The TVR Chimaera is a two-seater sports car manufactured by TVR between 1992 and 2003. The name was derived from Chimera, the monstrous creature of Greek mythology, which was made of the parts of multiple animals. First debuted at the 1992 Earl's Court Motor Show, the Chimaera is an open-top roadster and uses the same backbone chassis and Rover V8 engine derivatives as the TVR Griffith. The car was intended to be the long distance tourer of the range and as such was longer, more spacious and had slightly softer suspension than its sister car.

Specifications

Engine

All engines are based on the 3.5 L Rover V8 unit, with increased displacement on the later models.

Suspension

The suspension consisted of all round independent, unequal-length double wishbones and coil over gas dampers assisted by anti-roll bars. Ground clearance was about 5 in.

Braking

The front disc brakes were 239 mm on smaller displacement cars, and 260 mm diameter and ventilated on five litre models. The rear disc brakes were 253 mm, or 273 mm in diameter on the five litre model. Both sets were servo assisted with front/rear split dual circuits. There was a cable-operated hand brake for the rear wheels.

Steering

Steering was optionally power-assisted and worked via rack and pinion with adjustable steering column. There were 2.2 turns lock-to-lock for the power-assisted steering or 2.5 for unassisted. The steering wheel was 350 mm in diameter and leather-covered, although other wheels could be specified by the customer. The standard fit was by Personal, in keeping with a majority of TVR models.

Manufacturer's options

Model year changes

The Chimaera was originally intended to replace the Griffith but sufficient demand for both of the models led TVR continuing them. In 1994, TVR introduced the Chimaera 500, a high performance derivative of the Chimaera. The BorgWarner T5 manual transmission replaced the Rover LT77 unit on the rest of the range. A new alternator, power steering and a single Vee belt were fitted to improve reliability. The 4.3 litre engine option was replaced by the 4.0 litre High Compression option. The Chimaera was mildly updated in 1996. Updates included a rear bumper shared with the Cerbera, push button doors with the buttons located under the wing mirrors, a boot lid shared with the Cerbera and the replacement of the front mesh grille with a horizontal bar. The GKN differential was also replaced by a BTR unit. A 4.5 litre model was added to the lineup in 1997. It was originally intended to be fitted with the AJP8 V8 engine but due to the engine not being ready on time, a bored version of the Rover V8 was used instead. In 1998, the rear light styling and the number plate mounting angle was updated while the base 4.0 litre model was discontinued. In 2001, the Chimaera was again facelifted and now featured the Griffith's headlights as well as seats from the Cerbera. The Chimaera was succeeded by the Tamora in 2002.