so I stalked an old guy yesterday..... 1964 Griffith 200

[P31-C63]

......so I've been a car guy since I was a little kid and I can identify 99.99%of the cars on the road today. I drive around a lot for my job.

So around lunchtime on Friday, I'm waiting to make a left turn and a small 60's coupe drives by me and I'm like WTF is that.
So I push it into high gear to see if I can catch up to this thing.
So I follow behind a k-5 blazer and the mystery car is in front of the Blazer.
I could hear a nice exhaust note from the little car. My first thought was it looked kinda like a coupe MG or something, but this thing had balls.

So the Blazer splits off and now I'm behind this thing, I still have no idea what it is. So I decide to follow this guy for a little while until I can pull up next to him and ask what it is.

So we're on a nice country road and he's crusing along at 80ish in a 55mph.
Now mind you, I'm in my work truck, a new F150.
I don't loose sight of him, but I'm pushing my truck as much as comfortable on an unknown country road.

So finally, he makes a turn onto a back road and I follow and immediately flash my lights and honk my horn at him.
He looks in his rear view mirror and pulls to the side of the road.
I'm smiling ear to ear and roll down my passenger window and say" what the $#@! is that thing?"
He laughs and tells me to go to the top of the hill and he'll let me check it out.

So long story short, the guy is a total cool dude in his 60s and I get out and apologize for stalking him, but I'm a huge car guy and I wanted to know what it was. He's so cool about it and tells me all about how he acquired it and how he searched for 20 yrs for one.

It is a 1964 Griffith 200 with the HiPo motor.
I had never heard of the car, it is a British car that was made by TVR (chassis) in 64-65 and shipped to the US for its Ford engine, etc. They only made 191 of these 200's and the HiPo motor was an upgraded motor option.
The car weights about 1500 lbs and standard V8 motor had about 200hp, the HiPo had 271hp. So if you do the math, this little car's power to weight ratio is like my C63 having 800hp hahahaha.
Imagine this in 1964 and from the factory, plus no traction control, abs, etc., etc.

Anyway, I chatted with the guy for a while about the car and was totally into it--he was so cool to spend the time and what a great barn find story he had.

Google this $#@!ing car, it is awesome.
A true rarity, especially with the HiPo motor, amazing--I just wanted to share my car guy experience!

[P31-C63]

http://www.carpictures.com/Griffith/...07J9A442528391

[Sticky]

Embedded the pic in your OP.

Also moving this to general automotive.

Honestly, I have never seen one of those either but that is one cool looking little car.

[P31-C63]

Embedded the pic in your OP.

Also moving this to general automotive.

Honestly, I have never seen one of those either but that is one cool looking little car.

So I've read everything on these Unknown cars that's on the web since Friday and I totally want one.
It was nicknamed, the cobra alternative!
This guy I spoke to races the thing at Lime Rock and travels all over the US for vintage racing etc--he had 5 gals of race gas in the passenger seat and that's all he uses in it--his is stock too! Guys race these things in FIA apparently and they trick them out for full blown racing
So $#@!ing cool and it is all fiberglass shell, if you roll the thing you're done--hahaha--I said that to the guy and he's like, yup, you're dead! hahahha

[oddjob2021]

wow, 1500 lbs, epic. nice story man, im glad the guy was cool and didnt think you were some stalker or killer lol, i for sure would have been worried if an f150 was chasing me down and followed me down a back road flashing high beams and honking lol!

[DD GT3 RD]

good story. never seen that one, but Griffith sounds very familiar.

[P31-C63]

wow, 1500 lbs, epic. nice story man, im glad the guy was cool and didnt think you were some stalker or killer lol, i for sure would have been worried if an f150 was chasing me down and followed me down a back road flashing high beams and honking lol!

Hahaha--thanks.
I know what you mean.
I was confident I could be friendly enough and engage the guy as needed.
I've worked in sales my whole life and can talk to anyone with ease, that's my gift, I guess.
The brass balls don't hurt either

Oh, and the arrogance too, according to my wife hahaha

[P31-C63]

good story. never seen that one, but Griffith sounds very familiar.

Thanks.
It is so cool looking too, they made a model 400 too that had some slight changes and only came with the HiPo motor--I think less than 60 of those were made.
I would love to drive one just to see how crazy it feels!

[Sticky]

I've worked in sales my whole life and can talk to anyone with ease, that's my gift, I guess.
The brass balls don't hurt either

Good stuff, I'm not really good at engaging people I don't know. Don't enjoy it or actively try.

[P31-C63]

You know after I left that day, I thought of a bunch of things and the car is kinda reminiscent of the BMW M coupes--especially the e86 IMO.
Another cool car I'd like to own, just needs more power!

[P31-C63]

Good stuff, I'm not really good at engaging people I don't know. Don't enjoy it or actively try.

You seem to hold your own here!!

Seriously, it's partly who you are and just practice, practice, practice, like everything else we learn in life. I did some live TV $#@! this year and was a little nervous for the first part because there was no editing, etc it's live, but you know after 1 min in, all the jitters were gone. I've been on literally 1000s of sales calls many with people I've never met before and I haven't felt nervous in probably 10 yrs.
A lot of it is inner confidence and believing in yourself--that's the arrogance my wife talks about--hahaha.
I still love doing deals and making $#@! happen, if I could just add more zeros to my profit margins, i could buy more cool cars, lots more!

[Benz-O-Rama]

Thanks for sharing. Guy reminds of what Carrol Shelby might be like if you happen to run into him.

[leo985i]

That's so cool man. I definitely would have been a little freaked out if a guy in a truck was chasing me lol.

[DBFIU]

Awesome story. Good thing he didnt put a 12 gauge slug in you for stalking him lol

That little car has a V8? Love the rawness of it, small chassis, powerful engine and no nannies. Looks really cool too.

[Itsbrokeagain]

Very cool car. Reminds me of the first TVR i ever saw, the Griffith 500. I guess it would be the third generation, 2310lbs with a 340hp V8...still no slouch by any means.

[inter1032]

you're from mass? im scared now lol

[Sorena]

Haha Griffith, I can write pages about this car and the problems it caused for me. It's just a lovely car, and most Griffith owners know if something brakes down, you should just bring your hammer and hammer it then it works lol.

[Sticky]

You seem to hold your own here!!

Forums are different I sometimes wish the real world worked this way but if it did I would probably get in fights all the time. I like the freedom here to say what I think and also speak to people who have a similar passion.

[Sticky]

Haha Griffith, I can write pages about this car and the problems it caused for me. It's just a lovely car, and most Griffith owners know if something brakes down, you should just bring your hammer and hammer it then it works lol.

Pics of yours?

[Sorena]

should scan some, this story is for 12 years ago when i was 16. Went to a junkyard and found this TVR, bought it for $50 and tried to get the nearest place to home but couldn't make it. only tool in the car was a hammer, and i'm not kidding, i still have it. Brakes don't work? hammer the pads and then they work. the car doesn't start? bring the hammer and smash the carburetor and everything goes back to normal.