Chimeara to Tuscan ?
Discussion
On my 4th chimaera and am toying with the idea of a Tuscan. Thinking Mk1 S Mk 2 or Mk 2s , Love my car but can't help admiring the awesome looks of the Tuscan . Would also like more power !
I'm sure this has been discussed many times before . Who has done it and regretted it and why and who would not look back ?
Opinions please .
I'm sure this has been discussed many times before . Who has done it and regretted it and why and who would not look back ?
Opinions please .
I have both and went from Chimaera to Tuscan. You need to guard against being totally underwhelmed by the Tuscan initially. It will sound and feel weedy after a Chimaera.
The sound will grow on you but the lazy torquey feel won't be there. You will have to wind up the S6 to revs that you probably never went to with the V8.
Once you do wind it up you will discover scary power and will probably run out of road or bottle long before the engine runs out of what it has to give.
They are both great cars that I like equally for what they are.
The sound will grow on you but the lazy torquey feel won't be there. You will have to wind up the S6 to revs that you probably never went to with the V8.
Once you do wind it up you will discover scary power and will probably run out of road or bottle long before the engine runs out of what it has to give.
They are both great cars that I like equally for what they are.
I have owned both to a chimaera 400 and now a tuscan red rose.the power difference imo is far greater in the tuscan from low down to full throttle.
I think the tuscan has more presence on the road.
But i do think the v8 sound is superb.
Comparing the two after owning both the tuscan is just raw power and smiles all round.
I think the tuscan has more presence on the road.
But i do think the v8 sound is superb.
Comparing the two after owning both the tuscan is just raw power and smiles all round.
Tuscanny said:
I have owned both to a chimaera 400 and now a tuscan red rose.the power difference imo is far greater in the tuscan from low down to full throttle.
I think the tuscan has more presence on the road.
But i do think the v8 sound is superb.
Comparing the two after owning both the tuscan is just raw power and smiles all round.
Sorry for the thread hijack, hows the new interior John. My Dad and Sister saw you again in NB the other day. I think the tuscan has more presence on the road.
But i do think the v8 sound is superb.
Comparing the two after owning both the tuscan is just raw power and smiles all round.
Cheers
Greig
We have both. If I were given the choice in the morning as to which to take to work I would probably never get there. The.Chim is a 500 so is close to Tuscan performance figures if TVR are to be believed.
Driveability....given that you are either going to travel in convoy in this country or leap frog overtake then the 30 to 70 mph performance is relevant. The Chim is superior in overtaking 1,2 or 3 cars in one hit. More than that and you are into gear changes. The Tuscan will require dropping down a cog to get the oomph but then revs and revs and revs.
Engine....the big v8 develops little bho for the capacity in modern terms and is therefore bombproof. The straight 6 has known early problems and is more fragile. You absolutely must follow the warm up procedure.
Space.... The Tuscan is bigger inside and more of a cruiser.
Practicality....the Tuscan has the turning circle of a super tanker. The Tuscan has proved to be more expensive to run. But the visual impact of the car is more crowd pulling. I find the Chim 500 to be a more useable car whereas the Tuscan is a road going race car that requires clear roads to fulfil its potential.
All my opinion of course and I would not like to have to choose between the two.
Driveability....given that you are either going to travel in convoy in this country or leap frog overtake then the 30 to 70 mph performance is relevant. The Chim is superior in overtaking 1,2 or 3 cars in one hit. More than that and you are into gear changes. The Tuscan will require dropping down a cog to get the oomph but then revs and revs and revs.
Engine....the big v8 develops little bho for the capacity in modern terms and is therefore bombproof. The straight 6 has known early problems and is more fragile. You absolutely must follow the warm up procedure.
Space.... The Tuscan is bigger inside and more of a cruiser.
Practicality....the Tuscan has the turning circle of a super tanker. The Tuscan has proved to be more expensive to run. But the visual impact of the car is more crowd pulling. I find the Chim 500 to be a more useable car whereas the Tuscan is a road going race car that requires clear roads to fulfil its potential.
All my opinion of course and I would not like to have to choose between the two.
I've had a T350t, a 450 Chim , a Tam and now a Mk 2 tuscan S.
I love the Tuscan for its pin sharp handling, it's sheer road presence(drivers pull over and wave me through) it's brutal acceleration . I personally have never ever felt it lacked anything against the V8, decatted and sports exhaust is a glorious riot of noise ,pops and bangs .My Chim felt like a fast comfy armchair, very different beast , I prefer the Tuscan S on all counts.
I love the Tuscan for its pin sharp handling, it's sheer road presence(drivers pull over and wave me through) it's brutal acceleration . I personally have never ever felt it lacked anything against the V8, decatted and sports exhaust is a glorious riot of noise ,pops and bangs .My Chim felt like a fast comfy armchair, very different beast , I prefer the Tuscan S on all counts.
I've had the Chimaera, a Supercharged Chimaera and now have a Tuscan...
The low down grunt of the Chimaera is addictive but because of that it can be somewhat surprising when some modern hot hatch cruises past you even though you 'feel' you are really pulling away. The Supercharged Chimaera is close/equal to the Tuscan in performance but is not without its problems. The Tuscan is the crowd puller - no doubt about that - it's looks belie its age.
Sadly the Chimaera, whilst still a head turner, does look a tad dated now. Both of my cars had the pre-cats out with the Chim being a straight-through exhaust and the Tuscan having the loudest Carbon Cans installed - both sound awesome on tick-over and in acceleration mode. Can't choose between them but if I had to I'd say the Chim just nicks it.
The low down grunt of the Chimaera is addictive but because of that it can be somewhat surprising when some modern hot hatch cruises past you even though you 'feel' you are really pulling away. The Supercharged Chimaera is close/equal to the Tuscan in performance but is not without its problems. The Tuscan is the crowd puller - no doubt about that - it's looks belie its age.
Sadly the Chimaera, whilst still a head turner, does look a tad dated now. Both of my cars had the pre-cats out with the Chim being a straight-through exhaust and the Tuscan having the loudest Carbon Cans installed - both sound awesome on tick-over and in acceleration mode. Can't choose between them but if I had to I'd say the Chim just nicks it.
I started with a leggy green chimaera 400, I loved that car to bits.I kept it for 2 years and covered 12k in it, very reliable car. I then traded up to a cherry pearl red chimaera 450 with low mileage.It was a facelift car with the newer frontend and buttons under the wing mirrors. It was a great tight car had only covered 33k, very fast with so much torque, but it was just like driving the green car bit quicker. I was always said I would never buy a tvr without a rover v8, but I just had this massive urge for a Tuscan. 18 months ago I put the 450 up for sale and started my search for a Tuscan, colour wasn't important i just wanted a car with a tvr power engine rebuild. My search lasted 3 weeks and what looked like the perfect car popped up in Clacton on sea, 450 mile round trip. The car was a 2001 nightfire pearl red 4 litre Tuscan with a tvr power rebuild. The price at first put me off as it was advertised at £12995, also turned out to be a red rose. The owner had no idea. Long story short the car was 10 times better than expected and have never looked back. The difference is night and day, when the speed six starts howling i never miss the sound of my v8. Very angry car, i love it. Would i go back, no . Warning, if you do not like being looked at do not buy one.
Just my opinion
Just my opinion
quote=geoffphead]I've had a T350t, a 450 Chim , a Tam and now a Mk 2 tuscan S.
I love the Tuscan for its pin sharp handling, it's sheer road presence(drivers pull over and wave me through) it's brutal acceleration . I personally have never ever felt it lacked anything against the V8, decatted and sports exhaust is a glorious riot of noise ,pops and bangs .My Chim felt like a fast comfy armchair, very different beast , I prefer the Tuscan S on all counts.
[/quote]
I agree with this view after starting with a Chim, then going to an early Tuscan, then a Tamora and now a late 2004 MK1 Tuscan S. In my opinion its worth going for the Tuscan S as you get 400 bhp on later models, short shift box, larger brakes, better suspension, a limited slip differential and the aero improvements. It will most likely appreciate more than the standard model and it has some engine improvements carried over from the race series and is considered stronger. From my experience the build quality is considerably better on the later models and to date has been faultless. From a visual perspective the Tuscan is stunning and timeless in my biased opinion. A pic to tempt you -
I love the Tuscan for its pin sharp handling, it's sheer road presence(drivers pull over and wave me through) it's brutal acceleration . I personally have never ever felt it lacked anything against the V8, decatted and sports exhaust is a glorious riot of noise ,pops and bangs .My Chim felt like a fast comfy armchair, very different beast , I prefer the Tuscan S on all counts.
[/quote]
I agree with this view after starting with a Chim, then going to an early Tuscan, then a Tamora and now a late 2004 MK1 Tuscan S. In my opinion its worth going for the Tuscan S as you get 400 bhp on later models, short shift box, larger brakes, better suspension, a limited slip differential and the aero improvements. It will most likely appreciate more than the standard model and it has some engine improvements carried over from the race series and is considered stronger. From my experience the build quality is considerably better on the later models and to date has been faultless. From a visual perspective the Tuscan is stunning and timeless in my biased opinion. A pic to tempt you -
Just my opinionI have to say that I would like a Chim as well and do love the view from the rear. This was a particularly nice one I snapped at a car meet a while back and it had some nice mods including the wheels. Nice colour as well. In my insanity I was thinking why not a Chim for the daily drive and keep thr Tuscan S for the weekend. Hopefully I will come to my senses before I do it but then you only live once!
It's one that I struggled with for a bit....
Had a lovely Chim 450 for a couple of years but suddenly got an itch to get a Tuscan.. Did a marathon drive just to look,drive and potential buy one. Although I never did buy, it made my mind up that I needed to have one..
6 months later traded 450 for a Tuscan S.
You can't really compare the two as the Chim is more of a cruiser with low down torque to pull you along. The drive is so different. The Tuscan is a drivers car goes where you tell it to go with an engine that revs freely.
Go and drive one and you'll know what I mean but be careful coz you could get hooked lol.. The Tuscan has added issue of the engine so make sure you buy with a reputable rebuild or keep a slush fund to the side when it does go pop!
Be warned however if you sell the Chim as you'll miss the V8.. After 4 years of the Tuscan I bought a 500 as a stablemate! Now I have choices and couldn't be happier!
Good luck!
Had a lovely Chim 450 for a couple of years but suddenly got an itch to get a Tuscan.. Did a marathon drive just to look,drive and potential buy one. Although I never did buy, it made my mind up that I needed to have one..
6 months later traded 450 for a Tuscan S.
You can't really compare the two as the Chim is more of a cruiser with low down torque to pull you along. The drive is so different. The Tuscan is a drivers car goes where you tell it to go with an engine that revs freely.
Go and drive one and you'll know what I mean but be careful coz you could get hooked lol.. The Tuscan has added issue of the engine so make sure you buy with a reputable rebuild or keep a slush fund to the side when it does go pop!
Be warned however if you sell the Chim as you'll miss the V8.. After 4 years of the Tuscan I bought a 500 as a stablemate! Now I have choices and couldn't be happier!
Good luck!
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