Griffith 430 Auction
Discussion
Up for sale is this 430 ‘Sport’. Heard of a BV but not a Sport. Can anyone shed any light. Looks to be falling well short of the £25k estimate with an hour to go.
https://www.evoke-classics.com/consignment/1992-tv...
https://www.evoke-classics.com/consignment/1992-tv...
Because that is all that it's worth and why do they put them on these obscure auction sites that no one has ever heard of. How do people even find those sites. The car has done only 8,000 miles in the last 15 years. There is no mention of a new chassis, or dehumidified storage. No mention of service records or invoices for work done. The dash needs re-finishing and the passenger seatbelt is an MOT failure. It's an auction car so there is no warranty.
There is a 1993 L plate 500 at a dealer for £15995. Yes it has done more miles, but at least there is some comeback if it goes pop a mile down the road.
On that basis, the auction car is expensive.
There is a 1993 L plate 500 at a dealer for £15995. Yes it has done more miles, but at least there is some comeback if it goes pop a mile down the road.
On that basis, the auction car is expensive.
It says a factory fitted engine with BV new cam and crank. I presume they mean it went back to Doms place. If it was owned by an ex Tvr employee surely you will get some relevant history by asking.
The add is a bit dubious but it’s a very nice car overall if you look closely.
Nice to see it on its original wheels and unmolested. Sort of car that’s prime for an Ecu upgrade, interior refresh including chassis then it’s worth 35k to someone I bet. If you had a lift you could pull the body off this car and re coat the chassis for 2k easy if doing it as a hobby.
You’d have a very rare and solid car with low miles on the clock!
Why would it go pop? I wager there are hundreds of TVR that have done less than 500 miles a year for the last 8 years.
Every Tvr with a wooden dash requires a new dash every 10 years or so so that’s nothing new or difficult to sort out.
I suppose if your not capable of mechanics and restoration then yes all cars are going to seem expensive if needing dealers to service and fix them.
Not the sort of car people with no inclination to do any work themselves should buy but someone with skills and equipment and a bit of time on their hands could maximise this car in no time.
I’d need to go to west Wales and look at it very closely though as it’s an auction…not likely! It looks a very genuine car from here though.
Being a Pre cat must add value surely and those manifolds are in great condition!
It’s almost 30 years old, when you put it in that context it’s surely in good condition. Jeez a few years ago those Rocker covers fetched 400 quid or more. Probably worth nearer 500 now but it seems the Tvr world is full of people looking at the down side rather than the upside.
I think the chassis and interior require some work. It’s not worth 25k maybe but with some work it absolutely is, that’s if you remember the history and enjoy such rare cars with a certain kind of early spec that is.
Sadly most those blokes are in there late 60’s and expect everything to still cost a fiver
I wish you’d been here 10 years ago when every other owner seemed to be modding and spending way too much money. You’d have had a ball on here pointing out the costs versus value figures don’t add up. Cars of passion. For the right guy this car is just that. I’d love to own it frankly and get back to using it as intended. Should be ported and very interesting power delivery from that motor.
At an auction I’d not go near it unless I was desperate to own it. How can you buy such cars without driving them first as that tells you so much about that particular car. Looking at this car and based on the add it’s a very good one though. Rare as any Tvr out there.
If I was in the market for one of these early cars I’d go see it with a pot of money and test drive it first. Sod the auction. Very rare spec though. Not a big pool of these cars around.
A collectors piece really.
The add is a bit dubious but it’s a very nice car overall if you look closely.
Nice to see it on its original wheels and unmolested. Sort of car that’s prime for an Ecu upgrade, interior refresh including chassis then it’s worth 35k to someone I bet. If you had a lift you could pull the body off this car and re coat the chassis for 2k easy if doing it as a hobby.
You’d have a very rare and solid car with low miles on the clock!
Why would it go pop? I wager there are hundreds of TVR that have done less than 500 miles a year for the last 8 years.
Every Tvr with a wooden dash requires a new dash every 10 years or so so that’s nothing new or difficult to sort out.
I suppose if your not capable of mechanics and restoration then yes all cars are going to seem expensive if needing dealers to service and fix them.
Not the sort of car people with no inclination to do any work themselves should buy but someone with skills and equipment and a bit of time on their hands could maximise this car in no time.
I’d need to go to west Wales and look at it very closely though as it’s an auction…not likely! It looks a very genuine car from here though.
Being a Pre cat must add value surely and those manifolds are in great condition!
It’s almost 30 years old, when you put it in that context it’s surely in good condition. Jeez a few years ago those Rocker covers fetched 400 quid or more. Probably worth nearer 500 now but it seems the Tvr world is full of people looking at the down side rather than the upside.
I think the chassis and interior require some work. It’s not worth 25k maybe but with some work it absolutely is, that’s if you remember the history and enjoy such rare cars with a certain kind of early spec that is.
Sadly most those blokes are in there late 60’s and expect everything to still cost a fiver
I wish you’d been here 10 years ago when every other owner seemed to be modding and spending way too much money. You’d have had a ball on here pointing out the costs versus value figures don’t add up. Cars of passion. For the right guy this car is just that. I’d love to own it frankly and get back to using it as intended. Should be ported and very interesting power delivery from that motor.
At an auction I’d not go near it unless I was desperate to own it. How can you buy such cars without driving them first as that tells you so much about that particular car. Looking at this car and based on the add it’s a very good one though. Rare as any Tvr out there.
If I was in the market for one of these early cars I’d go see it with a pot of money and test drive it first. Sod the auction. Very rare spec though. Not a big pool of these cars around.
A collectors piece really.
It is a lovely looking very original car. The wheels in full polish look stunning in the factory pics. I have a very similar very late ‘92 Griffith 430 in the same colour. Spent the last 18 months getting it as clean and original as I can. If that did sell for £15k (could not see a reserve mentioned) someone has got a really tidy car.
Belle427 said:
What would a decent chassis resto cost these days about £5000 ?
How longs a piece of string must be the answer. It’s not unheard of to spend 10k on such things but you could do it for considerably less than 5k at home depending on how much you want or need to replace.
If you take an otherwise very healthy car so say similar to the one shown in this thread,so including handbrake cable, fuel/brake lines and including fluids and filters etc so effectively a 36,000 mile service, new manifold gaskets and all the bits required to rebuilt the corresponding pieces together, less than 1500 quid.;)
Two years ago I got all the metal I required for outrigger replacement for less than 100 quid.
On reflection I’d actually go for a complete outrigger kit which saves a lot of time and effort when making them from scratch. Time is money.
So at home you could do it for less than 3k and you will have new heat shielding, lines etc and of course a fully re coated chassis. I think you can get them PC for less than £500 and painting using epoxy mastic is cheaper still.
If you opt for replacing every single bush or other upgrades of course costs escalate but in many cases it’s not really necessary.
I replaced PS hoses with the kit from Tvr Parts online as part of my build, I’ve modded most the car long before a body off so that was one of the few upgrades I did while body was off.
I had new engine mounts and many things over the years so a lot went straight back on.
My view was concentrate on what’s wrong with the car as it drove great before the body off so I never replaced any suspension arm bushes as they can easily be replaced on the car at any time, I already had newish drop links from Racetech etc etc.
It all depends on what your starting with.
The car in this thread needs a service and a few things restoring maybe but you’d do that anyway with a body off. There’s a good chance this chassis is intact but rusting.
Blast it, deal with any heavy corrosion and get it painted by a sprayer, Chuck the car together.
I replaced lots of little things like the handbrake switch which is just because I’d not want to do that at a later date with body on. Again a very cheap component.
Mine cost around 4k as I also used a welder chap and rental costs for garage space which included a two post lift which for me was vital to do it virtually alone and fast.
Hope that helps someone
Edited by Classic Chim on Saturday 1st January 11:07
ThePrisoner said:
Belle427 said:
What would a decent chassis resto cost these days about £5000 ?
I will have to dig out the invoice on my old Griff Nut and Bolt rebuild . Pretty sure it was more than that +vat back in 2014 .I assume this didn't sell due to it being an auction, the time of year and the location. The guide valuation might be bullish but dealers have sold nice 4.3s for £25k the last couple of summers.
I bought my completely original, unmolested low mileage 4.3 last summer and it is a fabulous car. It doesn't need a new chassis/outriggers as, like many, has clearly been a cherished dry use car. To date it has driven beautifully with its original ECU etc. Fingers crossed that continues! So I don't think it's a given that a car automatically needs XYZ mods and rebuilds. Just view and drive it.
To my mind the 4.3s remain a well kept secret. Many would agree that compared to the 500 they like to rev, handle better due to more linear power delivery and sound better. They are much rarer and the bhp difference is less than TVR quoted.
I bought my completely original, unmolested low mileage 4.3 last summer and it is a fabulous car. It doesn't need a new chassis/outriggers as, like many, has clearly been a cherished dry use car. To date it has driven beautifully with its original ECU etc. Fingers crossed that continues! So I don't think it's a given that a car automatically needs XYZ mods and rebuilds. Just view and drive it.
To my mind the 4.3s remain a well kept secret. Many would agree that compared to the 500 they like to rev, handle better due to more linear power delivery and sound better. They are much rarer and the bhp difference is less than TVR quoted.
SFTWend said:
I assume this didn't sell due to it being an auction, the time of year and the location. The guide valuation might be bullish but dealers have sold nice 4.3s for £25k the last couple of summers.
I bought my completely original, unmolested low mileage 4.3 last summer and it is a fabulous car. It doesn't need a new chassis/outriggers as, like many, has clearly been a cherished dry use car. To date it has driven beautifully with its original ECU etc. Fingers crossed that continues! So I don't think it's a given that a car automatically needs XYZ mods and rebuilds. Just view and drive it.
To my mind the 4.3s remain a well kept secret. Many would agree that compared to the 500 they like to rev, handle better due to more linear power delivery and sound better. They are much rarer and the bhp difference is less than TVR quoted.
I thoroughly agree. Have had my 430 11 years now, finished restoration in 2015. The best of the lot in my opinion. Mine has an agreed value of £22k. These cars can be sorted nicely, but need looking after. Can’t believe they are 30 years old this year! Mine has 80k on the clock and still runs superbly, though I am running a modified ECU map developed by SteveSprint (he has a 430). I bought my completely original, unmolested low mileage 4.3 last summer and it is a fabulous car. It doesn't need a new chassis/outriggers as, like many, has clearly been a cherished dry use car. To date it has driven beautifully with its original ECU etc. Fingers crossed that continues! So I don't think it's a given that a car automatically needs XYZ mods and rebuilds. Just view and drive it.
To my mind the 4.3s remain a well kept secret. Many would agree that compared to the 500 they like to rev, handle better due to more linear power delivery and sound better. They are much rarer and the bhp difference is less than TVR quoted.
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