Flamboyance GT

Its the year 1973. Pininfarina, the famous Italian design house was upset. Its longtime partner, Ferrari had gotten rival studio, Bertone to design one of its most iconic models, the 308. Why was it iconic? It was the first rear mid engined Ferrari with a 3 litre V8 engine. But that is for another story. I'm here to talk about the 308's sweet sidekick, the 208. Unveiled at Geneva in 1975, the 208 GT4 was... well, different. Who could have guessed a V8 engined sports car displacing a puny 2 litres would ever be made? That too, by Ferrari? Well, its the world's smallest V8 engine put in a production car till now. Everyone who drove it obviously couldn't resist comparing it with its more powerful cousin, the 308. While it was obviously packing much lesser power, it turns out that the tiny 2 litre engine was actually better. Apparently, the baby powerplant sounded much more alive and sweeter than its larger sibling and as a whole, it was much more of a satisfying ex...

I love TVR. TVRs are just unlike anything else. They are different. They are effective. The traditional formula has always been rather simple. A lightweight fibreglass body coupled with a monster of an engine and a chassis which makes sure it burns an abyss in your wallet. But its not just that. TVRs were just, silly. They were flamboyant. They looked amazing, but were never poser cars. They were handmade for a true sports car enthusiast who did not want to spend his money on a Ferrari, but on something which provided more bang for your buck. Unfortunately to the dismay of us petrolheads, they ended up shutting down. But the days we waited for all along have finally arrived. TVR is back. Soon, their new model would start rolling off of the production line. They named it, "Griffith" after an already successful model earlier. (It would be my pleasure to sketch and write about that one.) Ok, so the new Griffith. I have to say that it keeps things traditional, TVR style...