Youth revisited - hello Chimaera 500!
Discussion
This (the bloke in the middle with the very dodgy tie) was me when I was 20. I worked (we'll, sort of!) for a sports car garage in Exeter called Brooklands TVR. Starting out as the sales admin bloke, my job morphed into a bit of a salesman, come factory tour, come track day, come Tuscan race team hospitality chap - pretty much a car-mad blokes dream job, which was made better by a genuinely superb bunch of chaps (some of whom are still getting their hands dirty with TVRs even now).
During my time at the garage, I had a couple of favourite cars, one of which was a disgracefully quick and loud Griff 500 in Ocean Haze (L5 SLA) the other was an Imperial blue Chimaera 500 (N113 WTA), which came with a story that always made me chuckle : it was owned by a local guy who, if memory serves got a loan from his Dad to buy his original 4litre car, then upgraded to a 5 litre car in exactly the same colour, transferring the plate as he went, so that his father wouldn't know!
The car was Imperial blue with magnolia/blue trim, gold badges and pas. It was simply my perfect TVR (and went around Donnington very well when we took it back!).
I left the company in 2000 and after a few years saving for houses got back 'into' cars about ten years ago. I've tinkered with Landys, old Triumphs, and old Porsche, a loopy Westfield and a couple of old Fords including and RS1600i and a MK1 Mexico rep.
I always fancied my own TVR though, but never really saw the perfect one.....
Until around a couple of weeks ago, when I viewed a sorry old thing under a pile of leaf debris, with no MOT that wouldn't start (had to call in the AA while I was there!).
I don't generally mind a project (the Mexico rep had a nut and bolt rebuild) and once I knew the spec/colour, it was pretty much always going to be coming home with me!
Cash was drawn and handed over and I trailered the car home.
It was on axle stands in the garage the same day and now benefits from patched up outriggers (though I plan to lift the body over the winter and replace them completely), a good clean, oil change and sports a fresh MOT.
It's not perfect - it needs a bit of paint, a wheel bearing and the dash is coming out shortly for a carbon refurb, but it's sublime.
Not many things in life are as good as we remember that they once were, but this is much, much better - it sounds awesome, feels tight and even smells just as I remember that they used to.
I haven't just bought a car, but a time machine - I think that this one might last more than my usual 12 months!
Updates and record of tinkering to come....
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