F355 GTS vs TVR Griffith

Well a mate of mine had a Griffith 500 for about 4 years (I got to drive it on numerous occasions) - sold it at the beginning of this year - it couldn't be more unlike the 355 if it tried (only similarity is it has 2 seats). Is a very very quick car in a straight line, loads of low down torque and sheer grunt - not a top end screamer like the 355. Loads of heat / noise in the cabin. Handling is very very sloppy compared to the 355. Cost my friend an absolute fortune over the years in maintenance.

Still fantastic cars, but not really similar to the 355 in terms of driving experience.

 

Ive owned both a TVR Griff 4.3 BV, non cat and now a 348TS. I would say the experience is very similar in terms of driveability i.e no power steering however the steering is far more responsive in the F car, a feeling of being in contact with the road. There is a big difference the TVR is more 'brutish' with its power delivery and the F car delivers the power all the way through the rev range. Both handles well, however the F car is like a train on tracks going round corners, where the TVR felt slightly twitchy at high speed, over 130mph!

 

I've not owned a Griffith, but I have a good friend who had a 500 which I have driven a few times, and I own a 355GTS...

Performance-wise there is very little in it, but the delivery is very different; the Griff all snorty-bellowy and the 355 all howly. The Griff is more torquey low down, but runs out of revs comparatively early, where the 355 revs to 8500 rpm. The 355's engine is highly sophisticated, with titanium conrods, two cat systems, 5 valves per cyl, 11:1 comp ratio etc. The origins of the Griff's engine are in the early 70's.

The handling of the 355 is ultra-sorted, using adaptive damping. The Griff felt more crude and skippy over bumps. The Griff has 5 spd box, the 355 has 6.

The 355 seems better built, and has air con, PAS, ABS. The Griff is a great event to drive, because it is relatively difficult and heavy. The 355's performance is more accessible. The maintenance costs of a 355 will be higher than a Griff I suspect, but it depends on the particular examples in question- Ade of these pages has racked up over £8k in one year with his 355, but others reckon on an average of £1k-£2k.

Then there's the cost of the car in the first place; £30k will buy you a great Griff but a v. ropey lhd 355.

Beyond the basic figures, chalk and cheese I'd say.

Robert.

 

I have had both...... A pre cat Griff adn a 355 spider now.....all of the above comments have summed it up really....

Griffith delivers its power with a kick in the ribs but like a sprinter runs out of rev range pretty quickly....355 has a smooth delivery over a lot longer rev range....

Totally differnt experience in driving.....both look gorgeous in my eyes from outside and the interior of the griff i think is better - all swoops and wood and leather adn anonymous buttons.....however over time it all peels off fades or cracks.....but the idea dan layout is excellent...

The 355 interior is functional but not a design award winning layout....

Driving them is as different as you could expect between a front engined basic V8 layout breathed on engine versus a tough flat plane crank 5 v per cylinder mid mounted V8.......

The straight line speed is close enough I reckon to not worry about....cetainly to 100...but the GRiffith then starts to play second fiddle if the twisties loom on the horizon.....twitchy was a word that for me underplayed the rear end charachteristics of mine.....changing lanes in the wet at speed was enough to stain the seat and hitting the brakes at pace was a life changing experience.....

IN the 355 the handling is superb......not twitchy confidence inspiring adn smoothe...braking at high speed is firm and no tramming to one side or the other....adn it feels planted all the way to 180....(and yes we do know as we hit that on the cannonball)....the Griff was a little wafty over 140 (to say the least) -

Two differnet driving experiences but lets not forget the Ferrari does it a lot lot better but for a lot lot more money....so at the end of the day that is why....when I could just afford a Griffith that is what i wanted adn finally got...now I am fortunate enough to afford a 355 that is what have....but if circumstances chaged I would not think twice - I would buy a Griff (4.3 BV) and sort out the minor issues like brakes shocks adn pads....for its bracket it is great ...not as fast as a cerbera (which i also had) but a damn site more reliable and cheaper to run...



FYI...I had a 92 4.3 pre cat..... it cost me around 600 per year in servicing and problem sorting but as most parts were Rover or Lucas and with family in the car trade it was not too bad.....

The Ferrari costs a lot more in retrospect but prob only cos i drive it so much and have performed a few upgrades on it....

In 2 years I ahve done 20K miles in the 355 at the cost of 2 clutches 4 sets of tyres and a lot of engine sensors but it always started adn ran well and has never let me down (touch wood)......The Griff was not as reliable (mainly electrics on these cars (loom was pretty poor and has water ingress whcich did not help)) - wheereas my rpevious car entitled me to free membership of ther RAC Xmas card list


Its all a question of money in the end....if you can afford a 355 get one...it'll ne the best thing you ever do...but you got to really want one to justify the experience and expense......

 

TVR has all power low down probably to 4,500 to 5,500 RMP.
The ferraris powers 7,500 to 8,500.

Ferrari more revy engine.

 

Griff - Straight line speed and the benign knowledge that hardly ANYTHING will out accelerate, or leave you on the motorway. Oh, and that bellowing roar!

Ferrari - fantastic handling, and once you are at motorway speeds, not too much will leave you trailing. Oh, and that F1 howl!

Both great cars. However, the general public seem to have a far greater affection for the TVR. I will not be leaving the Ferrari in the middle of Leeds/Goole/Bradford etc unlocked with the roof down like I can with the Griff... on the other hand, I never felt a great desire to put a big TVR logo on my garage wall though.

 

If you are in the market i would stick to Griffs mate. Avoid low/med mileage rosso/crema GTS or spider 355s at your peril!! (cos we cant both find my dream car now can we).

Another point worth mentioning is the fact that Griffs never had a spiritual replacement. The tamora was supposed to be it but its a straight 6 that is much unloved. The Griff will have very little depreciation. As far as reliability is concerned, my Cerbera was thrashed everywhere and was bomb proof for 3 years (proper servicing is a must) and apart from the abuse given by the previous owner and lack of maintenance by him, my ex-tack day Griff now very well behaved

Worst, most unreliable car i ever owned was a porsche!!

If you have basic repair skills a Griff can be cheap to run. The smell of curing araldite will be a familiar one!
Land Rover engine, Ford steering/braking, Vauxhall electrics, all readily sourced new and second hand very cheaply.

Drove a mates 355 the other day looking to buy and found the driving position very different. Griff is bent arms and tiptoes, 355 stretched arms.

Either car will be the love of your life (thats why im keeping both!)