cerbera/chimaera???????????????

[smithyboy64]

from chimaera to cerbera? logical step or not,anyone owned both,feelings,ramblings,i got chim, at moment thinking,cerb, next step?,what do u think? and hand on heart,gun to head which would u pick???? thank you .

[Tanguero]

Cerb every time, regardless of whose head I was holding a gun to...

But then this is the Cerbera forum so you must have some idea of what sort of answer you will get.

[JensenA]

Totally different cars, apart from the shape, they bear no similarity at all. The Cerb is a real drivers car, if you don't work it hard - it aint fast. And I don't mean that it's hard work to drive fast, just the opposite is true, I mean that you have to drive the car. Coming from a Chimaera, with it's low down 'grunt', you'll probably feel that the Cerbera is not all it's cracked up to be. Then one day, still feeling slightly dissapointed with the performance of the car, you'll be dawdling along about 70mph, and suddenly a boy racer in his Astra comes up your chuff, joggling and getting ready to overtake you! you'll change down, and the car will just happen to be in the right rev range, you'll just happen to have pressed the accellerator further down, and with a lot more urgency than you normally do, and you'll be shouting "fckin hell!!!!" as the car just takes off and accelerates at an insane, manic speed and just keeps going ang going - Then you'll realise what all the fuss is about.

At least that's what it felt like for me. If it hasn't happened to you let, look forward to it

[scotty_d]

JensenA said:

Coming from a Chimaera, with it's low down 'grunt', you'll probably feel that the Cerbera is not all it's cracked up to be. Then one day, still feeling slightly dissapointed with the performance of the car, you'll be dawdling along about 70mph, and suddenly a boy racer in his Astra comes up your chuff, joggling and getting ready to overtake you! you'll change down, and the car will just happen to be in the right rev range, you'll just happen to have pressed the accellerator further down, and with a lot more urgency than you normally do, and you'll be shouting "fckin hell!!!!" as the car just takes off and accelerates at an insane, manic speed and just keeps going ang going - Then you'll realise what all the fuss is about.

At least that's what it felt like for me. If it hasn't happened to you let, look forward to it

Best way ever to sum up the Cerb. I felt this way for a while and then on the track when i could really go for it all became very clear what this car is all about, No looking back to a Chim now for me.

Get a drive in one and see how you find it i think would be the best way or even a run as a passenger.

Edited by scotty_d on Monday 31st October 01:20

[hiltonig]

smithyboy64 said:

from chimaera to cerbera? logical step or not,anyone owned both,feelings,ramblings,i got chim, at moment thinking,cerb, next step?,what do u think? and hand on heart,gun to head which would u pick???? thank you .

Your could of course supercharge the chimaera, this is what I did and it's a easy match for a 4.5 Cerb as I did one at Santa pod, having said that just love the mean look of the Cerb

[andydw]

I went from a 450 chim to a Speed 6 cerb, so quite a change. Loved the chim, the cabin particularly and the lazy delivery of the V8 with all that low down grunt. However I never thought it was particularly quick.

The cerb is, as others have said, a totally different car and a very different driving experience. There's less low down grunt, but it really is fast, super fast, and demands you drive it hard. It's virtually impossible to burble along in, it wants to be revved and is very lively.

But it is still a TVR, and the lineage is evident. I love it more than the chimp, and find myself looking for reasons to take it for another drive even though it is my main car.

All this is subjective of course - but if you like the looks and drive a few, I suggest you try a well sorted S6 as well.

[schimg]

Interesting and a hard comparison , had my 430 Chimaera since 2003, loved every minute of it it...even when I found a hole in the chassis..

.the engine performance driveability the cars manners, the fact you can get the roof off...the Chimaera is a brilliant all rounder.

..touring in it is great too...so much room to store stuff, the run we had to Malaig in Scotland was the best ever...1300 miles with the roof off...running with mad jon (C1RBY) and Gandalf was never going to be a pedestrian affair
So I love mine and the only way it goes will be if I keep getting 6 month driving suspensions, that would make the whole experience too frustrating.

But I love the cerbera, the shape alone makes it look like it is doing 170mph standing still, when you sit in it looking through the front screen, it's like wearing a crash helmet, you feel part of it...I love the AJP engine the way it spins up so quickly from the touch the throttle, the way the flt plain crank delivers massive torque and just pulls and pulls...at speed in excess of 100 (mph) the RV8 tends to gain speed...the AJP becomes alive gets a second wind and just keeps being a bullet...mad

Again long runs like we do to Cornwall...like last year when we had six Cerbera's , they are more than excellant and had no issues...plus you can keep together as a family if the kids are young enough...

They both cost money...I have spent a fair bit on both one way or another...certainly would not want to work out a per mile cost for the cerbera at the moment, but thats more a case of getting everything to where I want it and building assurance into the car than need through reliability issues, and thats the same for both.

So both are fantastic, I think it's a personal thing and depends what you are looking for...track work vs touring vs performance (both are quick enough to kill you )...so very hard to choose.

[athomp04]

I have had a 450 & 500 before my 4.5LW Cerb, and as others have posted they cannot be compared. The Chim has loads of low down grunt and a wonderful sound track, especially with the roof off and I confess I do miss that. However, the Cerb is a truly outstanding performance car and looks beautiful as well. You have to accept that the Cerb will cost more to run and will be temperamental compared to the Chim. The Cerb is devastatingly fast, so much so that you have to keep your speed in check whereas you can enjoy the TVR experience at much lower speeds in the Chim. You will not regret the change at all as long as you accept it will be a totally different experience, and in answer to your question it has to be the Cerb.

[verminator]

Both are of course great cars. The chim is a much softer more all round sort of car, whereas the cerb is pure hard core. I didn't even consider not being able to get the roof off, as to me the cerb was the ultimate TVR of the time.The cerbera is a ferociously fast extreme car, and after many years of ownership it still makes me giggle out loud. Buy one, it truly is in another league.

[Mark.]

verminator said:

...still makes me giggle out loud. Buy one, it truly is in another league.

This is very true, at times you can can't help laughing at it's sheer madness.

[skidoo]

I had a chim and loved it but i had the itch for a cerb, the only thing that is the same is the badge i find the cerb to be a race car with a tax disc and the chim was a burbling cruiser but FWIW i would love to have another but i could.nt live without my cerb.In a nutshell getting a cerb was a bit like getting a tattoo

[smithyboy64]

wow,well chuffed with excellent answers,response,thank you all,well appriciated,seems to be a bit like chalk and cheese for two magnificent super cars,just have to drive a cerb,and go from there,cheers all,keep u posted as to developments.