Highlights

Fastidiously restored Grantura in great colour scheme
Remarkable 24yr ground-up renovation by the seller
Beautiful interior with hand-made trim using Connolly hides.
Early TVR exhibiting the nimble, tactical handling the marque is famed for
Vast history file, one of the most detailed we have seen.

The Appeal

Before TVR got into the business of big-engine sports cars like the Griffiths, there were altogether more delicate models like this pretty Grantura. It quickly became popular with amateur circuit racers and hill climbers because of its low weight and tactile handling.

Distinctively styled and available to buy as a kit for completion with a range of mechanicals, just 796 were produced between 1958 and 1967.

This 1960 example is certainly amongst the most interesting. Restored over 24 years by the seller and put back on the road 24 months ago, it has been fastidiously and lovingly brought back to life. He has also incorporated various modifications that improve the usability and reliability of these capable small sports cars.

This is a fascinating opportunity to buy a comprehensively restored, fabulously presented example of one of TVR’s earliest and most capable cars.

The History and Paperwork

First registered on 21st March 1960
TVR VIN records are debated but there is some consensus that the first Grantura was chassis 7/B/110
That makes this theoretically car number 64 of the 796 produced.
Huge history file including photographic record of the work.
Car was originally painted white went through times where it was BRG then red.
Originally sold as a kit and fitted with:
- 1,588cc BMC B-Series engine
- MGA gearbox
- BMC rear differential
- Steering box mounted upside down and from a LHD Ford 100E
- Torsion bar from a VW Beetle
- Front brakes from an Austin Healey 3000
- Front windscreen from a Ford Consul Mk2 Lowline
The seller has carefully traced the history of the car including speaking to the first owner:
- It has been confirmed first owner raced in its early years
- Also used for hill climb events we are told
Acquired by the vendor in 1996 as an unfinished stalled project in poor condition.
Vendor completed the comprehensive restoration over 24 years from 2nd July 1996 to 26th July 2021
Unfortunately, there is no MOT history with this car but of course it is MOT and tax exempt. However, on the 16/6/23 the car underwent a very positive pre-MOT inspection.

Structural refurbishment:

The vendor began a comprehensive restoration in his garage.
All work based on ensuring the chassis was entirely level using an engineer's precision level.
Chassis had been sifbronze brazed rather than welded so all repairs followed this approach.
New tubing cut, shaped and clamped into position and brazed all around.
All corrosion cut back, and every outrigger replaced.
Main tube brazed sections repaired and reinforced.
Chassis modified to enable shell to be bolted on to frame for easy removal.
Professionally shot blasted and powder coated in original factory yellow.

Brakes & Suspension overhaul:

All suspension refreshed including trailing arms, steering box, driveshafts, brakes and UV joints.
Nylacast Oilon bushes pushed into the chassis for the VW Beetle torsion bar swinging arms.
All components reamed to suit corresponding arm.
New King Pin shafts machined.
King Pin post bored and fitted with bronze sleeves and machined to accept new King Pins
Grease nipples added to extend component life.
All parts spray painted in black and refitted by vendor.
New Hard bronze and flexible brake lines, along with brake linings and pads.

Engine work:

Engine totally rebuilt with new parts and finished in correct MG colour.
Engine block steam cleaned and rebored to 40thou overbore.
Unleaded cylinder head conversion
Replacement crankshaft sourced and reground.
Con rods and pistons polished and balanced.
Crankshaft, flywheel, and front pulley balanced.
New fuel lines fitted.
All engine parts sourced at Beaulieu Auto Jumble or from an MGA specialist in Scotland called Cameron Gilmour

Gearbox work:

MGA 4spd manual gearbox
Dismantled and reassembled with new parts where required.

Bodywork:

Original body panels had warped and become misshapen during storage.
Vendor reworked all the panels to ensure perfect and consistent fit and panel gaps.
Windscreen, doors, and bonnet reworked by feathering up cut sections and building up new fibreglass inside and out.
Preparation and five coats of primer coats undertaken by owner.
Doors fitted using newly made hinges.
All panels fitted with a close eye on panel gaps as the finished car attests.
Four coats of topcoat applied by professional car painter.
Glassfibre mouldings modified behind grille to improve cooling.

Interior:

Fully retrimmed by the owner to a high standard using Connolly hides following original designs.
Dashboard fully remade out of ply, re-trimmed in leather and refitted using original gauges and switches where possible.
Vendor fabricated heater, gear leaver and handbrake trim.
Correct 1960s vinyl headlining sourced from Aldridge Trim attached using fibreglass tension rods and sewn on by hand.
Delightful details like the gear knob hand-turned by the owner using wood from his own walnut tree.
Fully rewired and loom wrapped in period correct fabric tape.
Dark blue carpets also made by the seller at home.
Bespoke twin bonnet pulls on each side of the dash.

Parts Original to The Car:

Engine
Gearbox
Brake discs and drums
Starter motor
Dynamo
Radiator and header tank
Most of the gauges
Fuel tank
All swinging arm suspension units
Back axle
Steering box

The Interior

Beautifully finished in high quality Connolly caramel leather and little used since
All trim work undertaken by the seller, adding to the interesting history of this car.
Carefully retrimmed to replicate original style.
Hand-turned walnut gear knob by seller with TVR branding inlay
Original bucket seats carefully retrimmed in caramel with cream piping
Dashboard fully retrimmed and refitted with original dials where possible.
Original switchgear with light wear visible but adding to character.
Superb three-spoke TVR black-rimmed steering wheel
Attractive blue carpets.

Unlike TVRs from later years, Granturas were originally designed to be no-nonsense, function-focussed sports cars with a minimum of fripperies. The clever owner of this car has fully retrimmed it and managed to capture the original’s aesthetic but with some of the indulgence and luxury of those later cars.

It is a sumptuous place to be, helped along by seats and dashboard trimmed in a lovely shade of caramel leather. Perusing the photographs, you would certainly not deduce that all the work was done by the seller who taught himself how to trim and use a sewing machine just to do this work. He used the original bucket seats and dashboard hulls so there is originality beneath the fresh trim.

That theme continues with the switchgear. Grantura dashboards are a pretty spread of chrome-rimmed dials and limited switchgear and the fittings and gauges here are original. So, there is a light patina to them but one that feels appropriate to the car and certainly adds character.

Then there is that magnificent TVR wheel, in superb condition and rare to find as many were replaced for aftermarket items, some patina is present to the Mazac cast horn push.

The headlining was supplied by Aldridge Trim and the carpets were carefully formed and fitted by the vendor in dark blue to compliment the exterior.

But the piece de resistance inside is surely that lovely gear knob, which somehow single-handedly represents the love and attention shown to this car by its owner. Hand-turned by the seller using walnut from a local felled tree it is beautiful and neatly topped off by an inlaid, period-correct TVR logo.

The Exterior

Petite and pretty Grantura lines helped establish a style for TVRs that lasted into the new Millennium.
Finished to a high standard in Sky Blue, which works well with the interior.
See above the full description of the work undertaken on the chassis and body by the owner.

The compact dimensions of the Grantura were neatly styled and quite different from other small sports cars of the era. The Sky-Blue paintwork of this freshly restored example certainly shows off the lines to great effect.

Enthusiasts concur that no two Grantura bodies left the factory quite the same, which certainly made the already herculean task of restoring one even more difficult for the vendor. He explains that he had to rework all the panels and structure, not helped by them having warped and misshapen during the car’s lengthy hibernation. The photographs demonstrate just how good the quality of this work has been, with super panel fit and clean, straight lines throughout.

All paint preparation and priming were done by the seller but the four layers of topcoat were professionally applied. 8 years later, some micro blistering

and minimal stress cracks present. However, these minor defects do not detract from still being in great cosmetic shape.

The limited array of fittings and badging show similar condition and appear to have been refurbished along with the other parts of the car.

The Grantura sits on a set of unmarked painted silver wheels with fresh tyres.

The Mechanics

MGA running gear including 1,588cc B-Series engine and 4spd gearbox.
Engine comprehensively rebuilt by owner, fastidiously rebuilt mechanicals.
Few miles covered since restoration completed, visiting shows where it always attracts a crowd.

As you would expect from a car so fastidiously restored across its cosmetics and structure, this Grantura has been extensively mechanically overhauled. You can read about the work earlier in this listing. It has included a comprehensive engine rebuild.

Most of the work has been undertaken by the owner. He even designed and built his own equipment to enable him to complete different tasks.

Summary

The Grantura quickly established a firm reputation amongst amateur ‘60s racers for its nimble handling and giant-slaying capabilities.

Of the few hundred cars built this must surely be, if not one of the best, certainly one of the most historied and interesting example. Lovingly restored to a very high standard it represents a fantastic opportunity for the buyer.

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