Recently he got together with Ohlins, the Swedish company that supplies the suspension components for his racing Tuscan, to see how he could personalise the handling of his Griffith Demonstrator. The aim was to create a package which modified the body and pitch movements and altered the level of ride comfort usually felt. Replacing the standard components with Ohlins components has also given scope for adjustment, allowing minor fettling for use on a track or slight ride height adjustment.

Ohlins invested a great deal of time to select the components and settings. Many weeks were spent testing in the UK and then the Griffith was shipped to Sweden to be placed on their test rig. This allows multiple road conditions to be simulated and to measure the tyre contact area for the different scenarios. The fine tuning has given the car road-contact characteristics comparable to some four wheel drive cars!

So what does is feel like on the road? Well to a non-Griffith driver the changes are subtle but perceptable, even as a passenger. The car feels very planted on the road, and bumpy cross country roads can certainly be taken at higher speeds. Ride quality has not been compromised - it's firm but deals with the bumps and undulations in a very reassuring manner.

When driving, the steering is very tactile, you can almost feel the tyres' contact with the road and the whole package gives a real sense of security and confidence in conditions where in most cars you'd have backed off long before.

So what's the cost of Giles Coopers' and Ohlins' research? £1,700 + VAT will see your Griffith 500 or Chimaera fitted with the Ohlins adjustable shock absorbers with Rose joints and springs, all four wheels aligned and the ride height reset.

If you think you'd like to sample the capabilities of the system - or more impressively, have Giles Cooper demonstrate it - give the TVR Centre in Barnet a call on 0181-440-6666, or email them at info@tvr-centre.co.uk