People use to tell me TVR were unreliable

[Martin R]

I once owned a TVR Chimera and everyone used to joke about it always breaking down, which it didn't.
Yes, a few bits fell off now and then but, it was a good car which served me well for 2 years until I sold it, losing only £4k - one of the least depreciating cars I've ever owned.
Now a man has driven his 20 year old TVR Chimera to the southern most licensed premises in the world!
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-43056769

[CF-105]

He cheated! Too many ships involved!

Michael Palin did it in a straight shot, no?

I do admire a man taking a TVR on that journey. Likely not the first car I would have thought of.

[colin7673]

This makes our trip in June seem like 'Run to the shops"

[Richie]

Though it may be heresy to say so here, if I didn’t need four seats in a car, there’s every likelihood a Chimaera could be in my garage instead of a Jensen...

[Martin R]

Though it may be heresy to say so here, if I didn’t need four seats in a car, there’s every likelihood a Chimaera could be in my garage instead of a Jensen...

There are several reasons my TVR is not in my garage but the Jensen is.... Regardless of seat numbers.
One is, there is nothing quite like the Jensen Interceptor or FF....

[Richie]

You're absolutely right Martin.
And I've little doubt that the initial 'new car' excitement of a TVR would be followed by regret. A regret I'd be stuck with as a trade in the opposite direction would be rather challenging financially.

[jvcarrier]

I got fed up arriving in the office with wet trousers ever time it rained and it was nothing to do with the performance.
The targa tops leaked like a sieve.

[Grant]

I have a brand-new-old stock Cerbera 4.5 with the AJP engine, I bought it new in the year 2000 and have never used it, it has done 100 miles and I keep meaning to get it out to sell it but never get around to it.. it was too new for me to fall in love with it

[Mr.Mini]

For what it's worth , if you have the ability to have both into your garage - Jensen and TVR - please do .

The world cannot have enough V8 gas-guzzling monsters - We have to do our thing for global warming don't we

As some know , I have amongst others , a 1969 MKII Jensen Interceptor and a 1997 4.0 TVR Chimaera , which both have their own character and I both love to bits .
Please don't tell how unrealiable TVR's are ; the same as some say about our beloved Jensens ... and we protest to all of the time .
Never forget they both are hand-built low-production volume cars ; neither of them are reliable if not serviced properly or fettled with TLC from time to time ...

My TVR has been ultra-reliable AND is water-tight .
The roof construction is genious : simple and effective to open & close ; The Carbon-fibre roof panel gives the option to drive quick without wind-buffeting and the roof panel stores upright in the boot , leaving ample space to stow it with bags & suitcase on the go . If you want to lower the rear window , it all stows neatly behind the rear seats and you can have al-fresco motoring .

Whereas the Interceptor is a powerful cruiser - fast & elegant when necessary - , the TVR is a bit of an animal all the time . A real race car for the road ( tubular race-derived chassis , powerful V8 engine , lightweight glassfibre body ) .
It urges you to exercise the 'loud' pedal quite frequently , but also wants to bite you in every gear . Rain + TVR is a definite no-no
Mine has a bespoke interior from the factory , as it was the Dutch Motor Show car in 1997 , with full bi-color leather interior . Complemented with that beautiful wood-veneered sweeping dash , it looks the part as a 90-ties Austin Healey .
Drive one and you will be convinced as it has the added bonus - surprise surprise - of being comfortable on long-runs .
Here in Belgium it certainly is a rare sight on the road , atracting petrolheads all the time for a chat .
Given that here are probably less than 100 LHD cars produced , I will keep it in the family as long as possible .

As an aside : Grant , you have made me curious . Do you have pics of your Cerbera ? Would be a nice brother/sister for my Chimaera

Cheers , Harald

[Richie]

Very envious - TVR of this era, particularly the Griffith perhaps, ... an affordable AC Cobra.

[cannonball]

I have a brand-new-old stock Cerbera 4.5 with the AJP engine, I bought it new in the year 2000 and have never used it, it has done 100 miles and I keep meaning to get it out to sell it but never get around to it.. it was too new for me to fall in love with it

This is quite some shocker Grant, this would have been the last type of car i would expect you to have bought, and bought new ???????????? blimey, bit of a traitor really when at the same time you could have bought a band new sv8. and kept your loylalty,

[Grant]

This is quite some shocker Grant, this would have been the last type of car i would expect you to have bought, and bought new ???????????? blimey, bit of a traitor really when at the same time you could have bought a band new sv8. and kept your loylalty,

Hiya Dunc .. Yes totally agree..
But for 1 .. I never really did take to the SV8 and the reason I have the car is this .. when we had the building company we all bought company cars as we had a good year with the profit from the contracts .. so we all decided to buy company cars.. I was actually chasing a convertible Interceptor at the time but the vendor dropped out.. I then saw a video of Clarkson racing one and it was at the time the fastest road car you could buy apart from a Jag220... so I ordered one.. but never really took to it.. it didn't help that the company I went through loaned me one for the day and ragged it to get it out of my system.. then took delivery of it and pugged it up.. we then liquidated the company as we all had different paths we wanted to follow so I took the car and and again pugged it up.. it is a very fast car but I have never driven it apart from driving it from the dealership back to home.. Oh.. and taking the daughter to the school prom .. it still has the "running-in" oil in it

[Grant]

Here is a few pics of it >>
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[Grant]

As an aside : Grant , you have made me curious . Do you have pics of your Cerbera ? Would be a nice brother/sister for my Chimaera
Cheers , Harald

Hello Harald
I really have no idea of what something like this is worth.. but not sure where you would find another one that has never been used.. please feel free to make me a sensible offer via PM
With my kind regards .. Grant

[cannonball]

Blimey son, even that interior seems so not you,,,,,,,,,,,,, but ffs it will be worth a fortune imagine that going over the blocks at the nec auction sometime in the future, I bet you could buy a JIA car from the proceeds,, well done son,,