what to watch for
Discussion
A few common known issues:
TVR changed the powder coating process for the chassis in early 1997, rignt up to the end of 1996 the chassis recieved the far more durable silver/grey finish but the key to its significantly longer life was that the chassis was phosphate etch primed before this finish was applied. That doesn't mean the earlier silver/grey chassis is immune from corrosion, it merely means these chassis tent to last a bit longer than the white finish ones. But keep in mind the early silver/grey chassis cars are older the balance kind of gets reset with all of them (white or Silver/Grey) needing close inspection.
My advise is beware the early 1997 cars, these first white coated efforts were appealingly bad and you can usually peel the powder coat off like your peeling a banana. Actually TVR didn't really sort out the white finish application until close to the end of the Chimaera production by which point the car benefited from a number of other desirable improvements which is why these cars tend to command a strong price premium that may well be worth the investment if you can afford the extra initial outlay.
Treat your inspection as you would any other car, test everything electrical and try to drive the car to get a feel for it and how it performs, drive a few to get some sort of benchmark going. Ten minutes in the drivers seat using all the controls is worth 2 hours of visual inspection.
These cars are generally very strong mechanically, cam and follower wear aside the engine is strong and durable but does need regular oil changes using the correct grade & quality of oil if maximum longevity is to be achieved.
The gearboxes are also robust (two types used depending on year) but do make sure the clutch isn't slipping to avoid inheriting this bill, the rest of the drive train is well up to the job including the differentials (two types used depending on year) that seem to last well.
Brakes are simple but effective Ford parts that are not unduly taxed because of the car's light weight, pads and discs last well as a consequence.
The Chimaera and Griffith models are probably the best combination of usability/reliability in the TVR range and should be relatively cheap to maintain. Remember this is the last parts bin TVR where the major components such as the engine all came from a large manufacturer with a big development budget. TVRs definitely got better and better in lots of ways as the years went on but after the Chimaera & Griffith models TVR really started to push things beyond their abilities and development budget.
Chimaeras and Griffiths should be viewed as an improved 1960's classic car rather than a fresh 90's design, because under the skin they are really just a refined and enhanced version of what TVR were producing in the 60's. Choosing a Chimaera over a Griffith buys you the same car mechanically at a 20-30% saving, the Chimaera also has a bigger boot so is the more practical choice, aesthetic preference is obviously a person thing.
All I'd add on model choice is that there were a number of very good reasons why the Chimaera was the best selling TVR in the history of the company, and by a huge margin. Engine reliability also seems better the less TVR messed with the car, this makes the 4.0 and 4.5 litre cars slightly better in this respect, an example being the fracturing of crankshafts on the heavily worked over 5.0 litre is not unheard of.
Saying that if only the mighty 5.0 litre will do then you shouldn't let the crank imbalance issue put you off, just remember TVR made the 5.0 litre engine by stroking it which is great for torque but if you prefer something that revs more freely the smaller engines may suit better, the 4.5 is certainly a good compromise between the two ends of the spectrum.
If you're in the market for a classic car but find the compromises too great a Griffith or Chimaera will give you all the old school charm and driver appeal but with 90's brakes, very respectable fuel economy, excellent handling, better ergonomics and much stronger performance than the usual suspects from the 1960's.
Best of all the Chimaera gives you all this at a knockdown purchase price compared with an E-type or Healey, the reliability reputation TVR suffers keeps the values down but the truth is 95% of the issues are cheap & simple to fix which makes them even more of a bargain especially if you don't mind getting your hands dirty yourself from time to time.
A Chimaera or Griffith is far from perfect by any stretch of the imaginaton but because all their faults and the remedies are well documented on these pages and the cars still remain excellent value to buy in the first place you can afford to improve and enhance the car's dynamics & reliability for a very cost effective overall outlay.
Check everything thoroughly as you would any used car purchase and remember it's an old TVR not an old Porsche so its inevitable you're going to find a few faults along the way, but don't let them put you off.
I'd encourage you to cost out the resolutions to these faults in your head because nine times out of ten sorting the little niggles can be done for peanuts.
Enjoy the hunt...
If you find the right car it should give you years of cost effective classic motoring in a practical package you can actually use in modern traffic without the compromises associated with something from the 1960's.
Just don't expect it to be a direct competitor to a Teutonic build quality 90's Porsche, I encourage you to enjoy the car for what it is, if you get that straight in your head from the get go a well maintained Chimaera becomes a devastating bargain and one that'll deliver years of pleasure
In my humble opinion a TVR Chimaera is a massively underrated and undervalued improved classic, and just wait until they reach 25 years old when our American cousins can legally import them. At this point you'll see a big price increase so I strongly recommend getting in now before they slip out of reach of common mortals
- Chassis corrosion (try to check the front outrigger corners as this is where it rots first)
- Suspension wishbones corrode badly
- Suspension bushes wear causing baggy handling
- Door mirror bases crack causing the mirrors to spin or flop
- Slow electric windows (mechanical restriction in runner channels)
- Immobiliser failure = no start (immobiliser internal relay issue)
- Earths and other wiring issues (TVR wiring not the best)
- Spark plug heat extenders fail causing occasional misfires that are easy to miss on a V8 (dreadful things best removed and replace with an alternative solution)
- Engine mounts go soft with oil contamination and crack with heat
- Exhaust manifold leaks (can sound surprisingly metallic)
- Wiper motor park switch gets flooded with water due to its position causing wipers that don't park correctly
- Headlight reflectors corrode badly giving very poor headlight performance
- Original carpets fade badly
- Fuel pump contacts prone to corrosion (wiring could be better as often doesn't give full amps to the pump)
- Coolant temp and oil pressure gauges not very accurate
- Original suspension dampers will be totally shot by now (look for a car with Nitrons or Gaz Gold Pros ect)
- Engine can flood on cold start (install BPR6ES spark plugs and ditch the extenders as previously stated)
- Parasitic battery drain very common (use a float charger or Battery Brain device if mains power isn't available)
- Premature engine camshaft, follower and rocker shaft wear
TVR changed the powder coating process for the chassis in early 1997, rignt up to the end of 1996 the chassis recieved the far more durable silver/grey finish but the key to its significantly longer life was that the chassis was phosphate etch primed before this finish was applied. That doesn't mean the earlier silver/grey chassis is immune from corrosion, it merely means these chassis tent to last a bit longer than the white finish ones. But keep in mind the early silver/grey chassis cars are older the balance kind of gets reset with all of them (white or Silver/Grey) needing close inspection.
My advise is beware the early 1997 cars, these first white coated efforts were appealingly bad and you can usually peel the powder coat off like your peeling a banana. Actually TVR didn't really sort out the white finish application until close to the end of the Chimaera production by which point the car benefited from a number of other desirable improvements which is why these cars tend to command a strong price premium that may well be worth the investment if you can afford the extra initial outlay.
Treat your inspection as you would any other car, test everything electrical and try to drive the car to get a feel for it and how it performs, drive a few to get some sort of benchmark going. Ten minutes in the drivers seat using all the controls is worth 2 hours of visual inspection.
These cars are generally very strong mechanically, cam and follower wear aside the engine is strong and durable but does need regular oil changes using the correct grade & quality of oil if maximum longevity is to be achieved.
The gearboxes are also robust (two types used depending on year) but do make sure the clutch isn't slipping to avoid inheriting this bill, the rest of the drive train is well up to the job including the differentials (two types used depending on year) that seem to last well.
Brakes are simple but effective Ford parts that are not unduly taxed because of the car's light weight, pads and discs last well as a consequence.
The Chimaera and Griffith models are probably the best combination of usability/reliability in the TVR range and should be relatively cheap to maintain. Remember this is the last parts bin TVR where the major components such as the engine all came from a large manufacturer with a big development budget. TVRs definitely got better and better in lots of ways as the years went on but after the Chimaera & Griffith models TVR really started to push things beyond their abilities and development budget.
Chimaeras and Griffiths should be viewed as an improved 1960's classic car rather than a fresh 90's design, because under the skin they are really just a refined and enhanced version of what TVR were producing in the 60's. Choosing a Chimaera over a Griffith buys you the same car mechanically at a 20-30% saving, the Chimaera also has a bigger boot so is the more practical choice, aesthetic preference is obviously a person thing.
All I'd add on model choice is that there were a number of very good reasons why the Chimaera was the best selling TVR in the history of the company, and by a huge margin. Engine reliability also seems better the less TVR messed with the car, this makes the 4.0 and 4.5 litre cars slightly better in this respect, an example being the fracturing of crankshafts on the heavily worked over 5.0 litre is not unheard of.
Saying that if only the mighty 5.0 litre will do then you shouldn't let the crank imbalance issue put you off, just remember TVR made the 5.0 litre engine by stroking it which is great for torque but if you prefer something that revs more freely the smaller engines may suit better, the 4.5 is certainly a good compromise between the two ends of the spectrum.
If you're in the market for a classic car but find the compromises too great a Griffith or Chimaera will give you all the old school charm and driver appeal but with 90's brakes, very respectable fuel economy, excellent handling, better ergonomics and much stronger performance than the usual suspects from the 1960's.
Best of all the Chimaera gives you all this at a knockdown purchase price compared with an E-type or Healey, the reliability reputation TVR suffers keeps the values down but the truth is 95% of the issues are cheap & simple to fix which makes them even more of a bargain especially if you don't mind getting your hands dirty yourself from time to time.
A Chimaera or Griffith is far from perfect by any stretch of the imaginaton but because all their faults and the remedies are well documented on these pages and the cars still remain excellent value to buy in the first place you can afford to improve and enhance the car's dynamics & reliability for a very cost effective overall outlay.
Check everything thoroughly as you would any used car purchase and remember it's an old TVR not an old Porsche so its inevitable you're going to find a few faults along the way, but don't let them put you off.
I'd encourage you to cost out the resolutions to these faults in your head because nine times out of ten sorting the little niggles can be done for peanuts.
Enjoy the hunt...
If you find the right car it should give you years of cost effective classic motoring in a practical package you can actually use in modern traffic without the compromises associated with something from the 1960's.
Just don't expect it to be a direct competitor to a Teutonic build quality 90's Porsche, I encourage you to enjoy the car for what it is, if you get that straight in your head from the get go a well maintained Chimaera becomes a devastating bargain and one that'll deliver years of pleasure
In my humble opinion a TVR Chimaera is a massively underrated and undervalued improved classic, and just wait until they reach 25 years old when our American cousins can legally import them. At this point you'll see a big price increase so I strongly recommend getting in now before they slip out of reach of common mortals
ChimpOnGas said:
In my humble opinion a TVR Chimaera is a massively underrated and undervalued improved classic, and just wait until they reach 25 years old when our American cousins can legally import them. At this point you'll see a big price increase so I strongly recommend getting in now before they slip out of reach of common mortals
Totally agree. An absolute bargain right now. Hadn't considered the potential increase when 25 years old due to the American market...My first was a 400, now have a 500. Both great!
ChimpOnGas said:
My advise is beware the early 1997 cars, these first white coated efforts were appealingly bad and you can usually peel the powder coat off like your peeling a banana. Actually TVR didn't really sort out the white finish application until close to the end of the Chimaera production by which point the car benefited from a number of other desirable improvements which is why these cars tend to command a strong price premium that may well be worth the investment if you can afford the extra initial outlay.
Re the later cars, around what year did they start to resolve the white powder coat application?Thanks
pb450 said:
Agree. Also, don't forget to check the chassis. Recent body-off examples will be best.
Depending on who has done the refurb and to what standard of course. There is one being stripped again after a 30 month old chassis refurb. Apparently the garage are saying that they rust from inside out which is b
ks unless you have holes. I've also seen chassis repairs that are quite frankly, dangerous.
JimTC said:
ChimpOnGas said:
My advise is beware the early 1997 cars, these first white coated efforts were appealingly bad and you can usually peel the powder coat off like your peeling a banana. Actually TVR didn't really sort out the white finish application until close to the end of the Chimaera production by which point the car benefited from a number of other desirable improvements which is why these cars tend to command a strong price premium that may well be worth the investment if you can afford the extra initial outlay.
Re the later cars, around what year did they start to resolve the white powder coat application?Thanks
The 2000 and on Chimaeras clearly have a much much better chassis finish, so its possible the improvements came in late 1999 with the introduction of the Tuscan?
At the other end of the scale I've seen some very old Wedges with really quite reasonable silver/grey chassis' for their considerable age, so TVR definitely went from doing a respectable job to really making a hash of things when they started with the white powder coat in early 97.
Personally I wouldn't get too hung up on in all though.
I have one of the last silver/grey chassis cars made and while its holding out very well indeed and is way better than all the younger 97/88 white chassis cars I've seen, I remain under no illusion my car is about to become 19 years old in two weeks time..
By the look of it she'll go another few years yet before I need to lift the body, at this point it's worth asking ourselves how many monocoque cars make it over the 20 year mark without needing some serious structural welding due to corrosion?
The old girl done good to my mind
macdeb said:
pb450 said:
Agree. Also, don't forget to check the chassis. Recent body-off examples will be best.
Depending on who has done the refurb and to what standard of course. There is one being stripped again after a 30 month old chassis refurb. Apparently the garage are saying that they rust from inside out which is bks unless you have holes. I've also seen chassis repairs that are quite frankly, dangerous.
Mine is a 1996, outriggers were fine just surface rust but main chassis rails had holes in them which l could not see until the body came off 
. If your car is left outside especially in winter l don't think that helps so it all depends on where the car has been stored over those wintery month's.
. If your car is left outside especially in winter l don't think that helps so it all depends on where the car has been stored over those wintery month's.pjac67 said:
Hi Keith - Depending on price and condition (ie low and needing work/tlc is best) may be interested in p/exing against my Starmist Blue Chimaera in the classifieds....wherabouts are you?
Hi it's 1989 with 48k and is in mint condition, the engine has been future proofed as in ARP bolts, big ends mains and oil pump. The air flow meters changed among other things, sport cam and valve springs, new tyres suspension bushes etc etc etc and to the best of my knowledge is faultless.When I advertise it I will be looking for 7K cheers Keithmacdeb said:
Unlucky, mine 2000 and all good. Though I did make/install stainless stone guards front and rear as it was chipping somewhat as for the rest, as new.
Regardless, they need looking after.
I think also you made much of your own luck, Mac. You have owned the car for most of its life, have cared for it lovingly, spent many hours on sensible preservation measures, have kept it in a garage and have only driven it in suitable conditions on the whole. And not too many miles - about 20,000?. as for the rest, as new. Regardless, they need looking after.
Mine had already covered 67,000 miles when I got it three years ago and has lived on the drive ever since in all weathers. Outriggers were condemned by the MOT man 10 months and 6,000 miles after I got it. It has now done 96,000 miles. It will get a full body off resto when I have finished thrashing it around every race track in the UK.....because once I have restored it and respayed it yellow I will be taking as much care of it as you do yours.
keith-vznby said:
pjac67 said:
Hi Keith - Depending on price and condition (ie low and needing work/tlc is best) may be interested in p/exing against my Starmist Blue Chimaera in the classifieds....wherabouts are you?
Hi it's 1989 with 48k and is in mint condition, the engine has been future proofed as in ARP bolts, big ends mains and oil pump. The air flow meters changed among other things, sport cam and valve springs, new tyres suspension bushes etc etc etc and to the best of my knowledge is faultless.When I advertise it I will be looking for 7K cheers KeithGassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff