Well I have been out and about enjoying the nice weather.
Both the Chimaera and Tuscan have been used regularly. The Tuscan gets looked at a tremendous amount and even BMW M3 owners get out of its way on the bypass! The Exhuasts have been "sleeved" to make it slightly louder and this also makes it "pop n bang" nicely on the over run as well. It has black 18" spider wheels with "G string" tyres and orange brake calipers. The brakes have been upgraded so it stops really well.
The Tuscan is a very twitchy car to drive if there are truck ruts on the road or a steep camber, but it seems to all come together the faster you go. It only has 1.7 turns of the steering wheel lock to lock and it is very low to the ground and so I won't be taking it into any multi-storey car parks!
The Chimaera is still running very well and we have been blasting about as usual. It really is a very pleasant car to drive in the sunshine with the roof panel removed but the rear screen and windows raised.
Lets hope we have some great weather this year. We are off to the Roar 08 Chimaera festival in late June in the Peak District. The wife is going to have some treatments in the spa and I am putting the Chimaera on the Dyno to see what power it is making.
Tuesday, 10 June 2008
Monday, 26 May 2008
New TVR
Well I have been very busy. I have sold my Camaro and purchased another TVR! This one is a 2000 Tuscan and was being advertised quite cheaply on eBay. Getting the Camaro ready for sale has taken a lot of time, but the Chimaera has been running very well indeed.
We went to Snetterton on the spring Bank Holiday in the Chimaera to watch the TVR, Ferrari, Ginetta and Mini racing and had a brilliant day out. The weather was beautiful and Snetterton is a great venue. Loads of TVRs turned up and we all lined up so people could admire these great cars. The Chimaera looked a little sober compared to some of the other TVRs but I like the understated look. My Tuscan however really stands out in its reflex green paintwork and black spider alloys.
I had to lay some laminate flooring in the wife's salon this weekend and the Chimaera proved to be a great workhorse. I got 5 packs of laminate flooring in the boot and one in the passenger seat, plus all my tools! I can even get my workmate bench in the boot as well and still managed to take another Porsche (don't even bother to note which model any more) on the bypass at the same time! When will they learn?
I an going to include my adventures with the Tuscan as well on this blog and maybe do some camparisons between the two cars. The first thing to note isthat they have tthe same gearbox but feel very different. the tuscan gearknob gets so hot you can hardly use it, but the change is sweet. The Chimaeras gearknob is cold but the gearchange not as smooth, so I presume the linkage is different. the Tuscan definetly "Wows" people and creates a real stir, wherever you go, but I like driving the Chimaera as you can really chuck it about and use it more as an everyday car. Every trip in the Tuscan is an event though and I really like the look and the colour and the interior.
We went to Snetterton on the spring Bank Holiday in the Chimaera to watch the TVR, Ferrari, Ginetta and Mini racing and had a brilliant day out. The weather was beautiful and Snetterton is a great venue. Loads of TVRs turned up and we all lined up so people could admire these great cars. The Chimaera looked a little sober compared to some of the other TVRs but I like the understated look. My Tuscan however really stands out in its reflex green paintwork and black spider alloys.
I had to lay some laminate flooring in the wife's salon this weekend and the Chimaera proved to be a great workhorse. I got 5 packs of laminate flooring in the boot and one in the passenger seat, plus all my tools! I can even get my workmate bench in the boot as well and still managed to take another Porsche (don't even bother to note which model any more) on the bypass at the same time! When will they learn?
I an going to include my adventures with the Tuscan as well on this blog and maybe do some camparisons between the two cars. The first thing to note isthat they have tthe same gearbox but feel very different. the tuscan gearknob gets so hot you can hardly use it, but the change is sweet. The Chimaeras gearknob is cold but the gearchange not as smooth, so I presume the linkage is different. the Tuscan definetly "Wows" people and creates a real stir, wherever you go, but I like driving the Chimaera as you can really chuck it about and use it more as an everyday car. Every trip in the Tuscan is an event though and I really like the look and the colour and the interior.
Friday, 18 April 2008
Good News!
I have had the chassis checked at Offords and they have declared it to be in great shape. This is unusual for a Chimp of this age. Offords had 1 on the ramps and another 4 Chimaeras awaiting chassis repairs, so I am well pleased. The mechanic who has his own Chimaera also liked the engine mods and thought how nicely the car drove.
I had a small leak on the low pressure side of the Power Assisted Steering seen to with new hoses, a new Serpentine belt fitted and the Diff topped up. With the chassis check this cost £150. I will get the chassis scraped and more waxoyl reapplied before the Autumn.
It was a 170 mile trip in pleasant sunshine and the Chimp just purred along, never missing a beat. With the induction changes it has an unusual engine note at motorway speeds and is a lot quieter. In addition the fuel consumption is very much better. It really was a pleasant trip regardless of traffic and again it makes you realise what a great car the Chimaera is in all driving conditions. I was so comfortable on the way home I almost nodded off!
I did get held up in traffic on the All and A14 and watching the temperature gauge like a hawk noted how well the fans coped under pressure. Roundabouts are an endless source of amusement however as the Chimp is brilliant and carrying lots of corner speed you leave other vehicles floundering in your wake as you accelerate smoothly out the other side.
Again very pleased with my purchase and feel ever more confident in the Chimp's abilities.
I had a small leak on the low pressure side of the Power Assisted Steering seen to with new hoses, a new Serpentine belt fitted and the Diff topped up. With the chassis check this cost £150. I will get the chassis scraped and more waxoyl reapplied before the Autumn.
It was a 170 mile trip in pleasant sunshine and the Chimp just purred along, never missing a beat. With the induction changes it has an unusual engine note at motorway speeds and is a lot quieter. In addition the fuel consumption is very much better. It really was a pleasant trip regardless of traffic and again it makes you realise what a great car the Chimaera is in all driving conditions. I was so comfortable on the way home I almost nodded off!
I did get held up in traffic on the All and A14 and watching the temperature gauge like a hawk noted how well the fans coped under pressure. Roundabouts are an endless source of amusement however as the Chimp is brilliant and carrying lots of corner speed you leave other vehicles floundering in your wake as you accelerate smoothly out the other side.
Again very pleased with my purchase and feel ever more confident in the Chimp's abilities.
Sunday, 13 April 2008
A Good Day
Sun was shining this Sunday, so I dragged the missus from her duvet at 8:30, checked over the Chimp, removed the roof panel, put "Songbirds 2008" on the excellent Pioneer CD changer for her (instead of Tom Waits / Nick Cave / Bruce Springstein) and set off for Wells-Next-The-Sea about half an hours gentle cruising distance away.
The Chimp purred lazily through the lovely Norfolk countryside at 60 mph, with the heater blowing lots of cosy warm air. What a pleasant drive, which the missus seemd to thoroughly enjoy; which is nice.
We stopped at the wonderful Wells Deli for Spicy Chian coffee and to buy some local cheese and bread, fed the ducks, noted a Porsche Boxster and an XK8 in the car park, walked up an down the wharf and headed for home again.
I have driven this little route in/on many vehicles and begun thinking on the way home how the Chimp is so well suited to this kind of driving and what a great morning it had been. The Chimaera has to be the quintessential English sports car and very much at home on the highways and byways of Norfolk. You can choose to cruise gently along or with a drop of a couple of gears get to insane speeds in a matter of seconds, relishing every corner with the V8 howling fortissimo. If only the MGB / Elise / Triumph TR / Porsche / Mazda MX5 crowd new what they were missing and for so little money.
Bloody Marvelous!
The Chimp purred lazily through the lovely Norfolk countryside at 60 mph, with the heater blowing lots of cosy warm air. What a pleasant drive, which the missus seemd to thoroughly enjoy; which is nice.
We stopped at the wonderful Wells Deli for Spicy Chian coffee and to buy some local cheese and bread, fed the ducks, noted a Porsche Boxster and an XK8 in the car park, walked up an down the wharf and headed for home again.
I have driven this little route in/on many vehicles and begun thinking on the way home how the Chimp is so well suited to this kind of driving and what a great morning it had been. The Chimaera has to be the quintessential English sports car and very much at home on the highways and byways of Norfolk. You can choose to cruise gently along or with a drop of a couple of gears get to insane speeds in a matter of seconds, relishing every corner with the V8 howling fortissimo. If only the MGB / Elise / Triumph TR / Porsche / Mazda MX5 crowd new what they were missing and for so little money.
Bloody Marvelous!
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
Porsche virgin no more
The Chimp has been running really well and I am using it more, which seem to be a real tonic for it.
My son and I happened across a new shape Porsche Boxster S on Sunday on dual carriageway just before some traffic lights and though some stupid granny swerved across 2 lanes in her Nova and cut us all up, managed to line up with it on a red light. On the Green I bogged the Chimp and she didn't "pull out of the hole" very well so we were neck and neck in first, I banged her through the gears t0 6000 into 4th and the Chimp pulled ahead in each gear. Brilliant stuff and goes to show the tuning modifications have been worthwhile. the Porsche weighs 1353KG has 260bhp and goes 0-60 in 5.7 seconds. It all happened so quickly, but a good result:
1996 TVR Chimaera 400 = 1 : 2006 Porsche Boxster S =0 !
I have also been out on my favourite country roads exploring the handling of the car at speed and even though the roads are apallingly rough and pot-holed the Chimp is hanging on well. I feel now it may be time for a brake upgrade though!
This is a brilliant car for the kind of driving I do and I am enjoying the experience very much indeed.
My son and I happened across a new shape Porsche Boxster S on Sunday on dual carriageway just before some traffic lights and though some stupid granny swerved across 2 lanes in her Nova and cut us all up, managed to line up with it on a red light. On the Green I bogged the Chimp and she didn't "pull out of the hole" very well so we were neck and neck in first, I banged her through the gears t0 6000 into 4th and the Chimp pulled ahead in each gear. Brilliant stuff and goes to show the tuning modifications have been worthwhile. the Porsche weighs 1353KG has 260bhp and goes 0-60 in 5.7 seconds. It all happened so quickly, but a good result:
1996 TVR Chimaera 400 = 1 : 2006 Porsche Boxster S =0 !
I have also been out on my favourite country roads exploring the handling of the car at speed and even though the roads are apallingly rough and pot-holed the Chimp is hanging on well. I feel now it may be time for a brake upgrade though!
This is a brilliant car for the kind of driving I do and I am enjoying the experience very much indeed.
Thursday, 27 March 2008
Wet Weather
I have been using the Chimp all through the wet weather and apart from the battery not having enough power to start the car if I leave it for more than 3 days and the water ingress being of biblical proportions in this terrible weather, all is well.
I have removed the driver side carpets as they were really sodden and the interesting thing is the car doesn't appear to be any more noisy.
The engine tuning really comes into its own on wet roads and whereas before I felt nervous about applying power, now I feel in complete control and can balance the car on the throttle perfectly.
The Chimp cockpit is a pleasant place to be on these wet days and driving into town is no chore at all. The heater is great, the wipers work fine, visibility is good and braking and grip are all excellent.
It would be nice to get the top off though, so role on the good weather!
I have removed the driver side carpets as they were really sodden and the interesting thing is the car doesn't appear to be any more noisy.
The engine tuning really comes into its own on wet roads and whereas before I felt nervous about applying power, now I feel in complete control and can balance the car on the throttle perfectly.
The Chimp cockpit is a pleasant place to be on these wet days and driving into town is no chore at all. The heater is great, the wipers work fine, visibility is good and braking and grip are all excellent.
It would be nice to get the top off though, so role on the good weather!
Saturday, 15 March 2008
More Trouble
Oh well ,TVR ownership looks like being a real roller coaster ride. I am not complaining though, modern cars are so boring and uninvolving.
Friday the Chimp had a flat battery after the awful weather we had. It had sat around for 5 days so I guess I need to use it more, though it is a new battery. I guess the alarm system is to blame.
The hood is still leaking as well, but I think this may be due to the fact that the "Elephant Ears" are missing. Apparently these seal the bottom of the hood and I can;t see any on my car.
Friday Evening I had driven through town, went to the cash point and then quickly stopped again to put some fuel in and the Chimp refused to start. Everything seemd OK, except when you turned the key to the start position nothing happened. I did notice the warning lights dimmed slightly when I turned the key so figured that because she was now running hotter the resistance in the starter wiring had increased to a point where she wouldn't turn over. Sure enough after 20 minutes, she started fine. This is a common TVR problem and somehow I will have to insulate the starter wiring from the hot exhaust pipes.
Apart from that she is running nicely, no squeks, rattles, bumps or other untoward noises, though again if you leave her for a few days, the tick over is noticeably higher for several miles, but settles down eventually.
The wife has an Audi TT (180hp) and she enjoys a laugh, so on the dual carriageway on the way home the other night we "explored the performance envelope" of our respective vehicles. Suffice to say the TVR is much quicker all through the speed range! It also handles like it is on rails as well, as nothing has been able to get near me on roundabouts or twisty roads either.
The Steve Heath bible has arrived and is a good read, though I don't agreewith all he says, especially concerning oils. It is a weighty tome so will take a while to digest.
Friday the Chimp had a flat battery after the awful weather we had. It had sat around for 5 days so I guess I need to use it more, though it is a new battery. I guess the alarm system is to blame.
The hood is still leaking as well, but I think this may be due to the fact that the "Elephant Ears" are missing. Apparently these seal the bottom of the hood and I can;t see any on my car.
Friday Evening I had driven through town, went to the cash point and then quickly stopped again to put some fuel in and the Chimp refused to start. Everything seemd OK, except when you turned the key to the start position nothing happened. I did notice the warning lights dimmed slightly when I turned the key so figured that because she was now running hotter the resistance in the starter wiring had increased to a point where she wouldn't turn over. Sure enough after 20 minutes, she started fine. This is a common TVR problem and somehow I will have to insulate the starter wiring from the hot exhaust pipes.
Apart from that she is running nicely, no squeks, rattles, bumps or other untoward noises, though again if you leave her for a few days, the tick over is noticeably higher for several miles, but settles down eventually.
The wife has an Audi TT (180hp) and she enjoys a laugh, so on the dual carriageway on the way home the other night we "explored the performance envelope" of our respective vehicles. Suffice to say the TVR is much quicker all through the speed range! It also handles like it is on rails as well, as nothing has been able to get near me on roundabouts or twisty roads either.
The Steve Heath bible has arrived and is a good read, though I don't agreewith all he says, especially concerning oils. It is a weighty tome so will take a while to digest.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
