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History1993 - The Chimaera was first produced. The name was derived from Chimera, the monstrous creature of Greek mythology, which was made of the parts of multiple animals. It was designed by Peter Wheeler, John Ravenscroft and Peter's dog Ned, who rumour has it designed the front indicator recess.
The car was based on the Griffith 4.x running gear and chassis, and was fitted with a slightly softer suspension set up, with Bilstein dampers and a rear anti-roll bar. The car was provided with a 4.0ltr or 4.3ltr version of the Rover V8, as fitted to the Griffith, but with catalytic converters to meet 1993 regulations. The initial reviews of the car were very favourable. 
1994 - The first modification took place, when the Rover SD1 gearbox was replaced with a Borg-Warner T5 gearbox. This was followed by the introduction of the 5 litre engine as fitted to the Griffith 500.
1996 - was the first major overhaul of the Chimaera and usually referred to as the Mk2. It was at about this time that the Chimaera and the Griffith started to share the same chassis and brakes, although the dampers remained different. The Griffith also received the Chimaera's rear anti-roll bar. These changes were all under the surface and went unnoticed by the majority of people, but the biggest changes were cosmetic! The wire front grill was replaced by the split intake design from the Cerbera. The door locks were replaced with an under wing-mirror design, the rear bumper strip and boot lid were re-designed and the boot hinges replaced along with the rear light clusters. The interior also got a refresh with many of the switches being re-designed. However, throughout these changes the car was unmistakably still a Chimaera. These cars being TVR's, the '96 editions can have some or all of the modifications described installed, which can make buying spares a challenge! 2001 - was the next time the exterior of the car was changed with the addition of faired in headlights, this is referred to as the Mk3. In 1993 the Chimaera became TVR's biggest selling car and remained in that position untill 1998. There were about 6000 produced, and there are more Chimaeras on the road than the total TVR's produced over the preceding 25 years. |
Technical SpecificationsChimaera 4.0
Engine: 3950cc Alloy V8 Power: 240bhp @ 5250rpm Torque: 270lbs/ft @ 4000rpm Performance: 0-60mph 5.1 seconds, Top speed: 152 mph Chimaera 4.3
Engine: 4280cc Alloy V8 Power: 280bhp @ 5500rpm Torque: 305lbs/ft @ 4000rpm Performance: 0-60mph 4.6 seconds, Top speed: 158 mph Chimaera 4.0HC
Engine: 3950cc Alloy V8 Power: 275bhp @ 5500rpm Torque: 305lbs/ft @ 4500rpm Performance: 0-60mph 4.6 seconds, Top speed: 158 mph Chimaera 4.5
Engine: 4546cc Alloy V8 Power: 285bhp @ 5500rpm Torque: 310lbs/ft @ 4250rpm Performance: 0-60mph 4.7 seconds, Top speed: 160 mph Chimaera 5.0
Engine: 4988cc Alloy V8 Power: 340bhp @ 5500rpm Torque: 320lbs/ft @ 4000rpm Performance: 0-60mph 4.1 seconds, Top speed: 175 mph Some of these specifications especially power/top speed and 0-60 times may vary. Dimensions, all models
Length 4015mm, Height 1215mm, Width 1865mm Weight 1060kg, Front Track 1460mm, Rear Track 1460mm, Ground Clearance 132mm Fuel Capacity 57 Litres. |
ARCHIVES
Find out more in the TVR Chimaera Archives (Members Only) |
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Some quotes from the period
Fast Lane 1993 - Overall, this is possibly the best handling front-engined/rear-driven sports car in the world. |
evo 1999 - What you get are straight-forward, old-fashioned thrills. Buy wisely and you won't be disappointed." |
Performance Car 1997 |
Sports Car International 1994 - There's little on the market that can touch the Chimaera for its seemingly incongruous blend of high performance, road behavior, individuality and value." |
Car 1997 - The Chimaera sounds good and pulls enough wallop to satisfy all but the utterly power-crazed." |
Useful Chimaera Links
www.chimaerapages.com run by the TVR Car Club and dedicated to the ownership and maintenance of the TVR Chimaera, possibly one of the most successful models of loud and proud Rover V8 engined sports cars to come out of the Blackpool factory.
