Chimaera - one year on
Discussion
Afternoon all,
Now I've had my car for almost a year, I thought I'd do a post on what it's been like to finally own one of these cars.
The car is a '97 4.0 HC, and is my first entry to the world of TVR. I'd always promised myself one, but had always bought something more sensible and German each time I'd gone looking. I'd considered pretty much the whole range of TVRs and driven lots, but decided on a Chimaera for my first. It was the colour of this one in the end that really sold it to me, as it is exactly the same as the first TVR I'd ever been taken out in.
The first long drive I had was about 300 miles back to Cornwall (probably the furthest it had been driven in a very long time!). The car was in fair condition overall, but I'd already drawn up a list of things that needed doing. My plan was to try living with the car first before getting any of the work done - but I did get the brakes upgraded as the old ones were awful. I used the car for some fun short trips over the Summer, doing about 500 miles or so, before garaging it over winter.
With the car out of hibernation, the car was booked in for some pretty extensive work:
- New camshaft and followers
- Engine mounts replaced
- Exhaust repaired and made quieter (sacrilege I know, but I wanted to try using the car for longer journeys)
- Various wiring bits sorted, including having the fuse box re-waterproofed!
- Replaced the after-market red seatbelts with standard ones
- Replaced after-market MOMO wheel
- New roof and seals
- New tyres
- Various other minor jobs to keep the car running as good as possible
- MOT!
The work has transformed the car. When I collected it, I was shown the old camshaft, which was badly worn. The car now goes like it has an even bigger engine - the power and delivery is great.
With the car now back to a really good standard (and waterproof thanks to the new roof!) I'm hoping to use it as much as possible. To properly try it out, my girlfriend and I packed up for a week away in it, driving over 750 miles in 4 days around the UK. The car was fantastic, apart from one small issue. After half an hour or so of driving, the power steering started creaking and then making a whining noise. Luckily our route was taking us up past TVRSSW, so we popped in on the off chance we could be seen. Luckily they fitted the car in straight away. Straight away they found the power steering fluid had gone really watery, so decided to flush it through and replace. However, on topping it up, the fluid level kept dropping. The reservoir was removed for inspection and found to be faulty - in fact it was missing the central plate that stops the fluid from splashing up and out (hard to explain without seeing it). No idea why this bit was missing from inside! Anyway, the reservoir was replaced, the fluid topped up, and the car behaved perfectly. The trip highlighted how good the car is at touring, so we'll definitely be doing more of that in the future. If it wasn't from the wind roar it would be an easy way to pass the miles! I still can't believe the positive reactions to the car - totally different to some of the reactions to the Boxsters...!
So to sum up, the car has been better than I expected. Even though my mates keep expecting to see it on the back of a recovery truck, it has never let me down. Now that a lot of the work has been done on it, I will be trying to drive it more. In pure driving terms, I'd have to say it isn't as good as the Porsche it replaced, but it is so much more of an event/experience - and therefore the more enjoyable car. I'm still not bored of just looking at it parked on the drive! The only thing I would consider replacing it with is another TVR now.
Now I've had my car for almost a year, I thought I'd do a post on what it's been like to finally own one of these cars.
The car is a '97 4.0 HC, and is my first entry to the world of TVR. I'd always promised myself one, but had always bought something more sensible and German each time I'd gone looking. I'd considered pretty much the whole range of TVRs and driven lots, but decided on a Chimaera for my first. It was the colour of this one in the end that really sold it to me, as it is exactly the same as the first TVR I'd ever been taken out in.
The first long drive I had was about 300 miles back to Cornwall (probably the furthest it had been driven in a very long time!). The car was in fair condition overall, but I'd already drawn up a list of things that needed doing. My plan was to try living with the car first before getting any of the work done - but I did get the brakes upgraded as the old ones were awful. I used the car for some fun short trips over the Summer, doing about 500 miles or so, before garaging it over winter.
With the car out of hibernation, the car was booked in for some pretty extensive work:
- New camshaft and followers
- Engine mounts replaced
- Exhaust repaired and made quieter (sacrilege I know, but I wanted to try using the car for longer journeys)
- Various wiring bits sorted, including having the fuse box re-waterproofed!
- Replaced the after-market red seatbelts with standard ones
- Replaced after-market MOMO wheel
- New roof and seals
- New tyres
- Various other minor jobs to keep the car running as good as possible
- MOT!
The work has transformed the car. When I collected it, I was shown the old camshaft, which was badly worn. The car now goes like it has an even bigger engine - the power and delivery is great.
With the car now back to a really good standard (and waterproof thanks to the new roof!) I'm hoping to use it as much as possible. To properly try it out, my girlfriend and I packed up for a week away in it, driving over 750 miles in 4 days around the UK. The car was fantastic, apart from one small issue. After half an hour or so of driving, the power steering started creaking and then making a whining noise. Luckily our route was taking us up past TVRSSW, so we popped in on the off chance we could be seen. Luckily they fitted the car in straight away. Straight away they found the power steering fluid had gone really watery, so decided to flush it through and replace. However, on topping it up, the fluid level kept dropping. The reservoir was removed for inspection and found to be faulty - in fact it was missing the central plate that stops the fluid from splashing up and out (hard to explain without seeing it). No idea why this bit was missing from inside! Anyway, the reservoir was replaced, the fluid topped up, and the car behaved perfectly. The trip highlighted how good the car is at touring, so we'll definitely be doing more of that in the future. If it wasn't from the wind roar it would be an easy way to pass the miles! I still can't believe the positive reactions to the car - totally different to some of the reactions to the Boxsters...!
So to sum up, the car has been better than I expected. Even though my mates keep expecting to see it on the back of a recovery truck, it has never let me down. Now that a lot of the work has been done on it, I will be trying to drive it more. In pure driving terms, I'd have to say it isn't as good as the Porsche it replaced, but it is so much more of an event/experience - and therefore the more enjoyable car. I'm still not bored of just looking at it parked on the drive! The only thing I would consider replacing it with is another TVR now.
Frio3535 said:
Great pics - one of my favorite drives when home in Cornwall was cruising the Atlantic Highway. Your last sentence is where I am after a year with my Chimaera - awaiting collection of a Griff.
I love the Atlantic Highway - outside of the tourist season though! I would love a Griff or a Tuscan next but can see me keeping this one for at least another year after spending all the money on upgrading it now!Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff