1996 TVR Chimaera

Lot details
Registration No: Y422OWC
Chassis No: SDLDCC4P1TA011123
Mot Expiry: March 2010

Introduced at the 1992 Motor Show, the Chimaera was intended to be a more practical, user-friendly machine than the formidable Griffith. To this end, it sported a proper boot and more cosseting interior. Styled by John Ravenscroft and Peter Wheeler, company lore has it that the front indicator recesses were the result of Wheeler's dog Ned taking a bite out of one of the foam mock-ups. Equipped with all-round unequal-length double wishbone suspension (complete with coil-over shock absorbers and anti-roll bars) the Chimaera could be had with a number of different V8 engines. Though, even the entry level 4.0litre was quoted as developing 240bhp and 270lbft of torque. Slowest of the range, it was reputedly capable of 0-60mph in 4.7 seconds, 0-100mph in 12.1 seconds and 152mph! Luckily all Chimaeras came with four-wheel disc brakes and a Quaife differential as standard.

Finished in maroon with red upholstery, this particular 4.0 HC example is described by the vendor as being in "very good" condition with regard to its 4.0litre engine, five-speed manual gearbox, electrical equipment and bodywork (while, he rates the interior trim and paintwork as "good"). Reportedly a 1996 car that failed to find a buyer in Hong Kong, the TVR returned to the UK some two years later but was not road registered until May 2001 at which time its odometer showed 254 kilometres (the instrument in question has since been exchanged for one calibrated in miles per hour). Stated to have covered just 22,000 miles from new, the Chimaera has apparently been serviced at the following mileage intervals: 1,116, 2,039, 6,411, 13,100, 18,806, 19,885 and 21,000. Fettled by RT Racing of Sheffield for the last four years, `Y422 OWC' boasts "a fan override switch, JVC CD player, Cobra immobiliser / alarm, leather interior, metallic paintwork, power steering, RT Racing full chassis treatment, electrics windows, upgraded Leven chrome parts and Bridgestone tyres". Summed-up by the seller as "a proper sports car with plenty of soul" which "drives beautifully", he adds that "at cruising speeds it stays under 3,000rpm so if driven right the MPG can be surprisingly excellent. But let's face it you don't buy a TVR if you're worried about fuel economy". Taxed, tested and ready to go!