“The Blackpool / Long Island Connection”
“The Blackpool / Long Island Connection”
“The Blackpool / Long Island Connection”
1965 TVR Griffith 400 by Nigel Reuben
FIA HTP until 2034 and Ready to Race
Intro
When New Yorker Jack Griffith saw the transformation that his fellow American Carroll Shelby had achieved with the AC Ace, converting the plucky British sports car into a mighty Ford V8-powered beast, the Long Island-based Ford dealer was convinced that he could do better. Griffith – having made a bet with Shelby over dinner – was well placed to do so, as he ran a preparation and repair shop for well-known sports car drivers such as Mark Donohue, who had just raced a TVR Grantura MkIV in the 1962 Sebring 12 Hours. As a result, Griffith’s own hybrid British American ‘Cobra killer’ would be based on the Grantura, first by simply shoehorning the V8 from Donohue’s Cobra into the Grantura, but soon the modifications became increasingly intricate.
For this, Griffith acquired the rights to market the TVRs in the US and requested the Blackpool manufacturer to supply him with modified Grantura chassis sans engine and drivetrain to be completed with a small block Ford V8 in the USA. Due to the East Coast dock strike that lasted from December 1964 to April 1965, UK imports were severely affected, limiting the 400 planned production volume to just 59.
The raw power mated to its short wheelbase makes the TVR Griffith a car that may not be the easiest to handle but will deliver very rewarding experience when the driver gets it right and manages to tame the beast. Perhaps that’s why the Griffith is more successful today than it ever was in period, as in recent years in historic racing, thanks to the advance in preparation and set-up skills, the design has proved to be able to make a difference on circuits where power needs to be matched by an equal amount of agility.
The Griffith became the champions’ mount in the 2023 Masters Gentlemen Drivers’ series, beating the Cobras (including their Daytona Coupé offshoots), the E-types and the Ferraris, and has remained a frontrunner ever since. One of the most epic battles ever at Goodwood took place in the 2024 RAC TT race when Mike Whitaker and Tom Ingram took the lead and subsequent win from a Cobra driven by Jake Hill and Ollie Bryant.
The car is also eligible for various other pre-66 GT series including the Peter Auto Sixties Endurance, the HSCC Guards Trophy, the GT & Sports Car Cup, Equipe GTS, the CSCC Swinging Sixties, the SuperSixties, and the Spa Six Hours and Three Hours events.
The car on sale was built by marque specialist Nigel Reuben in 2024 on behalf of a Gentleman Racer and ran only 8 hours in selected races in Europe. It is equipped with a Warrior Engine and arguably the best TVR available. Full spec information available on request.
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