TVR Chimaera Thread
Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2021 12:26 pm
Easier to break this out into it's own thread from the guess the car one.
Ever since the mid 90's I've wanted a Griffith and back to around 1999 when a friend wrote off his RX7 and replaced it with a TVR Chimaera is the only time I've been in a TVR but it cemented that want, we had some main dealers locally and a few times i'd looked over them and thought someday. In 2000 before I bought my first house I was close to going for a Griff 430 but the house won out.
Over the years with other things to think about financially it definitely took a backseat with only fleeting looks into the state of the market while I had cars that I enjoyed but always gave way the 4 seats concern.
With the kids growing up and not wanting to go everywhere with us and the fact we are now a 3 car (well 4 with my eldest) household due to my wifes work van it became apparent I no longer require a second 4 seater (as crazy as my WRX was once modded a wagon just wasn't needed) so I started looking again fairly half heartedly early this year. Not for a Griffith though as they were out of budget and ultimately tight for luggage space (as european touring is the ultimate goal once this covid crap is done with) but for a Chimaera. Even though budget was fairly low there were possibilities with a few in budget, but they were all basic 400's which I thought would probably leave me wanting a little after the Subaru. This was I saw an advert on eBAY far a car at a salvage yard.
It was described as a 400HC (Highlift cam engine with a big HP bump over a std 400) and was CAT N with a light front end damage with no chassis or suspension damage (HPI check confirmed this), the sellers pictures and fairly detailed videos showed a good chassis with fairly new outriggers (a pain point on all TVR's) tell tales of a recently rebuilt engine (new water pump, new gaskets and timing gear) and some fairly extensive breathing and ECU mods (Standalone ECU, wasted spark ignition setup, big modern injectors, new throttle body). It fitted into budget after factoring repairs and paint. The only issue is that being lockdown and it over 350 miles away I couldn't view it and would have to purchase based on video and pictures and have it delivered. However it was the cheapest car in the country at the time, so was it worth a punt?
Well my wife said if you can sell the Subaru we can go for it. 24 hours later it was gone, I really wasn't expecting it to sell at all as they can be hard to shift but my car was the best in the country for sale and not stupidly over priced, so I guess it was attractive. I even made a few hundred all told.
I then called the seller and agreed a deal that would buy the car, them repairing it up till primer, put on a new MOT and ship it to me. A few of the minor niggles were that it had no accessories (targa cover, spare wheel, jack etc) and no history, but I'll post up about all of this later. Well as I wanted a keeper and not a flipper I just went for it and paid them a grand deposit.
They were happy to send pictures and videos as the repair progressed and decided that they would cut the front off a donor car and replace the entire front end.
This is what it looked like to start with back in February, it did run and drive (they had some videos of it driving) and had an MOT.
[img]
So to pile on the cliches I bought the cheapest running and driving midlfe crisis TVR in the country.
There's more to come and I'll write up some more later and add the pictures.
Ever since the mid 90's I've wanted a Griffith and back to around 1999 when a friend wrote off his RX7 and replaced it with a TVR Chimaera is the only time I've been in a TVR but it cemented that want, we had some main dealers locally and a few times i'd looked over them and thought someday. In 2000 before I bought my first house I was close to going for a Griff 430 but the house won out.
Over the years with other things to think about financially it definitely took a backseat with only fleeting looks into the state of the market while I had cars that I enjoyed but always gave way the 4 seats concern.
With the kids growing up and not wanting to go everywhere with us and the fact we are now a 3 car (well 4 with my eldest) household due to my wifes work van it became apparent I no longer require a second 4 seater (as crazy as my WRX was once modded a wagon just wasn't needed) so I started looking again fairly half heartedly early this year. Not for a Griffith though as they were out of budget and ultimately tight for luggage space (as european touring is the ultimate goal once this covid crap is done with) but for a Chimaera. Even though budget was fairly low there were possibilities with a few in budget, but they were all basic 400's which I thought would probably leave me wanting a little after the Subaru. This was I saw an advert on eBAY far a car at a salvage yard.
It was described as a 400HC (Highlift cam engine with a big HP bump over a std 400) and was CAT N with a light front end damage with no chassis or suspension damage (HPI check confirmed this), the sellers pictures and fairly detailed videos showed a good chassis with fairly new outriggers (a pain point on all TVR's) tell tales of a recently rebuilt engine (new water pump, new gaskets and timing gear) and some fairly extensive breathing and ECU mods (Standalone ECU, wasted spark ignition setup, big modern injectors, new throttle body). It fitted into budget after factoring repairs and paint. The only issue is that being lockdown and it over 350 miles away I couldn't view it and would have to purchase based on video and pictures and have it delivered. However it was the cheapest car in the country at the time, so was it worth a punt?
Well my wife said if you can sell the Subaru we can go for it. 24 hours later it was gone, I really wasn't expecting it to sell at all as they can be hard to shift but my car was the best in the country for sale and not stupidly over priced, so I guess it was attractive. I even made a few hundred all told.
I then called the seller and agreed a deal that would buy the car, them repairing it up till primer, put on a new MOT and ship it to me. A few of the minor niggles were that it had no accessories (targa cover, spare wheel, jack etc) and no history, but I'll post up about all of this later. Well as I wanted a keeper and not a flipper I just went for it and paid them a grand deposit.
They were happy to send pictures and videos as the repair progressed and decided that they would cut the front off a donor car and replace the entire front end.
This is what it looked like to start with back in February, it did run and drive (they had some videos of it driving) and had an MOT.
[img]
So to pile on the cliches I bought the cheapest running and driving midlfe crisis TVR in the country.
There's more to come and I'll write up some more later and add the pictures.
