Hesketh Cerbera
Discussion
Hi, having owned a taimar and a chimera over the years, am now looking at a cerbera. Anyone on here know anything about the speed six one for sale at hesketh? Apparently been through SP Automotive over the years but struggling to find proof of this, or indeed any real information at all..... All help gratefully received. Mike
Thanks - have asked dealer for all info, and work sounds extensive, but I am 180 miles away! Am hoping someone on here will know the car before I make the long trip up country.
I have contacted a couple of local specialists and they are looking for the car in their own files. I am planning on going tomorrow so thought there was a more likely source of info on here.....
I have contacted a couple of local specialists and they are looking for the car in their own files. I am planning on going tomorrow so thought there was a more likely source of info on here.....
Mike
If you really like the car 180 miles if worth the drive so you can look over he car, I would ask the dealer to get it up on a lift and check the chassis and out riggers, get them to let you take it for a drive so the car gets hot and check oil pressures and how it is when the water gets hot, look through the invoices to see what has been done that way you will know if the car has been looked after
If you really like the car 180 miles if worth the drive so you can look over he car, I would ask the dealer to get it up on a lift and check the chassis and out riggers, get them to let you take it for a drive so the car gets hot and check oil pressures and how it is when the water gets hot, look through the invoices to see what has been done that way you will know if the car has been looked after
I went to see this car Saturday as also looking for Cerby and the dealer selling was a shell suited wide boy! I booked an appointment to go and see the car but was not impressed with the seller.
I had a good look at the car that looks reasonable condition from the outside. It had a big chip on the bonnet and a GRP split where the roof joins the rear wing for some reason which would let in water. The front is not standard with extra lamp holes which made me wonder if it had been damaged at the front hence the modified lights. When I lifted the bonnet there was red resin on the inside suggesting it had been repaired too.
The interior looked pretty good but the seat pads were starting to come away from the bolsters and the leather seemed very dry and hard as if never fed or moisturised. This may be fine as TVRs go but I’d rather see the leather softened so it doesn’t crack.
So body and interior appeared ok but wheels were a bit tatty.
I pressed the door openers and after a delay each opened slowly as if the battery was flat then the dealer shut the doors effectively stopping me looking much further.
I asked for a test drive or passenger ride but the dealer said no insinuating that I was a time waster suggesting I paid up front for the car before he’d take it outside for a run. He wouldn’t even start the car up for me although I doubted it would start (Flat battery)? The previous owner had swapped it for a Disco and the dealer told me it was an airline pilot. When I asked how many owners it had had the answer was 6 others.
When looking at the engine bay the engine and chassis looked very dirty corroded and rusty so well used. When looking under the car the chassis looked to have bitumen plastered on it so it was very difficult to see its condition. The dealer said no with regard to me checking it on a ramp so for me that was that?
Once I started asking technical questions the dealer started trying to get rid of me and got quite nasty.
After having many GRP cars from what I saw the car looked cosmetically ok but could be a piece of junk as the engine and chassis looked due for body off restoration (but I can’t say for sure of course). No idea what the engine, gearbox, diff, brakes, electrics and suspension are like due to no test option??
If allowed to check it out properly who knows but that’s up to you I guess.
After about 20 minute of stupid and sarky answers from the dealer I walked away and I’m pretty clear he didn’t have a clue about the cars in and outs.
I got the impression all he was interested in is selling to a mug who is daft enough to ask no questions and just give him the cash to take it away with any proper inspection or test drive.
A ridiculous waste of a day Cerby hunting as I went to look at another silver SP6 after that only to find that was locked up in a shed with no wheels on covered in about 4 years dust?
So all in all not impressed so far and I wouldn’t even recommend driving 10 miles to
I had a good look at the car that looks reasonable condition from the outside. It had a big chip on the bonnet and a GRP split where the roof joins the rear wing for some reason which would let in water. The front is not standard with extra lamp holes which made me wonder if it had been damaged at the front hence the modified lights. When I lifted the bonnet there was red resin on the inside suggesting it had been repaired too.
The interior looked pretty good but the seat pads were starting to come away from the bolsters and the leather seemed very dry and hard as if never fed or moisturised. This may be fine as TVRs go but I’d rather see the leather softened so it doesn’t crack.
So body and interior appeared ok but wheels were a bit tatty.
I pressed the door openers and after a delay each opened slowly as if the battery was flat then the dealer shut the doors effectively stopping me looking much further.
I asked for a test drive or passenger ride but the dealer said no insinuating that I was a time waster suggesting I paid up front for the car before he’d take it outside for a run. He wouldn’t even start the car up for me although I doubted it would start (Flat battery)? The previous owner had swapped it for a Disco and the dealer told me it was an airline pilot. When I asked how many owners it had had the answer was 6 others.
When looking at the engine bay the engine and chassis looked very dirty corroded and rusty so well used. When looking under the car the chassis looked to have bitumen plastered on it so it was very difficult to see its condition. The dealer said no with regard to me checking it on a ramp so for me that was that?
Once I started asking technical questions the dealer started trying to get rid of me and got quite nasty.
After having many GRP cars from what I saw the car looked cosmetically ok but could be a piece of junk as the engine and chassis looked due for body off restoration (but I can’t say for sure of course). No idea what the engine, gearbox, diff, brakes, electrics and suspension are like due to no test option??
If allowed to check it out properly who knows but that’s up to you I guess.
After about 20 minute of stupid and sarky answers from the dealer I walked away and I’m pretty clear he didn’t have a clue about the cars in and outs.
I got the impression all he was interested in is selling to a mug who is daft enough to ask no questions and just give him the cash to take it away with any proper inspection or test drive.
A ridiculous waste of a day Cerby hunting as I went to look at another silver SP6 after that only to find that was locked up in a shed with no wheels on covered in about 4 years dust?
So all in all not impressed so far and I wouldn’t even recommend driving 10 miles to
I would be very nervous buying a car without taking it our for a drive let alone not even starting it up so you could at least listen to it, and I would insist on looking at the chassis
I might worth asking the dealer for the HPI check and if you bought it, it would be subject to a full check over by a TVR specialist and also subject to a full refund should there be major problems with it and not sold as seen
if I ever sold my Cerbera I would gladly let anyone get it checked and show the all the bills that has been spent on the car over the last 14 years
Last year alone I spent £8000 on it to get it as I want it and it needs a re trim inside but mechanically it is superb
I might worth asking the dealer for the HPI check and if you bought it, it would be subject to a full check over by a TVR specialist and also subject to a full refund should there be major problems with it and not sold as seen
if I ever sold my Cerbera I would gladly let anyone get it checked and show the all the bills that has been spent on the car over the last 14 years
Last year alone I spent £8000 on it to get it as I want it and it needs a re trim inside but mechanically it is superb
ginV8 said:
I had a good look at the car that looks reasonable condition from the outside. It had a big chip on the bonnet and a GRP split where the roof joins the rear wing for some reason which would let in water.
For your future reference, if you are talking about the corners of the body underneath the rear window, they all do that. Odd, I just hpi checked it and its a 1 owner car, had a couple of private plates on it but that's it.
One persons experience at a dealership shouldn't be a deciding factor, there is always another side to a story.
I should point out I have no connection to this garage but do work in the motor trade, and it is very hard sometimes to gauge a person, especially in the performance cars market. You tend to follow your gut reaction when it tells you its a joy rider or a tyre kicker who will ask 800 questions and then leave never to be seen again, whilst the other salesman has sold 3 cars in the time you've just wasted.
We all have minds, and can express our own opinions, I say make your own decision! It might be the best car you never bothered to look at.
One persons experience at a dealership shouldn't be a deciding factor, there is always another side to a story.
I should point out I have no connection to this garage but do work in the motor trade, and it is very hard sometimes to gauge a person, especially in the performance cars market. You tend to follow your gut reaction when it tells you its a joy rider or a tyre kicker who will ask 800 questions and then leave never to be seen again, whilst the other salesman has sold 3 cars in the time you've just wasted.
We all have minds, and can express our own opinions, I say make your own decision! It might be the best car you never bothered to look at.
Edited by shake n bake on Wednesday 16th October 14:40
ginV8 said:
The front is not standard with extra lamp holes which made me wonder if it had been damaged at the front hence the modified lights.
I have a late 1999 model. It has later front lights. Looking further into the documents there is a bill for a front head lamp conversion in late 2000. No other bodywork.Do I read into it too much and assume its had a crash or did the original owner want the face lift style lights?
I think the latter.
Gents,
Let me introduce myself, my name is Julian and against my better judgement I am now the proud owner to the above Cerb!
This is my first TVR, however I do have a fairly long history of interesting cars, starting with various hot Lancia’s moving through to a Ferrari 348 (stunning car, awful chassis) through to most recently a Lotus Esprit (awful car, stunning chassis). I’m also and engineer by trade so hopefully know one end of a spanner from another.
I’ve been looking to replace my Esprit for some time with a Cerb, as I wanted something a bit more social I can get the family in, plus the wife is a big TVR fan which always helps.
The car itself a nice colour (California sage) and looks smart with the spiders and lights upgrade, which was the spec I wanted. The chassis and engine are dirty and certainly need detailing, but one lesson learned from Ferrari ownership is that a car that has seen regular use is often a far better prospect than a garage queen. The interior is tidy and everything works, but again could do with a good dose of TLC, leather cleaner and hide food.
The car came with a couple of large receipts from Aeromotive for the HID upgrade and out rigger repairs, so I gave the guys a call pre-purchase (thanks for taking the time out to talk to me!), and the only negative that came out, was to keep an eye on the chassis repairs as these had been done ‘in-situ’ and not body off.
I collected the car on Tuesday and apart from arriving home completely deaf, I had a fairly uneventful run back from Leeds to Cheshire, The car certainly ran far better by the end of the trip, so I assume it’s been stood for some length of time. The temp did creep up quickly in queuing traffic, so I need to check the stats and fans are kicking in a.s.a.p.
The only real scare was when I tried to select reverse and thought it had a dropped gear! However, a quick scan of the owner’s manual and a bit of ‘positive engagement’ sorted that one!
My only real concern is the engine, as it’s an early example of a S6 and the car didn’t come with any evidence of a rebuilt of major rebuild work. However, I did factor this into the deal and I’m fairly pragmatic about the mechanics anyway, as you never really know what you’ve got unless you either commission the work yourself, or have a cast iron guarantee. I assume somewhere in the past, probably at the factory, the engine has been sorted, but I’ve priced up a rebuild just in case.
As for the dealer, I can’t say the deal was easy, but then if you are trading a old Lotus Esprit against a Cerb, then both sides are obviously going to approach the deal with some caution! What I can say is that I was allowed to inspect the car in peace and review all the paperwork with no pressure. The guys where helpful, kept to their end of the deal no problem and the car made it home!
So just a couple of quick speed six questions to kick off with.
Typical oil pressure to expect, hot / cold?
Typical running temp seen on the gauge before the fans cut in?
And finally, it says ‘super unleaded only’ on the tank. In the real world does it make any difference (It didn’t on either the Ferrari or Lotus).
Many Thanks
Julian
Let me introduce myself, my name is Julian and against my better judgement I am now the proud owner to the above Cerb!
This is my first TVR, however I do have a fairly long history of interesting cars, starting with various hot Lancia’s moving through to a Ferrari 348 (stunning car, awful chassis) through to most recently a Lotus Esprit (awful car, stunning chassis). I’m also and engineer by trade so hopefully know one end of a spanner from another.
I’ve been looking to replace my Esprit for some time with a Cerb, as I wanted something a bit more social I can get the family in, plus the wife is a big TVR fan which always helps.
The car itself a nice colour (California sage) and looks smart with the spiders and lights upgrade, which was the spec I wanted. The chassis and engine are dirty and certainly need detailing, but one lesson learned from Ferrari ownership is that a car that has seen regular use is often a far better prospect than a garage queen. The interior is tidy and everything works, but again could do with a good dose of TLC, leather cleaner and hide food.
The car came with a couple of large receipts from Aeromotive for the HID upgrade and out rigger repairs, so I gave the guys a call pre-purchase (thanks for taking the time out to talk to me!), and the only negative that came out, was to keep an eye on the chassis repairs as these had been done ‘in-situ’ and not body off.
I collected the car on Tuesday and apart from arriving home completely deaf, I had a fairly uneventful run back from Leeds to Cheshire, The car certainly ran far better by the end of the trip, so I assume it’s been stood for some length of time. The temp did creep up quickly in queuing traffic, so I need to check the stats and fans are kicking in a.s.a.p.
The only real scare was when I tried to select reverse and thought it had a dropped gear! However, a quick scan of the owner’s manual and a bit of ‘positive engagement’ sorted that one!
My only real concern is the engine, as it’s an early example of a S6 and the car didn’t come with any evidence of a rebuilt of major rebuild work. However, I did factor this into the deal and I’m fairly pragmatic about the mechanics anyway, as you never really know what you’ve got unless you either commission the work yourself, or have a cast iron guarantee. I assume somewhere in the past, probably at the factory, the engine has been sorted, but I’ve priced up a rebuild just in case.
As for the dealer, I can’t say the deal was easy, but then if you are trading a old Lotus Esprit against a Cerb, then both sides are obviously going to approach the deal with some caution! What I can say is that I was allowed to inspect the car in peace and review all the paperwork with no pressure. The guys where helpful, kept to their end of the deal no problem and the car made it home!
So just a couple of quick speed six questions to kick off with.
Typical oil pressure to expect, hot / cold?
Typical running temp seen on the gauge before the fans cut in?
And finally, it says ‘super unleaded only’ on the tank. In the real world does it make any difference (It didn’t on either the Ferrari or Lotus).
Many Thanks
Julian
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