Discussion
Have been driving TVR's since 1985. First car was 1976 3000M from 1985-1994. Second was 1988 350i from 1994-2001. Just got 1999 Chimaera 4.0l. Each car has been a total joy and easy to maintain.
I ran the 3000M for so long that it finally needed an engine and chassis rebuild plus respray. Even after all that money input I broke even by selling for £2000 more than I originally paid for it.
The 350i was a fantastic car although I now realise that they are seriously underbraked by comparison with the chimp. Again I had no serious problems with the car apart from the ECU needing to be repaired and then replaced. It was far more refined and solid than the 3000M and had a decent wiring and fuse system by comparison. I ran the car for 7 years and sold it after a respray for £150 less than I paid for it.
My latest baby has a full TVR pedigree from the Grantura/3000M/S curves to the quirky hidden access panels and velcro. I love the 4l engine but the hotwire ECU setup is much less smooth during low speed town driving. I don't think TVR needed to use powder coating for chassis protection. My 350i had a resin coated chassis and when I sold it at 13 years old there was absolutely no rust anywhere. The Chim is 2.5 years old and is already losing its coating over edges of the chassis. Another thing I noticed was that the leather is much softer than the 350i. Is it leather or doeskin?
Anyway I still love it and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the Tuscan next.
Cheers,
Richard Fisher
I ran the 3000M for so long that it finally needed an engine and chassis rebuild plus respray. Even after all that money input I broke even by selling for £2000 more than I originally paid for it.
The 350i was a fantastic car although I now realise that they are seriously underbraked by comparison with the chimp. Again I had no serious problems with the car apart from the ECU needing to be repaired and then replaced. It was far more refined and solid than the 3000M and had a decent wiring and fuse system by comparison. I ran the car for 7 years and sold it after a respray for £150 less than I paid for it.
My latest baby has a full TVR pedigree from the Grantura/3000M/S curves to the quirky hidden access panels and velcro. I love the 4l engine but the hotwire ECU setup is much less smooth during low speed town driving. I don't think TVR needed to use powder coating for chassis protection. My 350i had a resin coated chassis and when I sold it at 13 years old there was absolutely no rust anywhere. The Chim is 2.5 years old and is already losing its coating over edges of the chassis. Another thing I noticed was that the leather is much softer than the 350i. Is it leather or doeskin?
Anyway I still love it and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the Tuscan next.
Cheers,
Richard Fisher
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