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History1958 - In late 1958 TVR became Layton Sports Cars (a district of Blackpool) and a separate company was formed called Grantura Engineering. Things were looking up and Motor even road tested one of the early Grantura cars in 1959. The car became the MkII and MkIIa with MGA engine options. At this time Trevor left the company.
The company name changed, again, TVR Cars, and John Thurner improved the chassis with coil springs replacing the torsion bars of the old car. Grantura Engineering rescued the Car Company and the Mk3 Grantura went to Le Mans, failing within the hour. Meanwhile in the USA an importer Dich Monnich and his friend Gerry Sagermann visited a Long Island Ford dealer called Jack Griffith. Mike Mooney tells the story in his recent book (The Griffith Years) of how a Ford 289ci V8 was matched to a Grantura Mk3 to produce a Cobra beater. Some of these Anglo-American hybrids were sold in the UK, including one to a young man called Martin Lilley. Again the old problem of over optimism returned and a USA Dockers strike killed the Griffith project and the Grantura Company. 
TVR Grantura
1961 - The MkII Grantura was available with an MGA engine as standard, although various other engines were offered to clients who wanted something else. In this year you could buy a MkII for £1,298 inc tax.
The MkIII Grantura was produced with a new longer and more well braced chassis and independent coil spring suspension all round. This chassis would be used in various forms up to the 1972 2500M . 1964 - the 1800S was released with a manx tail and the now famous 'ban the bomb' rear lights from the Ford Cortina. 1966 - the MkIV was produced as a slightly longer model with improved trim and bigger fuel tank. The early 1960s were a hard time for TVR with multiple financial failures and it was after one of these in 1965 that Griffith owner Martin Lilley together with his father Arthur took over the company and renamed it TVR Engineering. The Lilleys undertook to facelift the cars renaming the Grantura as the 1800S MkIV and the Griffith as the Tuscan. Mechanically the two models were very similar to their predecessor models but the new cars were bettered trimmed and finished. |
Technical SpecificationsTVR Grantura MkII
Engine: MGA Capacity (cc): 1588cc Power: 79 bhp @ 5,300rpm Torque: 87lbft @ 3,800rpm Performance: 0-60mph 12 seconds Max speed: 98mph TVR 1800S MkIV
Engine: MGB Capacity (cc): 1798cc Power:95 bhp @ 5,400rpm Torque: 110lbft @ 3,000rpm Performance: 0-60mph 10.9 seconds Max speed: 108mph Production Numbers:
MkI - approx 100 MkII - approx 400 MkIII - approx 60 1800 - 30 1800S - 128 MkIV - 78 |
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