Caterham to TVR

[PooPoo]

Hi there, Im thinking of replacing my Caterham 7 with a TVR. The three that catch my eye and are within budget are the 500 Griffith, Tuscan and Cerb. I know all of them will have high running costs in comparison, but i would like to hear your views and thoughts.

Being 6'03" would i fit in the Cerb and Tuscan? (i have a SV caterham)

Is the reliability issue OTT. I have another car as a tin top so this would be for weekends.

Regards PP.

[V8 Archie]

You should fit in without a problem whichever you pick. And yes, the reliability thing is very overblown.

[zumbruk]

I test drove several Caterhams and Westfields during the search which ended in my Chimaera 450. Believe me, on the comfort front there's no comparison - a TVR will seem *enormous* by comparison. I'm 6'3" and 19stone, so fitting in a '7' was a struggle, and impossible with the hood up, whereas the Chim is a piece of p*ss, and as a comfy as a glove once inside. Taliing of inside, no bare metal and screw heads in the TVR, either, unlike the '7'

I can't comment on ultimate performance, 'cos I never drove the '7's like that, but I suspect if I'd bought one, it wouldn't get driven half as much because of the discomfort/impracticability.

Hope this helps.

[Martin_s]

Think very carefully about this decision.

I've owned a Caterham in the past and own a Caterham-like kit car at present, so I can tell you that the two cars are about as different as you can get in terms of British open two seaters.

TVR's are very blunt instruments compared to he Caterham. The Griffith in particular has very different characteristics due to the massive torque of the engine. The Tuscan might be a better first step away from Caterham ownership, as its engine more revs and less torque than the big Rover V8.

I'd have thought that a more gradual transition, perhaps via cars like the Elise 111S or Noble would make more sense and give you less of a culture shock when you finally move on to a TIV.

[angusfaldo]

Martin_s said:

Think very carefully about this decision. I'd have thought that a more gradual transition, perhaps via cars like the Elise 111S or Noble would make more sense and give you less of a culture shock when you finally move on to a TIV.

Sorry but I couldn't disagree more. Transitioning from Caterham to Griff/Tuscan via a Noble makes no sense at all. I've heard people giving advice like this (as well as advice like "get a 4l Chim first so you can get used to the power" and frankly it is tosh IMHO.

The best thing you can do is test drive your weapons of choice. Then when you've made your decision do the best for yourself in terms of getting some driving tuition. Save your upgrade fund for better brakes and a ride drive course. I reckon anyone who has hooned in a Caterham is more than well enough prepared to start driving a TVR.

Go buy one and then get out and enjoy your car!

[Martin_s]

Angus,

It's not the 'additional power' that would bother me, or any question of driver ability. As you say, anyone who has driven a Caterham with a decent engine will have more than enough ability to handle a TVR.

What would concern me is that anyone moving directly from a Caterham to a TVR (a Griffith in particular) is likely to be very disappointed in the latter's handling, steering precision and point-to-point ability. If you must go softer, do it in stages...

Of course, if you can test drive your prospective car of choice thoroughly enough to satisfy yourself that it really does suit your requirements, then fine. The problem is, in reality you can't drive hard enough on a brief test drive to get a proper feel for things - the nice noise, great looks and brief squirts of immense acceleration may be enough to temporarily blind you to the the fact that you are driving a much less precise, capable and sensory chassis than the Caterham, only to discover this disappointment as you become familiar with the car, after purchase.

[bruciebabie]

I own a Cerbera and a Caterham and formerly owned a Griff. The TVRs are like saloon cars compared with the 7. The Griff makes up for this with it's huge torque to weight ratio and resultant willingness to steer with the right foot, the Cerb makes up by being a true supercar with awesome ground covering ability. The only thing to do is to go and drive a few, for an extended time if possible. Budget for the Griff being twice as expensive as the 7 to run and the Cerb twice as expensive again. Enjoy.

[PooPoo]

Thanks guys.

[PooPoo]

Thankyou for your comments. I notice that the Cerb has 4.0 4.2 and 4.5 engines. What are the different power outputs?

[angusfaldo]

PooPoo said:

Thankyou for your comments. I notice that the Cerb has 4.0 4.2 and 4.5 engines. What are the different power outputs?

The 4 is a TVR's straight 6 engine. The 4.2 and 4.5 are TVR's AJP V8.

Real life power means you won't see masses of difference on the road. At a recent Cerb rolling road session the 4.5s made:

1.Ceejay……… 392 bhp - 364 lbs torque (Joospeed engine mods/Emerald)
2.Satman……… 377bhp - 369 lbs torque (Joospeed Emerald)
3.Cyclone……… 375bhp - 365 lbs torque (Joospeed Emerald)…. see note below
4.Angusfaldo……365bhp – 352 lbs torque (Joospeed standard)
5.Katanarog…….365bhp – 345 lbs torque (TVR Factory's Red Rose upgrade)
6.PaulH…………353bhp – 325 lbs torque
7.MarkJ…………352bhp – 326 lbs torque
8.Blue4.5………...348bhp – 344 lbs torque
9.Richard………..346bhp – 348 lbs torque
10.PetrolTed……...345bhp – 342 lbs torque (Topcats)
11.GCerbera………342bhp – 318 lbs torque
12.Cooperturbo……338bhp – 320 lbs torque
13.Bennett24……...337bhp – 332 lbs torque
14.John.s………….336bhp – 335 lbs torque
15.Neilus………….332bhp – 338 lbs torque (Austec injector clean)

And the 4.2s made:

1.Carbon Al. …….360bhp – 320 lbs torque (Emerald ECU)
2.Longbow……… 359bhp – 330 lbs torque
3.Slvrcrb………. 351bhp – 332 lbs torque
4.Jonnie5……….. .348bhp – 333 lbs torque
5.David.S………... 345 bhp – 327 lbs torque
6.Jellie…………… 336bhp – 340 lbs torque

So not much in it really. I won't lower the tone by bringing up Sp6 figures...