Friday 25th January 2002

Autoweek Articles

America's Autoweek carries two TVR related articles this month. The first item looks back at the Vixen whilst the second covers last year's Woodwork exhibition. Check out www.autoweek.com (you'll need to search for TVR, then register in order to read the articles).

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[PetrolTed]

Interesting quote in one of the other articles that shows up in the search for TVR. It's about Qvale:

quote:
"At that time I was fascinated by the TVR cars," explained Giordano Casarini, now managing director of DeTomaso Automobiles but who at the time worked for Maserati, which was owned by DeTomaso. "We were making this Ghibli with a 300-hp engine. It was magnificent, reliable, driveable. Yet in England we could sell hardly 20 of them a year. The TVR Griffith was selling 800 a year in England at œ32,000 each. At the same price we would not sell 20 Ghiblis. The TVR was crass, it was just Fiberglas. So I bought a used TVR. I was fascinated by the car, by the Ford V8 engine. I said, `Why don't we re-create an Italian car with the emotions of a TVR?' Mr. DeTomaso fell in love with the idea."

[jaydee]

quote:
The TVR was crass, it was just Fiberglas.

Ted, what are you doing the Tiv mafia will have you shot just for posting this !!! Next you'll dig out something suggesting that TVRs might, just possibly, not be quite as good in some areas as some other (German ?) cars...

[squirrelz]

Pity the Ghibli was f***in hideous to look at then.

[jaydee]

The Qvale Mangusta (which the article relates to) isn't hideous though:

just sort of odd...

It spawned this though





Edited by jaydee on Friday 25th January 09:43

[pbrettle]

quote:
So I bought a used TVR. I was fascinated by the car, by the Ford V8 engine.

I have heard the old Rover engine (Buick) called many things but I think calling it a Ford engine is just an insult too far... I mean...

Cheers,

Paul

[hoganscrogan]

I 'think' he's talking about the original griffith! Looks like an old qoute from the 60's 70's - am I right Ted?

Although the price sounds more like a new griffith....hmmm

Edited by hoganscrogan on Friday 25th January 09:59

[Terminator]

That's what I thought too. The Ghibli was a 60s car although the original Griffith never sold at the rate of 800 a year in the UK way back then.

Still, I never believe everything I read in print, especially when it comes to articles on TVR

[PetrolTed]

No, I think we're talking the 1990's. £32K, 800 cars a year etc. And the modern Ghibli which was a bizarre looking car. Not necessarily ugly, just er... different. Maserati didn't exactly have a great reputation for reliability back then which didn't help sales...

[marki]

quote:
Pity the Ghibli was f***in hideous to look at then.

"WHAT" i thought it was a great looking motor understated but with great road precence , never really had problems with mine although i know they have a bit of a bad rep.



Edited by marki on Friday 25th January 10:45

[jaydee]

I think we're all getting horribly confused here. I think the Ghibli referred to must be the update of the original Ghibli carried out in the 70s.
Alejandro De Tomaso owned Maserati from 1975 until its purchase (read rescue) by Ferrari, having purchased it from Michelin (Citroen) after the ill-starred (ill-conceived ?) Citroen SM venture.
The original Ghibli was penned by Guigaro while Maserati was under the ownership of Adolfo Orsi. So the Griffith investigated would, presumably, have been Jack Griffiths Ford V8 engined TVR Grantura Mk 3, with the HiPo-ised 289 from '63.
The last Ghibli (the horrible one) was launched after Fiat (through Ferrari) gained control of Maserati.
So, one way or another, this article doesn't make sense. Either the price is wrong, or the engine is wrong. I'm even more than I was before I started trying to figure this out now Can you publish the Url for the article please Ted ?

[squirrelz]

quote:
The last Ghibli (the horrible one) was launched after Fiat (through Ferrari) gained control of Maserati.

That's certainly the one I was talking about.
I'm afraid I'm too young to know any others / know any better

Edited by squirrelz on Friday 25th January 10:51

[Terminator]

Ok, having now read the article again (twice), it's obvious, to me anyway, that Signor Carsarini can't tell a Rover V8 with TVR rocker covers from a Ford V8. How sad.

[JMorgan]

Sounds more like sour grapes.

[richb]

quote: "At that time I was fascinated by the TVR cars," explained Giordano Casarini, etc... The TVR Griffith was selling 800 a year in England at œ32,000 each. clip....I was fascinated by the car, by the Ford V8 engine.

So tell me what Griffith is he on about here? The 60's Griffs certainly never sold in hundreds and the 90's Griffith doesn't have a Ford V8. So I guess he's just talking b*ll*x then ? R...

[Dave Tripp]

Speaking of Ghiblis, and talking bollocks: Back in the early Seventies, I had almost the ideal job, working for a classic car dealer, whose shop was about 15 miles from my house. You know how, when you drive the same roads every day, that they become a reference for car comparisons (especially when they are some superb sportscar roads)? My daily driver at the time was a 15-year old Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk III. I knew instinctively how fast to approach all the curves, for the smoothest progress, etc. We had a 1970 Ghibli coupe come in, screaming bright yellow, and I had it to drive for a couple of days. I almost lost it on the first drive home, as the handling was abyssmal. Nowhere near the standard of the ancient Aston, even though it was practically new, and regarded by everyone as one of the world's great cars.

And then I upgraded my daily transport to a 1970 TVR Vixen S2. Boy, was that road even more fun than before...and the Vixen had a little Ford X-flow, not the 4.9 V8 the Ghibli had, cost a mere fraction, but was the most fun for the money of anything I've ever driven.

[Graham]

I love the idea of TVR inspiring the Italian car manufacturers... Mind you the italians are about the only other people in the world with the same sence of emotion when it comes to cars... I couldnt see a tiv having the same effect on old man porsche when he was about...