Grantura

The TVRs that Ray Saidel displayed at the 1957 New York Auto Show morphed into what became the Grantura line. The cars themselves remained virtually unchanged, but at this point TVR was under new ownership. The Granturas were featured in several prominent car magazines such as Autocar, whose favorable reviews placed a seal of respectability onto the marque. In these early years, there really was no such thing as a "standard" TVR. Many engines could be ordered, anything from a Stage 3 Coventry Climax engine to a lowly side-valve Ford. Mark I Granturas were praised for their excellent road-holding, although it came at the price of a punishing ride. The cars possessed many of the other key ingredients for a popular sports car: large brakes, 11in Girling Drums, wire wheels, and sleek bodywork. However, TVR could not fill all of the orders it received, and slowly slid into debt. Only 100 Grantura Mk. Is had been produced by mid 1960.

The Mk. I was superceded by the lightly modified Mk. II in 1960. Changes in the engine line were the main differences, the 1600 MGA engine now being the top offering. Other changes included slight differences in lighting and fender flares. Even though this car led to higher sales for TVR, it was made obsolete in early 1961 with the introduction of the Mk. IIA.

The Mark IIA again represented only minor changes to the engine line-up and other detail changes. The largest change came from the standard fitment of Girling front disc brakes on all cars. Other performance modifications included an optional lightweight, aluminum cross-flow HRG-Derrington cylinder head. The last Mk. IIA was built in September of 1962 having been by far the most popular TVR produced to date, with nearly 400 examples produced. The car still retained the same body shell used in the first TVR Coupes produced in 1958, but far bigger and better things were in TVR's future.

The Grantura Mk. III brought around the first major redesign in TVR's history. A completely new chassis was graced by a new, but familiar body shell. The new chassis was an improvement in every department over the original. Designed with rigidity and strength in mind, it was a sophisticated space frame chassis. Replacing the stiff VW suspension were upper and lower A-arms all around, complimented by telescoping shock absorbers. A wheelbase increase of 1.5 inches meant more stability and interior room for the new car. Much running gear was speced from the Triumph shelves, although many suspension parts were made in-house. This sophisticated new chassis would serve as the basis for various TVR models for the next 10 years. Despite this dramatic new car, TVR was in dire financial trouble, and production shut down completely for a period, and thus Mk. IIIs were made slowly as money came in. Only about 90 were produced.

The Mk. III was soon displaced by the Grantura 1800S which featured a redesigned body shell, featuring a 'Manx-tail' and a new, larger rear window, and the round 'Ban-the-Bomb' tail lights from the Ford Cortina. The 1800S was made from the summer of 1964 through July of 1966, a period in which TVR was largely concerned with the production of the Griffith. The 1800S was then upgraded, under the new ownership of Martin Lilley, to the Mark IV 1800S. This model was largely an attempt to refine the TVR marque, and the changes were largely cosmetic, focusing on the interior. This car was the final refinement of the Grantura nameplate before it was abandoned in favor of the new Vixen.