Which leads to this review.

The Griffith series includes several models which feature that classic roadster shape: long hood/short deck. Fiberglass body, rather than steel. Weight distribution in GT5 is portrayed as 55/45 by default, which makes this one nose-heavy, and this gets noticed by lots of understeer in some games. Depending on whichever game, Griffiths remain this way until they get properly tuned, and properly shod with softer tires. Heed this: these handsome roadsters are not a good choice for the novice.  

The Griffith 500 was in production from 1990 to 2002, but there were several earlier Griffiths over the years: the Griffith 200 and 400 started things off some time in the mid '60s, for instance. Trevor himself began building sports cars and racers much earlier though, starting way back in 1949, but his involvement ended in 1962. There's lots of info about TVR (the company) here on the 'net, but information is sparse about the Griffith itself, so that I've had trouble looking up how many of these were built and how they originally were priced.

Wikipedia states that just over 2,600 Griffiths have been made over the years, but it doesn't say how many of these were 500s.  

Good thing is, TVRs aren't nearly the priciest in any game they appear in, and their overall cost has fallen drastically over the years. Compare the 62,000 credit car in GT2 to the 29,000 bargain in the 5th game (for a Griffith 500 with just over 60,000 miles). The main problem in GT4 or 5 they can sometimes be hard to find in those used car lots.

The TVR Griffith starts as a middle-lightweight, in GT2 we can drop weight to 2,083 pounds, in and the 5th game this gets cleared even further: 1,986 at the lowest, partially since glass can be replaced.  

Driving a TVR Griffith 500, Blackpool, or Speed Six is like walking on a tightrope with gravity as your safety net. You will notice that these autos understeer, but only because it's so easy to tap the throttle early out of turns, and actual understeer is perhaps just 10% of your worries when compared to throttle-driven oversteer that can (and will) wreck you!  

Again, this is true for GT2 or GT5. Understeer predominates into turns, even if braking is utilized in such a way that it seems we've slowed enough. Add an extra few meters of stopping distance, and now the Griffith allows some nice nosing-in action. But it still often takes ALL of our steering input to keep this car turning. Comparing a Griffith to a modern Honda S2000 for instance, the latter car always offers some options; cornering like a pro while understeer remains just about nil. Not the Griffith. 

And while leaving turns, there's just no sugar-coating at all. The Griffith has slightly more power than those rear tires can handle. If this were a 300 horsepower car it would allow a lot more leeway than it does. It's that extra 50 which can cause one too many slip-ups on occasion.  

But show some discretion (in or out of turns) and Griffith can work with the driver to greater degree. Softer tires also work wonders at times, although this depends which game. Basically, these roadsters will never be Cerberas. The Griffith is like a smart-mouthed, devilishly-handsome British jock who smokes behind the bleachers when the coach isn't looking, while the Cerbera is more of a refined gentleman, the sort of bloke who gets the job done but without all the extra drama. More competent, while remaining just as fun.      

So in any game, we must show discretion while cornering behind the wheel of a Griffith 500. Think of it this way: remember when you were a kid and mom (or mum) told you not to touch the cookie jar till after dinner? Well the GAS PEDAL is now the cookie jar and ‘AFTER DINNER’ is the straight portion after the corner! -- Grab for that treat a little too early is simply not a good idea, lest granny come to swat with her switch!

Countersteer or sometimes pre-countersteer are skills to avoid losing it all in those turns. At times, steering will need to be cranked in the opposite direction a fraction of a second before the gas gets smashed, in an effort to avoid the obvious calamities to come. That right there is a huge hint for you TVR newbs.

Being a mechanic / race-car tuner is just as essential as being a driver in a Griffith. If you can't tune this machine to your liking, don't even bother to drive one. Being kind to a Griffith means treating its power with respect. Once we learn how to drive one, notice now those long periods of time in some corners in which you are doing nothing but ....gripping the steering wheel for all it's worth!  During these times (which can feel like eons) we cannot hammer the gas-- can't even barely touch it, lest the car winds up in the grass, or in a jack-knife worthy of one of those ESPN SpeedVision replays-> you know...the replays they show OVER and OVER again. The sportscasters often make witty little comments like

“Oh...got a spin. Looks like some debris on the track...”

but what they're really saying is

“Oh what a fuckup!! And I get to announce it! Yessss!”

Summary: Want a classic British machine which straddles the line between the olden days of classic British motoring mixed with a few modern touches from the nineties?  You can have this. Just don't make the mistake of driving or racing a Griffith if the main color of those License test trophies is anything less than silver.