In the 1960s, Jack Griffith made his mark in automotive history as the man who challenged Carroll Shelby; not through a race but by the other craft that Shelby was also good at: making fast cars. It wasn’t just an empty challenge, mind you, as Griffith pulled through and came up with this – the Griffith 200.
Known as the TVR Griffith 200 in the U.K., the grandfather of the TVR Griffith roadster of the ’90s may have started as a challenge born out of inebriation, but Griffith delivered. This particular example on auction at RM Sotheby’s is the third Griffith factory development car, bearing the chassis number 200/5/002.
Jack worked with TVR in making the Cobra-killer, using the TVR Grantura as the base vehicle while using Ford V8 as the engine. Later Griffith 200s carry a 289 cubic-inch (4.7L) V8, however, this sample is the only one…