1965 TVR Griffith Series 400 with its original Ford 289ci 271hp
V8 and a top loader 4 speed transmission. Only about 60 were built.
The Griffith is a 2,000lb. sport car with a tube chassis, fiber
glass body, independent suspension and a Ford V8! Extremely fast
and very rare. The car was purchased new in 1965 and drag raced
thru 1967. It was an AHRA record holder 65, 66 & 67. It was not
licensed for the highway until 2005! Never driven in the rain or on
salty roads so the chassis is in excellent shape. It has been
stored indoors for 50 years. This is a running driving survivor
with only 2,400 miles on the clock! That’s 2,400 miles not 24,000!
The car was originally light blue but the original owner wanted
competition orange so he had the dealer paint it before
delivery.
The Griffith was the creation of Jack Griffith, a Ford dealer on
the east coast who was campaigning a 289 Cobra in SCCA road racing
when he got the idea to put the Cobra 289 V8 in a TVR Grantura
MKIII. A British sports car weighing in at 1,850lbs dry and with
271hp it made for a Cobra Killer on the track. Thus the Griffith
was born and Jack worked a deal with Ford to provide the engines
and TVR to import Grantura’s with modified chassis and no engines
or transmissions to his shop in Syosset, N.Y. where he installed
the 289 Ford V8 and 4 speed transmissions.
Go to www.GriffithYears.com and pick up a copy of “The Griffith
Years” by Mike Mooney. He has captured the history of the Griffith
motorcars from 1963 to 1967 with behind the scene details. A fun
read.
