TVR Griffith vs Porsche 911: The Numbers

How does the new TVR stack up on paper against its most accomplished rival?

By: Sam Burnett

Sep 8, 2017 at 8:56am ET

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A classic British sports car manufacturer has been revived – we were never actually sure whether it would really come to pass, but finally TVR has revealed its new Griffith sports car to a slightly over-excited press at the 2017 Goodwood Revival.

No car is launched into a vacuum, however, and the Griffith is going to face stiff competition from some of the most talented and accomplished rivals in the business. Let's see how the new TVR stacks up on paper against the world leader in the sports car arena.

The cars

In the red corner, we have the brand new TVR Griffith Launch Edition. It's so new no one has even seen it driving yet, but we're sure they've tested it so don't worry. It's got 70 years of TVR history to uphold (although much of that was spent not doing anything) and a grand reputation of lairy antics, terrible build quality and a strong smell of industrial adhesive to uphold.

In the blue corner, we have the Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe, pride of Germany. It has been in production for 54 years and in those six decades has barely changed. Alright, they've added air conditioning and better seats, but the rear-engined, rear-wheel drive format persists. The 911 has a grand reputation of refined antics, delightful build quality and a strong smell of success to uphold.

	TVR Griffith Launch Edition	Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe
Price	£90,000	£87,335
Engine	4,951cc naturally aspirated Cosworth V8	2,981cc turbocharged flat-six
Transmission	Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive	Seven-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power/torque	500bhp/TBC	414bhp/369lb ft
Fuel economy	TBC	32.5mpg
CO2 emissions	TBC	199g/km
0-62mph	'Sub 4-sec'	4.3sec
Top speed	'Over-200mph'	191mph
Seats	2	2+2
Length	4,314mm	4,499mm
Width	1,850mm	1,808mm
Height	1,239mm	1,296mm
Wheelbase	2,600mm	2,450mm
Weight	1,250kg	1,515kg
Fuel tank capacity	60 litres	64 litres
Numbers built	500	1,000,000

What do you think?

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Comments

Who wins? On paper it's a heart versus head call – do you like your engines naturally aspirated or turbocharged, lightweight or with a little middle-aged spread? And just think of what you could do with those extra 30 miles from the fuel tank in the Porsche.

Look at the pictures and the Porsche wins hands down – we're not entirely convinced by the styling of the new Griffith, but perhaps we need to see it on the road to judge. On our road, in fact. That would be nice.