All regular followers of the V de V Sports series know the yellow car entered by Éric Van de Vyver for more than 30 years. But who knows the true story behind the TVR Griffith?
TVR: three capital letters taken from the first name of Trevor Wilkinson, a young British engineer who first took advantage of the post-war climate by refurbishing military vehicles into transport trucks. He then built his first, one-off car based on an Alvis Firebird chassis, followed by a small production run of his Jomar, which inherited many components from the Volkswagen Beetle. The 1958 Grantura reused the chassis, combined with a well-styled but rather poorly executed fibreglass body.
A Disastrous Le Mans Entry
It was with this model that TVR took on the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1962. The paint had barely dried when the three cars left the factory in Blackpool, in north-west England. Near Birmingham, one of the MG-derived engines developed carburation problems: weld residue was floating around inside the fuel tank. The convoy had to stop every time a fuel line became blocked. Frustrated, competition director Ken Richardson missed a braking point and drove straight across a roundabout in the suburbs of London.
The three cars eventually limped into the Sarthe, but only entries #31 and #65 took part in practice. Both suffered overheating problems on the Hunaudières Straight because their radiators were too small. The issue could not be resolved and only #31 took the start, completing just three laps before retiring.
Griffith, the Anti-Cobra
This costly experience plunged TVR into a deep crisis. That is when Jack Griffith, importer of the Grantura in the United States, stepped in. His idea? Replace the 98 bhp four-cylinder engine with the large Ford V8 used in the Shelby Cobra, producing more than 280 bhp. In 1965, during an SCCA championship race, a Griffith driven by Tom Lynch got the better of the factory Cobras of Ken Miles and Dave MacDonald before retiring with a puncture. The episode would remain the model’s greatest achievement in competition.
For more than 30 years, the 1964 TVR Griffith entered by Éric Van de Vyver has added its own touch of diversity to the V de V Sports series. The yellow car has been driven by many notable names, including tennis player Henri Leconte who, together with Éric Van de Vyver, finished second in the 12 Hours of Jarama and the 12 Hours of Magny-Cours in 2018. “It weighs 900 kg and produces 450 bhp, which gives it a power-to-weight ratio of two,” quickly calculates the owner-driver. “It is not an easy car to drive, but it is hugely enjoyable. It is particularly effective on fast circuits because it is a genuine dragster capable of reaching 300 km/h. And like a genuine dragster... it does not stop very well!”
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