WHAT TO REPLACE A TVR CHIMAERA 500 WITH?
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rockits
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The Tuscan. If anything it was too well mannered and easy to use, massive boot, could easily go shopping in it, which was not what I wanted after coming from the Cerbera. So it was sold and the Assetto Corsa bought and so the story began
Was the Cerbera you had an AJP V8 or the Speed Six?
allandwf
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Clatter Cam early 4.2, loved it. Every journey an event, like driving an UXB!
If line green doesn’t appeal....
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rockits
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If line green doesn’t appeal....
TVR T350 cars for sale - PistonHeads UK
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Nice spot....always liked a 350. Wondered why that seemed cheaper. Was CAT D but seems owned by current owner for some time and plenty spent. Not sure it would have been my choice of colour but I don't find it offensive.
schell70
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A mate of mine had a Tuscan and I had the dubious pleasure of sharing the driving to Le Mans in it once. It wasn't knicknamed 'The Widowmaker' amongst his mates for nothing, I never felt particularly safe driving it especially when pushing on. As someone who has had the occasional drift in a 911 GT3 and felt perfectly in control the Tuscan used to scare the **** out of me.
Chimaera500
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I have a huge soft spot for TVR having owned a 4.0, a 4.5 and two 5.0 Chimaeras. My conclusion is that the 5.0 is the one to have IMHO.
By todays standards even the 5 is not particularly powerful, they are not particularly well balanced in the handling department and they are certainly not that well screwed together. However, all that low down torque and light weight make them hugely entertaining to drive.....and the sound.... Running costs in my ownership of the above 4 Chimaeras was modest. No big issues experienced at all. Pretty simple beasts really. Biggest issue now is a rusty chassis. Thing is, the light weight, instant torque, coupled with the comedy handling and lack of ANY safety equipment made them such a massively entertaining and exhilarating experience. Simply not allowed to make cars like this any more and its quite hard to find anything similar.
I also had a Cerbera 4.5 for a couple of years. Still miss it to this day, but that one cost me quite a bit to run and nothing particularly big went wrong with it! One of the quickest cars I have ever owned to date and such a sense of occasion to own and drive. I would have another one in a heartbeat! I wouldn't be so interested in owning anything with the speed six lump though. I understand that its a very characterful engine, and they can be made good, but a rebuild is to be fully expected if it hasn't already been done by one of the reputable places.
All of the above have been pampered weekend cars. Whilst you certainly could, I wouldn't recommend TVR for anything else.
As for viable replacements, I went on a bit of a long mission to find an alternative that met similar criteria for me. Few interesting twists and turns along the way with a pair of modified Mitsubishi EVO FQs running big power which where incredible from a raw performance, drive and reliability perspective, but left me cold on the aesthetics and general sense of occasion. Also 4.5k service interval was a but of a pain.
Next up was an Aston V8 Vantage manual, followed by a Vantage sportshift roadster. Superb cars. a little more costly to look after but both very reliable overall. Huge sense of occasion but with only just enough performance to keep me happy. Performance is actually there, but they feel so mild and docile until you get right up into the high rpms. (I had 4.3 variants, 4.7 would go some way to fix this, V12 would certainly but they are over budget still!)
For the Aston, whatever model you look at I would say go for a manual. Whilst the roadster was fun, the sportshift transmission was a let down and I by far preferred the manual. Both felt really special, beautifully put together and held their money very well.
Next up was a C63 AMG coupe with the performance pack. The 6.2 V8 engine in this car (and many other Merc variants) is an absolute masterpiece! Mine was just shy of 500 hp and I loved it for the fairly short time of ownership. I would describe it as a muscle car but with modern refinements. Quite heavy but handled well for a road car. Very sensible running costs (excluding fuel) and completely reliable but again, not so good on the weekend/special car sense of occasion feeling which is what a weekend car really needs!
I was about to jump back into an Aston maybe try a Granturismo a couple of months back. I was looking at cars at around 40k when I spotted for sale the Gransport that's now in my profile pic.
Always liked them, and I think I fell in love a bit with this one, so long story short I bought it! I paid much less than half of my Aston budget for this car and comparing the Aston to the Maserati, I would honestly say that the Gransport is 90% as good with the biggest advantages being:
1, More power than the 4.3 Aston, and it feels much quicker and firmer/sportier.
2, F1 gearbox in the Gransport is MUCH better than Astons Sportshift.
3, Nearly the same sense of occasion/ special car feeling. (Aston are really very hard to beat here!)
4, At the moment, Gransports can be picked up at half to two thirds the price of a Vantage.
5, seats, without it feeling like it if that makes any sense!
So after all that, and considering this is after all a Maserati Forum, I think you should take advantage of the current Gransport prices and then make it perfect with all the money saved!
Failing that, I think an 07 08 Aston V8 Vantage 4.3 manual (or 4.7 at a push for budget) would tick all the boxes very well. Really great, rewarding and special cars to own and drive.
As for other maybes that keep catching my eye, how about...
Jaguar F type R
Granturismo 4.7
TVR T350 (make sure you know what's been done to any speed 6 in terms of rebuild history)
Exige V6 (May be a little raw still)
Audi R8
Would love to see a pic of your Chimaera 500 by the way!
By todays standards even the 5 is not particularly powerful, they are not particularly well balanced in the handling department and they are certainly not that well screwed together. However, all that low down torque and light weight make them hugely entertaining to drive.....and the sound....
Running costs in my ownership of the above 4 Chimaeras was modest. No big issues experienced at all. Pretty simple beasts really. Biggest issue now is a rusty chassis. Thing is, the light weight, instant torque, coupled with the comedy handling and lack of ANY safety equipment made them such a massively entertaining and exhilarating experience. Simply not allowed to make cars like this any more and its quite hard to find anything similar.I also had a Cerbera 4.5 for a couple of years. Still miss it to this day, but that one cost me quite a bit to run and nothing particularly big went wrong with it! One of the quickest cars I have ever owned to date and such a sense of occasion to own and drive. I would have another one in a heartbeat! I wouldn't be so interested in owning anything with the speed six lump though. I understand that its a very characterful engine, and they can be made good, but a rebuild is to be fully expected if it hasn't already been done by one of the reputable places.
All of the above have been pampered weekend cars. Whilst you certainly could, I wouldn't recommend TVR for anything else.
As for viable replacements, I went on a bit of a long mission to find an alternative that met similar criteria for me. Few interesting twists and turns along the way with a pair of modified Mitsubishi EVO FQs running big power which where incredible from a raw performance, drive and reliability perspective, but left me cold on the aesthetics and general sense of occasion. Also 4.5k service interval was a but of a pain.
Next up was an Aston V8 Vantage manual, followed by a Vantage sportshift roadster. Superb cars. a little more costly to look after but both very reliable overall. Huge sense of occasion but with only just enough performance to keep me happy. Performance is actually there, but they feel so mild and docile until you get right up into the high rpms. (I had 4.3 variants, 4.7 would go some way to fix this, V12 would certainly but they are over budget still!)
For the Aston, whatever model you look at I would say go for a manual. Whilst the roadster was fun, the sportshift transmission was a let down and I by far preferred the manual. Both felt really special, beautifully put together and held their money very well.
Next up was a C63 AMG coupe with the performance pack. The 6.2 V8 engine in this car (and many other Merc variants) is an absolute masterpiece! Mine was just shy of 500 hp and I loved it for the fairly short time of ownership. I would describe it as a muscle car but with modern refinements. Quite heavy but handled well for a road car. Very sensible running costs (excluding fuel) and completely reliable but again, not so good on the weekend/special car sense of occasion feeling which is what a weekend car really needs!
I was about to jump back into an Aston maybe try a Granturismo a couple of months back. I was looking at cars at around 40k when I spotted for sale the Gransport that's now in my profile pic.
Always liked them, and I think I fell in love a bit with this one, so long story short I bought it! I paid much less than half of my Aston budget for this car and comparing the Aston to the Maserati, I would honestly say that the Gransport is 90% as good with the biggest advantages being:
1, More power than the 4.3 Aston, and it feels much quicker and firmer/sportier.
2, F1 gearbox in the Gransport is MUCH better than Astons Sportshift.
3, Nearly the same sense of occasion/ special car feeling. (Aston are really very hard to beat here!)
4, At the moment, Gransports can be picked up at half to two thirds the price of a Vantage.
5, seats, without it feeling like it if that makes any sense!
So after all that, and considering this is after all a Maserati Forum, I think you should take advantage of the current Gransport prices and then make it perfect with all the money saved!
Failing that, I think an 07 08 Aston V8 Vantage 4.3 manual (or 4.7 at a push for budget) would tick all the boxes very well. Really great, rewarding and special cars to own and drive.
As for other maybes that keep catching my eye, how about...
Jaguar F type R
Granturismo 4.7
TVR T350 (make sure you know what's been done to any speed 6 in terms of rebuild history)
Exige V6 (May be a little raw still)
Audi R8
Would love to see a pic of your Chimaera 500 by the way!
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allandwf
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My Tuscan was the opposite. The Cerb on the other hand lol
jasst
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If you find the TVR too 'raw and intoxicating' then you certainly don't want to be considering a Noble, out of the frying pan, into the fire springs to mind.
rockits
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I would agree that the 500 is the one to have to give that full 100% TVR experience. It does indeed deliver on that in spades no question. It is just that I don't think I quite want that now.
I have a ton of pics from Mark Hunter from the original restoration/rebuild that was complete by Steve Darvill @ SD Autotec. Also a few of my own added in. I think the restoration costs seemed to be £19k apparently! Wow!!
There is a link to a folder of pics here:
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rockits
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I think you will be right there but not driven one. Been in Ho-Yin's @ Llandow only on a track so hard to say. I expect as you say will likely still be a little too raw.
Matt82
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Loved my Cerbera, used it as a daily for two years, never let me down. It was a very early clatter cam AJP V8.
Outside of scheduled servicing and tyres / pads etc. the only thing I had to pay for was a ribbon cable for the steering buttons.
Claim to fame, I was one of very few people who made it in to work one particularly snowy, icy morning, after weighing the back end down with a welding machine and a couple of spare wheels.
Outside of scheduled servicing and tyres / pads etc. the only thing I had to pay for was a ribbon cable for the steering buttons.
Claim to fame, I was one of very few people who made it in to work one particularly snowy, icy morning, after weighing the back end down with a welding machine and a couple of spare wheels.
davy83
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I had a 4.5 Chimeara with factory Tuscan lights, before the 3200. The 3200 is better behaved, with ABS, air bags, stability control and a hope in **** of surviving an accident, none of which the Chimeara had. My Chimeara had been heavily tweaked before i got it and had 317HP on the rolling road and was a a serious handful. The 3200 is less reliable than my TVR ever was, but I don't hanker for the TVR. Both great cars but probably the 3200 suits my enjoyment of tinkering, and also my increasing years, and perhaps now i don't have the same disregard for the sheer terror of the TVR at the edge.
rockits
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I think you are right about the GS but already have a mint garage queen 4200 so not sure it would make sense. Although I did consider the recently listed GS MCV that came up but it didn't seem a great example.
I had a 2006 V8 Vantage 4.3 Manual for a year and recently sold it mainly as had too many cars, wasn't sue about this covid thing and could see it falling a little further. I loved it but and would have another but think I would try to buy one with dual plate clutch with maybe Bamford Rose headers and suspension upgraded already done if one came up.
I have considered and a Granturismo 4.7 S MC and it is still on the list. I did even think of rolling the Vantage, TVR and 4200 cash 3-1 to get into a Strad as seemed a more sensible option. Still thinking about this as would make a lot of sense to have 1 better special car rather than 3 lesser ones. Jury is still out on that one.
Motorsport3
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mjheathcote
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You have a Maserati Coupe, had an Aston.
I'd say a Lotus Evora, or, if not too old for you, a Porsche 928.
I'd say a Lotus Evora, or, if not too old for you, a Porsche 928.
Bebs
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I had 3 TVRs: 400SE, Factory new Griff 500 and Factory new Tuscan Speed Six red rose pack.
Oddly enough It was the wedge that never let me down. The griff suffered oil starvation on the autobahn following an F355 at 120+ for quite some time.. BANG!
The Tuscan had a straight six engine made of chocolate and I had 2 new engines in less than a year. All of them were a handful at speeds over 100 mph, never mind windscreen wipers lifting or standing up at those speeds! (I travelled to Scandinavia from the UK on a regular basis back then)
The bonnet of the 400SE once lifted completely on the motorway (hinged at the windscreen end) completely blocking my vision - pretty scary moment.
Don‘t get me wrong, TVRs are great for the odd UK country road blast but for doing any mileage or high speed autobahn runs, forget it. Once I swapped the Tuscan for a 360 Modena I quickly realised it wasn’t just a different ball game, it was a different world all together.
Oddly enough It was the wedge that never let me down. The griff suffered oil starvation on the autobahn following an F355 at 120+ for quite some time.. BANG!
The Tuscan had a straight six engine made of chocolate and I had 2 new engines in less than a year. All of them were a handful at speeds over 100 mph, never mind windscreen wipers lifting or standing up at those speeds! (I travelled to Scandinavia from the UK on a regular basis back then)
The bonnet of the 400SE once lifted completely on the motorway (hinged at the windscreen end) completely blocking my vision - pretty scary moment.
Don‘t get me wrong, TVRs are great for the odd UK country road blast but for doing any mileage or high speed autobahn runs, forget it. Once I swapped the Tuscan for a 360 Modena I quickly realised it wasn’t just a different ball game, it was a different world all together.
rockits
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Good shout....always had an issue with those headlights though! Are they changed on the later cars now? Wonder if you can retrofit the new ones to the old cars.
Twinspark
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You can, the conventional headlights were standard on the Spider optional on this.
Motorsport3
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I read that it is not a simple "bolt on" thing to change them. The wiring apparently is different.