The journey to owning a TVR Chimaera 400...
Discussion
Bit of a long one, but I don't really do short posts.
Where to start.
I'd wanted one of these for around 10 years, I first seriously considered one when I qualified back in around 2009/10, but back then it would have been my only car- so I bottled it and purchased my DC2 Integra instead (interestingly there wasn't a huge disparity in price back then). This set me down a 5 year path of (hugely enjoyable) Honda Type R-dom, but every summer without fail I'd find myself wistfully looking at the Chim classifieds- in the way that one might look back at messages from a girl that things never quite happened with. Or something equally 'angsty'.
Anyway, the general theme every year was- 'ouch these are a lot more expensive than they were 12 months ago'.
So eventually, on New Years Eve last year, a plan was hatched. I needed a TVR, but due to the breakup of a long-term relationship I also needed a house- which, as stumbling blocks go, was bit of a kicker. Particularly as a single guy living in the South East, where a Euromillions win will just about buy you a garden shed in need of renovation. Having peed away lord knows how much in rent over the previous few years I was determined to buy in some fashion, but also to get a place with decent parking- so 31st December 2015 I decided that whatever happened, I would have my own house by 31st December 2016. This would allow me to get a TVR in the new year, ready for summer 2017. As new years resolutions go, s
t had just got real.
I set to work setting up meetings, sorting out finances etc, and got everything moving extremely quickly. Then through a combination of good fortune and sheer bloody persistence, I was accepted for a 50% shared ownership property in a fantastic village, just 20 miles from work- but most importantly it was a semi-detached with a driveway up the side with space for two (and a bit) cars...
I'd already sold my previous Accord Type R in October last year, as due to the expansion of a side-business running mobile discos for weddings, I'd had to switch to a big estate car- in this case a 2.2 petrol Accord Executive. So I already had the perfect companion for a TVR.
The house move went through in the last week of June, so I found myself 6 months ahead of schedule, with a couple of months of summer left. Not to mention a lot more disposable income each month (it turns out mortgage/rent/bills is actually a heck of a lot cheaper than saving for a bloody deposit) The itch was real.
A chance discussion with PH member Paul (plfrench) on another thread on here led us both to convincing each other that buying a Chimaera immediately was the only sensible thing to do- and in fact, through a combination of rising Chim prices and rock-bottom interest rates, it would actually be financially negligent not to... Got bless Pistonheads.
I started a thread in the Chimaera section on here, asking for general advice and the merits of buying one at my available budget, and quickly decided I needed to go and look at a large selection to see exactly what was what. At this point, I had still never even sat in one- let alone driven one... So a weekend was set aside to go and look at as many as I could, to give me an idea of exactly what I was after- part of which included a trip up to Tony Gilbert cars, who had 6 Chimaeras in stock- one of which he had sold a couple of times before and had just been sold back to him again a couple of days before I went up there...
This particular car, obviously the first one I looked at, seemed to tick every single box- decent mileage, full history, a load of recent work including outriggers, one of my favourite colour combinations, and would come with a 12 month warranty. Being well versed in the purchase of second hand cars, there was no way I was going to buy the first car I looked at- we all know where that path leads. So, bravely putting on an air of complete impartiality (whilst inside fighting every urge to hand over my entire budget there and then), I said I'd get back in touch if I was still interested after viewing all the other cars I'd lined up.
These turned out to cover the entire spectrum of 'generous' advertising, and whilst a couple were promising, I was still fixated on the burgundy 400. So first thing Monday morning I call up and arrange a decent length test-drive for the Wednesday evening- this rolls around and after a hugely entertaining drive in absolutey perfect weather, I hand over a deposit and agree to collect just over a week later, giving time for the car to have another fresh service.
It's worth pointing out that at this point I had only been in the house less than a month, and was still living out of removal boxes and had yet to procure much in the way of living room furniture- a kitchen chair and a deckchair doing brave stand-in work for the as yet to be acquired sofa. The TVR had taken priority in a big way!
So finally the car;
It's a 1995 Chimaera 400, although confusingly sporting a 400hc badge on the plenum. The dealer was convinced it was just a normal 400, and it was sold as such, but it's something I may look to find out in the future.
It had done just under 74,000 miles, with a mere 18k of those having been done since 2006. It has a fully stamped service book, original hand book, and a load of receipts for recent work. The previous owner had done just over 2,000 miles in the previous 3 years, and half way though his ownership had taken the car to Central TVR where it received the following;
-Outrigger replacement
-Gaz Gold shocks
-New clutch
-Roof re-covered
-New carpets
-Doors re-trimmed
-'Afterburner' LED rear lights
-Carbon dash
-Full wheel alignment
At a total cost of around £5k...
Aside from the above, and being pre-wired with an Accumate trickle charger, it is completely standard. The ad had the colour listed as Crimson Starmist Metallic, with doe-hide interior- but I need to check the paint code to confirm. Either way, it looks superb.
It was £5 short of the very top of my budget, but the recent work, and easily the cleanest 10yr MOT history of any car I've ever checked, helped convince me it was worth it.
The intention is that this is going to be a very long-term keeper (it's taken me 10 years to get one after all!), and I do have a few things I intend to get done before long, including:
-Sleeved exhaust whilst leaving the cats in place
-Leven switch gear / indicator stalks
-Silicone hoses, first priority is Plenum to AFM elbow hose as I believe this is still running the original (plastic?) one.
I suspect after that it will be a slippery slope of upgrades & improvements, one that appears well traversed if the Chim forum on here is anything to go by...
I have it insured on a classic policy for 5k miles per year, with allowed use for commuting. It will be kept outside (under a decent cover) for the 'nice' months of the year, then garaged at my parent's place over the winter. The plan is to keep it as usable as possible.
Looking forward to meeting up with a few more Chim owners later this month, including the previously mentioned Paul- who purchased the Starmist Blue 500 from Fernhurst TVR. Can't wait to see that one
Anyway, some pictures!
And a couple taken this weekend alongside Jason's blue car (TVRJAS), who I met up with to discuss exhaust options- his has the sleeved exhaust and it sounds superb.
If you made it this far, or even if you just skipped to the pictures like a kid with ADHD (I won't judge), thanks for reading
Where to start.
I'd wanted one of these for around 10 years, I first seriously considered one when I qualified back in around 2009/10, but back then it would have been my only car- so I bottled it and purchased my DC2 Integra instead (interestingly there wasn't a huge disparity in price back then). This set me down a 5 year path of (hugely enjoyable) Honda Type R-dom, but every summer without fail I'd find myself wistfully looking at the Chim classifieds- in the way that one might look back at messages from a girl that things never quite happened with. Or something equally 'angsty'.
Anyway, the general theme every year was- 'ouch these are a lot more expensive than they were 12 months ago'.
So eventually, on New Years Eve last year, a plan was hatched. I needed a TVR, but due to the breakup of a long-term relationship I also needed a house- which, as stumbling blocks go, was bit of a kicker. Particularly as a single guy living in the South East, where a Euromillions win will just about buy you a garden shed in need of renovation. Having peed away lord knows how much in rent over the previous few years I was determined to buy in some fashion, but also to get a place with decent parking- so 31st December 2015 I decided that whatever happened, I would have my own house by 31st December 2016. This would allow me to get a TVR in the new year, ready for summer 2017. As new years resolutions go, s
t had just got real.I set to work setting up meetings, sorting out finances etc, and got everything moving extremely quickly. Then through a combination of good fortune and sheer bloody persistence, I was accepted for a 50% shared ownership property in a fantastic village, just 20 miles from work- but most importantly it was a semi-detached with a driveway up the side with space for two (and a bit) cars...
I'd already sold my previous Accord Type R in October last year, as due to the expansion of a side-business running mobile discos for weddings, I'd had to switch to a big estate car- in this case a 2.2 petrol Accord Executive. So I already had the perfect companion for a TVR.
The house move went through in the last week of June, so I found myself 6 months ahead of schedule, with a couple of months of summer left. Not to mention a lot more disposable income each month (it turns out mortgage/rent/bills is actually a heck of a lot cheaper than saving for a bloody deposit) The itch was real.
A chance discussion with PH member Paul (plfrench) on another thread on here led us both to convincing each other that buying a Chimaera immediately was the only sensible thing to do- and in fact, through a combination of rising Chim prices and rock-bottom interest rates, it would actually be financially negligent not to... Got bless Pistonheads.
I started a thread in the Chimaera section on here, asking for general advice and the merits of buying one at my available budget, and quickly decided I needed to go and look at a large selection to see exactly what was what. At this point, I had still never even sat in one- let alone driven one... So a weekend was set aside to go and look at as many as I could, to give me an idea of exactly what I was after- part of which included a trip up to Tony Gilbert cars, who had 6 Chimaeras in stock- one of which he had sold a couple of times before and had just been sold back to him again a couple of days before I went up there...
This particular car, obviously the first one I looked at, seemed to tick every single box- decent mileage, full history, a load of recent work including outriggers, one of my favourite colour combinations, and would come with a 12 month warranty. Being well versed in the purchase of second hand cars, there was no way I was going to buy the first car I looked at- we all know where that path leads. So, bravely putting on an air of complete impartiality (whilst inside fighting every urge to hand over my entire budget there and then), I said I'd get back in touch if I was still interested after viewing all the other cars I'd lined up.
These turned out to cover the entire spectrum of 'generous' advertising, and whilst a couple were promising, I was still fixated on the burgundy 400. So first thing Monday morning I call up and arrange a decent length test-drive for the Wednesday evening- this rolls around and after a hugely entertaining drive in absolutey perfect weather, I hand over a deposit and agree to collect just over a week later, giving time for the car to have another fresh service.
It's worth pointing out that at this point I had only been in the house less than a month, and was still living out of removal boxes and had yet to procure much in the way of living room furniture- a kitchen chair and a deckchair doing brave stand-in work for the as yet to be acquired sofa. The TVR had taken priority in a big way!
So finally the car;
It's a 1995 Chimaera 400, although confusingly sporting a 400hc badge on the plenum. The dealer was convinced it was just a normal 400, and it was sold as such, but it's something I may look to find out in the future.
It had done just under 74,000 miles, with a mere 18k of those having been done since 2006. It has a fully stamped service book, original hand book, and a load of receipts for recent work. The previous owner had done just over 2,000 miles in the previous 3 years, and half way though his ownership had taken the car to Central TVR where it received the following;
-Outrigger replacement
-Gaz Gold shocks
-New clutch
-Roof re-covered
-New carpets
-Doors re-trimmed
-'Afterburner' LED rear lights
-Carbon dash
-Full wheel alignment
At a total cost of around £5k...
Aside from the above, and being pre-wired with an Accumate trickle charger, it is completely standard. The ad had the colour listed as Crimson Starmist Metallic, with doe-hide interior- but I need to check the paint code to confirm. Either way, it looks superb.
It was £5 short of the very top of my budget, but the recent work, and easily the cleanest 10yr MOT history of any car I've ever checked, helped convince me it was worth it.
The intention is that this is going to be a very long-term keeper (it's taken me 10 years to get one after all!), and I do have a few things I intend to get done before long, including:
-Sleeved exhaust whilst leaving the cats in place
-Leven switch gear / indicator stalks
-Silicone hoses, first priority is Plenum to AFM elbow hose as I believe this is still running the original (plastic?) one.
I suspect after that it will be a slippery slope of upgrades & improvements, one that appears well traversed if the Chim forum on here is anything to go by...
I have it insured on a classic policy for 5k miles per year, with allowed use for commuting. It will be kept outside (under a decent cover) for the 'nice' months of the year, then garaged at my parent's place over the winter. The plan is to keep it as usable as possible.
Looking forward to meeting up with a few more Chim owners later this month, including the previously mentioned Paul- who purchased the Starmist Blue 500 from Fernhurst TVR. Can't wait to see that one
Anyway, some pictures!
And a couple taken this weekend alongside Jason's blue car (TVRJAS), who I met up with to discuss exhaust options- his has the sleeved exhaust and it sounds superb.
If you made it this far, or even if you just skipped to the pictures like a kid with ADHD (I won't judge), thanks for reading
Edited by Squirrelofwoe on Monday 8th August 16:45
ClassiChimi said:
Awesome.
Tvr's for most of us become part of the family, in my case it's my girlfriend
You look to have made some excellent decisions this last year, keep driving and slowly come to know your Tvr,
Ask as many questions you can,
It's more than a car, it's mans best hobby.
Enjoy for many years to come.
Alun.
Cheers Alun! Tvr's for most of us become part of the family, in my case it's my girlfriend
You look to have made some excellent decisions this last year, keep driving and slowly come to know your Tvr,
Ask as many questions you can,
It's more than a car, it's mans best hobby.
Enjoy for many years to come.
Alun.
ClassiChimi said:
If your place had a second bedroom, rent it out,,, you'll hardly ever be at home anyway. 
Goodluck
Under the shared ownership scheme I'm prevented from letting out any of the rooms, but in any case the second bedroom is my gym/office. Not that it has been used for either purpose this last week Goodluck
I took my Accord to work this morning, first time I've driven it since last Monday...
plfrench said:
Great write up!
I think if I'd parked mine where yours was in the second photo I'd have had an inferno on my hands!! Mine seems to kick out a ridiculous amount of heat
Mine does give out a fair bit, and it was particularly warm outside on Sat too, but the fans seem to be doing their job as intended. Driving up there Friday afternoon I got caught in traffic leaving the Countryfile Live show at Blenheim Palace, 20 mins crawling along nose-to-tail in blistering sunshine, it got up 90 degrees and stayed there. Once I was moving again it fell back down again. Touch wood the cooling system isn't in too bad nick at the moment!I think if I'd parked mine where yours was in the second photo I'd have had an inferno on my hands!! Mine seems to kick out a ridiculous amount of heat
plfrench said:
Yours looks in really good condition - I've got a pretty long list of things to do to mine, but just enjoying driving it at the moment. First port of call over the winter is a stay with Neil Garner for a chassis restoration.
It looks great at those kinds of distances, but up close there are a few scuffs/stone chips etc- but if I'd bought one that was immaculate it would soon end up like this anyway with the amount of use I intend it to get 
I look forward to seeing how they get on with that, Neil Garner are pretty much around the corner from my new place so I'll likely be using them for any bits and pieces I don't want to do myself.
In fact I am actually due to phone them tomorrow to see about booking mine in for it's exhaust work! After hearing Jason's car on Saturday mine is now sounding distinctly underwhelming (comparatively speaking of course)
TVRJAS said:
He's good with that camera isn't he
He certainly knows what he's doing! He's got some excellent sound clips too, but he's just had his exhaust system arrive for his new Mustang so he's somewhat preoccupied getting that over to Ford for them to fit...TVRJAS said:
I've seen on another thread you've booked it in for the exhaust I did at least try and tell you that a standard system still has a beautiful sound,your car sounded lovely by the way.
Bookmarked your thread
I do love the sound my standard car makes, but I still preferred the sound of yours! It's the fact that it's not massively different if you don't want it to be- but has so much more drama available when you want to play with the loud peddle... I did at least try and tell you that a standard system still has a beautiful sound,your car sounded lovely by the way.Bookmarked your thread
Plans after that will likely just be the silicone hoses and the Leven interior bits.
Then next year I wouldn't mind finding out what sort of power she's making and getting the cam checked- and replacing/upgrading if necessary.
Plenty to keep me busy
TVRJAS said:
Yep you explained that well enough Would be nice to hear the sound clip as and when,but I fully understand the Mustangs priorities.
Would be nice to hear the sound clip as and when,but I fully understand the Mustangs priorities.I'll post a link in here once he's got them uploaded. Once the exhaust is on he still won't be taking delivery of the car for another 3 weeks so he'll have plenty of time to sort our sound clips out!
Edited by Squirrelofwoe on Tuesday 9th August 15:59
I finally got the exhaust sleeved last Thursday at Neil Garner's, it now sounds even more like a WW2 aircraft
I'm over the moon with it. It's barely any noticeably louder at cruising speeds, it just changes the tone slightly and is now far more vocal on gear down-changes etc. Love it.
I also took the opportunity to discuss a couple of other potential future plans for the car. One of which is the possibility of switching to the Stealth cam. The car is on 74.5k miles and still on the original cam (and I'm aiming to be adding 5k miles a year), so I'm aware this will need replacing at some point before too long anyway, so I'll take the opportunity to get a bit of an upgrade whilst I am at it.
I've heard nothing but good things about the Stealth cam and after discussing it at NG last week it looks like being the route I'll go.
Anyway, tomorrow I will have had the car 3 weeks and I've already racked up almost 650 (very fun) miles!
I've made a conscious effort to ease off the use a bit this last week now that I've done most of my journeys taking the car to show people who wanted to see it, and taking people out etc. This is just as well, or my 5k mileage limit won't go too far, and the fuel bills have been mounting up substantially... 
Unbelievable fun though, it drives superb and the Gaz suspension + wheel alignment that was done fairly recent before I purchased the car appears to have been worth every one of the previous owner's pennies.
I still can't believe just how much (positive) attention it attracts though, everybody wants to look at it, talk to me about it, and in just 3 weeks I've had two separate people take photos of it whilst I've been sat at traffic lights, which has taken some getting used to to be honest!
I'm over the moon with it. It's barely any noticeably louder at cruising speeds, it just changes the tone slightly and is now far more vocal on gear down-changes etc. Love it.
I also took the opportunity to discuss a couple of other potential future plans for the car. One of which is the possibility of switching to the Stealth cam. The car is on 74.5k miles and still on the original cam (and I'm aiming to be adding 5k miles a year), so I'm aware this will need replacing at some point before too long anyway, so I'll take the opportunity to get a bit of an upgrade whilst I am at it.
I've heard nothing but good things about the Stealth cam and after discussing it at NG last week it looks like being the route I'll go.
Anyway, tomorrow I will have had the car 3 weeks and I've already racked up almost 650 (very fun) miles!
I've made a conscious effort to ease off the use a bit this last week now that I've done most of my journeys taking the car to show people who wanted to see it, and taking people out etc. This is just as well, or my 5k mileage limit won't go too far, and the fuel bills have been mounting up substantially... Unbelievable fun though, it drives superb and the Gaz suspension + wheel alignment that was done fairly recent before I purchased the car appears to have been worth every one of the previous owner's pennies.
I still can't believe just how much (positive) attention it attracts though, everybody wants to look at it, talk to me about it, and in just 3 weeks I've had two separate people take photos of it whilst I've been sat at traffic lights, which has taken some getting used to to be honest!
HeWhoDaresRoy said:
Lovely!
My Chimaera was my favourite car that I've owned, so far.
Congrats
Cheers My Chimaera was my favourite car that I've owned, so far.
Congrats
It's certainly something special. It seems to be one of those cars that is universally appreciated by anyone with even half an interest in cars, which makes something a change from the Type R's I've had for the last few years!
Can't wait to get out in it again tomorrow
Rob1984 said:
What a lovely purchase - well done and congratulations..
I have a 1998 Cerbera and been a TVR fan since I first saw one when I was around 12 years old.
Very similar to you, I spent around 3 years saving every penny to buy one and finally got it 3 years ago, never looked back and every time I see it and get to drive it I can't explain the feeling it gives me
Fantastic enjoy it.
A Cerb is another one on my 'to-do' list, such striking cars. I'm suitably jealous!I have a 1998 Cerbera and been a TVR fan since I first saw one when I was around 12 years old.
Very similar to you, I spent around 3 years saving every penny to buy one and finally got it 3 years ago, never looked back and every time I see it and get to drive it I can't explain the feeling it gives me
Fantastic enjoy it.
As well as a Chimaera & an AJP Cerbera, the other TVR I'd love to try one day is a T350/Sagaris (more likely the former considering the way the Sag prices have gone). 3 distinctly different engines, and my 3/4 favourite TVRs.
If I could have them at the same time I'd be a happy chap
crowfield said:
Great looking car. Mine is a 98 Chimaera 400, and I also have a Honda Accord Executive Estate as a daily runaround, although mine is the 2.0ltr petrol. 
^^^Superb colour!I have to say, I can't think of anything I would replace the Accord Estate with for the money, it's bloody fantastic. Carries everything, excellent cruiser, and is also pretty damn fun to hustle along too, with an excellent seating position and a peach of an engine. Makes a great combo with the TVR- just not so much fuel wise in 2.4 flavour.
crowfield said:
Colour is Cooper Green. My Accord is , like yours, a fantastic reliable car. Lacks a bit of power ( the 2.4 must be better ) , but as a daily runaround it is unbeatable and on a run across the country recently, did 38MPG overall - not bad for a 2ltr petrol. And it's got all the toys - leather, electric heated seats, dual zone climate, electric roof. The only thing missing is sat nav. But come the weekend, I can't wait to get out in the TVR !
Yeah they are certainly well equipped, mine even has the built-in touch screen navigation too. The performance of the 2.4 is pretty decent, up to 4-5k rpm it's as quick as my previous Accord Type R, and they've done a very good job of making it feel like there is a decent amount of torque there too. I've not had a situation yet where I've found it lacking! The only downside is I can get maybe 33mpg at best (dual carriageway with cruise on), typically it's closer to 28-30, but obviously it's pretty sensitive to how it's driven.Great cars though. Like you say, it also makes you really enjoy the TVR at the weekend!
swerni said:
Am loving my 4.0 Chim.
Wished I got one has ago
That's a great pic! Looks superb in that colour, what's the name of it? I looked at one in that colour and although it hadn't been a standout colour for me originally, to see it in person was a completely different story.Wished I got one has ago
Sillyhatday said:
Great car OP. A TVR is on my list, any TVR, preferably a V8 one.
TVR comes on my priorities higher than furniture too
It's just not like any other car out there, it's complete sensory overload! As I mentioned earlier, the other two TVRs I'd love to try are an AJP V8 engined Cerbera, and either a T350 or (lottery win) Sagaris. But the first one on my list HAD to be an RV8 engined car for noise reasons alone, and fortunately (money wise) I've always preferred the looks of the Chim over the Griff. TVR comes on my priorities higher than furniture too
The sound the RV8 engine makes really is just something else! At idle it sounds like a WW2 aircraft engine, with none of the 'precision' you get with newer V8s or the distinctive NASCAR sound of the American V8s. It just sounds properly old-fashioned and raw. The noise is always one of the first things anyone has commented on with my car- I've even had strangers walk over and wait for me to start it up as I've gone back to the car in a car park. The attention it gets has taken a bit of getting used to.
Driving one is guaranteed to put a smile on your face!
I'd also like to report that my new sofa is extremely comfy, even if it took a long time to acquire one...
So almost 3 months in and I've covered around 1,600 miles- compared to the mere 2,000 miles in 3 years covered by the previous owner!
Even as the weather has got worse I've managed to get out in it at least once a week. I generally only take it out in the dry, but I'm not too bothered about it being sunny etc as it's still a superb car to drive even with the roof on. The fact the top panel is hard plastic actually makes it feel like a mini-coupe.
I've been caught out in heavy rain a couple of times, but once again there were zero dramas. Once of the days was after a meetup with a few other Chim owners from on here- I had a 30 minute drive down the M40 in absolutely torrential rain. No signs of water ingress and wipers worked superbly (they were replaced by the previous owner). It was this particular drive that made me realise just how competent these can be as 'cars' rather than just as summer toys. It completely set aside many of the reservations I had initially had after first getting it- namely being paranoid about getting it home and back under it's cover if it so much as started to cloud over etc...
My plan when I bought it was always for it to be a regular use car, rather than a summer-only garage queen (I don't even own a garage). It lives on my drive under a triple-layer breathable car cover, and this has been fantastic. No issues yet with the paintwork etc. The other benefit to the regular use is that I've not yet had to connect the trickle charger
As the autumn turns into winter and the weather gets even worse, I might take it over to store in the workshop at my parent's place, but as it's not heated it won't be a huge benefit over storing it under the cover- just marginally more weather proof. Either way, it will still very much be used whenever possible on dry days.
Over the weekend I got a few pictures with my cousin's new Mustang GT, quite amusing seeing the size difference between the two of them!
Even as the weather has got worse I've managed to get out in it at least once a week. I generally only take it out in the dry, but I'm not too bothered about it being sunny etc as it's still a superb car to drive even with the roof on. The fact the top panel is hard plastic actually makes it feel like a mini-coupe.
I've been caught out in heavy rain a couple of times, but once again there were zero dramas. Once of the days was after a meetup with a few other Chim owners from on here- I had a 30 minute drive down the M40 in absolutely torrential rain. No signs of water ingress and wipers worked superbly (they were replaced by the previous owner). It was this particular drive that made me realise just how competent these can be as 'cars' rather than just as summer toys. It completely set aside many of the reservations I had initially had after first getting it- namely being paranoid about getting it home and back under it's cover if it so much as started to cloud over etc...
My plan when I bought it was always for it to be a regular use car, rather than a summer-only garage queen (I don't even own a garage). It lives on my drive under a triple-layer breathable car cover, and this has been fantastic. No issues yet with the paintwork etc. The other benefit to the regular use is that I've not yet had to connect the trickle charger
As the autumn turns into winter and the weather gets even worse, I might take it over to store in the workshop at my parent's place, but as it's not heated it won't be a huge benefit over storing it under the cover- just marginally more weather proof. Either way, it will still very much be used whenever possible on dry days.
Over the weekend I got a few pictures with my cousin's new Mustang GT, quite amusing seeing the size difference between the two of them!
plfrench said:
Looking good Dave!
I'm not far behind, covered about 1200 miles so far and all holding up well. Replaced the tyres now which has helped following on from the slightly hairy swim back up the M42 when we met up
Like you, it's always getting its weekly 'exercise' so not had any need to connect the charger yet.
Waiting for the chassis refurb quote to come through from Neil Garner after they had it for a week to suss out what was what.
Have you got that rear window hole / air-vent plugged up yet?! I'm not far behind, covered about 1200 miles so far and all holding up well. Replaced the tyres now which has helped following on from the slightly hairy swim back up the M42 when we met up
Like you, it's always getting its weekly 'exercise' so not had any need to connect the charger yet.
Waiting for the chassis refurb quote to come through from Neil Garner after they had it for a week to suss out what was what.
Are you planning on having the full refurb done this winter?
I've seen those narrow windows, I think for me the perfect solution eventually would be one of Steve Heath's removable hardtops.
Got a few other things on the list before that though, and my Accord has decided it needs a new clutch which has put paid to any TVR upgrades until next year sadly!
Got a few other things on the list before that though, and my Accord has decided it needs a new clutch which has put paid to any TVR upgrades until next year sadly!
TR4man said:
That Mustang certainly looks a beast of a car - but of the two, I know which I prefer!
The Mustang is quite something, feels a very different car to the TVR though. It feels a lot more 'clinical' both inside and in the way it goes. Everything feels very digital- which I guess it is to a degree.This one is fitted with the Borla Atak exhaust system and sounds fantastic (in an American NASCAR kind of way), and is probably as loud as my TVR (with sleeved exhaust). However when inside the Mustang, with the windows up you can still barely hear anything at lower revs it is that well insulated.
Oh and it feels huge getting into it after the TVR! Seriously big. When sat in my TVR my head barely reaches the top of the Mustang door...
The easiest way to describe them though is the cliched 'analogue vs digital'. You start the TVR up and the sound is like coaxing a WW2 aircraft engine into life, a couple of turns before it fires, then settling down into an un-even sounding idle that feels like it's trying to shake the car apart
With the Mustang on the other hand, you press the start button and the engine is just 'on' instantly. No fuss, no drama, perfectly smooth.
In addition to that, the Mustang is fantastically well spec'd- all the toys you'd expect plus the heated AND chilled seats, reversing camera with parking guides, his also has the Sync-3 entertainment system which is like a mini PC in the dash! Oh and the 7 speaker audio with sub. Then you have all of the stability/traction aids & different driving modes etc...
My TVR on the other hand doesn't even have power steering
Both superb cars, but for me the Mustang is just too digital/clinical for my tastes- which are the exact reasons why my cousin prefers the Mustang over the TVR! Horses for courses.
For what it's worth I am also something of a classic Mustang fan, my ultimate dream garage would include either an original Boss 429 Mustang or a 'Resto-mod' GT500/'Eleanor' recreation
To me however, my TVR has far more in common with the classic Mustangs than the new Mustang does!
So a bit of an update!
Since getting the car last July it has been used pretty much every week- basically whenever the roads are dry. I was out in it on Christmas Day, and then met up with a few other owners for an epic drive the day after boxing day
All was going well until one Saturday evening the last week of January, when all the electrics died whilst driving home. Cue a quick call to the RAC, only to discover their national phone system had chosen that particular evening to fall over- "we are currently experiencing technical difficulties, please try again later", not ideal! Fortunately my girlfriend's dad was on hand with a Freelander and a tow rope and we got the TVR the 5 miles back home.
Cue about 4 weeks of messing around for the sake of a blown 100amp fuse- the lesson learned was to actually remove the fuse to check it, rather then relying upon a quick visual inspection whilst under the car... :getmycoat: In between the initial (incorrect) inspection, and actually removing & replacing the fuse (a couple of weeks) I removed the alternator and took that to a specialist to check over, who confirmed it was absolutely fine. Props due to Mike (Canoesniffer), another recent Chimaera convert, who enthusiastically came round to assist with most of this despite less than ideal working conditions- an exposed driveway in falling snow!
Fortunately, these few weeks coincided with some of the most consistently bad weather we've had since I'd owned the car. Unfortunately, the few weeks of having the battery disconnected / jump-starting / lack of use meant the battery was pretty knackered. It would start the car fine when fully charged, but after just a couple of days without use it would barely even power the dash lights.
As it was only a couple of weeks away from it's MOT at Neil Garner's, I spoke to them about battery options and I figured it would be the ideal time to do something about the rather inconvenient battery tray. For those who aren't familiar with these, the battery is located in a tray inside the passenger footwell- the tray is bolted through the floor of the car and the battery won't come out without unbolting the tray- meaning the car has to be jacked up to remove the battery... This location also makes it a pig to jump start. The fuse box is then located behind the already inaccessible battery.
They had the car last week and came up with a pretty cool solution. I didn't want to mess about relocating the battery as the two options are generally to the boot or to behind the passenger seat. I didn't want it in the boot as I don't like the idea of the battery sat on top of the fuel tank, and to fit it behind the passenger seat requires a fair bit of fibre-glass re-shaping, and I wanted to keep it looking as OEM as possible (neither me or my other half are particularly tall so additional leg-room wasn't a concern- which is the other reason for the moving the battery).
So they have modified my existing battery tray so that the front of it hinges open to allow easy removal of the battery, at the same time replacing the overly long starter & earth cables, and of course fitting a brand new battery . The fuse box was moved into the small recess behind the passenger seat giving easy access to this, and they also fitted a Levan jump-start kit inside the front of the engine bay to make life infinitely easier should I need to jump start it in future. I purchased a new CTEK MXS 5.0 trickle charger whilst this was going on to replace the old cheapy one that had come with the car, and the connector for this was wired up to the battery at the same time.
I've got pictures of all of this to come, but the other thing I got the to investigate was my suspension. The car came with GAZ Gold Pros, but I was aware that the rear of the car appeared to be sitting too low- particularly compared to the front of the car, you can see this in some of the earlier pictures. So I got them to set the suspension all round back to it's factory ride height and do a full geometry setup for normal road use. This has not only sorted out the car visually, but also improved the ride- it's no longer skittish when travelling over bumpy roads at speed, and has stopped catching the rear chassis bolts on every speed hump...
I picked the car up on Friday evening, just in time for the sunniest weekend we've had so far- which has seen a couple of tanks of fuel being used and roof off, happy days! Oh and it passed it's MOT with flying colours
More pictures to come of the battery stuff mentioned above.
[url]
Since getting the car last July it has been used pretty much every week- basically whenever the roads are dry. I was out in it on Christmas Day, and then met up with a few other owners for an epic drive the day after boxing day
All was going well until one Saturday evening the last week of January, when all the electrics died whilst driving home. Cue a quick call to the RAC, only to discover their national phone system had chosen that particular evening to fall over- "we are currently experiencing technical difficulties, please try again later", not ideal! Fortunately my girlfriend's dad was on hand with a Freelander and a tow rope and we got the TVR the 5 miles back home.
Cue about 4 weeks of messing around for the sake of a blown 100amp fuse- the lesson learned was to actually remove the fuse to check it, rather then relying upon a quick visual inspection whilst under the car... :getmycoat: In between the initial (incorrect) inspection, and actually removing & replacing the fuse (a couple of weeks) I removed the alternator and took that to a specialist to check over, who confirmed it was absolutely fine. Props due to Mike (Canoesniffer), another recent Chimaera convert, who enthusiastically came round to assist with most of this despite less than ideal working conditions- an exposed driveway in falling snow!
Fortunately, these few weeks coincided with some of the most consistently bad weather we've had since I'd owned the car. Unfortunately, the few weeks of having the battery disconnected / jump-starting / lack of use meant the battery was pretty knackered. It would start the car fine when fully charged, but after just a couple of days without use it would barely even power the dash lights.
As it was only a couple of weeks away from it's MOT at Neil Garner's, I spoke to them about battery options and I figured it would be the ideal time to do something about the rather inconvenient battery tray. For those who aren't familiar with these, the battery is located in a tray inside the passenger footwell- the tray is bolted through the floor of the car and the battery won't come out without unbolting the tray- meaning the car has to be jacked up to remove the battery... This location also makes it a pig to jump start. The fuse box is then located behind the already inaccessible battery.
They had the car last week and came up with a pretty cool solution. I didn't want to mess about relocating the battery as the two options are generally to the boot or to behind the passenger seat. I didn't want it in the boot as I don't like the idea of the battery sat on top of the fuel tank, and to fit it behind the passenger seat requires a fair bit of fibre-glass re-shaping, and I wanted to keep it looking as OEM as possible (neither me or my other half are particularly tall so additional leg-room wasn't a concern- which is the other reason for the moving the battery).
So they have modified my existing battery tray so that the front of it hinges open to allow easy removal of the battery, at the same time replacing the overly long starter & earth cables, and of course fitting a brand new battery . The fuse box was moved into the small recess behind the passenger seat giving easy access to this, and they also fitted a Levan jump-start kit inside the front of the engine bay to make life infinitely easier should I need to jump start it in future. I purchased a new CTEK MXS 5.0 trickle charger whilst this was going on to replace the old cheapy one that had come with the car, and the connector for this was wired up to the battery at the same time.
I've got pictures of all of this to come, but the other thing I got the to investigate was my suspension. The car came with GAZ Gold Pros, but I was aware that the rear of the car appeared to be sitting too low- particularly compared to the front of the car, you can see this in some of the earlier pictures. So I got them to set the suspension all round back to it's factory ride height and do a full geometry setup for normal road use. This has not only sorted out the car visually, but also improved the ride- it's no longer skittish when travelling over bumpy roads at speed, and has stopped catching the rear chassis bolts on every speed hump...
I picked the car up on Friday evening, just in time for the sunniest weekend we've had so far- which has seen a couple of tanks of fuel being used and roof off, happy days! Oh and it passed it's MOT with flying colours
More pictures to come of the battery stuff mentioned above.
[url]Edited by Squirrelofwoe on Monday 27th March 10:42
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