"The Griffith was the car that catapulted TVR into the big league of performance car manufacturers when it was unveiled as a concept at the 1990 Motor Show. Quite apart from being incredibly fast, it also looked stunning. Over 300 orders were taken at the show and, when the first cars were delivered to the press and public in 1992, the reception was even better; “Shockingly loud, unapologetically politically incorrect but unapologetically great too”, said Autocar.
Based on the spaceframe chassis developed for the Tuscan race car, the first run of cars used Rover V8s reworked to give either 240bhp (4.0-litre) or 280bhp (4.3-litre), but things got even better in 1994 with the launch of the 340bhp (5.0-litre) Griffith 500 which could reach 60mph in just 4.1 seconds on its way to a top speed of 167mph. To cope with the uprated performance, the 500 also came with better brakes, Koni dampers and stiffer chassis settings.
Offered here is the ultimate example, the 500. First registered in October 1999, this UK supplied, righthand drive example had the benefit of being ordered with air conditioning from the factory. Presented in Moonraker Black with black interior and gold stitching, this two owner example has a good history, showing the car’s maintenance throughout its life. The engine benefitted from a refresh 2,000 miles ago as a precautionary measure after an oil pump failure. The bearings and piston rings were also replaced at this time. The car is reported to run and drive very well making an incredible noise. It comes supplied with a V5C registration document, MoT test certificate valid until September 2020 and its history file includes an extensive compilation of invoices of work carried out. Why not take pleasure in scaring the neighbours every time you start it up!"