The ‘Goodwood Griffith’ prepares to defend its RAC TT Celebration crown

Punching above its weight is in TVR’s DNA, and Whitaker’s 400 is no exception. Beneath its lightweight fibreglass shell sits the same Ford V8 you’d find in an AC Cobra. It may run one carburettor fewer than the Cobra’s quartet, but with 430PS (316kW) and a weight lighter than a sprinter’s trainer, this historic racer packs modern supercar pace.

It also boasts endurance. The RAC TT is a gruelling hour-long, two-driver contest with one of the most star-studded driver line-ups of the whole event. Facing Cobras, V12 E-Type Jaguars and Porsche 904s is tough enough; this year Whitaker’s TVR will also share the track with Formula 1 World Champions Jenson Button and Jacques Villeneuve, and IndyCar champ Tony Kanaan, to name a few.

We caught up with Whitaker during testing ahead the 2025 race, where he told us all about the history of his beloved TVR.

“This is chassis #001, it was the prototype V8 development car, the factory prototype race car, and it raced here at Goodwood in 1965, it did a mixed sportscar race with Lolas, E-Types [and] Cobras.

“TVR, at the time, couldn't afford a professional driver,” Whitaker revealed, so instead they asked amateur racer Tommy Entwistle, a former World War II fighter pilot, to drive. On that day it finished 18^th overall in a field of 30 cars.

Despite racing 60 years ago, this TVR remains remarkably original. Its 4.7-litre engine is the same Holman & Moody-built unit shipped from the US in the ’60s. The doors and switchgear are original, even the number plates left the TVR factory.

Keeping it race-ready is no small task. Whitaker likens the car to a prizefighter recovering from a brutal bout. After every event it’s stripped, inspected and rebuilt — or it suffers the consequences. "Most people probably do that on all racing cars," he explains, "but there's no option on these. If you don't do that for the TVR, something breaks."

The effort is paid off by the reception the car receives. Whitaker knows crowd-pleasers — he owns Ferraris — but nothing stirs the Goodwood faithful like the TVR.

"We have to sort of remember, when we have 10,000 people come to Goodwood, there are more TVR owners in the country than you think, they've been going for years. It's a really large public, a bit like Lotus."

"It does bring a lot of attention," says Whitaker, who happily invites admirers to sit in the car. "One of the things we're trying to do here at Goodwood is roll this into future generations, to keep people interested. We have a good following and we’re willing to talk to anybody about the old thing!"

Whitaker came by the Griffith thanks to its long-time owner, Colin Archibald, who had converted the car to be used on the road with its racing parts stored away. Archibald saw Whitaker racing other TVRs and asked him if he’d revive chassis #001.

“[Archibald] had it for 30-something years, he had all the boxes with original carburettors and pieces of the original racing [parts]. He approached me because we were racing TVRs and trying to make a challenge to the E-Types and Cobras. He comes and watches it sometimes."

Surprisingly, Whitaker’s favourite thing about the car is its handling, or more accurately, the challenge of mastering it.

"It’s fault is my favourite thing because it's very snappy," shared Whitaker. "I've driven and raced E-types and the [Gordon Spice] Capri and a few other things around here. And when they slide, they skid at the rear, like oversteer. They're very progressive and it looks like ballet."

The same can’t quite be said for the TVR, that will point one way and then another. "That slides, snaps and bites, so it's interesting. Its weakest point is the thing that attracts me to it, because it's a real challenge.”

Having just got a session in at the Revival test day, Whitaker reported the TVR’s short wheelbase and big V8 were still a handful, but he was confident of being competitive in this year’s RAC TT Celebration, where he’ll be sharing the car with Tom Kristensen. Does he fancy another win?

"I'm not arrogant, and I'm not overconfident, but, you know, I do race to win, and people who know me know that. Our target with Tom Kristensen would be a repeat win, which we'll be working for. But it took me nine years to win it once, it's the number one historic car race in the world that anybody wants to win. This is the F1 World Championship for historic GTs, so it's a hell of a field."

We’ll see whether Whitaker and his TVR Griffith 400 repeat last year’s triumph when the RAC TT Celebration gets underway at 14:30 on Sunday at the 2025 Goodwood Revival.

Tickets for the Goodwood Revival are limited! Saturday tickets have sold out, so secure your Friday and Sunday tickets to avoid missing out on the world's best historic motorsport event.

Photography by Joe Harding.