Discussion
I always find it interesting to read about why someone has chosen a TVR. Not because they are bad cars but because they are left-field.
My Dad was my hero when I was a kid. He had a love of Cars and Bikes and my first attraction to cars started after sitting in his Stag as a 4 year old. The smell of petrol, wood and leather and the thrill of the sound of the V8. The first car I saw up close that made me go 'wow' was a TVR Cerbera in a local car dealership (i would often go car shopping with my Dad when he fancied a change). From then on I loved all TVR's - I loved their attitude, their noise, their performance and the fact that I knew they were not out of reach for the average person.
When he passed away last year I thought it was fitting that I buy a car in honour of his memory, I guess to kind of keep his spirit alive in some way. I knew that my car had to be convertible, V8, fast, manual, RWD and a bit different - the TVR Chimaera was a perfect fit - and the fact that it is British made it all the more enticing.
Anyway, enough of my soppy story - why did you choose a TVR?
My Dad was my hero when I was a kid. He had a love of Cars and Bikes and my first attraction to cars started after sitting in his Stag as a 4 year old. The smell of petrol, wood and leather and the thrill of the sound of the V8. The first car I saw up close that made me go 'wow' was a TVR Cerbera in a local car dealership (i would often go car shopping with my Dad when he fancied a change). From then on I loved all TVR's - I loved their attitude, their noise, their performance and the fact that I knew they were not out of reach for the average person.
When he passed away last year I thought it was fitting that I buy a car in honour of his memory, I guess to kind of keep his spirit alive in some way. I knew that my car had to be convertible, V8, fast, manual, RWD and a bit different - the TVR Chimaera was a perfect fit - and the fact that it is British made it all the more enticing.
Anyway, enough of my soppy story - why did you choose a TVR?
davo23 said:
I always find it interesting to read about why someone has chosen a TVR. Not because they are bad cars but because they are left-field.
My Dad was my hero when I was a kid. He had a love of Cars and Bikes and my first attraction to cars started after sitting in his Stag as a 4 year old. The smell of petrol, wood and leather and the thrill of the sound of the V8. The first car I saw up close that made me go 'wow' was a TVR Cerbera in a local car dealership (i would often go car shopping with my Dad when he fancied a change). From then on I loved all TVR's - I loved their attitude, their noise, their performance and the fact that I knew they were not out of reach for the average person.
When he passed away last year I thought it was fitting that I buy a car in honour of his memory, I guess to kind of keep his spirit alive in some way. I knew that my car had to be convertible, V8, fast, manual, RWD and a bit different - the TVR Chimaera was a perfect fit - and the fact that it is British made it all the more enticing.
Anyway, enough of my soppy story - why did you choose a TVR?
Got to say that was moving ,put tears to my eyes .. My Dad was my hero when I was a kid. He had a love of Cars and Bikes and my first attraction to cars started after sitting in his Stag as a 4 year old. The smell of petrol, wood and leather and the thrill of the sound of the V8. The first car I saw up close that made me go 'wow' was a TVR Cerbera in a local car dealership (i would often go car shopping with my Dad when he fancied a change). From then on I loved all TVR's - I loved their attitude, their noise, their performance and the fact that I knew they were not out of reach for the average person.
When he passed away last year I thought it was fitting that I buy a car in honour of his memory, I guess to kind of keep his spirit alive in some way. I knew that my car had to be convertible, V8, fast, manual, RWD and a bit different - the TVR Chimaera was a perfect fit - and the fact that it is British made it all the more enticing.
Anyway, enough of my soppy story - why did you choose a TVR?
I was working at a welcome break between Birmingham and Worecster ,can`t remember the road ,we were plumbing in services for a McDonalds and KFC .
We were sitting outside in te middle of summer and a lorry pulled up with a trailer full of Chimaera`s ,must of been ten or more all in exotic colours , sparkling in the sun ,At that I point I decided one day I would have one .!
That was at least 15 years ago .
Edited by SILICONEKID346HP on Monday 3rd March 09:07
I just found them to be a lot more interesting then my previous performance cars ( all Jap rice burners).
The noise, the smell of petrol and leather. The fantastic styling and interior and the fact that a lot of people don't really know what it is. Some cars have a soul and my TVR certainly does.
A lot of people may make unfounded jokes about reliability but the majority of people I meet love them - I always get let out of junctions and plenty of thumbs up - certainly not something you get in the equivalent Porker.
It's also a great feeling knowing the whole thing was built in the UK and supported a network of workers and tradesmen. I like to point out to naysayers and Guardian readers that it is probably a more environmentally friendly car than their Prius or Leaf etc in that it was largely built from UK sourced parts in the UK.
I also lost a lot of money chopping and changing nearly new cars (17k in three ears on a 370c for example) and the fact that my chimp is now worth more than I paid for it is also very reassuring.
The noise, the smell of petrol and leather. The fantastic styling and interior and the fact that a lot of people don't really know what it is. Some cars have a soul and my TVR certainly does.
A lot of people may make unfounded jokes about reliability but the majority of people I meet love them - I always get let out of junctions and plenty of thumbs up - certainly not something you get in the equivalent Porker.
It's also a great feeling knowing the whole thing was built in the UK and supported a network of workers and tradesmen. I like to point out to naysayers and Guardian readers that it is probably a more environmentally friendly car than their Prius or Leaf etc in that it was largely built from UK sourced parts in the UK.
I also lost a lot of money chopping and changing nearly new cars (17k in three ears on a 370c for example) and the fact that my chimp is now worth more than I paid for it is also very reassuring.
A Griffith came blasting down the road approaching traffic lights in summer 92 while I was standing on the pavement and I remember thinking WTF is that 
stunning so after that I have always had a V8 TVR on the back burner but always presumed they would be too expensive (well they once once) till I gave in the Superbikes and started looking 
I have always loved V8's and sports coupe's so I guess it's a natural progression 
I don't do cars that you cant feel 
stunning so after that I have always had a V8 TVR on the back burner but always presumed they would be too expensive (well they once once) till I gave in the Superbikes and started looking I have always loved V8's and sports coupe's so I guess it's a natural progression I don't do cars that you cant feel The Northern TVR Centre was at the bottom of my road as a kid, the sights and mostly the sounds of the big Wedges rumbling up and down our street had me hooked from the early '80's. TVR's are beautiful, unique, unusual, noisy and British.
Loved TVR's (especially the RV8's) for as long as I can remember, nothing else will do.
Loved TVR's (especially the RV8's) for as long as I can remember, nothing else will do.
Because I love front engined rear drive classic British sports cars like Healeys & E-types ect, but I also wanted something I could tour the continent in without needing to upgrade it for modern roads.
The fact a decent Healey would have cost the thick end of £30k and an E-Type roadster almost double that helped too.
Sure the Chimaera has it's faults but they are all just niggles really & easy cheap fixes too, the fundamental design is first rate!
Throw a few grand at your Chimaera to make it reliable & handling like it should and you can still keep your still outlay below the £10k mark, although prices are already on the increase as people realise these cars are the perfect usable classic choice.
By year two into Chimaera ownership I'd already made two epic continental grand tours in a true British classic convertible at a massive saving.
When people stop you to talk about the Chimaera in mainland Europe they tend to assume it's way more expensive & exlusive than it is, even here people that turn normally their noses up at what they see as flashy sports cars seem to appreciate a TVR.
Lets face it, what else can you buy for £10k after tweaks that gives you true British classic motoring, fantastic grand touring abilities & modern performance car acceleration?
If you're in the market for a practical open sports car you could just buy a Boxter or an S2000, but neither are British classics and neither raise anywhere near the interest from the general public.
But more importantly neither give you that charming back to basics 1960's seat of the pants experience.
A Chimaera is unique, a Chimaera is practical, a Chimaera is deeply charismatic.
The fact its also tens of thousands cheaper than a Healey or E-type, yet is also dynamically far superior is really the icing on the cake.
For many buying a TVR Chimaera is a brave choice, for me it was the only choice
The fact a decent Healey would have cost the thick end of £30k and an E-Type roadster almost double that helped too.
Sure the Chimaera has it's faults but they are all just niggles really & easy cheap fixes too, the fundamental design is first rate!
Throw a few grand at your Chimaera to make it reliable & handling like it should and you can still keep your still outlay below the £10k mark, although prices are already on the increase as people realise these cars are the perfect usable classic choice.
By year two into Chimaera ownership I'd already made two epic continental grand tours in a true British classic convertible at a massive saving.
When people stop you to talk about the Chimaera in mainland Europe they tend to assume it's way more expensive & exlusive than it is, even here people that turn normally their noses up at what they see as flashy sports cars seem to appreciate a TVR.
Lets face it, what else can you buy for £10k after tweaks that gives you true British classic motoring, fantastic grand touring abilities & modern performance car acceleration?
If you're in the market for a practical open sports car you could just buy a Boxter or an S2000, but neither are British classics and neither raise anywhere near the interest from the general public.
But more importantly neither give you that charming back to basics 1960's seat of the pants experience.
A Chimaera is unique, a Chimaera is practical, a Chimaera is deeply charismatic.
The fact its also tens of thousands cheaper than a Healey or E-type, yet is also dynamically far superior is really the icing on the cake.
For many buying a TVR Chimaera is a brave choice, for me it was the only choice
ChimpOnGas said:
Because I love front engined rear drive classic British sports cars like Healeys & E-types ect, but I also wanted something I could tour the continent in without needing to upgrade it for modern roads.
The fact a decent Healey would have cost the thick end of £30k and an E-Type roadster almost double that helped too.
Sure the Chimaera has it's faults but they are all just niggles really & easy cheap fixes too, the fundamental design is first rate!
Throw a few grand at your Chimaera to make it reliable & handling like it should and you can still keep your still outlay below the £10k mark, although prices are already on the increase as people realise these cars are the perfect usable classic choice.
By year two into Chimaera ownership I'd already made two epic continental grand tours in a true British classic convertible at a massive saving.
When people stop you to talk about the Chimaera in mainland Europe they tend to assume it's way more expensive & exlusive than it is, even here people that turn normally their noses up at what they see as flashy sports cars seem to appreciate a TVR.
Lets face it, what else can you buy for £10k after tweaks that gives you true British classic motoring, fantastic grand touring abilities & modern performance car acceleration?
If you're in the market for a practical open sports car you could just buy a Boxter or an S2000, but neither are British classics and neither raise anywhere near the interest from the general public.
But more importantly neither give you that charming back to basics 1960's seat of the pants experience.
A Chimaera is unique, a Chimaera is practical, a Chimaera is deeply charismatic.
The fact its also tens of thousands cheaper than a Healey or E-type, yet is also dynamically far superior is really the icing on the cake.
For many buying a TVR Chimaera is a brave choice, for me it was the only choice
Well said. More commentaries like this and i think prices will rise even more!The fact a decent Healey would have cost the thick end of £30k and an E-Type roadster almost double that helped too.
Sure the Chimaera has it's faults but they are all just niggles really & easy cheap fixes too, the fundamental design is first rate!
Throw a few grand at your Chimaera to make it reliable & handling like it should and you can still keep your still outlay below the £10k mark, although prices are already on the increase as people realise these cars are the perfect usable classic choice.
By year two into Chimaera ownership I'd already made two epic continental grand tours in a true British classic convertible at a massive saving.
When people stop you to talk about the Chimaera in mainland Europe they tend to assume it's way more expensive & exlusive than it is, even here people that turn normally their noses up at what they see as flashy sports cars seem to appreciate a TVR.
Lets face it, what else can you buy for £10k after tweaks that gives you true British classic motoring, fantastic grand touring abilities & modern performance car acceleration?
If you're in the market for a practical open sports car you could just buy a Boxter or an S2000, but neither are British classics and neither raise anywhere near the interest from the general public.
But more importantly neither give you that charming back to basics 1960's seat of the pants experience.
A Chimaera is unique, a Chimaera is practical, a Chimaera is deeply charismatic.
The fact its also tens of thousands cheaper than a Healey or E-type, yet is also dynamically far superior is really the icing on the cake.
For many buying a TVR Chimaera is a brave choice, for me it was the only choice
Davo.....like your Dad, my Dad always loved his cars, rallying Minis in the 1960s. After he died in 2012 I decided to honour his memory with a good car, one that he would have enjoyed, and track day it as well as using it on the road. Looked at the German stuff, had narrowed it down to a Porsche or a Mercedes, then I saw a TVR in a local showroom. 20 minutes later I signed the order and have it still today.
QBee said:
Davo.....like your Dad, my Dad always loved his cars, rallying Minis in the 1960s. After he died in 2012 I decided to honour his memory with a good car, one that he would have enjoyed, and track day it as well as using it on the road. Looked at the German stuff, had narrowed it down to a Porsche or a Mercedes, then I saw a TVR in a local showroom. 20 minutes later I signed the order and have it still today.
I hope to keep my car for when I have kids and then pass down the enthuisiasm for cars with character, not just the same old cars from germany. 
Used to go round and chat with 'Gerald' of David Gerald in the eigthies when he had a showroom in Redditch full of Wedges and thought one day. Then after two days in court for a one handed wheelie past an unmarked plod car 
decided stunts on the road were getting out of hand [I actually thought the copper was either going to have a heart attack, or his head would explode] so had to hang my leathers up and sold the R1 
needed something to replace and a 500 Griffith was bought. That was in 2000 and I've had 'em since. As someone said earlier, a bit left field and an underdog that cannot be ignored. Always had good reception from the public with 'em too and the added bonus they hold their value. {though that's well and truly cancelled out by the money I seem to lavish on my latest] 
decided stunts on the road were getting out of hand [I actually thought the copper was either going to have a heart attack, or his head would explode] so had to hang my leathers up and sold the R1 needed something to replace and a 500 Griffith was bought. That was in 2000 and I've had 'em since. As someone said earlier, a bit left field and an underdog that cannot be ignored. Always had good reception from the public with 'em too and the added bonus they hold their value. {though that's well and truly cancelled out by the money I seem to lavish on my latest] Edited by macdeb on Monday 3rd March 11:44
Edited by macdeb on Monday 3rd March 11:46
Edited by macdeb on Monday 3rd March 11:47
davo23 said:
Well said. More commentaries like this and i think prices will rise even more!
I've seen so many people walk into classic car showrooms or buy at auction with their rose tinted spectacles on, spend a small fortune on their dream 60's sports car, only to discover it's slow, unreliable, thirsty, poorly braked and offers marginal handling.The problem is roads & driving conditions have changed immeasurably since the 60's..... and so have the cars we now use on them; Mr Traditional Classic Car Buyer is sucked in by the romance & nostalgia of classic car ownership but often doesn't really understand the compromises he'll need to endure to bring his dream to reality.
For more years than Mr Traditional Classic Car Buyer can remember he's been pounding the motorway in his uber fast & refined company BMW five series, so these days he naturally sees a 200 mile run up the M1 as an every day occurrence. But when he tries the same thing in his newly acquired 60's classic he soon discovers what he's bought is an endearing but rather uncomfortable, slow & poorly braked antique only fit for a summer Sunday jaunt to his local pub on the village green.
At this point Mr Traditional Classic Car Buyer may well do one of two things, he either sells his classic after a couple of years of low mileage fun, or he spends a second fortune making it into something he can actually use like he'd envisioned he would when he was first dreamily thumbing the classifieds in Classic & Sports Car magazine.
This is the very reason why in more recent years a whole new "sympathetically update & improve your classic" trend has emerged is classic car world.
Lets say Mr Traditional Classic Car Buyer sticks with it and goes down the improving his classic for modern roads rout, well he could easily add another £10k minimum to his already weighty £50k purchase.
Better suspension, modern brakes, a five speed gearbox, better cooling, improved ignition ect ect.. it all works well if done correctly & with sympathy to the car's personality, but the costs of all these improvements can also add up very very quickly indeed.
The truth is what many of these traditional classic car buyers really want but completely overlook is a TVR Chimaera, because it's already 98% of the way there in the first place.
And at a fraction of the cost!
Straight out of the box a Chimaera immediately gives you great brakes, excellent handling & all the modern performance, comforts & practicality without compromising on charm, charisma & the back to basics driving experience classic car enthusiasts crave.
And all that for a fifth of the price of a traditional but often slightly disappointing 60's classic!!!!!!
So why has Mr Traditional Classic Car Buyer been overlooking the Chimaera all these years, well probably because he'd swallowed all the poor TVR reliability rubbish and at the same time no one was scaring him with stories of poor classic car reliability, which is really odd when you think about how unreliable 60's cars were and still often are even when properly restored.
Another reason is probably that for all it's old school makeup & underpinnings a Chimaera is still a modern car to Mr Traditional Classic Car Buyer. But the profile of Mr Traditional Classic Car Buyer's is changing, he's younger now, he understands he needs something more usable, and because he's younger he's also starting to view the 90's as a nostalgic period.
As the traditional classic car buyer morphs into Mr Modern Classic Car Buyer, so the classic car dealers respond to meet their changing market, we can see this happening already as many traditional classic car dealers are stocking more & more cars from the 80's & 90's to meet the demand of a new type of younger customer.
However this new breed of modern classic cars must be iconic of the period to qualify, but I ask you... whats more 1990's UK iconic than a roaring & rumbling Rover V8 engined Chimaera or Griffith?
With all this rising demand & by thinking like a dealer or even a private buyer we're inevitably forced to check the supply, with only 3,000 Chimaeras left registered in the UK & even less Griffiths it doesn't take a genius to predict where the value of theses cars is going.
Its also worth remembering with only ever 3% of the available stock on the market at any one time the supply is very restricted indeed and can easily far outstrip demand especially in the summer months, even now you'll see the good cars snapped up very quickly indeed.
But after all this talk of rising values, I'd encourage people to buy a 90's RV8 TVR because they've always wanted one & because they're truly great drivers cars, not because they want an investment opportunity.
TVR's are for driving & enjoying, they should not be laid down like wine in the hope they'll make you a healthy profit in the future.
My advice is......Enjoy these cars while they're still reasonably affordable
Edited by ChimpOnGas on Monday 3rd March 12:03
I had an S2000. When it died I wanted a change.
Had to be a RWD convertible.
Was originally looking at 911 and M3 but decided the M3 wasn't special and I couldn't afford an "S" model 911.
I also rather fancied a V8.
I had discounted the Chimaera out of hand when I chose the S2000 - I didn't realise they had so much grunt being the embarrassing reason.
I then discovered that Bespoke Performance are walking distance from my house - I was sold from the moment I walked into the showroom.
What I have subsequently found is that it's charming, gets the "right" kind of attention, and whenev3er I'm having a bad week, that 4.6 thundering into life in my underground carpark makes me smirk like a schoolboy.
After the S2000, can I live with the rattles and slightly "blunt instrument" handling? I'm not sure. I plan to work my way through trim rattles etc, and I'll allow it to be classed as character for the time being!
The bit that I have to say in hushed tones is that I *would* like to "upgrade" to a Tuscan in the future...
Had to be a RWD convertible.
Was originally looking at 911 and M3 but decided the M3 wasn't special and I couldn't afford an "S" model 911.
I also rather fancied a V8.
I had discounted the Chimaera out of hand when I chose the S2000 - I didn't realise they had so much grunt being the embarrassing reason.
I then discovered that Bespoke Performance are walking distance from my house - I was sold from the moment I walked into the showroom.
What I have subsequently found is that it's charming, gets the "right" kind of attention, and whenev3er I'm having a bad week, that 4.6 thundering into life in my underground carpark makes me smirk like a schoolboy.
After the S2000, can I live with the rattles and slightly "blunt instrument" handling? I'm not sure. I plan to work my way through trim rattles etc, and I'll allow it to be classed as character for the time being!
The bit that I have to say in hushed tones is that I *would* like to "upgrade" to a Tuscan in the future...
Edited by keith2.2 on Monday 3rd March 12:01
That's all well and good, but my Chimaera had glue from the factory on the dash, stank of hot fibreglass, had a woeful heater - hot or scorching, was a parts bin w
e from Rover and GM, wasn't particularly fast, leaked like a sieve, but was fun.
I have outgrown the TVR thing now, having gone from Chimaera to Cerbera, it's more of a mid life crisis car than most owners would honestly admit, the fact is, there are better (and more reliable) classic cars out there. That said, neither of my cars every let me down beside the road, and if they had, I would have viewed it as a disappointment, like getting a phone call from school because your ten year old has been caught smoking, rather than a rant about unreliable cars.
They sound great, look great and are not for a shrinking violet.
e from Rover and GM, wasn't particularly fast, leaked like a sieve, but was fun.I have outgrown the TVR thing now, having gone from Chimaera to Cerbera, it's more of a mid life crisis car than most owners would honestly admit, the fact is, there are better (and more reliable) classic cars out there. That said, neither of my cars every let me down beside the road, and if they had, I would have viewed it as a disappointment, like getting a phone call from school because your ten year old has been caught smoking, rather than a rant about unreliable cars.
They sound great, look great and are not for a shrinking violet.
Tyre Smoke said:
, there are better (and more reliable) classic cars out there..
Kind of leads me back to my Q on another thread.What would you drive if there were no TVR?
I honestly cannot think of anything for similar money that provides as much fun, driving pleasure, has so much charisma and soul.
Why buy a Tvr ,,,,,, because its brilliant. Love is the other thing.
I'm trying to be cool here, my old par died when I was a youngster, he had a 1968 S type Jag, this beautiful light blue colour!
I always said I'd have a car he'd be proud of, I was looking at Chims with all this emotion as my back drop, came across this light blue Chimeara, like a woman choosing shoes because she liked the colour, I had to have it.
Every day its that reminder, wonderful cars and my dad would have loved the colour. Priceless feelings.
It also reminds me of that Jag that set my heart racing at 2 yrs onwards, such an impression I had lots of brothers and sisters so my dad made ME a seat in between him and mum, (youngest) the start button I can remember it all .
But a good good Tvr and enjoy your great fathers memory. Al
I'm trying to be cool here, my old par died when I was a youngster, he had a 1968 S type Jag, this beautiful light blue colour!
I always said I'd have a car he'd be proud of, I was looking at Chims with all this emotion as my back drop, came across this light blue Chimeara, like a woman choosing shoes because she liked the colour, I had to have it.
Every day its that reminder, wonderful cars and my dad would have loved the colour. Priceless feelings.
It also reminds me of that Jag that set my heart racing at 2 yrs onwards, such an impression I had lots of brothers and sisters so my dad made ME a seat in between him and mum, (youngest) the start button I can remember it all .
But a good good Tvr and enjoy your great fathers memory. Al
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