1998 TVR Chimaera |

Sold

1998 TVR Chimaera

Sold Price

£19,292

Mileage~40,770
TransmissionManual
Engine4.0L
LocationWarminster

SOLD

1998 TVR Chimaera

I WANT ONE

Introduction

Jacob Boodrie

Professional Consigner

A lightweight fibreglass shell combined with the tried and tested Rover V8 makes for a very quick and accessible performance focused car.

TVR is notorious for doing things a little differently. The Blackpool-born company started around '47 and has produced some of the most iconic lightweight sports cars the UK has ever seen.

The Chimaera hits the sweet spot between a highly focused performance car and a useable weekend toy. Under the lightweight fiberglass bonnet you'll find the Rover V8 - simple and strong mechanics. And underneath the body, the Chimaera was based on the same tubular chassis as the Griffith, but with softer suspension and more luggage space.

As the car matured it quickly became TVRs best-selling model, surpassing the Griffith and despite its laid-back setting, many actually preferred the handling balance of the Chimaera.

Darren has owned this stunning Chimaera twice and he's owned many fast sports cars over the years, but the Chimaera is by far and away his favourite. However, unfortunately due to down sizing Darren is looking for a new owner and has asked us to handle the sale.

This auction listing was written from information supplied by Jacob after meeting Darren the owner, and having visited and photographed the vehicle.

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Secure Auctions

We verify all our sellers and buyers to keep our community safe whilst also providing the highest levels of website security.

Full Transparency

8 out of 10 people that buy cars via our service don’t feel the need to visit due to the transparency and thoroughness of our listings.

Vehicle Delivery

We're there every step of your buying journey and will even arrange pick-up and delivery of your new vehicle.

Meet the owner

I love this car so much that this is the second time I've owned it!

Darren has owned this TVR Chimera for the past few months and he reports it's actually his second time of ownership. However, due to a recent change in circumstances and a house move, Darren no longer has space to properly store the car in his heated garage, and as such he needs to find it a new home.

Darren's owned many sports cars over the years but always found himself coming back to the familiar TVR Chimaera, he mentions it handles very well. The car has been resprayed, and regularly serviced with the mileage only showing at ~40,770.

Darren will be more than happy to answer any of your questions in the comments below.

Darren

Vehicle Owner

Darren saved £3,420* when they
sold their TVR with us.

SELLING MADE EASY

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EXTERIOR VIDEO

Exterior

The Chimaera is a handsome car with its distinctive curves and styling queues - it was a poster car of the late '90s.

Wheels and Tyres

The 5-spoke wheels look excellent on this example and Darren mentions them being recently refurbished; it shows.

A mixture of Dunlop and Toyo tyres wrap these alloys, all presented in good condition with lots of tread left for the new owner this summer.

Bodywork

The finishing of the bodywork is very good.

The doors, bonnet, and boot open and close well. The underside is clean, with no issues to report.

Please take a look at the exterior videos and photographs for a detailed tour.

Paint

The Rosso Pearl paint finish reveals a great lustre. The deep red colour is consistent and looks even across each panel. A common problem for the fibreglass panels is stone chip peppering, this one has only some very minor chips on the front bumper.

Please take a look at the photographs to see how good the paint is for yourself.

Glass and Trim

No issues with the glass - no signs of chips, cracks or repairs. The original TVR glass badges are present, confirming the original glass all around.

The glass rubber is in very good condition too.

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INTERIOR VIDEO

Interior

The all-leather interior is a charming place to be - everything is placed with performance in mind.

Seats and Carpets

The cream leather interior looks great and is shown in original condition throughout with red 'TVR' stitching - a superb touch.

The driver's side shows signs of use, with some small creases showing, in line with the age and mileage of the car. The door cards are also in good condition.

You can tell it's been owned and cared for by enthusiasts throughout its life.

Dashboard

The dashboard is very clean with white dials and a burr walnut dash.

Everything on this car has its place - although it will take a little time to get use to the door / bonnet release buttons and controls.

Darren reports everything is working as it should.

Steering Wheel / Gear Stick

The steering wheel and gearstick are in great original condition.

We love the small and discrete short-shifting gearstick with the black sports steering wheel - very driver focused.

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'ON THE ROAD' VIDEO

Mechanics

The tried and trusted 4.0L Rover V8 offers 240bhp, a top speed of 150mph together with a 0-60 time of 4.6s - incredible.

Engine and Gearbox

In the early '80s TVR approached Andy Rouse with a view to using his race-developed 3.9L Rover V8 in the TVR 350i. In the end, Rouse's race V8 wasn't used for cost reasons yet the concept was passed on to an alternative engineering firm that produced a rare variant with 93.5mm bores, flat-topped pistons, and a high-lift camshaft to give a compression ratio of 10.5:1.

The bulk of the engine production was undertaken by North Coventry Kawasaki that was bought by TVR to become their in-house engine division known as TVR Power.

Darren reports a very smooth yet quick engine performance with swift gear changes.

Suspension and Brakes

The suspension consisted of all-around independent, unequal-length double wishbones and coil-over gas dampers assisted by anti-roll bars.

The front disc brakes were 239 mm and rear discs were 253 mm, servo assisted with front/rear split dual circuits. There is a cable-operated hand brake for the rear wheels.

Darren reports suspension and brakes working faultlessly, mentioning a firm and sporty ride with stopping on demand performance.

The Drive

In the past TVR models have been known to be unruly beasts yet the Chimaera is the one model that hit the sweet spot for many, sitting somewhere between distinctively designed widow maker and useable weekend toy.

Electrics and Other

We like the electronic switch door catches under the wing mirrors on the TVR Chimaera - a quirky feature.

Darren reports all the switches, lights and buttons work as they should.

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History and Paperwork

A very special car designed to look amazing and go fast, very fast, and with only 2,200 left and still being accessible by enthusiasts, it's the perfect time to get your hands on one.

The car comes well spec'd from factory with power steering, pearl paint, wool carpets, heated seats and rear speakers fitted.

Darren is also selling the car with its tonneau cover, carbon roof, plush red indoor cover and jack (tool kit).

The car is also fitted with an Optimate II trickle charger and the original TVR space saver alloy wheel. The original gold plated TVR badge is also present but not fitted on the car, a replica badge is in its place.

Darren will be more than happy to answer any of your questions in the comments below.

We've actioned checks on; Seller ID, V5, HPi.

Service History

Date	Type	Mileage
03.03.2021	MOT	40,779
20.08.2019	MOT	39,640
23.08.2019	Service	39,635
06.08.2018	Service	38,399
04.08.2018	MOT	38,399
24.08.2017	Service	36,637
04.08.2017	MOT	36,484
26.12.2016	Service	35,847
05.08.2016	MOT	35,474
17.10.2015	Service	n/a
08.08.2015	MOT	33,410
26.07.2014	MOT	33,343
27.07.2013	MOT	32,999
27.07.2012	Service	32,006
27.07.2012	MOT	32,006
20.07.2011	MOT	31,168
26.08.2010	MOT	29,970
27.06.2009	MOT	27,872
29.05.2008	MOT	26,029
31.05.2007	Service	25,014
29.05.2007	MOT	25,014
18.05.2006	MOT	23,341
17.05.2006	Service	23,339
22.06.2004	Service	20,747
16.10.2002	Service	12,856
24.05.1999	Service	2,782
03.09.1998	Service	1,641
04.06.1998	Service	9

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Key Details

ModelChimaera
TransmissionManual
Reg. Date05.06.1998
CC3952cc
Mileage~ 40,770
HistoryGood
ColourRosso Pearl
Interior ColourCream
Interior TrimLeather
Chassis #SDLBA01R6WB001672
Engine #37A40P6310
Last Service23.08.2019
MOTYes. Exp - 02.03.2022
MOT ExemptNo
Road Tax ExemptNo
HPi ClearYes
Former Keepers5
Tyre TreadGood
Security SysImmobiliser
# of Keys2
LHD or RHDRHD
VisitedYes
Sale TypePrivate
Owned3 months
Key FeaturePaintwork

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Ask Questions

Seller : Minter Sale Date 21.04.2021

Post a comment or ask the owner a question about the car.

Guest

Darren

Ns outriggers replaced last year ,chassis was serviced & waxoyled at same time bill for over £2000 ,all paperwork in docs as advertised
Regards

Guest

Dave

Hi,
Interested in the TVR but need to know what is the condition of the chassis & out riggers.

Thanks

Guest

Darren

Yes all repaired

Member

steve

Hi Darren did you sort out the nail in the tyre? Kind regards Steve

Guest

Darren

Radio was removed as preferred the sound of the car ,replaced with blank ing plate

Member

PeterPickering

Hello

I notice there is a hole where the radio was, is this a detachable radio or is there no radio please?

Many thanks

Peter

Guest

Tim

I know you say that the auction has copies of all invoices and MOTs, but nobody saves or passes on the advisory sheets.

On the Govt MOT Check site they display all the full MOT and advisories going back to 2006. So this is something that the Auction cant show us.
With the reg number we can check.
Please can you supply?

Many thanks
TP
Stenhousemuir

Guest

Darren

Hi
Reg no R920LWO
Regards

Admin

Kulraj Salh

Hi Charles, Please do take the time to review the full listing, you’ll see paperwork for this work having been actioned for ~£2,000 last year. Thanks, Kulraj – Trade Classics

Guest

Charles mcilroy

What is current state of outriggers and chassis

Admin

Kulraj Salh

Hi Charles, Please do take the time to review the full listing, you’ll see paperwork for this work having been actioned for ~£2,000 last year. Thanks, Kulraj – Trade Classics. https://www.tradeclassics.com/auctions/tvr/1998-tvr-chimera-2/#gallery4-30

Guest

Darren

Hi
Yes 2 sets keys & fobs ,both working
Regards

Guest

Gary

Hi Darren

Can you tell me what is meant by the wording on the invoice as Sold as
Spare or Repair please? Was there an issue with the car when you bought it?

Guest

Darren

No issue bought the car from a dealer with no mot as needed to take it home that day ,as I previously owned it so knew a its history
Regards

Guest

Gary

Thanks for the prompt reply. Also do you have two sets of keys and alarm fobs as only one is shown in the photo.

many thanks

Guest

Paul O'Grady

Hi Darren,
Does the car have power assisted steering.

Thanks
Paul

Guest

Darren

Yes it does,all factory extras are on original bill of sale,hope this helps

Guest

Simon Russell

I have owned a Chimaera 400 before and am looking to acquire another one. Please could you provide as many details of the history as possible; service data / dealership and details of major works undertaken? Please could you also advise the reg number so that I can check out the the background details..? Is the car available for viewing / a pre-bid inspection and if so what is the location please..? I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks,
Simon Russell (private buyer)

Guest

Darren

The car has fully documented history from day 1,all in the write up,all viewings gave to go through trade classics ,if u contact them ,they will arrange
Regards

Guest

david brian everest

Hi Have the chassis and the outriggers beeninspected i know they are famous for rusting and its a body off repair,thanks

Guest

Darren

Yes outriggers have been inspected & ns were replaced in 2019 ,have full invoices for work
Regards

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Vehicle Location

Warminster

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