TVR Griffith Prototype

On September 8, 2017, in honor of the brand's 70th anniversary at the Goodwood Revival festival, the new Griffith, from the revived TVR brand, was unveiled, the first all-new car in about 10 years. The new Griffith is a continuation of the original model, which was discontinued in 2002.

The development of the new car took about three years. Les Edgar approached the matter creatively and thoroughly: the car had to be modern, light and relatively affordable. Designed by Gordon Murray, creator of the legendary McLaren F1 supercar.

The car was powered by a 5.0 liter V8 Ford Coyote engine. Which was based on the architecture of modular V8 engines of 4.6 and 5.4 liters. Ford engineers had to design a V8 engine specifically for the Mustang GT to compete with the GM 6.2L LS3 used in the Chevrolet Camaro and the Chrysler 6.4L Hemi ESF in the Charger, Challenger and Grand Cherokee. The result was a 5.0L Coyote that produced about the same power as its competitors, but with a much smaller displacement. The Coyote was fitted with new DOHC cylinder heads with 4 valves per cylinder and the engine redline was at 7000 rpm. Also in the engine, a variable valve timing system (CTA) with two independent variable cams (Ti-VCT) was implemented. Especially for Griffith, the engine was modified by Cosworth. Forced motor with a capacity of 500 hp. with a dry sump was also equipped with a new flywheel and clutch.

A Tremec Magnum XL six-speed manual transmission that sends power to the rear axle was the only transmission option available for the car.

The car received independent double wishbone suspension with electronically adjustable shock absorbers and ventilated disc brakes. Unlike its predecessors, Griffith was equipped with ABS, power steering and traction control.

The chassis is based on Gordon Murray Design's innovative iStream Carbon construction – a carbon fiber, steel and aluminum spatial frame with a torsional stiffness of almost 20,000 Nm/deg.

The TVR Griffith retained the unique identity of the Blackpool cars, which is expressed in the design and proportions of the body: a long bonnet, a fastback sunroof in the center, a chopped tail and muscular wheel arches. The classic shape was complemented by LED headlights in one block with air intakes, side-mounted exhaust pipes, a rear diffuser and an active wing. Exhaust pipes brought out to the side behind the front wheels made it possible to obtain a completely flat bottom to achieve a ground effect at high speed.

The extensive use of carbon fiber has made it possible to significantly reduce the weight – 1250 kg, with a distribution of 50:50. This allowed the car to accelerate to 100 kph in four seconds and reach a top speed of over 320 kph.

Inside, the car received a digital instrument panel surrounded by cylindrical buttons, an overhead console with a multimedia system, air conditioning and leather seats.

Production of the Griffith was expected to begin in 2019 with an initial run of 500 Launch Edition (LE) vehicles costing £89,995. The launch date was later pushed back to 2020 due to production launch difficulties.

Sources