TVR Cerbera

TVR
TVR Cerbera (1996-2003)
Cerbera
Sales designation:	Cerbera
Production period:	1996-2003
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Coupe
Engines:	Gasoline engines : 4.0-4.5 liters (256-324 kW)
Length:	4280 mm
Width:	1865 mm
Height:	1220 mm
Wheelbase :	2566 mm
Empty weight :	1100-1130 kg

The TVR Cerbera is a sports car , the TVR in Blackpool ( England produced) 1996-2003. The name is derived from Cerberus , the three-headed monster in the Greek legend that guarded the entrance to Hades .

The Cerbera was the third car that TVR produced under the leadership of Peter Wheeler and represents three innovations in the company:

• The first hardtop coupe - Griffith and Chimaera were convertibles.
• The first 2 + 2 sports car - previous TVR products were exclusively two-seaters
• The first sports car with a TVR engine - earlier TVR products had engines from MG , Rover , Triumph or Ford

The prototype was presented at the 1994 Birmingham Motor Show .

Engines

Before the Cerbera was launched, TVR bought V8 engines from Rover and then tuned them for their own purposes. When Rover was bought by BMW , Peter Wheeler didn't want to risk any problems in the event that the Germans stopped manufacturing this engine. Therefore, he commissioned racing engineer Al Melling to design a V8 engine that TVR produced itself and which other automobile manufacturers could also offer for sale. In an interview on the BBC's Top Gear program , Wheeler said: “We originally designed the engine as a racing engine. It was my idea at the time that if we wanted to expand we needed something that we could sell to other people. So we finally came to a 75 ° V8 engine with a flat crankshaft ("flat plane"). The basic engine corresponds exactly to what you see today in a Formula 1 engine. "

Wheeler is quoted as saying from the time this car was introduced that the combination of low weight and high engine power was too much for a road vehicle. An assessment that earned him plenty of free press advertising. Enthusiasts still argue about whether this was a typical example of Wheeler's legendary permissiveness, or an equally typical example of PR chief Ben Samuelson's idea of cutting advertising costs by launching a story.

The result was called Speed ​​Eight (official name: AJP8, after Al Melling, John Ravenscroft and Peter Wheeler), a 4.2 liter V8 that delivered 268 kW (365 hp). Later there was also a larger version of this engine with 4.5 l displacement and an output of 313 kW (426 hp). This was equipped with a steel crankshaft, which was more stable and reliable. The smaller engine still helped the Cerbera reach a top speed of 296 km / h.

The AJP8 has one of the largest liter outputs of a naturally aspirated V8 engine in the entire automotive world, 84.5 hp / l as a 4.2 l V8 and 94.6 hp / l as a 4.5 l V8. Later models of the 4.5 l engine were available in Red Rose specification, which increased the output to 324 kW (441 hp), which corresponded to a liter output of 99 hp / l. The prerequisite was that the engine was supplied with super unleaded petrol and that an unmarked button on the dashboard had to be pressed by the driver, who set the engine characteristics accordingly.

In some cases the V8s (especially the 4.5L) actually performed less than TVR said. Some of these were then modified (ECU, intake system, exhaust system) in order to approximate the actual output to that specified by the factory.

Many buyers were particularly drawn to the V8 Cerberas' ability to produce loud misfires, usually when the gas was turned off, sometimes even at low speeds. This quality was a point of discussion at the plant between the management and the engine developers. The engineers wanted to tune the engines to avoid the misfires to reduce fuel consumption and CO ₂ emissions, while management insisted that the misfires were exactly what customers wanted. In the end, a compromise was agreed in which only the 4.5 l engine retained its aggressive attitude.

The engine is also very compact for a V8. According to TVR, the ready-to-use engine weighs only 121 kg.

After Peter Wheeler saw the success of the Speed ​​Eight engine, he also had a Speed ​​Six engine designed as a supplement. This engine was also first used in the Cerbera. Unlike the Speed ​​Eight , the Speed ​​Six is an in-line six-cylinder with 4.0 l displacement. It differs from the V8, among other things, in its four valves per cylinder. The Speed ​​Six engine has an output of 256 kW (348 hp) and a torque of 447 Nm at 5000 rpm.

concept

The car was designed as a four-seater from the start. The rear seats are smaller than the front seats, which is commonly referred to as 2 + 2. However, the interior is designed so that the front passenger seat can be pushed further forward than the driver's seat. This gives the rear seat passenger, who sits behind the front passenger, more legroom than the person who sits behind the driver. TVR calls this the 3 + 1 construction.

TVR maintained the tradition of building cars that were not only particularly strong, but also very light for their size and performance. The factory specifies the weight of the Cerbera as 1,100 kg, customers say that the actual weight is between 1,060 kg and 1,200 kg.

The dashboard was specially designed for the Cerbera and, unlike the other sister models equipped with a three-spoke steering wheel, has a two-spoke steering wheel. The reason for this is that the smaller instruments are built into a small console below the steering wheel, and a third spoke would make reading difficult.

Like all TVRs of the Peter Wheeler era, the Cerbera also has very direct steering and a long pedal travel for the gas pedal to compensate for the lack of electronic traction control. The cars with V8 engines have two full turns of the steering wheel from left to right, the Speed ​​Six cars 2.4 turns. This makes it easier for experienced drivers to maintain or regain control of the vehicle if it has broken away. However, some less experienced drivers complain that it makes the car nervous because it reacts to steering movements more than one would like.

In 2000, TVR changed the design of the cars slightly by making the headlights more similar to those of the Tuscan . This facelift was available for all three engine versions. In addition, the cars equipped with 4.5 l machines were offered with a weight reduction package on request, which made them 40 kg lighter. This was achieved through lighter body panels and a slightly redesigned interior.

Reliability has always been an issue with the Cerbera, as it has with some other modern TVRs. The mechanical components, as heard from owners, were less of a problem than the electrical ones, but that was no less a nuisance. Nevertheless, the immense driving performance of the car mostly dominated the newspaper headlines. After an enthusiastic test report on the BBC program "Top Gear" and some newspaper articles describing the vehicle as a "Porsche killer", its popularity and awareness rose.

The last Cerbera

In August 2006, TVR auctioned what was announced as "the last Cerbera" on the Internet. According to a website specially created for this purpose, the new TVR owner Nikolay Smolensky had a single car from the series that has already been discontinued built as an homage to "the beautiful but brutal British sports car of the past". The “last Cerbera” was a right-hand drive 4.5 l lightweight specimen in pepper white with a Prussian blue interior. The auction did not reach the reserve price, but TVR decided to sell to whoever had made the highest bid. It was £ 45,000 plus a 5% surcharge and 17.5% sales tax.

Data

4.2 l model

• Engine type: V8 SOHC
• Displacement: 4185 cm³
• Power: 268 kW (365 PS)
• Torque: 434 Nm at 4500 min ^-1
• Red speed range: from 7000 min ⁻¹
• Acceleration, 0–100 km / h: 4.2 s
• Quarter mile: 12.4 s
• Top speed: 296 km / h

4.5 l model

• Engine type: V8 SOHC
• Displacement: 4475 cm³
• Power: 313 kW (426 hp)
• Torque: 515 Nm at 4500 min ^-1
• Red speed range: from 7000 min ⁻¹
• Acceleration, 0–100 km / h: 3.9 s
• Quarter mile: 12.4 s
• Top speed: 312 km / h

Web links

Commons : TVR Cerbera  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official TVR site (English)

swell

• Jeremy Clarkson: Top Gear Review of the TVR Cerbera , Classic & Sports Car Magazine, May 2004 issue

Individual evidence

1. ↑ TVR Cerbera in carfolio.com
2. ↑ TVR website about the last Cerbera ( memento of the original from August 21, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ PistonHeads forum
4. ↑ Parkers website ( Memento of the original from April 16, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.