Any thoughts on this one?
Discussion
I sold my 4.2 C8ERA last November after 9mths ownership. (and £9k running costs) Now looking for a Griffith 500 for about £15-16k hoping for a N-reg with about 40k on it. (Sound about right?) Did the odd TVRCC track day in the Cerb and it was amazing round the bends and on the straights of course. How will a 500 Griff compare? Anyone had both cars? And what about day to day driving, how does the experiance differ between them. Thanks for ur views in advance.
Also anyone know what the deal is with the 500 havin 340BHP then 320BHP? What Reg letter plates are they both on or yrs manufactured?
(Just got Steves Griff/Chimp bible so will start reading through that soon)
Also anyone know what the deal is with the 500 havin 340BHP then 320BHP? What Reg letter plates are they both on or yrs manufactured?
(Just got Steves Griff/Chimp bible so will start reading through that soon)
Never owned a Cerb but had a Griff 500 on an M plate for 3 years. By all accounts the Cerb is faster through the gears but the Griff has far more useable torque and the best engine sound money can buy 
No Griff puts out anything over 300bhp in reality so dont worry about it. They lowered the bhp by 20 to make the car more tractable around town and at lower revs. My June '95 car hadn't had this done but I know of a car the same age that had so age aloen wont tell you. In reality you wont notice it. Some cars are slightly detuned to run on 95ron unleaded also - again not a noticeable difference imho.
Price wise I think £15-16k is a bit optimistic for a good N plate - perhaps £1-2k more for a really good one.
Handling wise I think the Cerb is better through the tight stuff but the Griff is surprisingly comfortable (i am 6'6" tall) and very docile if you want it to be. My 340bhp version didn't like slow moving traffic at rpm lower than about 2500 so I had to stay in a lower gear to avoid coughing and spluttering - honest!
Make sure your car has the twin radiator fans (it should do) and preferably a manual fan override switch which is a common aftermarket add on anyway - it makes summer traffic jams less worrying (try putting your arm out of the window when you come to a stop and feel the heat come up from the engine bay
)
A fantastic car though - you wont regret it!
>> Edited by Jamesk on Tuesday 18th March 11:45
No Griff puts out anything over 300bhp in reality so dont worry about it. They lowered the bhp by 20 to make the car more tractable around town and at lower revs. My June '95 car hadn't had this done but I know of a car the same age that had so age aloen wont tell you. In reality you wont notice it. Some cars are slightly detuned to run on 95ron unleaded also - again not a noticeable difference imho.
Price wise I think £15-16k is a bit optimistic for a good N plate - perhaps £1-2k more for a really good one.
Handling wise I think the Cerb is better through the tight stuff but the Griff is surprisingly comfortable (i am 6'6" tall) and very docile if you want it to be. My 340bhp version didn't like slow moving traffic at rpm lower than about 2500 so I had to stay in a lower gear to avoid coughing and spluttering - honest!
Make sure your car has the twin radiator fans (it should do) and preferably a manual fan override switch which is a common aftermarket add on anyway - it makes summer traffic jams less worrying (try putting your arm out of the window when you come to a stop and feel the heat come up from the engine bay
) A fantastic car though - you wont regret it!
>> Edited by Jamesk on Tuesday 18th March 11:45
I've had both, a Cerbera is faster but there is more to it then raw speed. The Griff is a different, sort of less frantic fast and still very, very fast!
My '96 Griff was marked as 340bhp not sure when they changed to 320 although I'd say it would be sometime in '97 if I had to guess, as has already been said neither figure is true so I would not be bothered. Also don't worry about the 340's ability to drive in traffic it is very, very easy once you have done a few miles.
D.
My '96 Griff was marked as 340bhp not sure when they changed to 320 although I'd say it would be sometime in '97 if I had to guess, as has already been said neither figure is true so I would not be bothered. Also don't worry about the 340's ability to drive in traffic it is very, very easy once you have done a few miles.
D.
I've had a Griffith 500, a 4.2 Cerb and a 4.5 Cerb all from new. If you are thinking about moving to a Griffith 500, you'll love the bottomless torque at all revs, but the handling will come as a bit of a shock after a Cerb. On the limit, the Griff can be very tricky if not lethal. Due to its shorter wheel base it is much easier to swap ends as you'll find out if you really try on a track day. The Griff also suffers from rear end lift at speed (as the great PW told me himself). Consequently, if you are hammering on at speed, don't even think of turning into a high speed corner with even a whiff of brake on as the back unloads so easily as the car dips - net result - swapped ends in the blink of an eye.
Similarly, watch out for surface unevenness or bumps on the exit to high speed corners as this can easily throw the rear end out into a big sideways moment (I found that out myself at Mallory where there is a bump on the entry to the pit straight).
Handling deficiencies aside, in general terms I found the Griff easier to live with on a day to day basis being more reliable, cheaper to fix, and in the real world of British roads, every bit as quick as a Cerb. Still miss mine quite a lot (but not the brown trousered moments).
john
Similarly, watch out for surface unevenness or bumps on the exit to high speed corners as this can easily throw the rear end out into a big sideways moment (I found that out myself at Mallory where there is a bump on the entry to the pit straight).
Handling deficiencies aside, in general terms I found the Griff easier to live with on a day to day basis being more reliable, cheaper to fix, and in the real world of British roads, every bit as quick as a Cerb. Still miss mine quite a lot (but not the brown trousered moments).
john
Jamesk said:
No Griff puts out anything over 300bhp in reality so dont worry about it. >> Edited by Jamesk on Tuesday 18th March 11:45
Cough..some do put out slightly more..the wife's kicks out 302 in standard trim (ie rolling roaded, but without mods).
V. interesting post though, James, as we're having to think about a Cerby to replace a Griff 500 due to a sprog, and trackdays are us.
£9k in 9 months though..gulp
some do put out slightly more..the wife's kicks out 302 in standard trim (ie rolling roaded, but without mods)
I had a 5.2 litre Griff 500 up until about a year ago (and that wasn't the only mod) following on from a new 4.5 Cerbie. This Griff was not such a come down from a 4.5 Cerbie and I know it's all ready been said, but although never rolling roaded it had loads more grunt that your average 500.
To be honest though the Cerbera was on a different level to the Griff and always will be, 70 in 2nd, 90 in 3rd, 100 in 8.something seconds. They are two totally different cars and I find it hard to compare them.
Day to day the Griff was easier as it was better at low revs, doesn't require pin point clutch control, had a turning circle less than the titanic and you could get out the doors easily in multi-stories. But for sheer handling and pace the Cerbera put both my Griff's to shame.
Neil
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