1959 TVR Grantura MkI

Registration No: TYJ 306
Chassis No: TVR/Q/7/B/103
MOT: Exempt

• Believed to be the 13th TVR Grantura production car
• Believed to be the oldest TVR Grantura left in the UK
• Offered in barn-find condition, with a current V5C
• Current ownership for over 36 years in a private collection
• Potentially eligible for Le Mans Classic and other racing events

The first production model TVR car, the Grantura debuted in 1958 and went through a series of developments leading to MkI to MkIV and 1800S models, with production ceasing in September 1967. Hand-built at the TVR factory in Blackpool with varying mechanical specifications, the Grantura was also offered in ‘kit form’. All cars featured a cocktail of Austin-Healey brakes, VW Beetle or Triumph suspension parts and BMC rear axles. The Grantura bodyshell was made from glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) and made use of a variety of proprietary components, with a front-hinged bonnet. Buyers could choose from a range of powerplants which, depending on the model in question, included a choice of side or overhead valve engines from Ford, a Coventry Climax unit, the engine from the MGA and, ultimately, the 1798cc BMC B-series engine. By the middle of 1960, the factory employed forty-three workers and the Grantura MkI production ended with a total of only 100 cars produced.

Although TVR’s production records from the late 1950s and early 1960s no longer exist, chassis 113 is understood to be the earliest surviving Grantura left (‘112’ is still shown on the DVLA database but has not surfaced in years). Thought to have begun life as a race car, the two-seater sports an early front disc upgrade and was seemingly not registered for road use until 1975 (assorted old MOT certificates on file were issued under the number plate ‘MTM 660P’). Belonging to a M. Thick Esq during his time at St Edmund’s College, Ware, he journaled sundry work carried out on the car in two accompanying notebooks. Repainted Red in 1992, the Grantura was re-registered with the DVLA a year later thanks to the intervention of the TVR Car Club. Recommissioned during 2015 at a cost of £2,500, the Coupe was then driven to Le Mans and back. Lapsing back into disuse since then, it will require remedial attention prior to any road use. The engine is a correct-type MG A 1600cc unit and the period bucket seats are though to be Corbeau or Paddy Hopkirk items. Offered for sale with V5C Registration Document, paperwork dating back to the 1970s and TVR Car Club correspondence.

For more information, please contact:
Paul Diamond
paul.diamond@handh.co.uk
07768 313001