Turbo my Mk1 vs TVR Chimaera

[Tim Cognito]

I've had this little beauty SORNed since we moved house/daughter was born in 2021. I am feeling out of touch with it (and cars in general tbh) but the plan is to make some time this winter to show it some love and get it ready to turbo.

Current plans:
- suspension refresh, new bushes all round, paint wishbones etc. Not dropping subframes.
- engine mounts
- alloy radiator
- cambelt change

I am keen to keep it sensible as I know how these things like to snowball and being time poor before you know it will be 10 years time and it will still be sat in the garage.

I also know it needs some attention on the rear sills, should I get that looked at before I delve into all of the above?

Then...a modest turbo set up. Looking for a reliable 220-230bhp something like that. I absolutely love how it drives N/A, and part of me is worried about losing that character, but then I also can't stop thinking about how nuts that extra bhp/torque will make it, and that I might not have the chance to own something with such a raw driving experience unless I do it.

However, I do have a hankering for a V8...just for the noise and sense of occasion, I do also think the Chimaera looks fantastic.

It will be very much a weekend toy and, as I mentioned I am time poor so I need reliability, I'm not naive that cars require maintenance and sometimes break but I don't want to spend excessive amounts of time fixing niggles when I could be driving it. Does this write the TVR off?

So, if you had the choice of either one to hop in on a Sunday morning once every 1/2/3 months and turn the key, which one is going to not let me down?

[Tim Cognito]

Belle427 said:

I had a Chimaera and although it is an event noise wise it doesn't come anywhere close to a Mk1 Mx5 handling and balance wise.
I.also had a standard Mk 1 and it hit the spot for me although I did find it slow.
I sold it to buy an Elise last year and to he honest I wish I'd kept it and either done a Turbo or S/C conversion.
The Chimaera is more of a tourer with V8 noise and grunt, still very enjoyable but if you put the 2 cars side by side and offered me the keys for a spirited b Road drive I'd be in the Mx5.
People say you spoil the Mx5 with a Turbo so that I can't advise on that really, I always fancied the S/C route but it is a lot more expensive to do.
Your car looks cracking by the way, that's a rare colour.

Edited by Belle427 on Thursday 14th March 09:32

Yes, I have read quite a few comments putting the TVR more in the tourer category. Obviously the handling of the MX5 is superb and you are right on a quiet b road it is hard to beat for smiles per mile.

I've toyed between SC/ITB/Turbo over the years but after a lot of reading came to the conclusion that turbo is the most reliable/least faffy. SC/ITB owners groups always seemed to be riddled with issues no one had really solved or driveability issues.

Ref colour - thank you. It's a Eunos G-Ltd which apparently only were 1500 produced.

[Tim Cognito]

Sbloxxy said:

I'm biased as I have a similar car - a Mk1 1.8 with a turbo set up producing about 230bhp. I can't emphasise enough what a blast it is to drive. The issue with the Mk1 is that the chassis is so good that its screaming out for more power. Yes it will lose some of the Mk1s original character, like how you can drive it flat out everywhere without ever really going that fast. Try that in a turbo'd car and you'll lose your license or end up in a hedge backwards. But it replaces that with a something that is guaranteed to get the adrenalin going in a way that even my Porsche 996 can't.

But definitely get your bodywork sorted out first. Pointless chucking money at a turbo set up when you have rust repairs looming and a car with extra performance will benefit from a very good shell anyway.

The only downside is that the turbo kit is just the beginning: I ended up fitting a bigger radiator, bigger brakes, an uprated clutch, better suspension and I'm about to fit a six speed box. Still just brilliant to drive though and its quite good fun terrorising supposedly faster cars in an unassuming looking MX5.

That is great to hear. With standard power, the ability to bury your foot to the floor for ages and never really go over 80 is certainly one of it's charms. I think it's hilarious how fast it feels at slow speeds as well.

I wasn't going to turbo before getting the rust sorted, I was going to do my list of bits first, suspension arms, cambelt etc. Mainly because I didn't want to have to tip toe around lovely fresh paint work in the garage whilst I do the work.

[Tim Cognito]

pigface1000 said:

You can fit the V6 Jag engine into the MX5, its called the rocketeer

Yes, 3 x the cost of a turbo though and no stu-tu-tu-tu-tu.

[Tim Cognito]

I think I'm going for turbo the mx5.

I thought the chimaera was less gt, although the thought of a lovely V8 burbling away is very attractive, the handling, responsiveness and slightly bonkers element of a boosted 5 wins.

Edited by Tim Cognito on Sunday 24th March 17:41

[Tim Cognito]

ian_c_uk said:

Intake wise, I have a cone filter mounted direct to turbo, so that sounds great, plenty of induction sound plus whooshing and chuffing from BOV.

I have a 2.5" exhaust system with 200cel cat, that is a bit *too* loud so may change the backbox to lose some drone on Motorway. Great on a run out, less so on the drive *to* a meet or run out!

Yes, all a turbo set up produces a variety of exciting sounds.

Been roughly pricing it up and looks like a ballpark figure of £6.5k by the time I do turbo kit and ecu, clutch, wheels and tyres, exhaust, bit of rust repair and mapping.

It's worth it right...

[Tim Cognito]

Possibly, tidy mk1s are getting rarer and rarer and a tidy mk1s with a non bodger turbo conversion is good to be strong money.

A second hand turbo kit is an option but I'm crap enough at cars as it is without trying to deal with second hand and potentially faulty parts.