1997 TVR Chimaera

Rare TVR Chimaera 500. This car has had considerable works carried out prior to the current owner and has a considerable history file. Rosso Pearl with grey interior and walnut dash. Don't be fooled by the 116k miles this is a V8 rebuild with only 15k miles on it. At 101k miles, engine and gearbox came out. While out, all the chassis rails were treated and painted. The engine had a complete rebuild and gearbox was fully refurbished both by TVR specialists in England. The clutch had already been replaced at 92k miles and is good.

More recently it has had new outriggers (a major weakness of these cars and extremely difficult to see without a body lift), a $2k+ CANEMS ECU upgrade, and new fuel pipes. The car benefits from a battery relocation from the passenger footwell to the trunk.

This is the 3rd TVR that I have imported to Texas from the UK (all from the same trusted TVR specialist in England) and was the one that I was planning to keep as it is the rare 5 liter engine (the largest engine option) however, downsizing to a smaller house and garage means something has to give. Sadly, the Chimaera. I had the following work completed prior to import: Full 12k mile service, new engine mounts, new gearbox mounts, new Poly bushes for suspension and differential, new sump gasket. More recently, I have fitted a new Walnut Veneer dashboard to the interior. The carpets, however, do show age and my plan was to purchase a new set from the UK and fit them myself which would transform the interior.

This car can be driven either as a Targa or a full convertible and comes as standard with a fiberglass panel that seals the car. This car has an additional Surrey Roof that folds down into a small bag to take up far less of the massive trunk this was a $900 bespoke option that I purchased from the UK and will be included if the car sells at the advertised price (negotiable otherwise). You can see from the photos that show the Surrey Roof in place that the roof is a darker shade of black to the Targa aspect of the roof this can easily be re-stained using the Renovo kit that I have used on both of my other TVRs that I imported. One point of note is a small 2cm crack in the plastic rear screen that has been repaired and waterproof it has worked for me but my long-term plan was to have the plastic insert replaced if I kept the car.

The bodywork and paintwork are good. Paintwork is not represented as perfect but perfectly presentable - as imported, the car has a low graze (approx. 10cm x 10cm) on front drivers side corner (see photo) and some stone chips. Additionally, there is a very small (approx. 2.5cm x 2.5cm) clear coat imperfection on the hood. The tires are old although good. Box of parts to go with the car. This car receives comments wherever it goes - perfect for someone wanting to add further value to this rare car.