A Rare Griffith Series 200 V8 Project Car

This is a Griffith Series 200 that was disassembled for a restoration in California in the 1970s. The restoration stalled, and the car was only recently rediscovered and rolled back out into the sunshine. It’s now being offered for sale with a Ford 302 V8 and a 4-speed manual transmission.

The Griffith Series 200 is a decidedly American take on the TVR Griffith, directly inspired by the Shelby Cobra which used much the same recipe – a small, lightweight British sports car with a powerful American V8 up front providing the clout.

Fast Facts – The Griffith Series 200 V8

•  The Griffith Series 200 is a modified TVR Grantura, built by American Jack Griffith with a Ford V8 engine. Inspired by the Shelby Cobra, it featured a lightweight chassis and powerful V8, offering an impressive power-to-weight ratio and excellent performance figures, including a 0-60 mph time of 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 163 mph.
• Griffith’s journey to creating the Series 200 began with his challenge to Carroll Shelby to build a faster car than the Cobra. After modifying a TVR Grantura, Griffith worked with TVR to create a bespoke chassis to accommodate the powerful Ford 289 V8, turning the dream into reality.
• The Series 200 used a tubular steel frame, independent suspension, and rack-and-pinion steering, offering a challenging driving experience but for those who could master it, it was hard to beat. Its relatively low production numbers (about 200 units) and high performance make it a rare and sought-after classic today, especially in vintage motorsport circles.
• This 1969 Griffith Series 200 is a project car, rediscovered after a 1970s restoration attempt. It’s equipped with a Ford 302 V8, Toploader 4-speed manual transmission, and several upgrades. The car is now available for sale at no reserve, with spare parts and a bill of sale through Bring a Trailer.

Building A Cobra Killer

The story of how the Griffith Series 200 came to be is always worth retelling. American Jack Griffith ran a mechanical workshop and worked with US racing drivers like Gerry Sagerman and Mark Donohue. One evening at a dinner party with Carroll Shelby, and perhaps after a couple of glasses of wine, Griffith insisted that he could build a car faster than the Shelby Cobra.

Carroll Shelby likely laughed off the idea, but in the spirit of Hemingway who once famously said “Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut” Griffith set about making his Cobra killer a reality.

Griffith always had experience working with TVRs from the UK. These were lightweight sports cars with tubular steel chassis and fiberglass bodies, essentially similar to cars from Lotus but perhaps a little more hairy chested in their execution.

The first attempt at building the car was to shoehorn a Ford V8 into a TVR Grantura. This didn’t work. Refusing to be beaten, Griffith convinced TVR to supply him with a new Grantura sans engine and transmission – TVR complied, and the car duly arrived stateside.

Once the car was in the garage, the chassis elements around the engine bay where modified, and any sheet metal that interfered with the small block Ford V8’s placement was duly hammered into a more accommodating form.

The Griffith Series 200

With the chassis and engine bay modified to accept the 289 Ford V8, the engine was fitted along with a 4-speed manual transmission. The original TVR brakes were deemed sufficient, but wider tires were fitted to slightly improve the amount of grip on offer.

With a curb weight of 864 kgs (1905 lbs), the Griffith Series 200 had an immense power to weight ratio. When customers placed their orders they could opt for either the standard 289 V8 producing 195 bhp or the Ford Mustang K-code engine offering 271 bhp.

With this latter engine fitted, the car was capable of doping the 0 – 60 mph sprint in just 3.9 seconds – and remember, this was back in the mid-1960s when times like this were almost unheard of. The top speed was 163 mph (262 km/h) – if you were brave enough of course.

The Series 200 has a tubular steel frame, independent front and rear suspension with unequal length double A-arms, rack and pinion steering, seating for two, and a modest amount of cargo space in the rear behind the seats.

The power, low weight, and relatively short wheelbase of the Griffith Series 200 made it challenging to drive at the limit. Those who could master it could outperform almost anything on track, and word about the car quickly spread.

It’s believed that almost 200 examples of the Griffith Series 200 were made in total, making it a remarkable success for such a low-volume automaker working with their key parts supplier across the Atlantic.

Today the surviving examples of the Series 200 are sought after for vintage motorsport compeition, where (if piloted by a skilled driver), they can wipe the floor with almost anything else on track.

The Griffith Series 200 V8 Project Car Shown Here

The car you see here is an original Griffith Series 200 that is finished in white with blue stripes, and it comes fitted with matching alloy wheels with blue detailing. The car is said to have been stripped for a restoration in the 1970s and then largely forgotten about, only being rediscovered recently.

This Series 200 is accompanied by a Ford 302 V8 and a Toploader 4-speed manual transmission. It also comes with Koni shock absorbers, nickle-plated control arms, an additional set of 15″ wire-spoke wheels, a Holley carburetor, a Weiand Warrior intake manifold, and a differential with 3.9:1 gearing.

The car is now being offered for sale on Bring a Trailer out of Livermore, California at no reserve with an assortment of spare parts and a bill of sale. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.

Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer