Let there be light

The Mk3 front conversion with covered headlights not only looks good, but also opens the possibility to use any 'universal' 7" headlight unit (as per Golf Mk1 - which TVR used on the Mk3 Chimaeras - Jeep Wrangler and Land Rover Defender) including the latest LED upgrade lights.

We chose the Truck-Lite 7"LEDs for the following reasons:

They are E-marked and thus fully road legal (most of the Chinese copies are only ECE-compliant which means they may be sold in Europe but are only legal for off-road use)

Being a reflector unit rather than a projector lamp, they don't look like a Dalek and as such don't stand out like a sore thumb on a classic car like our Chimaeras

Excellent lighting performance and very solid build (actually they are 'mil-spec') at a reasonable price

Comes with an H4 plug for dipped and main beam and built-in position light (you only need to crimp on some blade connectors and you're good to go with the original TVR wiring harness).

The conversion involves cutting the area under and behind where the original Mk 1/2 headlight surrounds sit and requires a bit of care not to damage the surrounding bodywork. It can be done without any subsequent paintwork. The headlamp pods with the Perspex covers are then inserted and bonded with the body from underneath.  To match the 'smoked'/dark effect of the factory rear lights behind the Perspex covers and the headlights themselves, we chose to paint the headlight pods satin black rather than body colour. It looks jolly nice, doesn't it? 

Tuscan project is go!

 

Eric Post Uiterweer of Autobedrijf Post Uiterweer and yours truly just picked up a forlorn 2002 4.0 litre Tuscan (CAT C, new factory chassis - probably one of the last - bodywork repaired but with service bonnet and bootlid still in raw GRP, hasn't been on the road since 2008) for a ground up rebuild. As with the Chimaera, we'll be developing it into a superb road sports car first and foremost, as apt at long European tours as exciting for letting the inner hooligan out on an empty, twisting road on a Sunday morning.

 

Stay tuned as we document every single step of the rebirth here!

Introducing the Speed Eight Prepared Chimaera

Chimaera 4.3 1993 #1359 'Rosenrot'

 

Goal: to create the ultimate 'allround' Chimaera

Speed Eight's philosophy is to provide enhancements that genuinely make TVRs more enjoyable to drive and better to own, rather than going for 'awesome' headline figures or 'monster' conversions that tend to compromise both the original substance and character of the cars. We see ourselves as providers of the last 5-10% of the development process that the factory 'forgot'...

To us, handling balance takes priority over outright grip and a finely tuned engine response, where you can call on every single horsepower almost one by one, over outright power and torque. A TVR thus enhanced offers a genuine - and dare we say, far more satisfying - alternative to the current breed of very capable, but ever less involving sports and 'super'cars. Also it will be practical and reliable as a day-to-day prospect; our own Chimaera as pictured here has been put into service as our daily and only car, covering up to 15,000 kms a year.

Speed Eight Prepared

The Speed Eight upgrade package (tailored to your requirements) can either be applied as part of a total rebuild, where things like colours and trim can be specified by the customer and a 'new' Speed Eight TVR will be the result, or to an original car in good overall condition, preserving as much of the original substance as is reasonably possible while bringing the car to a better-than-new standard from a technical perspective which will result in unprecedented levels of driving enjoyment, reliability and safety.
Typically the car - which can be a Chimaera, Griffith, Cerbera or Tuscan that you already own, or one sourced by ourselves according to your wishes - will be taken in for an in-depth assessment according to a detailed checklist and any faults will be rectified before installing your choice of Speed Eight Performance engine, cooling, suspension and braking upgrades. Typically a replacement of the chassis outriggers, combined with refurbishment and protection of the main chassis, a partial or full engine rebuild, and careful inspection/improvement of the electrical systems/layout will be part of the process.

In case of our own Speed Eight Prepared Chimaera, the engine had been rebuilt to the original 4,3 litre dimensions, but with extensive lightening, balancing and strenghtening of the rotating assembly, the heads were extensively reworked with all new valve train components (standard valve sizes), every bolt and bracket to be re-used was newly coated to original specifications, the aluminium castings cleaned and blasted and the engine re-installed with all new ancillaries, among which a pair of ACT stainless steel performance exhaust manifolds, a lightweight geared starter motor and an aluminium radiator. Induction is courtesy of an ACT twin throttle carbon plenum system, with new smooth bore intake hoses running to the air filter in the front of the car which now sports extensive ducting and sealing of the intake paths to radiator and air filter. The injectors and air mass meter were upgraded and the fuel management computer remapped accordingly. Ignition is taken care of by a fully mapped 123tune system. All this has resulted in 300 PS-DIN at 6,000 rpm with a very flat and wide torque curve - but more importantly fantastic throttle response, perfect everyday driveability and more than acceptable fuel efficiency - particularly at part throttle - for those long road trips...


The most dramatic difference, however, compared to the factory standard car, is made within the suspension and geometry set up. The very advanced Intrax 1K2 Black Titan coilovers with Anti Roll Control made a set up possible that optimises both traction, ride quality and 'forgiveness' near the car's adhesion limit on one side, and high speed stability, overall composure and turn-in response on the other. The substitution of lightweight components like aluminium/titanium coilover units, AGM battery, starter motor, decat pipes (legally possible on this car because of it being a pre-'94 car imported from another EU country - the UK - on a 'local' rather than full EU Type Approval) radiator, carbonfibre intake plenum and deletion of the space saver spare wheel in favour of an air compressor/sealant combo to modern OEM standard - has resulted in a weight loss of about 40 kg with better weight distribution. The brackets for the anti-roll bar droplinks on the rear wishbones have been upgraded and the droplinks themselves replaced with rosejointed ones. As an optimum road-biased tyre, the new Bridgestone Potenza RE-002 Adrenalin has been selected in OE sizes. The brakes have been upgraded with Tarox grooved and heat treated discs, and Ferodo high performance pads, resulting in great pedal feel and ample braking capacity for road and 'casual' track day use. For more serious track driving enthusiasts, we would recommend higher specified AP Racing/Tarox braking systems in conjunction with a 'twin hoop' rollover bar behind the seats.

Many detail improvements have been made in the course of testing and maintenance to reduce thermal loads on underbonnet components and the car's occupants and generally make things neater and easier to maintain. Lightweight Dynamat Hoodliner has been used to reduce noise from the drivetrain and heat radiation through the centre console area. The soft top roof has been renewed to the highest standard. 

Finally, a front end respray and extensive paint correction, followed by an application of the latest C-Quartz finest ceramic coating (guaranteed for two years) and a thorough interior detail makes sure the Speed Eight Prepared Chimaera looks as great as it drives - while retaining the car's originality and authenticity to the largest possible extent - and keeps looking great with the minimum of maintenance!

Chimaera spyder: project?

Very rough and ready, quick & dirty Paint rendering...

It's well known that Peter Wheeler's chief inspiration for his '90s models came from the charismatic sports racers from the 1950s and '60s - so why not take the concept one step further and make an open sports racer out of the Chimaera? After all, if Jaguar could do it with their XK8 boulevard cruiser to create the stunning XK180 concept... ;)
The concept would be; no roof (so the interior should be 'ruggedified' by deleting carpets in favour of body colour inside floors etc), reduce to the very essence, a lightweight bruiser for track days and special occasions. A Tuscan Convertible-style twin hoop roll bar would be mandatory I think, as would be some proper carbon fibre buckets from the likes of Reverie.

Of course, this would be built from a damaged/neglected car rather than to cannibalize a perfectly decent Chim... :o)

Speed Eight Chimaera on the rolling road

 

At Beek Auto Racing, after finalising the full 4.3 'S' spec with the 123tune fully mappable ignition distributor by 123ignition.

 

Full engine spec:

 

4.3 litre, standard sized valve (39.8/34.6 mm) engine with big journal crank, fully balanced and tuftrided

Forged pistons

Lightened and balanced rotating assembly incl. flywheel

Ported heads, new valves and valve train components, bespoke Piper cam

ARP rod bolts and head studs

45 mm ported intake manifold

ACT 45 mm carbon superflare trumpets; thermal trumpet base gasket

ACT carbon twin throttle plenum and intake hoses

Huge Bosch airflow meter (BMW 4.4-4.8l V8); Siemens 'Vectra' injectors

ACT stainless performance exhaust manifolds + decat pipes

123tune USB programmable ignition

Magnecore ignition leads

 

Result - 300 hp @ 6000 rpm or 50-60 hp over a standard 4.3 engine -  with excellent driveability at all rpm and load levels, superb response and a very wide power band (2000-6000 rpm). Also, the lightened internals and carbon plenum have reduced the weight by about 15 kg...

 

 

The red line is the result of the run with the mapped 123tune ignition (5000-6000 rpm) - +26 hp maximum, + 40 hp at 6000 rpm!