What to replace a TVR Chimaera 500 with?

[rockits]

wormus said:

I’m not so sure, Top Cats had a T350 with an LS7 conversion for sale last year for 40k. Was very tempted and this looks fun:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mJJgkVS1uJk

Combination of about 600hp and light weight looks awesome and nice simple NA reliability too.

Now that looks a handful getting off the line !!

[rockits]

I can remember taken ages getting used to my 987 Boxster 3.2S. just sold and came out of a 2007 TT V6 Quattro S-tronic that just wanted to understeer. Got into the Boxster and nearly kept hitting inside kerbs on corners as the turn in was so sharp and so immediate! Took me ages to get used to it as drove like nothing else I had driven before. Enlightened.

[rockits]

Agreed.....but along with Blackpool's finest of course 😉

[rockits]

ollyh1988 said:

I went from a Chimaera 4.0 to the V8 Vantage 4.3. These cars can be had for the upper end of your budget and would fit the bill for what you want. They are fast (but not Chimaera 500 fast) but a nicer place to spend time on a longer journey. They do the GT thing very well and still look incredible today. It’s the car I regret selling the most.

Agreed on the V8 Vantage 4.3. Had one for a year and just sold a couple of months ago. I would certainly get another but would want the twin plate clutch, Bamford Rose headers, maybe sports cats and suspension upgrade. Loved it and awesome sound with a remote fob Fuse 22 valve control

[rockits]

blueg33 said:

I went from a Tuscan to a Lotus Evora n/a - Lotus show you how quick a car can be point to point with less power!

I enjoyed driving the Evora much more. The Evora S on your list is probably the car to go for IMO, Similar power, better handling, more comfortable and in my experience more reliable.

An Evora is definitely on my list to look at.

[rockits]

David Beer said:

I went from a modified griff 500 to a diesel SLK 250 amg, surprisingly good car and performance. Kept if for a two year lease and saw
More SLK than fiesta! Then bought a mustang gt auto convertible, in my area never seen another. It has every single extra, has been 100% reliable in two years and love it. It’s quicker than my griff was, that was NOT reliable. Looking for a replacement mustang at the moment, just can not find the same unless I buy new and have to wait a year ! Do not wish to part with 50k.

A Mustang is also on my list to look at. I know someone who just gave back after having for 2 years and he loved it. Great VFM.

[rockits]

Thanks all. Sorry for the lack of updates. Work has been hectic to say the least and relentless.

Had some brief dialogue with Ross who is selling the Yellow Cerbera Speed Six featured on Jay Emm's YT channel. An option to swap my Chimaera plus cash or my Alfa GT 3.2 V6 plus cash but we are miles apart on numbers so no dice there.

Really struggling with time at the moment due to work but hoping it subsides a smidge so I can get some more time to move forward.

[rockits]

So a little step forward on my Chimaera 500.

I've got it going to Bespoke Performance, Ware for an annual service/check up and MOT next week. It will be staying there to be sold.

If anyone is interested in a quick private sale at a lower price be quick as it will be going to Bespoke Monday week.

[rockits]

So dropped my Chimaera 500 at Bespoke this morning. Always hard looking at all that glass fibre sitting there staring at me

Will get the MOT, service and inspection done and then ready it for sale. Makes sense I think for Bespoke to sell it for me as I have zero time to sell a car at the moment.

If anyone is interested in a swap deal for anything interesting I am all ears. Not sure what I will replace it with yet so keeping an open mind. Just looking for something possibly still TVR but maybe a notch down from this Chimaera 500 I have. It drives really well and I am sure some would drive it and love it 110% as it is fast, raw and everything a TVR should be. Just looking for something half a notch turned down.

[rockits]

I think my conclusion is that this 500 is a cracking car that is no doubt and everything I am sure many would want from a TVR. I'm just finding for my requirements and use the 400 I had before satisfied all my requirements and gave me a little more confidence than this 500. Maybe the less tourquey slightly more revvy nature of the 400 suited me better.

What was funny this morning as got to the end of my lane and pulled out on to the next road.....in 3rd! Thought it was 1st but no.....3rd!! It didn't even murmur and just pulled no problem at all without even a vibration or anything at all. Can't say you could do that in too many cars.

I might try a Speed Six again or see if I can find a 450 with newer ECU to look at. I did like Nick Simpson's supercharged Chim in the way it drove with the GEMS ECU. Just found it had lost some of that classic RV8 character/noise for me.

I guess it is one of those things that you know what you want when you find it.

[rockits]

SFTWend said:

Dean, from what you say it sounds like perhaps you should have kept the Vantage. Was it the lack of torque and initial throttle response that disappointed, hence the desire for BR upgrades?

I thoroughly enjoyed a try in a Grif 4.3 just before lockdown and am on the lookout for a good one. It felt you could potter at a good pace on the torque or enjoy the power via a progressive throttle. No doubt a similar drive to your previous Chim. Lack of CATs and PAS make the 4.3 my choice.

Everyone who has owned an Evora raves about them and many have owned several in succession. They are a car under the radar, which hold their value quite well due to low production numbers. I fancy one as an all seasons sports GT and keep the Grif for sunny Sundays.

So the Vantage I didn't sell because I didn't like it. Far from it as it happens. Loved it. It could have done with a little more torque/power as the chassis could easily handle it but I didn't need or desire more power really.

The only reason the Vantage went was a short to medium term reaction to Covid really. I knew I wasn't going to drive it much for a year maybe longer. It would have needed a clutch at some point possibly soon. So with an annual service due now I would possibly have dropped maybe £5k into the car over the next 6-24 months. Also I had too many cars and wanted a little thin out. Also thought with economy issues I might be able to see some decent cars dropping a fair chunk in the next 3-12 months.

Also I had some money tied up in cash especially the Vantage that I wanted to use to trade on the markets with. In fact I have been doing this 15-20 hours per week since Mid March and being doing very well. Well apart from today! Still doing very well over the last 7 months though. The profit on that alone would pay for 2 x Vantages so it seems to have been the right decision so far.

An Evora is on the list of possibles amongst some others still.

I also felt the Vantage was a car I could buy again fairly easily at any time as they are not rare or limited. I have kept my mint as new 2007 Maserati 4200 as it is the best I know of and I will never find another as good so wanted to keep that.

I also don't hanker for a 4.7 or a V12 necessarily. I haven't driven either yet but for my use and requirements I had no issues with the 4.3 V8. It was all the car I wanted it to be. It didn't need more power for me and had great steering, handling, balance, grip and gave me great confidence. I also prefer the older style dash/interior and not the later facelift style. If I went to buy another V8 Vantage 4.3 Manual I would try to find one with the BR upgrades if I could but it wouldn't be a deal breaker. Certainly a nice to have.

Hopefully that goes some way to explain my thinking and why the Vantage went.

[rockits]

Phil Dicky said:

Having owned a 450SE, Griff 500, Cerbera 4.5, Tasmin & Tuscan Race cars and Tamora (though that was a stabby redheads) I've been on the look out for a weekend car.
Think I've settled on a Jag XKR, all the power but refinement when a cruise is required, think I've had my time in no compromise TVRs.
So perhaps another car to think about OP?

Thanks. I actually have a Jaguar XJL SuperSport which I absolutely love and is not going anywhere. A fantastic VFM car that does so much in one package. I bought it for £16.5k just over 3 years ago after the 1st owner paid £108k new. It averages 25mpg which is amazing as all cars of this ilk have never done over 20mpg before. I care less about this of course but it is a bonus. It is 500bhp with that lovely Supercharged V8 and with sports back boxes sounds good to. Also pretty good fun to drive with the 6 speed ZF and paddles with pretty fast changes. It doesn't cost much too run and way less than most big lumpy cars. Also hardly anything has gone wrong short of an annual basic fluid service. Only a failed water pump last year. Even the chuffin tyres won't wear out as they are P Zero's that I hate and dying to get PS4S's on it. It is the car I mainly go to.

[rockits]

A bit of an update today from Bespoke. The car flew threw the MOT with no advisories so all good. Service and check all good. A couple of minor things to keep an eye on so all good also.

So then we get into meat for the debate so happy for all and sundry to chip in to give me their 2p's worth.

Had a nice chat with Martin on dropping the car off Monday. Lovely honest trustworthy people and more than happy for them to cater for all my TVR requirements now and moving forwards. Highly recommended.

Had a great chat with Mark this afternoon who as always is very professional, very honest and always looking out for the best options even to their detriment if so. The good thing is that they have have agreed with my thoughts that the car is at the moment requiring big balls, stupidity or a very good driver to drive it well or get the best out of it. They agree it is a very nice example, has had a lot of work and money spent on it so is a great car that is 90% there. What it misses and this is the piece of the puzzle it is missing is better suspension/dampers, an LSD and then full geo setup. This little 10% would make the car drive so much better in their opinion and would allow for much more confidence. So that is good that they are in agreement with my thoughts.

It is a little frustrating I guess for Bespoke and myself as the car has had a ton spent on it and it seems maybe the suspension/LSD/Geo spend was compromised a little so suffers a little because of this. Don't get me wrong it is far from disastrous to drive. I managed to keep up with an Aventador the other week OK so it drives really well but not as well as it could be and I knew it should do. The other 400's I have owned drove no better but I guess I expected more from a fully rebuilt 500 in comparison. I guess people such as Bespoke know TVR's inside out and know what a car can drive like so know when something can be improved.

Therein lies the rub. It seems to get some decent dampers, the LSD and geo setup would be circa £3k. As I was going to leave the car with them to sell this creates a small change of plan it seems. They wouldn't be happy selling car as it is as it really needs these changes made so they would be 100% happy retailing the car. I can understand this 100% and a buyer buying from them can take great confidence in this stance. So for me, to spend the money for them to sell it for me when I add on the rightfully so sales commission it changes my numbers quite a bit. At this point it starts to not make sense so much to do it this way I think.

I guess my quandary is do I to spend the money and keep the car to enjoy its benefits with that extra 10% it would give? Or sell it likely privately, as it is, at a lower price. The new owner can then decide if firstly they agree and want to do these mods. Then can choose what they want to do to customise and personalise these mods to their requirements/tastes. I am inclined to sell it at a cheaper price as is because I always have not been a fan of it being a red car so that will never change. I don't dislike red and don't find it offensive but it doesn't grab me or wow me. I've only ever had one red car and mainly had blues or grey/black cars. Of course some may love red as it is certainly a subjective thing.

The engine is certainly strong and clearly well spec'd with a great V8D build. The gearbox is great with no issues. The new interior I think is really nice and has a lovely new leather smell with no glue or glass fibre smell at all. It is very much a nearly car for me personally but it is just not grabbing me as much as I really wanted it to or need it to.

Answers on a postcode please

[rockits]

phazed said:

They all have LSD.

I’d be interested to hear what suspension it has at the moment that they reckon should be junked and what did they recommend?

Any car would benefit from a Geo set up, (if adjustment is needed!).

I will check the bills as have one for the suspension when it was bought by Mark Hunter in 2014/2015 when SD did the restoration. It has only done about 5k miles I think since restoration, gearbox/diff rebuild.

Not sure what they would recommend as didn't get that far yet

[rockits]

Classic Chim said:

And what symptoms is the LSD Dif displaying that says it needs to be replaced. 90% of these difs are loose as we’s draws anyway!

Not sure to be honest what is wrong with the diff. It was fully rebuilt by Grantura in 2015 for a cost of about £545 I think.

I thought they were all LSD's but am no expert for sure. Just thought early cars were GKN and later cars were BTR's.

[rockits]

phazed said:

They are/were lsd!

Now I'm confused then.

[rockits]

phazed said:

Hope they're not messing you about!

I can't imagine so or why. A car either has an LSD or not....fact....there is no interpretation of course.

I understood the test to be to jack up the rear, pop it in first gear and spin a wheel. If the opposite wheel turns in the opposite direction there is no LSD. If the opposite wheel turns in the same direction there is an LSD.

Edited by rockits on Thursday 29th October 22:21

[rockits]

Thanks all for your input and thoughts.

I have some thinking to do.

Just to clarify I don't think it drives badly or much wrong with the setup as far as I can tell. I can put power down no problem and it handles fine for fast road driving. I am a little confused and conflicted as I think my issues were more about it maybe had a bit too much power/torque for me or the way it delivered it. With the nature of a TVR/Chimaera being light, with little weight over the back end, the decat and raw nature of the car it was just 10% overwhelming and more than I want or need.

The brakes are good and I don't any inherent issues as such, merely it was a bit too much or more than I need. I'd likely be more happy in a lower powered car. I think I just went a step too far with this one. I always felt the 500 is suggested to be the pinnacle and many say it is much better than a 400 or 450. I'm not so sure it is for me. I drove a GEMS ECU'd Supercharged 450 Chimaera that delivered its power so differently and drove better IMHO with a more mild mannered smoother approach. Rather than a sledgehammer! So I don't personally think this car drives badly just not what I prefer or am looking for. Other more experienced TVR people may disagree with how it drives but I have to trust Bespoke's opinion and comments as they are far more experienced than me in this regard. They have looked after and driven lots of TVR's so will know what drives well or not.

The Chimaera 400's I had before were a little less intimidating and able to be explored and revved out much more so I felt slightly more enjoyable dialled down a bit. Some may love being scared in a car....I prefer not to be so scared I like a car to be confident and not so scary. Even a bad car that drives badly can give this I feel. It is more the fully intoxicating nature of this car that I'm at odds with more than it driving badly as I don't think it does at all.

Slightly confused and conflicted currently!

[rockits]

Agreed, driven sensibly they don't to want to stick you in a field. I don't find that with this car. I guess I am so used to driving either older analogue cars with much less power such as my GTi-6 or Alfa GT 3.2 V6 or more modern cars like the XJL Supersport that is pretty fast but disconnects and shields you from the rawness on purpose. So the TVR especially a 500 feels so very very different.

I think if it were a nice blue as my favourite colour I would spend some money and keep it. Funny how a colour that is really so superficial in reality can make such a difference. However I guess we have so many historic issues with colour in the world/life over the years it does happen to an extent. On a human level colour is irrelevant to me but on a car it carries more weight.

[rockits]

Thanks Alun.....all very useful and appreciated.

I understand Jools had my 500 in just after it was finished to map/tune it. Judging by the dyno chart it seems in fine fettle/health making good power. It isn't particularly shunty at low speeds and has no real peaks or troughs in the power band. Just seems strong from moving off all the way through mid to top end. I can't fault the car too much really. More that it isn;t quite what I want or am looking for. I am sure it might be bang on for someone who wants what it gives.

Not much out there that fast, raw or as unique for well under £20k. I know because i have looked constantly for many years!

I am nearly there and close to what I am after but not hit the nail on the head yet. I am sure it hits you like a 4x2 when you get it.