When TVR first announced the new Griffith way back in 2017, the revived marque said it planned to begin production of the reborn sport car by the end of 2018. Unfortunately, delays involving the company’s planned renovations for its Ebbw Vale factory, along with financing concerns and the Covid-19 pandemic, created an air of uncertainty as to when the Griffith would begin rolling off the line.
Even so, the company remained dedicated to ensuring that production would begin, and on December 22, 2020, it announced that “after extensive liaison with its partners in the Welsh government,” it has received the green light to begin work on preparing its factory.
The company’s funding issues were also alleviated having been granted a new loan under the United Kingdom’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), with more recent funds of two million British pounds (around RM11 million) obtained from short-term marketplace lender, Fiduciam. This isn’t the first time that the pension-fund owned lender has assisted TVR, as it also loaned six million British pounds (around RM33 million) back in 2016.
“Raising funds is always a challenge and even more so for manufacturing projects in Covid-19 times,” said Les Edgar, CEO of TVR, in a report by Carscoops. He added that the company is confident that things are now in order, with the first Griffith cars set to be delivered in 2022.
The final product sounds pretty promising on paper, with input from legendary F1 designer Gordon Murray – the same person who helped develop the McLaren F1 and its spiritual successor, the GMA T.50.
Preliminary specifications include a weight of just around 1,250-1,300 kg thanks to the use of the iStream architecture, with a power-to-weight ratio of 400 hp per tonne. A 5.0 litre Ford V8 will feature under the hood, paired to a six-speed manual for a zero-to-100 km/h sprint time of under four seconds and a top speed of over 320 km/h. For good measure, it will also have a 50:50 weight distribution.
GALLERY: TVR Griffith
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Now we are seeing lesser TVR Chimaera and Griffith on the road in Malaysia … although TVR cars built in our own backyard Port Klang factory.
I heard that no one can control a TVR, not even professional drivers. It will just give you so much oversteers. Is it?