Enter the Chim

If you look at the Chimaera page on the Pistonheads forum at least 50% of the posts are about people wanting to know what its like to own, run and live with a TVR Chimaera. Short of actually putting hand in pocket and buying one, this blog is probably the best way to deliver all that information in an easily accessible format.

So what qualifies me to write this blog? Well first, I live for my cars. Yes there are lots of things I want to do before I die but the majority of them seem to be have four wheels and a gearbox. Motoring and motorsport have taken up the vast majority of my passions since a very young age and I seem to absorb information on cars in huge quantities without even trying. I have driven a huge range of things - from an original MX-5 to a 1960s Sunbeam. Front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, V8, V6, straight four, straight six, I have experienced a lot of metal. So I know my cars.

But (and this is the second point) I am not mechanically capable or minded. I love understanding how things work but rarely delve below the bonnet myself to fix, tinker or play. I know my limits - I am not a mechanic. And understanding how it functions and what it looks like ain't the same as getting a decent result when you put a spanner on it so, I don't bother. I have a man, he does work, I pay him, it all gets fixed. Simples.

Thirdly, I am not a batchelor. I have a wife and a young daughter and another on the way in the next few weeks. So I can write from the perspective of someone who has more to consider when running a car than just the thrill of driving.

And finally, I've just become a first time TVR owner. Here is my baby - a refurbished 1994 4.0 in starmist blue with beige hide.

So I won't be writing from the experience of someone who has owned one for years - this is from day one. And I also won't be writing from the perspective of someone who has hankered after a Chim for years and saved all their pennies to finally buy one. Four months ago I hadn't even considered a TVR. I came into some money and was bored of my Alfa GTV 3.0. I looked around, tried some options and then spotted my Chim. It stirred the loins so I bought it.

So I'm a normal bloke, with normal income, and a normal lifestyle. And a new car in the driveway I know nothing about.

Everything that follows is true experience.

Happy reading