TVR Shirts in - hurry!

 

We've managed to score a small batch (less than ten) of TVR shirts designed by TVR maven Nicky Thompson (aka Amazon). For all we know these might be the last ones and they're heavily discounted, too! We've got Chimaera-, Cerbera- and Tuscan-themed shirts as well as multicar ones; short and long sleeve T-shirts and sweaters. Mostly L and XL sized. Grab one while you can at our Tivvers and tea meetings (every first Sunday of the month from 11.00 to 13.00h)! 

Brake upgrade for 16" on Tuscan/Tamora

It's no secret we are not a big fan of the 18-inch wheel 'upgrade' with ultra low profile tyres on Tuscans and Tamoras. Sadly, about 95 percent of customers did take up the option back when the cars were new, which led to Peter Wheeler's famous quip when queried by Mark Hales on the subject: "I know. We spend lots of time setting our cars up, and then customers pay us good money to ruin them!" Of course, for people who can't live without the fashionable big wheel/ rubber band tyre look there's always the option of upgrading to SP12 wheels which at least deals with the high unsprung mass and incorrect offset issues, but there still is significant value in keeping the 16-inch wheels with 50/55-section tyres which helps calm down the razor sharp front end so it doesn't constantly threaten to overwhelm the rear, and generally provide a more feelsome and progressive experience.
There's one snag: the bigger 322 mm brake disc from the Cerbera 4.5, Tuscan S and Red Rose models doesn't fit inside the 16-inch Spider wheel. Well, it does fit, but then you'll have a hard time turning the wheel! To provide appropriate braking capabilities for cars with upgraded power and/or cars that are regularly driven on track, we have developed a 315 mm option which is about as big as you can go, using a Tarox billet steel rotor on alloy bells. At around 7.0 kg, this 2-piece disc combination is lighter than either the single piece 304 or 322 mm discs or the 322 mm AP 2-piece discs that were specified on early 4.5 Cerberas and Red Rose Tuscans. As seen in the pic, cars using the early AP Racing CP 5200 calipers and cast uprights can be upgraded too, provided you can get hold of the TVR C0936/0937 uprights (the ones we got from TVR Parts were the last pair they had in stock...).

Speed Eight webshop is open!

As from today, you can shop a selection of popular TVR upgrades at www.speed8.ccvshop.nl. Stay tuned as we add more items from our fairly massive product portfolio, with some brand new items being in development exclusively for us!

Projects update

Project Tuscan is well underway, the car has been completely dismantled, the chassis cleaned with minor knocks and scrapes on the still new powdercoat rectified and areas that will be exposed to road grit and dirt treated with anti-stonechip coat before spraying the whole chassis in 2K scratch resistant clearcoat; the wishbones stripped and refinished (the lower from one on the offside had sustained some damage in what looks like an unfortunate meeting with a kerb, so that one has been replaced with a brand new one) and some inside body repairs performed. A Tuscan Mk2-style grille has been blended in with the rest of the bodywork.
On the mechanicals, the specification is coming together well; a Quaife differential and standard-issue AP Racing front brake calipers with very non-standard 2-piece AP/Reynolds discs are waiting to be fitted; the engine is stripped to a bare block and uprated finger followers, valve springs and RND GT-HO cams are already to hand, as are 4.1 litre forged pistons and 4-bolt conversion for the main bearing housings. The head machining has been outsourced, new oversized valves as well as additional oiling at the rear of the head are included in the spec. Quite a few minor parts have been overhauled and refinished so far. 

Also in build is an MGF that so far has got an LSD door conversion, a comprehensive stiffening of the bodyshell,  a complete respray in the original red with the slight difference of 30% metallic flake in the first clearcoat, and an interior retrim in black with red diamond stitching. The engine will be convertied to VHPD-spec with the additional refinement of individual throttle bodies.

This is what we started out like: you can follow our progress in this Facebook photo album: https://www.facebook.com/SpeedEight/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1092496944114072

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!

Cerbera Brakes

Just delivered these 323 mm two-piece Tarox Cerbera 4.5 discs to Autobedrijf Post Uiterweer, that had a 4.2 Cerbie with the 4-bolt AP calipers and 291 mm single piece discs in that was in desperate need for a braking capacity upgrade... Hans Daalhuisen had a set of brand new six-bolt TVR/AP calipers to hand and we were in business. :)

AP stopped making the 2-piece discs for the Cerbera a long time ago when TVR went to single piece replacement discs (a lot heavier and not nearly as much heatsink capability). Last fall, the proper 2-piece discs including the alloy bells appeared in Tarox' 'Bespoke' catalogue. The Tuscan 'Red Rose' and Tuscan S, the Sagaris and the lesser spotted Red Rose T-car variants also use the 322/323 discs, so cars with the 304 mm discs and six bolt calipers are but an adapter away from taking advantage of these discs, too...