TVR's very first production car, the Grantura Mark I, ran independent rear suspension cobbled together from a VW Beetle, an MGA differential and Austin-Healey brakes — years before most rivals ditched the solid axle.
Median 83 hp across 36 similar cars
Lead trim: Grantura Mark I 1,172 cc Ford side-valve I4
TVR Engineering Ltd Grantura Mark I1958–1960
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a TVR Engineering Ltd Grantura Mark I yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactTVR's very first production car, the Grantura Mark I, ran independent rear suspension cobbled together from a VW Beetle, an MGA differential and Austin-Healey brakes — years before most rivals ditched the solid axle.
The TVR Grantura is the first production model in a long line of TVRs, debuting in 1958, hand-built in Blackpool from a glass-reinforced-plastic body moulded to a tubular steel backbone chassis, with VW Beetle-based front and rear suspension (the rear with an inboard MGA differential and inboard Austin-Healey 100M drum brakes, an advanced independent set-up when most rivals used a solid axle) and a Ford Consul windscreen; it could be bought in kit form. The car was designed around the 1,098 cc Coventry Climax FWA engine, though many engines were fitted, from a 1,172 cc Ford side-valve to a 1,600 cc BMC unit from the MGA; about 100 Mark Is were built between 1958 and 1960.
Collectors Spotted in the TVR Engineering Ltd Grantura Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the TVR Engineering Ltd Grantura yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grantura Mark I 1,098 cc Coventry Climax FWA I4 | 1958–1960 | 1.1 L Inline-4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grantura Mark I 1,172 cc Ford side-valve I4 | 1958–1960 | 1.2 L Inline-4 | 36 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The late Grantura's chassis was reworked to also underpin the V8-engined Griffith — TVR's modest sports car and its big-engined sibling shared the same bones.
Did you know the TVR Grantura Mark IIa could be ordered with Lotus Elite power? Its optional Coventry Climax FWA 1.2L engine was the exact same unit fitted to Lotus's featherweight Elite.
The Grantura had no rear trunk opening at all — accessing the boot meant reaching in from inside the car, and pulling the spare wheel out through the front doors.
TVR's very first production car, the Grantura Mark I, ran independent rear suspension cobbled together from a VW Beetle, an MGA differential and Austin-Healey brakes — years before most rivals ditched the solid axle.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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