It’s “Throwback Friday” around here and in honor of the day we’ve decided to highlight a vintage TVR racer doing exactly what it did best; racing.
The TVR Grantura is the first model in a long line of TVR cars and debuted in 1958. The cars went through a series of developments leading to the I to IV and 1800S models. The last ones were made in 1967.
These coupés were hand-built at the TVR factory in Blackpool, England with varying mechanical specifications and could be had in kit form. All cars featured a cocktail of Austin-Healey brakes, VW Beetle or Triumph suspension parts andBMC rear axles.
The Grantura bodyshell was made from glass-reinforced plastic and made use of a variety of proprietary components. The bonnet was front hinged. There was no opening at the rear but the boot could be accessed from inside the car – the spare wheel had to be removed through the front doors. Buyers could choose from a range of powerplants which included a choice of side or overhead valve engines from Ford, a Coventry Climax unit or the MGA B-series engine.
The Series II had MGA engines as standard but again customers could choose from a variety of power units. The IIA used the 1,622 cc MGA or Ford 1,340 cc engine and front disc brakes were standard. Rack and pinion steering was standardised.
A car with a 1600 cc MGA engine was tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1961. It had a top speed of 98.4 mph and could accelerate from zero to 60 mph in twelve seconds. Fuel consumption of 27.3 mpg was recorded. The test car cost a whopping £1,298 including taxes.