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mash

Original Poster:

122 posts

282 months

Friday 16th March 2012
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Having taken the Chim into a certain TVR garage just off the A272 I had one of their loan cars, a Fiesta with a small buzzing thing that might be an engine, for the day.

Very strange driving a modern car for the first time in a long time, everything was so light, easy to use and I sat very high up, almost elevated. Good commanding panorama of the road, handled OK as long as I didn't push too much, did close on to a billion miles or so to the gallon too.

But christ was it slow. I could have read books in the time it got to 60. Haynes Manuals too. So refreshing to get the Chim back. First impression, Noise. Second impression, noise. Third, ooh so low. Final impression, some effing go at last.

Needless to say a very enjoyable drive home. Think maybe I should hire a 'eurobox' once in a while to remind me what wonderful cars we're lucky enough to own and drive.

SpecB

1,939 posts

178 months

Friday 16th March 2012
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biggrin Even my Legacy feels mundane by TVR standards.

whitewolf

751 posts

196 months

Friday 16th March 2012
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I know what your saying!!!


My everyday car has been a corsa 1.2 twinport. 80bhp at the fly, from brand new ive owned her and loved all 89k miles on her.

From brand me she's now on coilovers, 16's, irmy skirts, Sri spoiler and cupra front splinter. Few little bits, hids but not much else.

Anyway after owning my taimar for 2 years the restoration was finally completed And I've got to the point where i had driven the Tvr more then my corsa.


After 4 days i had to go back to my corsa... OMG!!! My clutch is non existent compared to the Tvr.
The power steering is awesome compared.
My corsa brakes work!!! The Tvr's a little slower.
I felt like i was driving a bus compared to the Tvr.

But i noticed that the corsa feels gutless now... bags of torque from the Essex.


I love them both and makes me appreciate my modern car more.. but love the manual driving skills needed for the taimar.

Mark.

11,104 posts

306 months

Friday 16th March 2012
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I remember taking a loan car off a dealer on the Hants/Surrey/Sussex boarder many times. We rip the piss out of Micra drivers and at this point they had Micra's as loan cars - there are reasons why Micra drivers drive like numpties - there is no other way! Slow, small engined, poorly thought out cars are bloody dangerous and should all be banned.

You need power - and lots of it to keep out of trouble yes

Bassfiend

5,530 posts

280 months

Friday 16th March 2012
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Mark. said:
I remember taking a loan car off a dealer on the Hants/Surrey/Sussex boarder many times. We rip the piss out of Micra drivers and at this point they had Micra's as loan cars - there are reasons why Micra drivers drive like numpties - there is no other way! Slow, small engined, poorly thought out cars are bloody dangerous and should all be banned.

You need power - and lots of it to keep out of trouble yes
Out of trouble?!?!?

Bwahahahaha!

Yeah - OK - wink

Phil

TunnelSoundtrack

37 posts

204 months

Sunday 18th March 2012
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I only drive mine (with CVT gearbox) on rainy, foggy, icy days or on days when you know your route will be clogged with grokles on the A3. So in my defence I only drive like a numpty as its safe to do so.

TunnelSoundtrack

Dr Mike Oxgreen

4,466 posts

195 months

Sunday 18th March 2012
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My "sensible" car is a remapped SEAT Ibiza TDI - 130 bhp on paper but now about 175 bhp, which in a car the size of a shoebox still means it goes like stink. But needless to say, it feels pedestrian compared to the Chimaera.

Driving a rented Fiat 500 in Italy was an eye-opener. No torque whatsoever, and believe me I searched the whole rev range. Decent little car though, just very slow!

Podie

46,649 posts

305 months

Sunday 18th March 2012
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The only decent loaners I ever got were from Silverstone Performance. Fabia vRS (IIRC) and the MR2 Mk3 that had been turbo'd.