4.5 LW Questions

[Rochester TVR]

Can anyone point me in the right direction... im struggling to find answers...

Im looking for the brand model history of the 4.5 LW Cerbera...

I think they were released in 2000.. but from then onwards were there any updates / upgrades / spec differences / interior changes etc etc...? What were they and when did they come in?

Did the 4.5LW replace the non-4.5LW or did they run along side for a while?

Why are some 4.5 LW 'tuscan style' headlights blended into the body work and others not? Was this a customer spec'd decision?

I generally know the LW spec but did it bring any mechanical upgrades to the engine / brakes / suspension etc?

Essentially does a '99 4.5 have the same mechanicals as a '01 4.5 LW?

Last question... (im sure the answer is no) Was the 4.5 the only Cerb to recieve the LW treatment or did it extend to the 4.2 / speed 6? (I haven'tseen any just curious)

Thanks

[thegreengoblet]

Rochester TVR said:

Can anyone point me in the right direction... im struggling to find answers...

Im looking for the brand model history of the 4.5 LW Cerbera...

I think they were released in 2000.. but from then onwards were there any updates / upgrades / spec differences / interior changes etc etc...? What were they and when did they come in?

Did the 4.5LW replace the non-4.5LW or did they run along side for a while?

Why are some 4.5 LW 'tuscan style' headlights blended into the body work and others not? Was this a customer spec'd decision?

I generally know the LW spec but did it bring any mechanical upgrades to the engine / brakes / suspension etc?

Essentially does a '99 4.5 have the same mechanicals as a '01 4.5 LW?

Last question... (im sure the answer is no) Was the 4.5 the only Cerb to recieve the LW treatment or did it extend to the 4.2 / speed 6? (I haven'tseen any just curious)

Thanks

This has been done before. You'll need to do a search.

Basically late 99 the changes were made to both 4.2 and 4.5s from then on. At the same time the Speed 6 Cerb came out. These started out with old light pods if I remember correctly. LW Changes include lighter bonnet, A pillar covers, front and rear light changes, tuscan front seats, different rear seats, different windscreen to aid visibility, different roof line. Not much else. Some say that the lightweights weigh more than the pre-lightweights! The front light pods where gunged in. The factory started to blend them in in 2002/2003. Pre this time, blended lights have been done by 3rd parties. Mechanicals I don't know about. I do remember 18" RLs being a new option for the 4.5s with the LWs. There were some minor differences between 4.2s and 4.5s like larger front discs, and hydratrak as standard. Hope this helps.

[fatjon]

My 4.5 2000 LW has factory original blended in headlights. I take your point on weight. The logbook weight is 1207Kg, anyone care to look at their logbook for a non LW V8 then maybe we can get a definitive answer on the weights of these cars over the years and models. Of course this assumes the logbook weight is definitive and I'm also not sure that the weights the factory gave out in its marketing blurb were with full tank etc which adds, for a guess 50KG.

Jon

[RUSSELLM]

My 96 owners log book for the 4.2 says 1100KG

My 2001 owners handbook has the weights for all 3 cars 4.0,4.2,4.5 as 1150KG.

So if your 2000 book says 1207KG, when did they go up by 107KG

EDA, sorry....you said log book didn't you.

Jon, what section of the log book, does it mention your car's weight ?

Edited by RUSSELLM on Wednesday 16th January 13:44

[Whitey]

fatjon said:

My 4.5 2000 LW has factory original blended in headlights. I take your point on weight. The logbook weight is 1207Kg, anyone care to look at their logbook for a non LW V8 then maybe we can get a definitive answer on the weights of these cars over the years and models. Of course this assumes the logbook weight is definitive and I'm also not sure that the weights the factory gave out in its marketing blurb were with full tank etc which adds, for a guess 50KG.

Jon

You sure the headlights were blended in by the factory? Maybe it has been done since? I thought they did not start doing that until late 2002?

[RUSSELLM]

I though it was the "Tuscan pods" in 99/00, then "tuscan blended" in 02/03

[Gazzab]

and later cars have 'better' chassis. ie less throughput meant better painting !!

[Mr.Cerbera]

.... and the 2001 was the fastest of all .....

[fatjon]

By log book I mean the registration document, top left corner up near engine capacity etc. Dont know when they started putting it on, mine is quite recent (few months).

I know when mine put on 107KG, when I get in it...

[fatjon]

With regard to the lights, they are not pods and they seem to be original and I got very detailed documenation with the car and there is no reference to them being changed later anywhere in it.

Jon

[Rochester TVR]

Thanks for the help,

So would I be correct in assuming that apart from the lights a 2000MY 4.5 LW is (as far as we know) identical to a 2005MY 4.5 LW....

Thanks

[thegreengoblet]

fatjon said:

With regard to the lights, they are not pods and they seem to be original and I got very detailed documenation with the car and there is no reference to them being changed later anywhere in it.

Jon

I presume you didn't buy the car from new so that you don't know exactly??
Having said that, when I bought mine from new, the options open to you are endless - for instance, you can have every single piece of leather a different colour if you so wish. And those options exclude "specials". If you were willing to pay for it, then they would do it. But yours will be rare. The standard was pods late 99 and blended 02/03.

Mine went back towards the end of the first year to have the paint work re-done under warranty due to some of the laquer peeling. All the stone chips were done at this point. If desired, the headlamps could of been blended at this stage by the factory. Maybe yours was something similar or as I say requested during the build as a special.

[thegreengoblet]

Rochester TVR said:

Thanks for the help,

So would I be correct in assuming that apart from the lights a 2000MY 4.5 LW is (as far as we know) identical to a 2005MY 4.5 LW....

Thanks

Yeeeees.

[Whitey]

No, the rear numberplate was changed to a recessed angled, top lit plate, sometime in 2002. Like the chimaera's rear from early 98.

Also an early 2000 LW 4.5 would have had the 17" RL wheels, but most owners would have been upgraded to 18" spiders for free(due to the RL's leaking/cracking) or upgraded them themselves.

I guess maybe a few cars still exist on the 17" wheels.

[Rochester TVR]

Thanks for clearing that up everyone.

The reason behind my questions is the Cerbera I end up buying will be imported to Australia later this year, and I although I have decided on a 4.5LW I wanted to check if there were any 'mechanical' revisions that TVR made during the LW's production run.

Which they didn't, which is great as I can save some money and go for an earlier example...

I've seen one I like but ill be seriously in the dog house if I get it before we get our new bathroom finished!... what to do... what to do...

Cheers

Edited by Rochester TVR on Thursday 17th January 10:56

[fatjon]

Just for the sake of completeness, No I cant 100% positively say my blended lights were factory original. I have the options list that the car was ordered with and there is no mention of any non standard lighting options. I can see no sign that the lights have been blended later either in the documentation or on VERY close examination around the lights. I would expect that with an experienced eye (and I have one) that I would be able to see some sign if the blending was done later so I am 99.9% sure it is original. The weight question is certainly very intersting though as it appears that LW means a good few stone heavier on the evidence of my car!

Jon

[Daftlad]

Rochester TVR said:

Thanks for the help,

So would I be correct in assuming that apart from the lights a 2000MY 4.5 LW is (as far as we know) identical to a 2005MY 4.5 LW....

Thanks

A 2005MY 4,5 will have the same induction set up as a 4,2 (no funny purple rubber bits). Think they changed this in 2003?

[Cyclone1]

Daftlad said:

Rochester TVR said:

Thanks for the help,

So would I be correct in assuming that apart from the lights a 2000MY 4.5 LW is (as far as we know) identical to a 2005MY 4.5 LW....

Thanks

A 2005MY 4,5 will have the same induction set up as a 4,2 (no funny purple rubber bits). Think they changed this in 2003?

Never knew this to be the case.

Jules.

[Rochester TVR]

Cyclone1 said:

Daftlad said:

Rochester TVR said:

Thanks for the help,

So would I be correct in assuming that apart from the lights a 2000MY 4.5 LW is (as far as we know) identical to a 2005MY 4.5 LW....

Thanks

A 2005MY 4,5 will have the same induction set up as a 4,2 (no funny purple rubber bits). Think they changed this in 2003?

Never knew this to be the case.

Jules.

I never knew that... do you know why was it changed?

(I rather like the purple pipes)