... It is a 1992 TVR Chimaera 430 which he bought in July 2002 for approximately £13000. It was bought through an expert advisor who for about £500 sources and inspects the car prior to purchase. It has been very reliable so money well spent I feel.
The 430 refers to the engine which is the ... Read review
Advantages: Very quick, fun to drive, look and sound great Disadvantages: reliabilty an issue on some models
...mine. It is a 1992 TVR Chimaera 430 which he bought in July 2002 for approximately £13000. It was bought through an expert advisor who for about £500 sources and inspects the car prior to purchase. It has been very reliable so money well spent I feel.
The 430 refers to the engine which is the very popular Rover V8 of 4.3 litres capacity and producing 280 bhp which in a light glassfibre 2 seater is plenty !
A small bit ... ...as the cruiser of the TVR range. How fast are the rest I ask myself ?
Handling ? well I ran out of bravery before the car ran out of grip. In the dry it just sticks to the road, and you would have to be crazy to even think of exploring the limits on the public road. I am told that in the wet it can be a bit of a handful. Bear in mind this is a back to basics sportscar, it has no traction control, no abs, no air bags, or other namby ... more
The car I'm writing about belongs to a friend of mine. It is a 1992 TVR Chimaera 430 which he bought in July 2002 for approximately £13000. It was bought through an expert advisor who for about £500 sources and inspects the car prior to purchase. It has been very reliable so money well spent I feel.
The 430 refers to the engine which is the very popular Rover V8 of 4.3 litres capacity and producing 280 bhp which in a light glassfibre 2 seater is plenty !
A small bit of triva, the name TVR comes from the guy who started the company, whose name was, wiat for it.... Trevor ! Definitely the best Blackpool based sportscar company in the world.
Just by looking at the car you know it is going to be fast, it is smooth and sleek and even with the hood up still looks like it means business. The engine starts with a roar, and settles into a rough rorty tickover. The driving position is low and laid back, but it is easy to get comfortable and feel part of the car. The clutch is positive, but not too heavy, and a smooth getaway is possible even when unfamiliar with the car. Inital driving was in an urban environment, which doesn't tell you much apart from that the controls are positive and nicely weighted. but it did allow the car to warm up, and then when the countryside arrives, floor it.
OH MY GOD this car can seriously shift. The 0-60 figure is about 4.9 seconds. That is faster than Formula 1 cars of the 1960s, and faster than most Ferraris until recently. The black and white figures don't really do justice to how fast the car feels. You have to be careful, because if you keep your foot down you are doing 120 more quickly than you would think possible. All the more amazing when you consider that the Chimaera is thought of as the cruiser of the TVR range. How fast are the rest I ask myself ?
Handling ? well I ran out of bravery before the car ran out of grip. In the dry it just sticks to the road, and you would have to be crazy to even think of exploring the limits on the public road. I am told that in the wet it can be a bit of a handful. Bear in mind this is a back to basics sportscar, it has no traction control, no abs, no air bags, or other namby pamby safety gear, and as such it should be treated with respect. Basically this means be careful with the throttle when cornering, and especially so if the road is at all slippery. Keep to that rule and it is a lot of fun. Overtaking isn't a problem as you can imagine !
Reliability. The big question. Lots of people have had lots of problems with TVRs. Despite the fact that they use a lot of other manufacturers parts (tailights are from a Mk 3 Fiesta and wing mirrors from a Citreon to name but two) they are not kit cars, although from some of the tales you hear you might think they were. All I can say is that this example has performed faultlessly for almost a year. The fact it uses the well proven Rover V8 lump as opposed to TVR's own AJP engine which is in some other models helps in this regard I think.
If I had the money for the purchase price and running costs I would have one like a shot. It has virtually all the performance of a Ferrari for much less money, and a much better, less in yer face image
