When 400bhp just isn't enough

The Cerbera is one of those sportscars which even after 11 years since its revelation is still regarded as one of the fastest British production cars to hit our roads. With its bone-shattering acceleration and TVR's own unique engine - a flatplane 4.5 litre SOHC-16v V8 producing in excess of 400bhp coupled with a lightweight spaceframe tubular chassis clothed in hand-laid glassfibre and hand-stitched four-seat interior - a car which quite easily hits and tops 180mph. But, was this enough for the never-satisfied owner of one Cerbera owner? The answer, quite simply, NO! And hence was born, PROJECT PHOENIX

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The Phoenix has been one of the most controversial TVR projects to be rumoured in recent years. This project has been in motion for over 2 years, and now, finally becoming a reality. The project has been extremely ambitious from the first day the owner took his dream to paper - a TVR pushing out over a 1000bhp as a dual-purpose road-legal daily-ride and drag-racing monster. 
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​Firstly the engine has been stroked and bored from 4.5 litres to 6 litres. The heads have been raised nearly 2 inches to accommodate the long stroke using billet heat-treated plates with custom water-channels, the compression-ratio configured at 8:1. Purpose designed con-rods from Carrillo and pistons from JE have been custom developed for the application. The block has been extremely modified and is now symmetrical where once the block extended out to the side to hold the pump assembly. Nikasil liners were specifically designed for the 1000bhp+ application. The bottom-end has been severely modified to hold 4-bolt+crossbolted main-caps CNC'd from a raw billet of high-content Nickel - Aluminium Bronze, not forgetting the custom built steel crankshaft. The heads have been ported and strengthened. A 6-stage dry-sump oil system akin to those used in Nascar racers, in fact - the pump is second to none, made by Weiss Racing. Electric steering and electric water-cooling. 

Fuelling will be achieved utilising a 16-injector dual stage fuel system and a race-specification ignition system using a high-power coil + reserve coil per cylinder. The forced induction is achieved via a centrifugal supercharger with a maximum boost of 38psi, although in this application it will be set at 28psi. NOS induction intake cooling and dual-stage methanol/alcohol injection as well as a charge-cooled intake system are employed here.
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The drivetrain utilises a 6-speed manual ZF box and custom developed driveshafts and propshaft. The rear-end is a custom developed Sean Hyland 8.5" differential designed to hold at least 800lb/ft. The owner has plans set to also have a custom automatic transmission available for drag-racing along with drag-racing wheels and shocks. No concerns here then.

Great lengths have been taken by the contracted bodyshop CS/CDT to jointly develop the new body for increased rigidity and aerodynamics. As the pictures show, this is not a body-kit, the body was hand-shaped using techniques employed in high-speed lightweight race-boat building to meet the owners stringent design requirements scribbled on a dozen A4 sheets of paper.

The 19" wheels as you see in the pictures were custom made by an American company using T6 forged mil-spec aluminium, strong and extremely light. The tyres for road use are made by Bridgestone in the size 345 rear end and 295 front end - huge tarmac gripping widths. 
The current status of this project is: 

• Body development complete
• Engine development complete
• Engine build in progress
• Engine on dyno testing very soon

The estimated numbers are ('optimistic, but not impossible' as the owner states): 

• 250mph+ (drivetrain configured for 276mph max) 
• Acceleration times 0-200 unprintable! 
• Weight @ 900kg excluding driver
• In excess of 1000bhp (initially to start at low boost and progressively wind up boost + NOS and meth injection as engine goes through its dyno-testing) 

The TVR Phoenix will be on our roads for all to see and hear very soon.