BIG Engine In A Tiny Package! The Fearsome TVR Griffith 500

Ahh! I watched my Griff 500 (Terry) being built in the factory and did 30k pretty trouble-free miles in him before he had a bit of bad luck...All that now remains is the Griffith 500 badge on the wall above my desk. It wasn't the car's fault, I was going quickly & someone pulled out in front of me on a dual carriageway. I spun & wiped out front & back on the central reservation, but the doors opened & I climbed out with just a bump on the head from the roof panel, which ended up on the other side of a roundabout. The insurance assessor was very impressed with the way the car's passenger space had kept its shape, the fibreglass body absorbing a good dose of the impact. The only mistake I made was not ordering him with power steering, mostly for my wife's benefit. He did 25 mpg on a decent run & would pull in 5th from under 20 mph. A great car (sob..)

If you don't love a Griffiths with that Rover engine, you have no soul.

One of a very few car reviewers that doesn’t wheel spin away off a gravel road 👍

I own a Griffith 500HC. Some engine upgrades. Yep, can be beyond bonkers. Also, after having a major engine ECU upgrade with now no dizzy etc. Drives super smooth and all the 'unreliable' parts gone. I love driving it.

You can take your 300 mile range, 0-60 in 3 seconds and auto driving function. There is NO electric car that can make me smile like listening to that gruff, animal like V8! Every journey would be a stereo off, window ajar affair! It’s one area an EV won’t EVER trump an ICE.

They were certainly a bit raw, and even when they were new the build quality was a bit casual. But fantastic fun. The steering was very quick for the day, although it would be familiar to someone used to a modern Ferrari. Traction control was provided by amazingly long throttle travel, just as well when on a damp road you could get wheel spin in most gears. And the scary reputation was backed up by the insurance industry, which found that 70% of Griff 500 write-offs were single-vehicle accidents. But treated with respect, such as making sure all the wheels are pointing the same way before giving it the beans, my main memory is of grinning so much my mouth hurt!

Beautiful car and lovely V8 sound. I think they got it pretty well spot on, what's not to like? Thanks Jack.👍👍

I did treasure hunt in a Griff 500 in the rain. Huge fun keeps you on your toes. Probably one of the most exciting cars I've ever driven. Amazing value still

Yes, it is such a pretty little car with a monstrous bite. TVR's best design? I think so. The front end has shades of an E-type. Having owned an Austin Healey 3000, the Griff has always appealed to me because of its hairy-chestedness.

One of the few cars that actually lives up to the moniker "insane."

As a Citroën guy I like the CX mirrors of course, but the rest of the car... Wow, I just love it!❤

At last, the best car video thus far. I am slightly biased, I owned one for 13 years and 90k, brilliant cars!

This is going to get expensive. First I have to buy a house with a 'proper' sized garage, and then buy a Griff. What a sound. Much prefer this shape and the more simple (for a TVR) interior. What a machine. Great video, and it looks like a million smiles per mile judging by the look on your face.

A friend of my (at the time girlfriend) took me for a very enthusiastic rip in a 500 getting on 20 years ago. It's probably up there with the most bum clenching drives I've ever been on, and I've been sideways at around 100mph in a Cobra on wet grass.

Lots of nostalgia here, my Dad is the JS in J555 GRF. Been to spa and le mans on multiple occasions in that car, excellent video, Thanks!

Number 27 just keeps getting better and better buddy!...... Absolutely superb stuff Jack 👌👍

…dates back to the Buick 215ci small block V8 of 1961… It produced 150 bhp SAE, later 155. When introduced in the P5B (and later P6B) it still produced 155bhp but now “British” horsepower. When it was shoehorned into the MG MGB, the convoluted intake resulted in a drop to 137bhp. The first versions in the Range Rover were even more detuned (improving torque) I believe to around 93bhp. The most powerful Rover version was the 218bhp 4.6 in the P38a Range Rover.

TVR’s finest moment. I distinctly remember the Performance Car magazine feature written by Peter Tomlinson, driving a dark grey (with oxblood red interior) 4.3 Griffith around the Lake District……and I fell in love. A few years later I bought a 350i……I loved the looks and the sound but the sub par kit car build meant I couldn’t live with it. But a TVR will still turn my head today.

When you initially pulled away I thought the guy stood behind the car had his hands clasped praying lol. I realized then he was holding a camera filming.

My good lady and I used to often take the Griffith out for a spin when were were courting. She often commented on how stiff it was...