The Griffith and Chimaera rollbar

The challenge facing the designer of a roll bar for a Griffith or a Chimaera is in fitting it so that it is solidly mounted on the chassis without compromising the seat position, the original seat belts and other functions within the car's interior like the fold down roof and interior light.

The final design proposed by Martin Short at Rollcentre was to not use the existing seat belt mounts for the lower mounts as the factory roll bar does but to use the chassis below the parcel shelf. This provides several advantages: it means that the original seat belt is still available for use. This means that passengers can use this belt instead of a full harness which needs adjusting to fit. The roll bar does not interfere with the seat which means that the seat position is not compromised. For tall drivers, this is very important as losing the last inch or so of seat movement or seat back rake can make all the difference between comfort and agony! The bar is positioned behind the seat and under the roof hoop so that the roof can be raised and lifted as before. The bar does not obscure the roof interior light either which means it can still be used.

The bar is mounted on the main chassis platform under the parcel shelf which is one of the strongest parts of the chassis. It uses the two rear mounts fitted to all Griffith 500s and Chimaeras made from 1996 onwards. For earlier cars, this mount or an alternative arrangment may be needed. Please call to discuss.

Mounts are provided to fit a full harness. Two eye bolts can be fitted to support either three or four-point harnesses, or alternatively, bolt through fittings can be used. We recommend using the short style harnesses as used with Westfields and Caterhams as these have shorter straps which fit better. It is possible to use the longer strap belts in some cases, but care must be taken that the straps do not foul the seat. In particular with a three point design, the V where the shoulder straps meet must not be trapped by the headrest support. If the seat is moved forward, this is less of an issue. This is why we recommend the shorter strap design for use with this particular roll bar. We can fit seat belts for you if needed.

The standard finish is matt black but other alternative finishes are possible:

• "Aluminised" to match the roof stays
• Colour coded to match the interior.
• Leather or vinyl trimmed.
• or even wood veneered!

If you are interested in a customised version such as this, please let us know and we can take it further.

The rollbar itself retails for £399.95 + vat.
Fitting is extra and depends on the car .
Please ring us for a quote.