My interest in TVR's was kindled by my father's 420SE, with that wonderfully sounding Rover V8.

I was looking to buy a sport scar around 1990, and this was also the time that the prototype Griffith was shown to the public. The looks just blew me away, plus being power by the same V8 as my father's wedge it ticket all the right boxes. Unfortunately there was no way I could have afforded one at the time. But this got me thinking about the older models of TVR's, I defiantly wanted one with an engine that had more than four cylinders as they make much more exciting sounds. The S series met all the right criteria but were just too expensive and wedges had the right engine, but I was not sold on their looks (except the 420/450SEAC but again these were to expensive). The M series range looked much more promising with straight six or V6 engines, attractive looking bodies, available in three different styles and simple to maintain. A 3000S convertible would have been really nice but again these were just to expensive. So I decided on a Taimar, as it would be the more practical version to own. The next decision was do I buy the best that I could afford, which I would then want to improve and upgrade to my tastes, or buy a cheep one that I could rebuild exactly as I wanted.

In the end I bought a cheep one that needed rebuilding. On the 23rd August 1991 I acquired a rather sad looking Taimar ACK916R. The chassis was rotten the suspension was worn out, the paint was blistered and the seats and sunroof were all split. But she was drivable, just! So I drove her on and of the transporter and up & down the driveway, which is as far as she would go for the next two and a half years.

During this time I undertook a complete body of rebuild, replacing, overhauling and upgrading parts as necessary. In the end the only part not to be rebuilt was the gearbox and overdrive unit.

The biggest mistake I made was never going to the monthly meetings until I had finished the car. I discovered that the local members were a mine of information and their knowledge could have saved me a lot of time trying to trace were parts had originated from.

Over the years I've had many great experiences with the car but a couple that really stand out are, a fantastic drive back from the TVRCC Mania event in Wales in 1999 Along the A40 between Carmarthen & Monmouth through the Brecon Beacons, and winning the concours competition overall at the Back Home event in Blackpool and having Trevor Wilkinson present me with the trophy.

The list of things to do to the car never seems to get finished, but that's all part of the fun of owning a car like this.

In 2000 I achieved my ambition of owning a TVR Griffith. It may only have been a 4.0ltr model but it was plenty fast enough for me. Before I owned the car it had, had a lot of money spent on it and it proved to be totally reliable. The best feature had to be the stainless steel sports exhaust system that was fitted to it. The sound of the V8 under hard acceleration was just fantastic, overall the noise level was just right with out being to loud on longer journeys.

Compared with the Taimar the Griffith felt much more solidly built and all of a piece. But you could definitely tell that both cars shared the same bloodline.

The most memorable trips in the Griffith were a summers evening run back from Kent with the top down driving into the setting sun, and following my sister in her Austin-Healey 3000 after its restoration across the Cotswolds on a sunny afternoon.

Unfortunately due to the recent purchase of a house I've had to sell the Griffith. One day I will hopefully own another one preferably a 4.3ltr Ocean Haze version.