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V8 power, a glorious burbling exhaust note, curvy styling and almost nothing in the way of driver aids (not even ABS) make the TVR Chimaera a truly old-school sports car. If you like your performance thrills visceral and intense, then there really is nothing finer this side of an AC Cobra. The Chimaera is a lot more affordable than a Cobra, however – we’re talking the sorts of prices that would merely get you behind the wheel of a mid-spec Fiesta if you were buying new. 

Now, we’re not going to go so far as to call any TVR a practical choice, but the Chimaera is more manageable than most – the interior design is on the less deranged side, the boot is a reasonable size, and the various incarnations of the Rover V8 powerplant are less capricious than TVR’s homegrown straight-sixes and V8s. In many ways, it’s the ideal entry point into TVR ownership. 

Buy with your eyes wide open, though: the pretty fibreglass body won’t rust, but the chassis and outriggers can (and probably will). Evidence of good service history is key, too: many Chimaeras will have been cherished, but some will have had a hard life.