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The "world's fastest, most dramatic, most economical production automobile”, such was the claim that heralded the arrival of the
Griffith Series 200, the machine that would introduce the Griffith name to the world. Not exactly a modest claim, but then the
Griffith Series 200 was not exactly a demure automobile. The brainchild of Jack Griffith, the 200 was his attempt to out-Shelby the AC Cobra, a car that Griffith himself was an authorized dealer for at his Long Island Ford dealership. And it followed Shelby's Cobra recipe: take a light, nimble British sports car chassis and insert Ford's new lightweight 289 cubic inch V-8. But as the chassis Griffith chose was TVR's tiny Grantura Mk III, a car smaller even than the AC Cobra, the combination was that much more explosive.
Griffith had been impressed with the TVR's dynamic capabilities ever since the Grantura Mk III was introduced in 1962, even with its relatively anemic MG-sourced four-banger. What made it shine was an all-new tube frame chassis featuring double wish bone suspensions front and rear. That plus coil springs all around, rack and pinion steering, and a truncated 85.5 inch wheelbase that was barely 30 inches more than the car's track width all added up to a machine that could change direction with supernatural alacrity. But Jack Griffith knew that to make it in an American market charmed by the Cobra’s power-to-weight ratio, his creation would need a lot more than the stock MG motor's 98 horses.
With Ford's standard 195hp 289 swapped into the Griffith, horsepower was essentially doubled, while adding only 100 pounds or so to the curb weight. If that wasn't enough, for an extra $495 (on top of the standard car’s $3995 base price) well-heeled lead-foots could opt for Ford's High Performance 289—the same engine that powered the Cobra. So equipped, the
Griffith Series 200’s performance was truly shocking, with 271 hp motivating less than 1800 pounds (!)—several hundred fewer than the Shelby was burdened with.
Ford also supplied Toploader four-speed transmissions for the Griffith; wide-ratio boxes for the 195hp engine, close-ratio for the HP. Unfortunately for Griffith owners, the rest of the drivetrain was stock TVR, using parts originally selected to harness four tepid cylinders worth of torque. Not surprisingly, parts failures—particularly around the differential and half-shafts—were all too common. The other area of concern was the cooling system. With so much more firepower available under the hood, it's no wonder that the Griffith generated considerably more heat—the stock radiator was woefully overmatched. Early
Griffith Series 200’s were plagued with overheating problems, and most cars ended up being refit with larger radiators.
As became something of a tradition with various lower volume manufacturers, the Griffith models were not strictly defined by their body designs. The first three cars were actually delivered with Grantura Mk III bodies. This is significant not so much for aesthetic reasons, but because the Grantura hood lacked the later cars’ power bulge, necessitating that the engine be mounted 3 inches lower in the chassis. In the car this light, that represented a noticeable shift in the
Griffith Series 200's center of gravity. The majority of the
Griffith Series 200 series carried bodywork that was clearly derivative of the Grantura Mk III, but differed in a couple of key areas. In addition to the bulge in the hood, the most obvious difference was in the rear fender shape. Whereas the Grantura Mk III featured a brow-like horizontal fender flare over the wheel arch, the
Griffith Series 200 had a more prominent flare that followed the contour of the arch. In addition, the upper edge of
Griffith Series 200’s rear fender was slightly more prominent.
But really, styling was secondary with the
Griffith Series 200. As that first tagline advertised, this car was really about speed and drama—and, yes, economy. $4000 wasn’t exactly cheap in 1964, but few machines at any price could match the
Griffith Series 200 in raw speed. And "raw" is the operative word—which is where the drama comes in. A car that changes direction quickly with 98 hp can become alarmingly twitchy with 195 hp, and downright diabolical with 271. Compound that with bicycle-like 185-section tires (less tread than today's subcompacts), and inconsistent brakes (particularly on early
Griffith Series 200’s) and many Griffith drivers got more drama than they bargained for. Driven judiciously the
Griffith Series 200 could outrun nearly anything else on the street. Step one toe over the line and the
Griffith Series 200's rear bumper could easily outrun its nose.
This Jekyll and Hyde persona was part of the
Griffith Series 200's mystique, establishing a reputation for formidability and conferring a measure of respect to any driver skillful enough to tame it successfully—at least among those knowledgeable enough to know what the
Griffith Series 200 was and what it could do. To everyone else, it seemed merely an awkward-looking little British coupe—at least until the driver unleashed the full fury of the Ford V-8 and left incredulous competitors staring at quickly receding taillights. <<
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