Has anyone owned a Chimaera from new?
Discussion
Just an idle thought on a Sunday morning wondering what the experience was like? Mine was supplied new from Christopher Neil Sportscars in 2001 and was one of the last 100 built (apparently).
Were you able to go to the factory and see your car being built? Did the factory welcome buyers looking around. Did you bump into Peter Wheeler or even Ned?
Was there really an unlimited colour choice?
Was it your daily or a pampered weekend toy?
Was there a waiting list?
Was it reliable or were their any teething problems?
Other than mundane company cars, I have never had a new car but in my mind to be able to spec a TVR to your own personal preference must have been a wonderful experience - or am I wrong?
Were you able to go to the factory and see your car being built? Did the factory welcome buyers looking around. Did you bump into Peter Wheeler or even Ned?
Was there really an unlimited colour choice?
Was it your daily or a pampered weekend toy?
Was there a waiting list?
Was it reliable or were their any teething problems?
Other than mundane company cars, I have never had a new car but in my mind to be able to spec a TVR to your own personal preference must have been a wonderful experience - or am I wrong?
Not done it myself, but know a man who did.
He met Peter and there was an almost unlimited colour choice. There were unlimited teething issues, mostly sorted by the local dealer.
He met Peter and there was an almost unlimited colour choice. There were unlimited teething issues, mostly sorted by the local dealer.
TR4man said:
Just an idle thought on a Sunday morning wondering what the experience was like? Mine was supplied new from Christopher Neil Sportscars in 2001 and was one of the last 100 built (apparently).
Were you able to go to the factory and see your car being built? Did the factory welcome buyers looking around. Did you bump into Peter Wheeler or even Ned?
Was there really an unlimited colour choice?
Was it your daily or a pampered weekend toy?
Was there a waiting list?
Was it reliable or were their any teething problems?
Other than mundane company cars, I have never had a new car but in my mind to be able to spec a TVR to your own personal preference must have been a wonderful experience - or am I wrong?
Were you able to go to the factory and see your car being built? Did the factory welcome buyers looking around. Did you bump into Peter Wheeler or even Ned?
Was there really an unlimited colour choice?
Was it your daily or a pampered weekend toy?
Was there a waiting list?
Was it reliable or were their any teething problems?
Other than mundane company cars, I have never had a new car but in my mind to be able to spec a TVR to your own personal preference must have been a wonderful experience - or am I wrong?
the yellow chim i have just extensively restored is a one owner he did indeed visit the factory during its build time as at that time he was living near by, he has a wonderful collection of pictures of the various stages of the build which is why he wanted to get it resrored to continue the story of his ownership.
john
john
I bought one new in 1995. I imagine, like all things, the experience is very much dependant on the dealership involved.
I wasn’t told about the unlimited paint choice and I wasn’t told about any opportunities to visit the factory and see it built or whatever. Perhaps dealers closer to Blackpool had a closer relationship - mine was in Kent!
Having said that, the stock choice of colours was pretty good and I enjoyed speccing my very own TVR.
Incidentally they were pretty solid when new - no rattles and nicely finished. Paintwork especially put modern cars to shame.
I wasn’t told about the unlimited paint choice and I wasn’t told about any opportunities to visit the factory and see it built or whatever. Perhaps dealers closer to Blackpool had a closer relationship - mine was in Kent!
Having said that, the stock choice of colours was pretty good and I enjoyed speccing my very own TVR.
Incidentally they were pretty solid when new - no rattles and nicely finished. Paintwork especially put modern cars to shame.
swisstoni said:
Incidentally they were pretty solid when new - no rattles and nicely finished. Paintwork especially put modern cars to shame.
That's my experience too from driving a brand new one back in 1999. Felt more 'sorted' in many ways than the demonstrator Tuscan ('03 3.6 Mk1) I drove in 2004. 
)
Hi TR4man, I think I can give you an original owner story 
I always fancied having a TVR back in the 90's, but the cost of a used one was a push (... let alone a new one), & I was set on doing the sensible thing & saving for a house deposit... that was until a friend of mine got a new Chimaera (a city boy with a lot more to spend than me), & I went up to Silverstone to see some Tuscan racing & saw how some had been able to individually spec the insides of their cars. I then had a test drive at the local dealer & I had to have one, but it was going to be used..... I then went to the last day of 1999 motor show at the NEC, visited the TVR stand & was told it was the last day a 4.0 could be ordered as the supply of engines from Land Rover was being reduced. A new car was double my budget & I couldn't do it on the day, but I'd never had a new car & reasoned (!!!) that if I was ever going to have a new one then why not make it a hand 'built' TVR.
To cut a long story short, I used the house deposit & took a loan, then the following week I went to the local dealer & was allowed to spec my new 4.0 although now a discontinued engine. Despite being guilt ridden at the cost, it was a great experience - I went for a popular starmist colour on the outside, but a bi-colour interior & I remember individually speccing each part, the transmission tunnel fillets, the door inserts, the top & bottom of the doors, the dash top, the gear lever shroud, the piping on the carpets, the exact colour of the dials, the colour of the stitching on the seats, even chose the veneers for the dashboard. Also picked a few options - power steering, uprated speakers, built in accumate conditioner. Sadly I didn't go to the factory to see it being built, I just felt too guilty about the money I'd spent. I think the factory were low on orders at the time & my car actually arrived at the dealer really early, before Christmas, which was a bit of a problem as I didn't have all the cash ready. They very kindly stored the car for me until the following March when I could pay the balance & get the next 'W' reg.
The ownership experience... I'd really love to quash the TVR cliche & say its all been smooth going, but the first year was tough. A personally specced & hand built car for less than £35k sounds like a great deal, but there was a reason for that, it just wasn't screwed together properly. It was used as a daily driver for the first 6 months which enabled me to root out out any problems, I remember the belt coming off the engine one day & the steering suddenly going heavy. The lining on the windscreen surround & the inside of the upright part of the rear window came unstuck, several bits seemed to fall off on the inside of the car, a couple of dials stopped working, it seemed to cook several starter motors leaving me stranded, there were loads of annoying little things. What I would say is that, unlike some, I stuck with it - the first year was difficult, but honestly after all the niggles got ironed out it was fine. Admittedly treated it more delicately than I would a normal car, garaged, no trips out in the wet if I could help it, serviced by a specialist every year, but apart from age related maintenance it's fine. Certainly no fears about taking it on longer trips, have been to France (Le Mans) a few times.
18 years later & I've still got the car, more than any other car I've had I feel it is 'mine', was made for me, I've got every bit of paper including the spec sheet before it was made & not sure I'll ever be able to bring myself to sell it. It's not expensive to run, isn't depreciating & because I don't use it regularly it still feels really special when I do. I believe it is the last 4.0 built, although not the last registered. In retrospect it was an utterly bonkers thing for me to buy new, but I also know if I hadn't done it when I did then I never would have done.
If I had the money I'd also be buying another new one for my next big birthday, but the cost (&, to be fair, the likely quality) are likely to be a different ball game for the new Griffith!
I always fancied having a TVR back in the 90's, but the cost of a used one was a push (... let alone a new one), & I was set on doing the sensible thing & saving for a house deposit... that was until a friend of mine got a new Chimaera (a city boy with a lot more to spend than me), & I went up to Silverstone to see some Tuscan racing & saw how some had been able to individually spec the insides of their cars. I then had a test drive at the local dealer & I had to have one, but it was going to be used..... I then went to the last day of 1999 motor show at the NEC, visited the TVR stand & was told it was the last day a 4.0 could be ordered as the supply of engines from Land Rover was being reduced. A new car was double my budget & I couldn't do it on the day, but I'd never had a new car & reasoned (!!!) that if I was ever going to have a new one then why not make it a hand 'built' TVR.
To cut a long story short, I used the house deposit & took a loan, then the following week I went to the local dealer & was allowed to spec my new 4.0 although now a discontinued engine. Despite being guilt ridden at the cost, it was a great experience - I went for a popular starmist colour on the outside, but a bi-colour interior & I remember individually speccing each part, the transmission tunnel fillets, the door inserts, the top & bottom of the doors, the dash top, the gear lever shroud, the piping on the carpets, the exact colour of the dials, the colour of the stitching on the seats, even chose the veneers for the dashboard. Also picked a few options - power steering, uprated speakers, built in accumate conditioner. Sadly I didn't go to the factory to see it being built, I just felt too guilty about the money I'd spent. I think the factory were low on orders at the time & my car actually arrived at the dealer really early, before Christmas, which was a bit of a problem as I didn't have all the cash ready. They very kindly stored the car for me until the following March when I could pay the balance & get the next 'W' reg.
The ownership experience... I'd really love to quash the TVR cliche & say its all been smooth going, but the first year was tough. A personally specced & hand built car for less than £35k sounds like a great deal, but there was a reason for that, it just wasn't screwed together properly. It was used as a daily driver for the first 6 months which enabled me to root out out any problems, I remember the belt coming off the engine one day & the steering suddenly going heavy. The lining on the windscreen surround & the inside of the upright part of the rear window came unstuck, several bits seemed to fall off on the inside of the car, a couple of dials stopped working, it seemed to cook several starter motors leaving me stranded, there were loads of annoying little things. What I would say is that, unlike some, I stuck with it - the first year was difficult, but honestly after all the niggles got ironed out it was fine. Admittedly treated it more delicately than I would a normal car, garaged, no trips out in the wet if I could help it, serviced by a specialist every year, but apart from age related maintenance it's fine. Certainly no fears about taking it on longer trips, have been to France (Le Mans) a few times.
18 years later & I've still got the car, more than any other car I've had I feel it is 'mine', was made for me, I've got every bit of paper including the spec sheet before it was made & not sure I'll ever be able to bring myself to sell it. It's not expensive to run, isn't depreciating & because I don't use it regularly it still feels really special when I do. I believe it is the last 4.0 built, although not the last registered. In retrospect it was an utterly bonkers thing for me to buy new, but I also know if I hadn't done it when I did then I never would have done.
If I had the money I'd also be buying another new one for my next big birthday, but the cost (&, to be fair, the likely quality) are likely to be a different ball game for the new Griffith!
that's a great story and it must have been wonderful to spec your own car!I meant to mention, it was true that you could specify absolutely any colour you wanted for a new car, from any swatch or from any other manufacturer. I was contemplating going down the unusual / one off route myself, & then at the last moment came over all practical & decided on one of their own colours just in case I had a scrape.
I bought my 450 Chim from new in 1999 from Brundles who had a group of about seven dealerships near Downham Market. They certainly had a book of standard TVR colours, then a second book of less standard TVR colours. They suggested that I go round the other dealers and grab their body colour swatches and hold them up against their own Chimaera. In the end I settled on Satin Red from Toyota. That and having the chance to spec carpet and trim colours was a brilliant experience. I don't remember there being a waiting list - maybe a couple of months - but they let me take out their demonstrator for me to get used to driving it.
I had an initial shock when I thought I'd managed to get through a half tank of fuel in only 50 miles before I learnt about the rubbish fuel sender - that said the gauge itself is remarkably accurate on mine. Also when I got through my first set of tyres in about 9k - though I've got much better since then.
Until a couple of years ago it was my daily driver. To my colleagues vast amusement, it has had a fair few problems. The big ones were a replacement cam at 28k; gearbox rebuild (5th gear went on the T5) at 90k; and engine rebuild (slipped liners) at 95k last year. I've had the usual bits of power steering and aircon replaced and when it has its annual service there's always been something else to do. That said, it's (almost) never leaked and I had the weird situation of moving it out of the garage onto the drive in the rain to move our family skoda in so I could dry it out.
I think the best experiences have been driving it down to the Loire Valley and people just stopping whatever they were doing to gawp at this strange looking noisy car. It's been the only time I've come back to it to find a gaggle of people looking in. Flip side was a different trip to France where it broke down on the autoroute because of the stupid 100A fuse (which I didn't know about at the time).
My only regret is not visiting the factory.
TBH looking back it wasn't a sensible choice of car, but it has been a great addition to the family.
I had an initial shock when I thought I'd managed to get through a half tank of fuel in only 50 miles before I learnt about the rubbish fuel sender - that said the gauge itself is remarkably accurate on mine. Also when I got through my first set of tyres in about 9k - though I've got much better since then.
Until a couple of years ago it was my daily driver. To my colleagues vast amusement, it has had a fair few problems. The big ones were a replacement cam at 28k; gearbox rebuild (5th gear went on the T5) at 90k; and engine rebuild (slipped liners) at 95k last year. I've had the usual bits of power steering and aircon replaced and when it has its annual service there's always been something else to do. That said, it's (almost) never leaked and I had the weird situation of moving it out of the garage onto the drive in the rain to move our family skoda in so I could dry it out.
I think the best experiences have been driving it down to the Loire Valley and people just stopping whatever they were doing to gawp at this strange looking noisy car. It's been the only time I've come back to it to find a gaggle of people looking in. Flip side was a different trip to France where it broke down on the autoroute because of the stupid 100A fuse (which I didn't know about at the time).
My only regret is not visiting the factory.
TBH looking back it wasn't a sensible choice of car, but it has been a great addition to the family.
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