TVR Griffith 500

This is by far my favourite car for driving in the Alps, the TVR Griffith 500, with the 5l Rover V8. It belongs to my friends Greg and Juliet, pictured here, and was our steed of choice for our annual motor-mountaineering trips to the French Alps. It is one of the most rewarding cars to drive well, rear-wheel drive with bags of oomph, no power-steering and no traction control. This photo-stop is at the top of the Col de la Bonette which, at 2,715m, is the highest paved road in the Alps and Europe’s highest through route (the signpost at the top is for Nice in the South of France). The car behind is my Fiat Abarth Spider, also a joy to drive on these roads but not in the same league as the mighty Griffith 500!