TVR Griffith (Modern) Buyer's Guide
This page covers the 1991–2002 Griffith, the Rover V8-engined car that relaunched the name from the sixties original and effectively relaunched TVR itself; the curvy, door-handle-free shape that stole the 1990 motor shows. It is the purer, prettier, harder-edged twin of the Chimaera, built in smaller numbers, and the market has long treated it as the more collectable of the pair. Our single sold result, a 1992 car at £11,000, looks like strong value against the £17,000–£19,000 estimate on the other Griffith currently in our data.
Know your versions
One generation, three engines. The Griffith 4.0 (240bhp, 1991–1993) is the original press-darling specification. The 4.3 (280bhp, 1992–1993) is the rare early flyer, with the "big valve" 4.3 cars the most sought of the pre-500s. In 1993 the Griffith 500 (320bhp, 5.0 litres) took over and ran to 2002, gaining a Borg-Warner T5 gearbox and the definitive long-throw soundtrack; the final run of 100 SE cars closed production. All are glassfibre over the tubular backbone chassis, all are sub-1,100kg, and none has ABS or airbags. The 500 is the version most buyers hunt; the early 4.0 and 4.3 cars carry first-of-breed appeal.
What to pay
One sale in our records: £11,000 for a 1992 TVR Griffith in August 2026. A 1992 Griffith is currently estimated at £17,000–£19,000, and the gap between the two figures is a fair sketch of the condition spread: £11,000 bought a car at the usable end, while presentable examples are pitched toward £17,000–£19,000. Griffith 500s generally trade above equivalent 4.0s nationally, but our data cannot yet evidence that premium with a figure.
What goes wrong
Identical skeleton to the Chimaera, identical priority: the powder-coated backbone chassis rots at the outriggers behind the glassfibre, invisibly, and proper repair means lifting the body. A Griffith with documented outrigger replacement or Waxoyl-from-new history is worth a substantial premium over an unknown; treat an undocumented chassis as a four-figure liability when negotiating. The Rover V8 is the easy part: camshaft wear, cooling system condition and oil pressure are the checks, and every specialist knows the engine inside out. Electrics (immobilisers, earths, window motors, the trademark hidden door releases) niggle rather than strand. Hoods age, and trim was hand-built in Blackpool, so panel fit varies car to car and always did; judge against other TVRs, not against a Boxster. Cats and exhausts matter on the 500 for both sound and MOT; check what is fitted.
Our view
The Griffith is the nineties TVR to keep: the shape is the company's masterpiece, production was modest, and the Rover V8 is one of the most durable and best-supported engines a classic can have. Our £11,000 result against a £17,000–£19,000 live estimate says entry remains reasonable if you accept a car needing commissioning; buy on chassis evidence first, specialist history second, and cosmetics a distant third. A sorted 500 is the long-term hold, and the Chimaera will always be the cheaper way in, which is precisely why the Griffith is the one to own.
