Doug, I recently saw you tweet that your disappointed these kind of videos aren’t doing as well as newer car videos. Whatever you do, don’t stop make these videos! Lol these kind of videos are what really separate you from every other car reviewer on RUclips. They make you unique and honestly WAY more intriguing. There definitely is an audience that is fascinated in seeing this kind of content on RUclips and you’re the only one who does it!
Yes I say screw the people who don't watch these older car vids. They are giving me a new love for the 90's-00's cars I grew up with but didn't always fully appreciate at the time.
I’m in the UK. I recently sold my 1998 Chimaera. A few things to say about a great video from Doug. First: don’t ever drive your TVR with just the targa up and no roof, because as you drive along the pressure will rip out the stitches of the rear wind screen. Second: later model TVRs had slightly better ergonomics and nicer switch gear, they also had extra climate control vents in the centre console. Third: Doug never mentioned the stupid ‘dimmer‘ switch for instrument lighting, it’s either off or on, it doesn’t dim. Many folk rewired it as an engine start, or immobiliser button. Forth: in warmer climates over heating could be an issue, those engines in a fibre glass body generate a lot of heat, but there is a relatively simple and inexpensive mod that kicks the cooling fans in stages. I had my Chimaera for 10 years as long as the chassis is good the rest of the car is easily looked after if a little eccentric.
This brings back memories. Had a friend in London with a Cerbera around 2002-3 so had some fun rides. A lot of similarities with the Chimaera and shared switch gear but maybe a slightly more practical option.
The 2nd gen rx7 had a very well done version of this top, the target panel was hard so you got near coupe like quiet with it up, the top could be dropped like a normal vertical, no need to remove the top panel if you don't want to as it stows with the rest in one piece. And of course in target mode the fabric half doesn't shred.
@@markspence3750 He mainly does his work in USA but sometimes travels. I am sure if one of those cars came up as a choice for him to review in the USA, he would,but I don't see Doug just travelling to the UK for just 1 car. I seen him travel but it was for multiple car reviews in the same traveled to country. Hope this helps.
Fun fact: The "Rover" V8 was developed by Buick in 1960 as an all-aluminum, 215 cubic inch (3.5 L) economy engine with 150 HP. Buick eventually raised the compression ratio from 8.8:1 to 11:1, slapped on a four barrel carburetor, and by 1963 it made a pretty impressive 200 HP and 240 lb⋅ft of torque. GM cancelled the Buick 215 after the 1963 model year due to the high cost of producing the all-aluminum engine, and sold the rights to the Rover Company who first used it in 1967 in the Rover P5B. Rover used the engine up until the mid-2000s with various improvements, updates, and capacities.
Buick was experiencing appallingly high scrappage rates due to porosity--the blocks were die -cast and the porosity didn't show up until a significant amount of machining was already completed. Rover went back to tried and true sand casting with eliminated the problem. When they acquired the engine they also hired a Buick engineer who had just retired to help them develop it further. Typical American thinking here, they told the engineer they wanted a higher rev limit, to which the engineer replied, "Why?"
Scotty Kilmer talks about it in his video "I Just Found a Replacement for My Celica". He got a Triumph TR8. He said it is a very good engine, very reliable. He said the Brits were ahead of the US in making aluminium at the time, so it made sense for them to buy it.
The turn signal stalk position *is* actually weird, Doug. It’s common to be reversed in Japanese cars, but RHD cars in the UK usually have the stalks in the same position as we’re used to with LHD
Actually, old UK cars had the stalks the same way round as the Japanese. My 1967 Mk2 Cortina had an indicator stalk on the right. I think they got switched around when the UK joined the EU (or EEC as it then was).
That's actually a cutscene from the movie Christine from Wish 😂😂😂😂 if you don't know the movie it's good... A car that kills and wrecks and fixes itself...
US based Chimaera owner here. I have a 94 with a 4.6 JED motor I imported in November. Some corrections for the pedantic, because when else am I going to be able to talk about something so specific! The top climate knob controls the temp, the bottom one controls the direction of flow. Besides the dash panel vents, there's a foot vent on each side. Weirdly, the driver side dash vent is EXCLUSIVELY for cold air. There's a separate unlabeled rotary knob under the column that controls a blower motor that sucks exterior air into the cabin through that vent and another footwell vent. There's another unlabeled underside column button that turns off the dash lights. No dimmer. Just on and off. My Chim has the turn signals on the left, which is typical for British RHD cars, typically JDM RHD cars will have the right side signal arrangement. My window switches are also mounted behind the shifter, instead of in the front, which shows how much TVR just did whatever they felt like when they were building them. So far it's been a blast, I'm a previous Elise, SW20 MR2, X100 XKR, Caterham, NA Miata, C5 Corvette owner, and this feels more in the GT than pure sports category. Like a Miata sized XKR. The space frames aren't the stiffest. Parts availability in the States isn't bad for hard parts. Rover motor, Ford T5 tranny, Ford brakes and suspension hubs/uprights. Great online community for knowledge. Values are still low for what you get, especially compared to what else similar cars in the market fetch.
You said pedantic and I thought of James May. This reads like something he would have written and I mean that as a compliment. That's awesome that you have a Chimaera
Does the turn signal in your car return? I have a few British cars and I know the clock mechanism for the turn signal return can break. It is also easy to assemble incorrectly if the steering wheel was removed for some reason.
@@ianfurqueron5850 mine does. The car in the video doesn't have a stock wheel in it, the hub they used may not have retained that function. Stock was a Personal wheel with a different pattern then the more common Momo/Sparco pattern.
That quarter window I genuinely weird. From a distance I thought it was from an mx5. I like quarter windows on convertibles, makes a huge difference to cabin turbulence. Drove convertible cameros, solstice, bmw 3 series without them, bugs in my eyes and mouth every time. Never had that problem in an mx5.
@@iainbagnall4825 I had a targa top C5 corvette and would drive with the windows down and top off on the freeway and didn’t have anything hit me in the face. I think the windshield was tall and wide enough to block that
I use to install security items on these vehicles in the day and remember that because they were on a budget you would find that they would use whatever colour wiring loom they had. So one week all the positive (12v) wires were red and the next car they were blue or black.😀
@@skylined5534 TVR was not a serious manufacturer. It was basically a group of people knocking cars together whichever way they managed I'll tell you first hand that the actual spec varied from car to car. When they hadn't paid a supplier due to cash flow or other problems (disagreements) they would use substitute parts (A/C compressors, alternators etc) form whoever they could get them from and fabricate modifications and brackets to make them work. An owner posted a story on Pistonheads forums back in the day, he was waiting forever for a warranty repair, finally he had enough of excuses and went to the factory where he found his car partially disassembled as he claims they had used a part to complete a new car. Another fact you can look up is a lot of photographic evidence of the guys making the fiberglass panels having engraved penises and rude comments about co-workers on the underside of the panels where they can't be seen till the car is taken apart for repairs... There are also stories of engine numbers not corresponding as they fitted more powerful variants in some regular models as that's what they had available when they were short of cash.
What you said reminds me of this clip from old Top Gear (skip to the TVR opening scene @ exactly 1 minute into the video) ruclips.net/video/bwoHmubxDIg/видео.html
@@energymc22 Pistonheads 😂 The site several of us love to deride on account of the folks on it. Why not provide this evidence you speak of? You bring it up so prove it. P.s. you know TVR is about to launch a new car? Was? Is.
The rear brake lights were taken from an old generation Ford Fiesta… the clear covers are there to keep the round look of the car. And you totally nailed it on the name’s font… looks like a last minute’s job, like “where’s the car name? Oh shit”
The front indicators are from the 60's Chieftain Tank I read many years ago. Only this year stumbled across said tank in a museum with my youngest and said to him, same indicators as dad's car..
Hope everyone who truly likes reviews on obscure cars like this like and share this video.. incentivise doug to do these more as it doesn’t appeal to mainstream audience
He was rather nasty about the last TVR he reviewed, he didn't seem to understand the point of them which was to be a "drivers car" that required an active and attentive driver. Of course if the driver got distracted and wasn't paying attention, their TVR would have no problem in killing them.
The roof on most Chimaeras folds down much lower than this one, the only thing stopping it is the risk of splitting the plastic window. Also, there is additional cabin storage on these with a covered storage box behind both seats under the parcel shelf, albeit well hidden 👍
@@flair8099 to be fair, I know plenty of owners who didn't know they were there. They'll take a tool kit, wheel jack and tyre foam, or a decent speaker upgrade 🤔
Yep, the roof should fold down further, but not by much. Over time the rear panel will split if you do push it down. Simple fix is to roll up an old rug and stick it in the fold as you push the roof down.
A slight correction: The Griffith was the top tier car. The Chimera was a lower entry point into the brand; more accessible. BTW, the rear window assembly used to drop lower than it does on the test car. I think it's had a replacement hood which isn't folding as easily. The rear badges in 'modern TVRs were always an oval with the italics. I always thought they looked good.
You have to give the folding hoop a real shove to push it down properly, otherwise it sits high, as reviewed. Then again, why do you need to see what's behind you? Obviously not driving it right...
@coronavirusadvice8746 sort-of... the Chim was sold as a more convenient and accessible car that fixed some of the fussier aspects of the Griff. The fact that the Chim sold way more than the Griff (despite looking worse ;p ). The engine specs were whatever they wanted to sell at the time - typical TVR disaster for planning and marketing
Doug, I too was introduced to TVR through Gran Turismo in the late 90s! The whole GT franchise is pretty great, but the original gave me an unrivaled passion for cars, their history, and a broad understanding of their mechanicals.
My dad had a chimaera when I was a kid & to this day it's still one of my favourite cars of all time. So glad that Doug finally got to experience one of these as even though they're british built & not the most reliable cars they're fantastic if you take care of them. So much character in a lightweight chassis with a big ol' v8 never fails to put a smile on your face
None of the TVRs from the Peter Wheeler era had driver's aids. No ABS because they had mechanical brakes. No stability control for the same reason. No traction control because Peter Wheeler refused to build a car that had veto power over your right foot.
These cars are incredible. They're all about character and how they make you feel. Best suited for a beautiful mid summer late afternoon drive over clear countryside roads to a proper British pub for a nice cold pint and a read of the paper. Oh, and everyone waves to you in a TVR....you don't get that in 911 Turbo
@@hexgraphica haha, as an owner, I can confirm it's much more devilish than it is clever... I mean, it's clever also, but nowhere near as clever as it is angry.
Fun fact: The Cerbera is named after the plant, often called the "suicide tree" because all of its parts are poisonous. The tree itself is named after the mythical Cerberus or "hell hound" due to its deadly nature, but the car was named after the plant and not the mythical creature. If that makes sense. True story... I heard it from Damian McTaggart himself, who knew my father quite well.
The tail light situation is due to them being parts bin items. The outer clear casing is there and shaped to make them look better and fit the rest of the cars design.
@One Issue Voter door mirror is taken from the Citroën CX (as used on the Jag XJ220) and the door controls are deliberately designed so the heavy mechanism is in the body which keeps the door light and saves wear on the hinges, thats why there are no handles on the doors 😉
@One Issue Voter those are the features that made TVR stand out and are part of the reason the brands cars so fondly remembered, even if the cars weren’t always objectively good
I owned one of these in the late 90's. It was a huge amount of fun and definitely missed, thought not exactly ideal as a daily driver especially in the winter. TVRs are known for unreliability but this very much varies from car to car - mine never completely left me stranded, but a few times I had to drop it off at the dealer on the way to work to have it looked at. Lots of Quirks and Features as you indicated Doug, but you missed the best one... The recess for the front indicators was allegedly created by the then owner Peter Wheeler's dog called Ned. Apparently he took a dislike to the front of the polystyrene model and bit a chunk out it creating the recess for the indicator light!
Great review! I own a 1995 Chimaera and it is a real blast to drive and certainly turns heads. Parts are cheap and readily available and they are easy cars to maintain/work on. If looked after they are reliable enough. If you like ‘60s sports cars with big engines, these are the nearest modern-ish equivalent you’ll find.
The taillights are from a MK 3 Ford Fiesta with a more bubbled surround on them. That's why they gave 2 cases. Plus, the front then signal - the reason is has a double hole for them (one below the one containing the light) is because the designer was playing with the company chairman's dog and the dog went to bite him and took a chunk out of the clay model and they kept it like that.
One of the points of owning a Tiv is it's quirks. I've owned a Griffith 500 since 2002. It's different, turns heads, people don't know what it is, you can burble around at low speed, or scare the crap out of yourself. It's also comfortable and practical. If money allowed, I'd add a Tuscan S to the collection.
Great video Doug. TVR was exported to many countries including Japan, Australia and New Zealand. I have seen LHD models but they are fairly rare. If you had road tested a TVR 500 version I think you have been surprised,
My dad had the Griffith 500 for 15 years. was awesome! Let me drive it too!! It never seemed quirky to me!! Only normal servicing and new batteries. Never went wrong... Would even do 30mpg on a long steady run... So light and handled beautifully but yes, treat it with respect.. Great review. Thanks Doug...
Back in the 90s, there was a TVR dealer called 'Horseless Carriages' just down the road from where I lived, and these grunting V8 monsters seemed about as far removed from the concept of horse-drawn transportation as was possible!
@@hhcsportscars2326 - Oh, good for you lot! I just checked on Google Maps, and saw your old Harrogate garage is now a carpet warehouse. Glad you're still around, and located in some spectacular driving country. Enjoy those back roads!
I've been wanting a TVR since I played Gran Turismo 2 back in the day and they still seem so far out of reach. Such amazing cars, it's a shame (and a bit of a blessing) that they're not more well known.
I've been waiting for Doug to get his hands on a TVR again since they are essentially his wet dream for quirks and features. The interiors especially were designed without a care for what other manufacturers do.
Nice to see you getting hold of TVRs to review over there Doug. I own both a Chimaera 400 as featured in this video, and a Cerbera. I know of quite a few Cerberas making their way over to the states due to the 25 year ruling, and I absolutely implore you to review one! The Chimaera is a charming and slightly eccentric introduction to the quirks of TVR, but ultimately quite tame- the Cerbera is completely unhinged, and won't think twice about kicking you in the nads. As well as having the maddest interior ever- it's perfect Doug fodder!
I love nearly ALL TVRs. They're just soooo cool. I once went out in a Cerbera, can't remember the engine but he said it was the bigger one. It seemed.. INSANELY fast from 40 to 160+ . I'll never forget it.
Despite that production figure, Chimeras weren't exactly that common on the roads even here in the UK. They had a well-earned reputation for being a handful to drive, courtesy of the fact that a tweaked and tuned large capacity V8 was mated to an aluminium chassis and fibreglass bodywork. Which accounts for much of the lack of mass to shift, and the consequent willingness to launch forwards in an alarming manner if you're not careful with the accelerator foot. Plus, of course, the presence of absolutely zero driver aids meant that this was a hairy chested sports car for people who either knew what they were doing, or alternatively, were deranged. By the way, Doug, if you ever want to experience a *truly* deranged sports car, then next time you're in England, try and arrange a test drive of the TVR Speed 12. Which is, in effect, the result of taking the Chimera's sister car, the Cerbera, and giving it, wait for it, a 7.7 litre V12 with a power output north of 900 BHP. If you ever do arrange a test drive (which will be confined to a hired racetrack for the day, and you'll learn VERY quickly why), you'll be asked to sign a waiver to the effect that the car's owner is absolved of any responsibility if you kill yourself driving it. Now, imagine an aluminium chassis, fibreglass bodywork, and a 900-plus BHP V12 engine propelling the whole. This is why one UK car magazine tester described then TVR Speed 12 as "terrifyingly quick". 0-60 is achievable in about 3.3 seconds (even without traction control) if you know what you're doing, and although it's never been taken to the limit, it's theoretically good for, wait for it, 240 mph. I suspect you'll *never* forget the experience if you're ever invited to drive it. :)
I think it depends on where you were at that time. I lived in the suburbs of London at that time and TVR’s were fairly common place, street parked daily drivers. Plus don’t forget that Pistonheads was originally a TVR owners forum that gradually branched out and we all know how popular Pistonheads has been for many years. A few of friends dads would always have a TVR at some point. I would actually go as far as to say that TVR’s were far more popular than Porsche 964’s/993’s. It was only when the 996 came in that Porsche really took off.
The last 2 cars have been extra quirky and I love it. Everytime I think Doug has exhausted the options of super quirky cars to show us he proves me wrong. He really is the best example of someone who loves the car industry and it's history in it's purest form. If he had to choose between reviewing this TVR or a million dollar hypercar I bet he would pick this every single time.
I've ridden in a Chimera 500 out here in British Columbia, Canada. It's actually such a fun car, quite powerful. Love how you open the doors from the interior aha
This is cool. I’ve only heard of TVR through old video games and car magazines and if honestly forgotten these ever existed. Very cool. Please keep the quirky videos coming, Doug. I’d much rather see more of these than the next boring crossover that’s coming out.
Knew this was coming when I saw you standing in front of it on a cars and bids ad on a previous video 🙂 I also knew you'd love its quirkiness! I have the 4.5 litre version built in 2000 so it has the better switch gear and the dashboard is more logically organised. They did build some LHD cars although not that many. There were some built in Malaysia. I'm sort of assuming these were all LHD but not certain. There are definitely LHD examples in Europe. You got the two dials wrong for the ventilation - the top one controls temperature - left towards the red LED is hotter and the green LED is cold (blue LEDs weren't a thing in the 90's!) The bottom dial controls the distribution of the air hence the two triangular LEDs which point upwards towards the windscreen and downwards toward the passenger area. There are central vents - they are hidden under the dash in front of the area where the electric window switches are. There are also vents hidden by your legs on the transmission tunnel which can be opened or closed. And early cars had a cold air blower in the driver's footwell. The reason for the triangular shape on the doors is that the front piece that meets the windscreen is a channel to support the window glass. The other piece is just to support the channel. There is some logic to needing accessory position for the boot. Without it anyone could just reach in and open the boot if the car is left somewhere with the roof down. It's the same for the filler cap; the cap does not lock so the boot lid serves that purpose. The thing about most RHD cars having indicators on the right is not actually true. Most RHD cars have the indicators on the left just like all other markets. It was mostly Japanese stuff that had them on the right. In fact I had no idea that early Chimaeras had it on the right. You would have got the roof down a bit lower if you'd undone the velcro on the sides. Visibility is good out of the side mirrors so it's not a big deal really anyway.
If there were Chimaeras built in Malaysia I'd assume they're right hand drive, as Malaysia drives on the left, unless they weren't specifically built for the Malaysian market. Though if the car made it to mainland Europe then those would likely be left hand drive examples.
The indicators being on the right was a traditional British thing. It had largely fallen out of favour as it made no sense to manufacture different steering column assemblies for left and right hand drive. As an aside, I believe the Cerbera also has the stalk on the right.
Douglas, saying it’s “quirky” that a taillight has a clear protector around it is like saying an egg carton is unnecessary to carry eggs because the egg shell is already designed to protect the yolk.
Wow - I used to drive one of these back in the late '90's, I was in the North West so not far from Blackpool where they were made - bit of a liability to be honest but very very fun.
Hello, im Uk and many years back visited the factory in Blackpool. It was a Sunday and a special open day for the TVR club, I have an old camera picture of my late bother in law peering under a big cover where a prototype version was hidden. Factory security got really snotty with us (hey ho). The factory was a mad old hotch potch with chaps sploshing fibre glass resin around and zero or little H&S and little PPE. A German chap in the tour started shouting "das ist miner" .. meaning he was looking at his TVR car in raw form in production ( the build sheet was stuck on the back wing) . No major conveyor belts and just big shed type units. I also recall the tour guide saying that MOBIL 1 (its relative errly days of synthetics) which they put in the cars was too effective and they ran in the engines on old fashioned mineral oil to bed in for the first few thousand miles. Am i also right in saying that the brake servo is masked by the fibre glass body as they forgot to leave access in the early production cars. Please note this was many years back and im getting old so memoy mat be a bit off detail. Our tour day enede with a huge cavalcaed of TVRs doing the sea front drive past. My Brother in law had a TVR 3000 M . nice vid by the way.
The rear badge rant was a little bit strange and undeserved, and the roof is obviously not operating correctly, lol... The rear lights are "parts bin" items, so they didn't have to get their own designed. They are from a Ford Fiesta from the era. Then they added the covers to style them into the rest of the car. I'm surprised you missed that the bodywork is all fiberglass which is part of why it is so light, and that the engine is actually American in origin. The Rover V8 started life as Buick's all alloy replacement for the nailhead.
Ive watched Doug's videos since 8k subscribers & i can definitely say Doug is a huge critic of fonts! Ugly fonts are an eye sore for Doug lmao I agree some fonts kill the style lol
I watch dozens of videos about the Chimaera but yours is just better, congrats for the work. Just a thing : the handles are not just for the style or a weird choice, it was a way to fight car thiefs. No handles no cars stolen. Cheers from France !
Friend of mine had one of these in the late 1990s. Bought it for a good price, looked after it, daily drove it, sold it a few years later. For a net profit. Unbelievable. They do take a fair bit of looking after; the chassis tubular frame is the main worry. There are UK companies that make replacement chassis, so it is feasible to save one that's too far gone. All the panels are fibreglass, so they won't ever rust. The engine can be kept going forever. There's nothing complicated about the brakes, etc. Interiors; well, any old interiors shop is going to be able to do as good a job as TVR did in the factory! If you do strip out the interior, be prepared to find graffiti underneath the coverings... Fun fact. The tail lights on the TVR got re-used on the McLaren F1. McLaren picked because they thought that TVR must have homologated it. Nope. They'd nicked them off a model of bus...
Great post. Though I am sorry to say your last paragraph makes a sweet anecdote, but there is no way that is true. Everyone even remotly involved in car design learns of the lightning certification woes while they are still in diapers, pretty much. But I do agree it makes a good story.
@@abarratt8869 I am sure it has. Doesnt make it true, everyone loves a good story, especially the press whos livelyhood depend on it. If you think about the story, I am sure you will also realise that it cant be true. Also, which TVR model used the taillights they wanted to use on the f1? Sorry to be a party pooper, wasnt my intention to bring the mood down, I swear.
TVR is my favorite car brand .. powerful , simple , crazy , no driving assist , really light weight .... just fast dangerous cars , it represents the true british racing heritage with outstanding design (TVR Cerbera was gorgeous even by today's standards)
I know it can't be easy being a small car company but I imagine they'd sell so much better back in the day if the interior wasn't the most complicated oversight in the entire car industry.
Complicated? You should see the final Tuscans - these '90s cars were simple compared to the last of them! Mind you, as a small car company, what do you do when Rover killed the V8? Yep, TVR created their own - the AJ6 (later Speed Six) inline unit and then they decided to take it racing and created the crazy Speed Twelve - according to Peter Wheeler, they dyno'd it and the engine broke at 1000bhp. They left it at 960bhp and it was undriveable so he just refunded all the deposits and only 3 prototypes were built. I think Doug would become a blithering mess with all the quirks and featureson one of the last TVRs... (though technically, the company has been relaunched apparently - in Forza Horizon 4, you can drive one of the 'new' ones).
Doug Demuro unlocked a core memory. This whole video, I was thinking to myself “This car seems very familiar” and then he mentioned Grand Turismo! It was a car you won and I remember using it and it had pretty stiff turning but the engine was very loud. At least in the game. Thank Doug!
I don't care about the expensive super cars, or the off roaders. But this is exactly why I subscribed in the first place. I also remember seeing this in the Gran Turismo video game. I also suggest everyone watch Jeremy Clarksons review of TVR's on Top Gear. I hope TVR starts making cars again. Please keep up the good work. Thank you.
I was hoping Doug would review another TVR as the other one was a long time ago. (Commenting mostly to please the algorithm, so that this video does well and Doug can keep showing us all these weird and quirky cars.)
Had a tvr in 1997. It broke down all the time. The roof leaked when it rained and occasionally the driver's side door would come off! But the sound of the engine through a stainless steel exhaust, popping was awesome.
What a crock. They weren't particularly unreliable as they were incredibly simple and there wasn't a lot to go wrong. Roof leaking is potentially true story. Door falling off? Someone's been watching too much Clarkson era TopGear.
I’m surprised Doug didn’t mention the really bizarre exhaust manifold design that car had. Not sure how many people noticed but the manifolds pointed towards the front of the car and merged in a y pipe that then went down in front of the engine and under the car. Super weird design
To address the issue about parts availability, TVR still exists as a company (it's actually in the process of getting a brand-new Griffith into production) and in 2014 it set up the TVR Genuine Parts initiative specifically to assure supply of parts to owners, rebuilders and restorers: www.tvr.co.uk/genuine-parts
@@drake6143 but didn‘t Doug talk about some sort of show and display exception with some of the other cars he drove before? Like some sort of rule that you can legally import rare and unusual cars before?
Thanks Doug for highlighting a Blackpool legend! I grew up in Blackpool in the 1970's and 1980's, and went to school not too far from the TVR factory on Bristol Avenue. While TVRs were always known as parts-bin specials held together by glue, there was also something charming about their no-nonsense V8 straight line power.
Lol, I grew up in Blackpool just a little earlier than that and had a good nostalgia hit at 18:26. Hard to know whether to be proud or embarrassed about TVR, like coming from Blackpool itself.
Good video. I've only driven a Chimaera 500 (the 5.0 litre Rover V8 with cross-bolted block) which belongs to a friend. I myself owned the Chimaera's big brother the Cerbera which looked superficially similar styling-wise in a 2+2 coupe form, but was a totally different car underneath. The Chimaera uses the Rover engine, Rover clutch, Ford Sierra brakes and most of the electronics are borrowed too. The Cerbera was the first TVR to use their own engine, a super lightweight race-derived V8 with a flat plane crank and 94bhp/litre, a bespoke clutch, AP Racing brakes and bespoke electronics. I absolutely adore TVRs. I'd have another in a heartbeat.
The amazing deconstructing TVR Chimaera. It's a feature they engineered in to heighten driver/car synergy.... as you drove various parts & fittings would randomly fail thus keeping you guessing about what had just failed, what was going to fail next & whether or not you'd make it to your destination.! Very thoughtful of TVR if you ask me.!
I always loved TVR's. They did a model called the Cerbera which had an in-house straight 6. But then they release a 12 cylinder version - it was insane!
Speed 12 it was called, nutty.... a killer... Peter Wheeler drove it home, who was the owner of TVR Company, a Yorkshireman, at the time and said people would kill themselves so it was put on ice! Only a few were built!
Love the exterior styling. This car is quirky indeed. Could the cigarette lighter on the right door be because most people are right-handed? If it were to the left, the driver might have to switch hands with a hot lighter to light their ciggy.
Doug I'm from the UK and had a friend discride a TVR as a kit car in reverse. You buy a whole car and over time it disassembles itself. Great car if you like working on cars.
I dont find it odd to have the roof stored this way, i would value the cargo space much more than having your view somewhat impeded. Same for the fuel cab, why not have it in the tunk, no visible fuel cab on the outside so it looks clean.
As a teenager growing up in the UK in the early 90s, the Chimera was the stuff of dreams. The shaping of the indicator/turn signal lights at the front was famously shaped by the designer Peter Wheeler's dog biting the styling buck. Hilarious!
I love these. Always classy looking but cobbled together from a lot of parts bins. I have to add though, the indicator stork isnt on the right because its a right hand drive. In the UK the indicator is still on the left and wipers on the right. This is more like a Japanese car where they switch the storks round
I love this car, I also had one or 2 of them in Gran Turismo because I wanted them in different colors (blue and green). I'd say it's more of a cross between an AC/Shelby Cobra and a Dodge Viper than anything Miata.... but I get what Doug meant, it's tiny and raw. Hope he gets a chance to review the other TVR models like the Cerebral & Griffith someday soon...had those in Gran Turismo as well.... beautiful cars with nice paint colors.
I loved this review a lot. Lots of unusual stuff that’s just right up Doug’s alley and you can see how enthusiastic he was to finally show them to us hahahahahha. And by Viper Miata mix, you mean the original Cobra? Haha those are very scary cars to drive!
This is on the website of TVR in the UK: “The latest TVR to be hitting the roads from 2018 onwards will be, as the TVR Car Club announced, “Unapologetic, loud, proud and British built”. “ It’s now four years later and it has been deafening quiet.
Part of the front end was actually designed by a dog, TVR boss at the time Peter Wheeler´s dog was always at the office, and they had a polystyrene design model of the car there they were working on. The dog bit a chunk out of the front end, and they thought it actually looked cool, so that´s why the spot where the turn signals go look like that.
I had one of these in 2002 as a part exchange for a brand new Range Rover the customer ordered through my old import car business called Euro Continental Cars. We didn’t have RUclips in the days I was in car business . It was a rare 1 off green gold colour this TVR Chimaera with only 1 owner. sold it 4 months later when the new Range Rover was ready for delivery. Loved the roar V8 . Unique.
![ROSÉ (로제) - number one girl [더 시즌즈-이영지의 레인보우] | KBS 241129 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/A9oByH9Ci24/mqdefault.jpg)
Doug, I recently saw you tweet that your disappointed these kind of videos aren’t doing as well as newer car videos. Whatever you do, don’t stop make these videos! Lol these kind of videos are what really separate you from every other car reviewer on RUclips. They make you unique and honestly WAY more intriguing. There definitely is an audience that is fascinated in seeing this kind of content on RUclips and you’re the only one who does it!
Exactly! His reviews of weird, old, and quirky cars are what makes him unique from the other RUclipsrs!
I second that. Never heard of this car and it was cool to learn about it.
He only cares about getting that bag.
Get your fix over at Shootingcars. He does a great job with the most random of cars!
Yes I say screw the people who don't watch these older car vids. They are giving me a new love for the 90's-00's cars I grew up with but didn't always fully appreciate at the time.
Doug is reviewing a lot of old, quirky, forgotten cars recently, I am loving it!!
Always loved the more 80s and 90s reviews. These are the Doug vids I live for
That because it's the current trend among car youtubers
These are the videos that I drop everything to watch
I'll give you "quirky", but, there's nothing "old", or, "forgotten" about a '94 TVR.
@@ChimenyDust and even 2000s cuz I’m from the early 2000s
I’m in the UK. I recently sold my 1998 Chimaera. A few things to say about a great video from Doug. First: don’t ever drive your TVR with just the targa up and no roof, because as you drive along the pressure will rip out the stitches of the rear wind screen. Second: later model TVRs had slightly better ergonomics and nicer switch gear, they also had extra climate control vents in the centre console. Third: Doug never mentioned the stupid ‘dimmer‘ switch for instrument lighting, it’s either off or on, it doesn’t dim. Many folk rewired it as an engine start, or immobiliser button. Forth: in warmer climates over heating could be an issue, those engines in a fibre glass body generate a lot of heat, but there is a relatively simple and inexpensive mod that kicks the cooling fans in stages. I had my Chimaera for 10 years as long as the chassis is good the rest of the car is easily looked after if a little eccentric.
This brings back memories. Had a friend in London with a Cerbera around 2002-3 so had some fun rides. A lot of similarities with the Chimaera and shared switch gear but maybe a slightly more practical option.
Also oddly, the vid didn't really talk about styling which I think is quite nice. People go on about the E Type but (both of) these are up there.
I wish Doug would review Austin-Healey's, MG's, Fiats, Morgan's, Lancia's.
The 2nd gen rx7 had a very well done version of this top, the target panel was hard so you got near coupe like quiet with it up, the top could be dropped like a normal vertical, no need to remove the top panel if you don't want to as it stows with the rest in one piece. And of course in target mode the fabric half doesn't shred.
@@markspence3750 He mainly does his work in USA but sometimes travels. I am sure if one of those cars came up as a choice for him to review in the USA, he would,but I don't see Doug just travelling to the UK for just 1 car. I seen him travel but it was for multiple car reviews in the same traveled to country. Hope this helps.
Fun fact: The "Rover" V8 was developed by Buick in 1960 as an all-aluminum, 215 cubic inch (3.5 L) economy engine with 150 HP. Buick eventually raised the compression ratio from 8.8:1 to 11:1, slapped on a four barrel carburetor, and by 1963 it made a pretty impressive 200 HP and 240 lb⋅ft of torque. GM cancelled the Buick 215 after the 1963 model year due to the high cost of producing the all-aluminum engine, and sold the rights to the Rover Company who first used it in 1967 in the Rover P5B. Rover used the engine up until the mid-2000s with various improvements, updates, and capacities.
Many many other companies also used it. Best decision Rover ever made.
Buick was experiencing appallingly high scrappage rates due to porosity--the blocks were die -cast and the porosity didn't show up until a significant amount of machining was already completed. Rover went back to tried and true sand casting with eliminated the problem. When they acquired the engine they also hired a Buick engineer who had just retired to help them develop it further. Typical American thinking here, they told the engineer they wanted a higher rev limit, to which the engineer replied, "Why?"
@@mescko did they do it as some cars have 6000 /6500 rpm limits which seems high for a 60s american v8
Scotty Kilmer talks about it in his video "I Just Found a Replacement for My Celica". He got a Triumph TR8. He said it is a very good engine, very reliable. He said the Brits were ahead of the US in making aluminium at the time, so it made sense for them to buy it.
@@ablair37 yes.
The turn signal stalk position *is* actually weird, Doug. It’s common to be reversed in Japanese cars, but RHD cars in the UK usually have the stalks in the same position as we’re used to with LHD
Lots of car manufactures do that to save costs on this side of the pond.
I’ve got an old Mitsubishi shogun sport in the U.K. and I forget every time I use it..
Makes me wonder if this was actually a JDM TVR in which case the indicator location would make more sense.
Actually, old UK cars had the stalks the same way round as the Japanese. My 1967 Mk2 Cortina had an indicator stalk on the right. I think they got switched around when the UK joined the EU (or EEC as it then was).
@@BIZKIT551 they look a bit suzuki ish even though they do use a lot of ford parts
Doug deserves “Actor of the Year” with the quarter window death scene. 😂😂
That acting alone is so good that it made his haters jealous…
That's one of the few instances where he actually made me LOL, lol
That's actually a cutscene from the movie Christine from Wish 😂😂😂😂 if you don't know the movie it's good... A car that kills and wrecks and fixes itself...
He created another meme
Hopefully he won't get a slap from Will
US based Chimaera owner here. I have a 94 with a 4.6 JED motor I imported in November. Some corrections for the pedantic, because when else am I going to be able to talk about something so specific! The top climate knob controls the temp, the bottom one controls the direction of flow. Besides the dash panel vents, there's a foot vent on each side. Weirdly, the driver side dash vent is EXCLUSIVELY for cold air. There's a separate unlabeled rotary knob under the column that controls a blower motor that sucks exterior air into the cabin through that vent and another footwell vent. There's another unlabeled underside column button that turns off the dash lights. No dimmer. Just on and off. My Chim has the turn signals on the left, which is typical for British RHD cars, typically JDM RHD cars will have the right side signal arrangement. My window switches are also mounted behind the shifter, instead of in the front, which shows how much TVR just did whatever they felt like when they were building them. So far it's been a blast, I'm a previous Elise, SW20 MR2, X100 XKR, Caterham, NA Miata, C5 Corvette owner, and this feels more in the GT than pure sports category. Like a Miata sized XKR. The space frames aren't the stiffest. Parts availability in the States isn't bad for hard parts. Rover motor, Ford T5 tranny, Ford brakes and suspension hubs/uprights. Great online community for knowledge. Values are still low for what you get, especially compared to what else similar cars in the market fetch.
You said pedantic and I thought of James May. This reads like something he would have written and I mean that as a compliment. That's awesome that you have a Chimaera
95 on added 2 centre cool air vents to that drivers one.
Great write up brother! Thanks for the insight.
Does the turn signal in your car return? I have a few British cars and I know the clock mechanism for the turn signal return can break. It is also easy to assemble incorrectly if the steering wheel was removed for some reason.
@@ianfurqueron5850 mine does. The car in the video doesn't have a stock wheel in it, the hub they used may not have retained that function. Stock was a Personal wheel with a different pattern then the more common Momo/Sparco pattern.
James May: "Did you know that in the whole history of TVR, there is no records of one ever breaking down?"
Clarkson: "I've heard that."
They just burned to ashes
Clarkson sending James may into the ocean
TVR records dept: Were we supposed to keep records?
That quarter window I genuinely weird. From a distance I thought it was from an mx5. I like quarter windows on convertibles, makes a huge difference to cabin turbulence. Drove convertible cameros, solstice, bmw 3 series without them, bugs in my eyes and mouth every time. Never had that problem in an mx5.
@@iainbagnall4825 I had a targa top C5 corvette and would drive with the windows down and top off on the freeway and didn’t have anything hit me in the face. I think the windshield was tall and wide enough to block that
I use to install security items on these vehicles in the day and remember that because they were on a budget you would find that they would use whatever colour wiring loom they had. So one week all the positive (12v) wires were red and the next car they were blue or black.😀
That's not a believable story but seems it gets a few likes.
@@skylined5534 sorry but it perfectly true!
@@skylined5534 TVR was not a serious manufacturer. It was basically a group of people knocking cars together whichever way they managed I'll tell you first hand that the actual spec varied from car to car. When they hadn't paid a supplier due to cash flow or other problems (disagreements) they would use substitute parts (A/C compressors, alternators etc) form whoever they could get them from and fabricate modifications and brackets to make them work. An owner posted a story on Pistonheads forums back in the day, he was waiting forever for a warranty repair, finally he had enough of excuses and went to the factory where he found his car partially disassembled as he claims they had used a part to complete a new car. Another fact you can look up is a lot of photographic evidence of the guys making the fiberglass panels having engraved penises and rude comments about co-workers on the underside of the panels where they can't be seen till the car is taken apart for repairs... There are also stories of engine numbers not corresponding as they fitted more powerful variants in some regular models as that's what they had available when they were short of cash.
What you said reminds me of this clip from old Top Gear (skip to the TVR opening scene @ exactly 1 minute into the video) ruclips.net/video/bwoHmubxDIg/видео.html
@@energymc22
Pistonheads 😂
The site several of us love to deride on account of the folks on it.
Why not provide this evidence you speak of? You bring it up so prove it.
P.s. you know TVR is about to launch a new car? Was? Is.
The rear brake lights were taken from an old generation Ford Fiesta… the clear covers are there to keep the round look of the car.
And you totally nailed it on the name’s font… looks like a last minute’s job, like “where’s the car name? Oh shit”
The front indicators are from the 60's Chieftain Tank I read many years ago. Only this year stumbled across said tank in a museum with my youngest and said to him, same indicators as dad's car..
Hope everyone who truly likes reviews on obscure cars like this like and share this video.. incentivise doug to do these more as it doesn’t appeal to mainstream audience
I wish Doug would review Austin-Healey's, MG's, Fiats, Morgan's, Lancia's.
I agree. These are my favorite videos of his- him reviewing quirky/cool cars
I'd like to see a review of a Lucra!
What if that was his April fools joke?
YES!! Been waiting for Doug to do some more TVR’s! Would be great to do another on the Tuscan.
hi
You got daddy dougs seal of approval, Tuscan coming soon
He was rather nasty about the last TVR he reviewed, he didn't seem to understand the point of them which was to be a "drivers car" that required an active and attentive driver. Of course if the driver got distracted and wasn't paying attention, their TVR would have no problem in killing them.
Yeah, want a longer Tuscan version
He did ruclips.net/video/32u6KPTALxg/видео.html but it was a while ago
The roof on most Chimaeras folds down much lower than this one, the only thing stopping it is the risk of splitting the plastic window. Also, there is additional cabin storage on these with a covered storage box behind both seats under the parcel shelf, albeit well hidden 👍
TVR really likes to hide things.
Wow it was so well hidden that Doug missed it
reminds me of that last K-car. something definitely is wrong with that roof.
@@flair8099 to be fair, I know plenty of owners who didn't know they were there. They'll take a tool kit, wheel jack and tyre foam, or a decent speaker upgrade 🤔
Yep, the roof should fold down further, but not by much. Over time the rear panel will split if you do push it down. Simple fix is to roll up an old rug and stick it in the fold as you push the roof down.
A slight correction: The Griffith was the top tier car. The Chimera was a lower entry point into the brand; more accessible.
BTW, the rear window assembly used to drop lower than it does on the test car. I think it's had a replacement hood which isn't folding as easily.
The rear badges in 'modern TVRs were always an oval with the italics. I always thought they looked good.
Yep, that rear window isn't right, it should fold flat. You can see the struts aren't folding together properly.
I'm quite surprised Doug didn't figure out the roof/window situation for himself to be honest, he's been doing this long enough...
You have to give the folding hoop a real shove to push it down properly, otherwise it sits high, as reviewed. Then again, why do you need to see what's behind you? Obviously not driving it right...
@coronavirusadvice8746 sort-of... the Chim was sold as a more convenient and accessible car that fixed some of the fussier aspects of the Griff. The fact that the Chim sold way more than the Griff (despite looking worse ;p ). The engine specs were whatever they wanted to sell at the time - typical TVR disaster for planning and marketing
You got any TVR you’re winning at life
Doug, I too was introduced to TVR through Gran Turismo in the late 90s! The whole GT franchise is pretty great, but the original gave me an unrivaled passion for cars, their history, and a broad understanding of their mechanicals.
I really loved driving this car in Gran Turismo, can't remember if it was 2 or 3.
My dad had a chimaera when I was a kid & to this day it's still one of my favourite cars of all time. So glad that Doug finally got to experience one of these as even though they're british built & not the most reliable cars they're fantastic if you take care of them. So much character in a lightweight chassis with a big ol' v8 never fails to put a smile on your face
If you thought this one was quirky take a look at the Cerbera. Fantastic interior and brutal performance with zero driving aids.
About 5 years ago Doug had made a video about the Tuscan.
Yeah we all saw the Top Gear episode too
He did mention the Griffith. Probably meant to say Cerbera.
In other words, a *real* car. And the term you want is driving 'crutches'.
None of the TVRs from the Peter Wheeler era had driver's aids. No ABS because they had mechanical brakes. No stability control for the same reason. No traction control because Peter Wheeler refused to build a car that had veto power over your right foot.
The TVR Chimaera can also be used as the chassis for an electric car. Let's call it... the Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust
Geoff
Ah yes, the fabulous, boxy *geoff*
Geoff had interior that made more sense..
GEOFF.
"MY HEAD'S BEEN COOKED IN A BOX!!!"
I love TVR's too. One detail you forgot to mention. The tail lights are from the 3rd gen Ford Fiesta. The first Cerbera's also used them.
These cars are incredible. They're all about character and how they make you feel. Best suited for a beautiful mid summer late afternoon drive over clear countryside roads to a proper British pub for a nice cold pint and a read of the paper. Oh, and everyone waves to you in a TVR....you don't get that in 911 Turbo
Cerebra was always the TVR for me. Loved them growing up.
Cerebra would underline it's a clever car. It's Cerbera, as the monster in hell
@@hexgraphica haha, as an owner, I can confirm it's much more devilish than it is clever... I mean, it's clever also, but nowhere near as clever as it is angry.
Fun fact: The Cerbera is named after the plant, often called the "suicide tree" because all of its parts are poisonous. The tree itself is named after the mythical Cerberus or "hell hound" due to its deadly nature, but the car was named after the plant and not the mythical creature. If that makes sense.
True story... I heard it from Damian McTaggart himself, who knew my father quite well.
@@inPrincipleGames you should put a video of it up on your channel... if you actually have one
@@scottoleson1997 my channel is primarily software development, lol. But I do like my cars…
The tail light situation is due to them being parts bin items. The outer clear casing is there and shaped to make them look better and fit the rest of the cars design.
the tail lights are from 1990 ford fiesta with a plastic cover
Ford Fiesta tail lights. I think they were installed upside down on the Chimeara.
@One Issue Voter door mirror is taken from the Citroën CX (as used on the Jag XJ220) and the door controls are deliberately designed so the heavy mechanism is in the body which keeps the door light and saves wear on the hinges, thats why there are no handles on the doors 😉
@One Issue Voter those are the features that made TVR stand out and are part of the reason the brands cars so fondly remembered, even if the cars weren’t always objectively good
@@silverghini2629 yup. Mk3 Cavalier/Opel Vectra tail lights installed upside down on the Griffith.
I love how Doug made Cars&Bids and now realizes how quirky his fan’s cars are! He must be living his dream
Yeah tbh it’s kinda sad that some people don’t like cars and bids
Everyday, I head to Cars & Bids just to check on the newest listings. The community there is great.
And this was bought previously on cars and bids but was never in one of the C&B round up vids....weird?
I owned one of these in the late 90's. It was a huge amount of fun and definitely missed, thought not exactly ideal as a daily driver especially in the winter. TVRs are known for unreliability but this very much varies from car to car - mine never completely left me stranded, but a few times I had to drop it off at the dealer on the way to work to have it looked at. Lots of Quirks and Features as you indicated Doug, but you missed the best one... The recess for the front indicators was allegedly created by the then owner Peter Wheeler's dog called Ned. Apparently he took a dislike to the front of the polystyrene model and bit a chunk out it creating the recess for the indicator light!
Great review! I own a 1995 Chimaera and it is a real blast to drive and certainly turns heads. Parts are cheap and readily available and they are easy cars to maintain/work on. If looked after they are reliable enough. If you like ‘60s sports cars with big engines, these are the nearest modern-ish equivalent you’ll find.
The taillights are from a MK 3 Ford Fiesta with a more bubbled surround on them. That's why they gave 2 cases.
Plus, the front then signal - the reason is has a double hole for them (one below the one containing the light) is because the designer was playing with the company chairman's dog and the dog went to bite him and took a chunk out of the clay model and they kept it like that.
The lens of the headlights is acually from a 1970’s Scania truck ! (Really)
The original Lotus Elise had front indicators off a Chieftain tank, simply because they had been homologated.
One of the points of owning a Tiv is it's quirks. I've owned a Griffith 500 since 2002. It's different, turns heads, people don't know what it is, you can burble around at low speed, or scare the crap out of yourself. It's also comfortable and practical. If money allowed, I'd add a Tuscan S to the collection.
Best looking Trevor in my opinion
Woaw the Griffith 500 is truly iconic, I used to see one in The Hague also 14 years ago with the Tuscan and sagaris in scheveningen beach.
TVR is the quintessential quirky features auto manufacturer. They are so perfect for this channel! I would love to see more if possible.
"Quirky" it's not the word I would use. A lot of this quirkiness is just shit design
He reviewed a Tuscan 6 years ago:
ruclips.net/video/32u6KPTALxg/видео.html
@@stevemonkey6666 sagaris was so shit Toyota directly copied it for the new supra
Great video Doug. TVR was exported to many countries including Japan, Australia and New Zealand. I have seen LHD models but they are fairly rare. If you had road tested a TVR 500 version I think you have been surprised,
My dad had the Griffith 500 for 15 years. was awesome! Let me drive it too!!
It never seemed quirky to me!!
Only normal servicing and new batteries. Never went wrong... Would even do 30mpg on a long steady run...
So light and handled beautifully but yes, treat it with respect..
Great review. Thanks Doug...
Back in the 90s, there was a TVR dealer called 'Horseless Carriages' just down the road from where I lived, and these grunting V8 monsters seemed about as far removed from the concept of horse-drawn transportation as was possible!
We're still going! Was it Hexham or Harrogate?
@@hhcsportscars2326 - Oh, good for you lot! I just checked on Google Maps, and saw your old Harrogate garage is now a carpet warehouse. Glad you're still around, and located in some spectacular driving country. Enjoy those back roads!
I've been wanting a TVR since I played Gran Turismo 2 back in the day and they still seem so far out of reach. Such amazing cars, it's a shame (and a bit of a blessing) that they're not more well known.
A small car with a v8 I’m surprised it isn’t a cult car
@@AD-ui6sk Probably cause they're somewhat obscure outside of their home country (unless you played Gran Turismo).
Speed 12!!
@@JohnWiku 800 horse powers
Underrated gem manufacture
I've been waiting for Doug to get his hands on a TVR again since they are essentially his wet dream for quirks and features. The interiors especially were designed without a care for what other manufacturers do.
I’ve been waiting on the TVR - truly beautiful cars
The interiors were designed by someone being deliberately obtuse.
Nice to see you getting hold of TVRs to review over there Doug. I own both a Chimaera 400 as featured in this video, and a Cerbera. I know of quite a few Cerberas making their way over to the states due to the 25 year ruling, and I absolutely implore you to review one! The Chimaera is a charming and slightly eccentric introduction to the quirks of TVR, but ultimately quite tame- the Cerbera is completely unhinged, and won't think twice about kicking you in the nads. As well as having the maddest interior ever- it's perfect Doug fodder!
I love nearly ALL TVRs. They're just soooo cool. I once went out in a Cerbera, can't remember the engine but he said it was the bigger one. It seemed.. INSANELY fast from 40 to 160+ . I'll never forget it.
The Interior is actually quite good quality on them. Good quality soft leather and all nicely stitched.
As much as I loved the Tuscan (mk1) interior, I would have loved to see a Cerbera dash and centre console in a Tuscan!
I think it was smart the way they designed all these 'difficult' doors, light switches, locks, door opening, etc. It is unfamiliar to thieves.
Despite that production figure, Chimeras weren't exactly that common on the roads even here in the UK. They had a well-earned reputation for being a handful to drive, courtesy of the fact that a tweaked and tuned large capacity V8 was mated to an aluminium chassis and fibreglass bodywork. Which accounts for much of the lack of mass to shift, and the consequent willingness to launch forwards in an alarming manner if you're not careful with the accelerator foot.
Plus, of course, the presence of absolutely zero driver aids meant that this was a hairy chested sports car for people who either knew what they were doing, or alternatively, were deranged.
By the way, Doug, if you ever want to experience a *truly* deranged sports car, then next time you're in England, try and arrange a test drive of the TVR Speed 12. Which is, in effect, the result of taking the Chimera's sister car, the Cerbera, and giving it, wait for it, a 7.7 litre V12 with a power output north of 900 BHP. If you ever do arrange a test drive (which will be confined to a hired racetrack for the day, and you'll learn VERY quickly why), you'll be asked to sign a waiver to the effect that the car's owner is absolved of any responsibility if you kill yourself driving it.
Now, imagine an aluminium chassis, fibreglass bodywork, and a 900-plus BHP V12 engine propelling the whole. This is why one UK car magazine tester described then TVR Speed 12 as "terrifyingly quick". 0-60 is achievable in about 3.3 seconds (even without traction control) if you know what you're doing, and although it's never been taken to the limit, it's theoretically good for, wait for it, 240 mph.
I suspect you'll *never* forget the experience if you're ever invited to drive it. :)
for aluminium read: steel
chassis were NEVER aluminium (lotus is ) TVRs chassis were steel hence the issue with outriggers rusting due to poor powder-coating
I don´t think it will happen since there is only 1 of them made x3
I wish Doug would review Austin-Healey's, MG's, Fiats, Morgan's, Lancia's.
I think it depends on where you were at that time. I lived in the suburbs of London at that time and TVR’s were fairly common place, street parked daily drivers. Plus don’t forget that Pistonheads was originally a TVR owners forum that gradually branched out and we all know how popular Pistonheads has been for many years. A few of friends dads would always have a TVR at some point. I would actually go as far as to say that TVR’s were far more popular than Porsche 964’s/993’s. It was only when the 996 came in that Porsche really took off.
The last 2 cars have been extra quirky and I love it. Everytime I think Doug has exhausted the options of super quirky cars to show us he proves me wrong. He really is the best example of someone who loves the car industry and it's history in it's purest form. If he had to choose between reviewing this TVR or a million dollar hypercar I bet he would pick this every single time.
Doug is the kind of guy to play with his Hot Wheels in the bathtub
🤣🤣👍🏾
That unlocked some memories. The tub had the smoothest ramps lol
The bathtub was the battle arena
Wait, you guys don't play with Hot Wheels in the bathtub?
Is hot wheels slang for testicles, or maybe nipples??
I've ridden in a Chimera 500 out here in British Columbia, Canada.
It's actually such a fun car, quite powerful. Love how you open the doors from the interior aha
This is cool. I’ve only heard of TVR through old video games and car magazines and if honestly forgotten these ever existed. Very cool.
Please keep the quirky videos coming, Doug. I’d much rather see more of these than the next boring crossover that’s coming out.
Gran Turismo
I had the exact sameTVR in the late 90’s. It tried to kill me on every journey….I absolutely loved it.
Knew this was coming when I saw you standing in front of it on a cars and bids ad on a previous video 🙂 I also knew you'd love its quirkiness!
I have the 4.5 litre version built in 2000 so it has the better switch gear and the dashboard is more logically organised.
They did build some LHD cars although not that many. There were some built in Malaysia. I'm sort of assuming these were all LHD but not certain. There are definitely LHD examples in Europe.
You got the two dials wrong for the ventilation - the top one controls temperature - left towards the red LED is hotter and the green LED is cold (blue LEDs weren't a thing in the 90's!)
The bottom dial controls the distribution of the air hence the two triangular LEDs which point upwards towards the windscreen and downwards toward the passenger area.
There are central vents - they are hidden under the dash in front of the area where the electric window switches are. There are also vents hidden by your legs on the transmission tunnel which can be opened or closed. And early cars had a cold air blower in the driver's footwell.
The reason for the triangular shape on the doors is that the front piece that meets the windscreen is a channel to support the window glass. The other piece is just to support the channel.
There is some logic to needing accessory position for the boot. Without it anyone could just reach in and open the boot if the car is left somewhere with the roof down. It's the same for the filler cap; the cap does not lock so the boot lid serves that purpose.
The thing about most RHD cars having indicators on the right is not actually true. Most RHD cars have the indicators on the left just like all other markets. It was mostly Japanese stuff that had them on the right. In fact I had no idea that early Chimaeras had it on the right.
You would have got the roof down a bit lower if you'd undone the velcro on the sides. Visibility is good out of the side mirrors so it's not a big deal really anyway.
👏👏👏👏👏
If there were Chimaeras built in Malaysia I'd assume they're right hand drive, as Malaysia drives on the left, unless they weren't specifically built for the Malaysian market. Though if the car made it to mainland Europe then those would likely be left hand drive examples.
The indicators being on the right was a traditional British thing. It had largely fallen out of favour as it made no sense to manufacture different steering column assemblies for left and right hand drive.
As an aside, I believe the Cerbera also has the stalk on the right.
@@Gordanovich02 when? I don’t know of any car in the last 50 years that had it that way.
@@gooddypm Triumph Dolomite had it I'm sure. Early Austin Allegros did though by Series 3 they'd switched.
I always wanted Doug to review a Cerbera, but this is equally amazing. I’ve waited so long for a through and through TVR review, and here it is!
I guess you know already, but Doug has done a shorter overview/review of a Cerbera earlier :)
ruclips.net/video/32u6KPTALxg/видео.html
Doug deserves a Oscar award @ 3:55
Ain’t grammy for music tho
@@chuckchoco452 oops i mean oscar but I can't picture Doug slapping anyone
Micheal Jackson deserves an oscar
Finally reviewing a car with the steering wheel on the correct side
A right-handed TVR is the perfect spec
Douglas, saying it’s “quirky” that a taillight has a clear protector around it is like saying an egg carton is unnecessary to carry eggs because the egg shell is already designed to protect the yolk.
3:53 Does this mean there will be a "Ways this car can kill or severely injure you." segment in future Doug videos? That would be a quirk.
Wow - I used to drive one of these back in the late '90's, I was in the North West so not far from Blackpool where they were made - bit of a liability to be honest but very very fun.
if it’s british it will fall apart!
@@SparklingWalrus mine is 22 years old and runs perfectly - unreliability usually reported by non-owners
@@SNORKYMEDIA doesn’t change the fact br*tish cars suck
TVR CHIMERA!!!!!! Waiting for this car to be reviewed by Doug for a LOOOOOOOONG time 😏
*CHIMAERA ON A CHEAP OVAL LOGO
Hello, im Uk and many years back visited the factory in Blackpool. It was a Sunday and a special open day for the TVR club, I have an old camera picture of my late bother in law peering under a big cover where a prototype version was hidden. Factory security got really snotty with us (hey ho). The factory was a mad old hotch potch with chaps sploshing fibre glass resin around and zero or little H&S and little PPE. A German chap in the tour started shouting "das ist miner" .. meaning he was looking at his TVR car in raw form in production ( the build sheet was stuck on the back wing) . No major conveyor belts and just big shed type units. I also recall the tour guide saying that MOBIL 1 (its relative errly days of synthetics) which they put in the cars was too effective and they ran in the engines on old fashioned mineral oil to bed in for the first few thousand miles. Am i also right in saying that the brake servo is masked by the fibre glass body as they forgot to leave access in the early production cars. Please note this was many years back and im getting old so memoy mat be a bit off detail. Our tour day enede with a huge cavalcaed of TVRs doing the sea front drive past. My Brother in law had a TVR 3000 M . nice vid by the way.
The rear badge rant was a little bit strange and undeserved, and the roof is obviously not operating correctly, lol...
The rear lights are "parts bin" items, so they didn't have to get their own designed. They are from a Ford Fiesta from the era. Then they added the covers to style them into the rest of the car.
I'm surprised you missed that the bodywork is all fiberglass which is part of why it is so light, and that the engine is actually American in origin. The Rover V8 started life as Buick's all alloy replacement for the nailhead.
0:00 intro
1:53 key and door
3:18 interior
11:15 roof
12:34 trunk
15:56 engine
18:49 exterior
21:25 driving
25:48 thoughts
Wow that knob door opener is definitely the quirk of all quirks....
Ive watched Doug's videos since 8k subscribers & i can definitely say Doug is a huge critic of fonts! Ugly fonts are an eye sore for Doug lmao I agree some fonts kill the style lol
Youre the only one doing these types of vids man. Don't stop. It may not get you the views but it gets you the love.
I watch dozens of videos about the Chimaera but yours is just better, congrats for the work. Just a thing : the handles are not just for the style or a weird choice, it was a way to fight car thiefs. No handles no cars stolen. Cheers from France !
Friend of mine had one of these in the late 1990s. Bought it for a good price, looked after it, daily drove it, sold it a few years later. For a net profit. Unbelievable.
They do take a fair bit of looking after; the chassis tubular frame is the main worry. There are UK companies that make replacement chassis, so it is feasible to save one that's too far gone. All the panels are fibreglass, so they won't ever rust. The engine can be kept going forever. There's nothing complicated about the brakes, etc.
Interiors; well, any old interiors shop is going to be able to do as good a job as TVR did in the factory! If you do strip out the interior, be prepared to find graffiti underneath the coverings...
Fun fact. The tail lights on the TVR got re-used on the McLaren F1. McLaren picked because they thought that TVR must have homologated it. Nope. They'd nicked them off a model of bus...
Great post. Though I am sorry to say your last paragraph makes a sweet anecdote, but there is no way that is true. Everyone even remotly involved in car design learns of the lightning certification woes while they are still in diapers, pretty much. But I do agree it makes a good story.
@@GoldenCroc go look it up, it's been widely reported in the respectable motoring press.
@@abarratt8869 I am sure it has. Doesnt make it true, everyone loves a good story, especially the press whos livelyhood depend on it. If you think about the story, I am sure you will also realise that it cant be true. Also, which TVR model used the taillights they wanted to use on the f1? Sorry to be a party pooper, wasnt my intention to bring the mood down, I swear.
I love how quirky TVRs are. It’s very cool to see one in the states!
Dangerous things to drive at the limit
@@paulie-Gualtieri. oh yea. Very unforgiving but damn are they cool. Extra cool if it has the color shifting paint.
@@paulie-Gualtieri. well, at 152mph mine is fine thank you ( gotta love German roads)
The title is accurate, very quirky indeed Doug
Doug reenacted the doors windowframe killing him... Sir, please don't ever change. You are loved.
As a huge TVR fan, I love this! I would very much rather drive this than a lot of other convertible sports cars from this era.
TVR is my favorite car brand .. powerful , simple , crazy , no driving assist , really light weight .... just fast dangerous cars , it represents the true british racing heritage with outstanding design (TVR Cerbera was gorgeous even by today's standards)
Well your favorite brand pretty much doesn't exist anymore.
Absolutely and the Speed12 is and will always be legendary.
@@automation7295 yes unfortunately
@@automation7295 indeed , it was a non sense car
Hopefully your next bed doesn’t become a coffin ⚰️ when you get into an accident with that car
I know it can't be easy being a small car company but I imagine they'd sell so much better back in the day if the interior wasn't the most complicated oversight in the entire car industry.
Complicated? You should see the final Tuscans - these '90s cars were simple compared to the last of them! Mind you, as a small car company, what do you do when Rover killed the V8? Yep, TVR created their own - the AJ6 (later Speed Six) inline unit and then they decided to take it racing and created the crazy Speed Twelve - according to Peter Wheeler, they dyno'd it and the engine broke at 1000bhp. They left it at 960bhp and it was undriveable so he just refunded all the deposits and only 3 prototypes were built.
I think Doug would become a blithering mess with all the quirks and featureson one of the last TVRs... (though technically, the company has been relaunched apparently - in Forza Horizon 4, you can drive one of the 'new' ones).
It was kinda the point of getting a TVR, you wanna be different and stand out from the crowd.
The gas filling procedure alone is super annoying. I don't even own one and I'm sick of it.
Doug Demuro unlocked a core memory. This whole video, I was thinking to myself “This car seems very familiar” and then he mentioned Grand Turismo! It was a car you won and I remember using it and it had pretty stiff turning but the engine was very loud. At least in the game. Thank Doug!
I don't care about the expensive super cars, or the off roaders. But this is exactly why I subscribed in the first place. I also remember seeing this in the Gran Turismo video game. I also suggest everyone watch Jeremy Clarksons review of TVR's on Top Gear. I hope TVR starts making cars again. Please keep up the good work. Thank you.
I was hoping Doug would review another TVR as the other one was a long time ago.
(Commenting mostly to please the algorithm, so that this video does well and Doug can keep showing us all these weird and quirky cars.)
After that acting episode, I'd love to see Doug take a role in a Hollywood Blockbuster!
His "horrific accident" face was oscar worthy!
Doug is the type of person who would impale himself horribly on a non-functional opera window and die a gruesome death for our entertainment.
i mean it was better acting than Marion Cotillard in the dark knight ahah so yeah !
Christine 2 😂😂😂😂
Had a tvr in 1997. It broke down all the time. The roof leaked when it rained and occasionally the driver's side door would come off! But the sound of the engine through a stainless steel exhaust, popping was awesome.
reputation of TVR wasn't fake
What a crock. They weren't particularly unreliable as they were incredibly simple and there wasn't a lot to go wrong. Roof leaking is potentially true story.
Door falling off? Someone's been watching too much Clarkson era TopGear.
The drama with the quarter window frame. 😂
HE’s driving around in Lakewood!
I’m surprised Doug didn’t mention the really bizarre exhaust manifold design that car had. Not sure how many people noticed but the manifolds pointed towards the front of the car and merged in a y pipe that then went down in front of the engine and under the car. Super weird design
Saw that. Bit silly, but this car is silly anyway.
@@Eatinbritches
How is it 'silly'?
To address the issue about parts availability, TVR still exists as a company (it's actually in the process of getting a brand-new Griffith into production) and in 2014 it set up the TVR Genuine Parts initiative specifically to assure supply of parts to owners, rebuilders and restorers: www.tvr.co.uk/genuine-parts
didn't Shmee order a new one like 15 years ago? lol
In the process... well that is one way of putting it. I hope they pull it off, I really do, but the chances are astronomically small.
Love TVR's, the car brand that was made for Doug's quirks and features. Hope someone in the States imported a Sagaris for Doug to review.
Unfortunately the Sagaris won't be legal to import until 2030 or so.
@@drake6143 but didn‘t Doug talk about some sort of show and display exception with some of the other cars he drove before? Like some sort of rule that you can legally import rare and unusual cars before?
Thanks Doug for highlighting a Blackpool legend! I grew up in Blackpool in the 1970's and 1980's, and went to school not too far from the TVR factory on Bristol Avenue. While TVRs were always known as parts-bin specials held together by glue, there was also something charming about their no-nonsense V8 straight line power.
Lol, I grew up in Blackpool just a little earlier than that and had a good nostalgia hit at 18:26. Hard to know whether to be proud or embarrassed about TVR, like coming from Blackpool itself.
Good video. I've only driven a Chimaera 500 (the 5.0 litre Rover V8 with cross-bolted block) which belongs to a friend. I myself owned the Chimaera's big brother the Cerbera which looked superficially similar styling-wise in a 2+2 coupe form, but was a totally different car underneath. The Chimaera uses the Rover engine, Rover clutch, Ford Sierra brakes and most of the electronics are borrowed too. The Cerbera was the first TVR to use their own engine, a super lightweight race-derived V8 with a flat plane crank and 94bhp/litre, a bespoke clutch, AP Racing brakes and bespoke electronics. I absolutely adore TVRs. I'd have another in a heartbeat.
The amazing deconstructing TVR Chimaera.
It's a feature they engineered in to heighten driver/car synergy.... as you drove various parts & fittings would randomly fail thus keeping you guessing about what had just failed, what was going to fail next & whether or not you'd make it to your destination.!
Very thoughtful of TVR if you ask me.!
I always loved TVR's. They did a model called the Cerbera which had an in-house straight 6. But then they release a 12 cylinder version - it was insane!
Speed 12 it was called, nutty.... a killer... Peter Wheeler drove it home, who was the owner of TVR Company, a Yorkshireman, at the time and said people would kill themselves so it was put on ice! Only a few were built!
@@freddysquirenaranjo4859 Speed 12 that was it. Thx.
Cerb first had a 4.2 and 4.5 in house flat plane crank v8 - the sixes came later
Love the exterior styling. This car is quirky indeed. Could the cigarette lighter on the right door be because most people are right-handed? If it were to the left, the driver might have to switch hands with a hot lighter to light their ciggy.
Maverick TVR boss Peter Wheeler was a famously heavy smoker so the lighter and ashtray will be placed EXACTLY where he wanted them.
Doug, I believe this is seriously one of your best videos. Truly a masterpiece. And what a fantastic car
Especially the death scene.
Doug I'm from the UK and had a friend discride a TVR as a kit car in reverse. You buy a whole car and over time it disassembles itself. Great car if you like working on cars.
@16:08 So are we not going to talk about how the hood latch has a picture of an SUV instead of a car?
I dont find it odd to have the roof stored this way, i would value the cargo space much more than having your view somewhat impeded.
Same for the fuel cab, why not have it in the tunk, no visible fuel cab on the outside so it looks clean.
The rover V8 started out as a Buick engine in the 50’s…
Doug is the kind of guy to stab himself with a fake quarter window
As a teenager growing up in the UK in the early 90s, the Chimera was the stuff of dreams. The shaping of the indicator/turn signal lights at the front was famously shaped by the designer Peter Wheeler's dog biting the styling buck. Hilarious!
So this car and the Cerbera are the two cars that gave us the M3 GTR sound in NFS Most Wanted 2005
Many “Why” questions about this car can be answered with “Because TVR”
Doug: Owns several off road SUVs.
Maserati and Lotus: Check out our latest models.
Meanwhile Doug: THISSSSSSSSSS
I love these. Always classy looking but cobbled together from a lot of parts bins. I have to add though, the indicator stork isnt on the right because its a right hand drive. In the UK the indicator is still on the left and wipers on the right. This is more like a Japanese car where they switch the storks round
Storks?
@@YourWifesBoyfriend Stalk
@@YourWifesBoyfriend stalk
Someone already mentioned the steering wheel assembly isn't stock
@@playerroku4412 the steering wheel assembly isn't stork
Haha now THIS is quirky! The door opener is insane and the entire dash is just crazy. Love it!
Doug, you hit the nail on the head w the Gran Turismo flashback. Good times, man
0:01 intro
1:53 quirks and features.
3:18 Interior
11:15 retractable roof
12:34 boot
15:56 engine
18:49 exterior
24:25 driving
25:48 conclusion
How did u watch the whole video in 9 minutes?
I'm urinating at an alarming rate.
Great video! It's like they designed this car with every quirk in mind.
I love this car, I also had one or 2 of them in Gran Turismo because I wanted them in different colors (blue and green). I'd say it's more of a cross between an AC/Shelby Cobra and a Dodge Viper than anything Miata.... but I get what Doug meant, it's tiny and raw.
Hope he gets a chance to review the other TVR models like the Cerebral & Griffith someday soon...had those in Gran Turismo as well.... beautiful cars with nice paint colors.
think the gardener on the feild wants a dohnut challenge Doug
I loved this review a lot. Lots of unusual stuff that’s just right up Doug’s alley and you can see how enthusiastic he was to finally show them to us hahahahahha.
And by Viper Miata mix, you mean the original Cobra? Haha those are very scary cars to drive!
TVR are still in production. The film Sword fish had a TVR. More will be nice. Or Lotus cars 😁
TVR’s are no longer being made.
This is on the website of TVR in the UK:
“The latest TVR to be hitting the roads from 2018 onwards will be, as the TVR Car Club announced, “Unapologetic, loud, proud and British built”. “
It’s now four years later and it has been deafening quiet.
Part of the front end was actually designed by a dog,
TVR boss at the time Peter Wheeler´s dog was always at the office, and they had a polystyrene design model of the car there they were working on.
The dog bit a chunk out of the front end, and they thought it actually looked cool, so that´s why the spot where the turn signals go look like that.
Ned was a regular visitor to the factory back in those days.
Love my TVR. It is a car to be driven so the advice about keeping miles off it is very wrong! Can't enjoy a car if you never drive it!
Did 100,000 miles in mine in five years... 🙂
@@philharris9631 nice
I had one of these in 2002 as a part exchange for a brand new Range Rover the customer ordered through my old import car business called Euro Continental Cars. We didn’t have RUclips in the days I was in car business .
It was a rare 1 off green gold colour this TVR Chimaera with only 1 owner.
sold it 4 months later when the new Range Rover was ready for delivery.
Loved the roar V8 . Unique.
I love these in Paradise Purple. A great sounding Rover V8 built in the northern seaside town of Blackpool. 🎠🎡🎢