 HP British Sports Car That Was Worth Waiting for

Both the TVR and the Griffith name have made a comeback today after a long hiatus, and even though the wait was long for the fans of the brand, it looks like it might have been worth it.
2018 TVR Griffith 17 photos
Photo: TVR
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The TVR brand has earned a reputation for making sports cars that weren't terribly reliable or comfortable, but had so much character that you could forgive them even worse things. They built a strong following in the UK - and even around the world - but that couldn't help the company from collapse.

After exchanging ownership a few times during the 2000's, the company eventually ended up in the hands of Les Edgar in 2013. In 2015, it emerged that the new team had been working for over a year on a new model, but the rough period the company had been through meant that people's excitement was held under control by a "we have to see it to believe it" type of attitude.

Well, all that excitement has broken free today as TVR took the wraps off the new Griffith. Bearing the same name as the 1991 model, the new sports car couldn't be more different. There are a few design cues carried over - plus the launch color - but it looks like TVR has entered a new era - one of more sophistication and refinement.

We suspect all that poshness will go out the window the moment that 5.0-liter Cosworth naturally aspirated V8 engine opens up the exhaust valves, but some differences are just too obvious not to notice. For instance, the interior.

The Griffith has a portrait-oriented central infotainment screen and a digital instrument cluster. The dashboard is covered in dark gray Alcantara and creamy leather, and it looks as though the steering wheel-mounted stalks could be borrowed from BMW. The gearbox lever is ridiculously short, but the overall feel of the cabin is much more luxurious than it used to be.

Thanks to the involvement of Gordon Murray and his iStream technology, the Griffith manages to post an impressive power-to-weight ratio of 400 hp/ton. With the V8 providing 500 hp, that means the overall weight of the vehicle is 1.250 kg (2,755 lb). With stats like these, performance comes easy: 0-100 mph (0-161 km/h) comes in just over six seconds and the top speed sits at a round 200 mph (322 km/h). These are the kind of numbers that give the new Griffith the right to call itself a "supercar."

Like any true TVR, the Griffith doesn't use excessive aerodynamic elements such as a big rear wing spoiler. Instead, it has a completely flat underside that sucks the car to the ground, with handling further helped by the ideal 50:50 weight distribution (with the engine sitting behind the front axle).

Production of the new TVR is scheduled to begin at least a year from now, but the company has already secured customers for all 500 of its Launch Edition special models. With a price of £90,000 (almost $119,000), the new TVR will attract a new type of customer as well. But anyone who likes a naturally aspirated V8 paired to a manual transmission is OK in our book.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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