TVR Cerbera Speed ​​12

TVR
TVR Cerbera Speed ​​12
Project 7/12 Speed ​​12 Cerbera Speed ​​12
Production period:	1997-2000
Class :	race car
Body versions :	Coupe
Engines:	Gasoline engines : 7.7 liters (485–735 kW)
Length:	4300 mm
Width:	1960 mm
Height:	1100 mm
Wheelbase :	2642 mm
Empty weight :	999 kg
Previous model	TVR Cerbera Speed ​​6

The TVR Cerbera Speed 12 , originally Project 7/12 called, was a high-performance concept car , the 1997 of TVR in Blackpool ( England was designed). The car was based in part on TVR's production vehicles at the time and was intended to be both the world's most powerful road vehicle and the basis for a GT1 racing car . But problems during development, the change in regulations for the GT1 class and the eventual realization that the vehicle simply couldn't be used on the road put an end to the idea and the management of TVR stopped development.

The vehicle's Speed ​​Twelve engine had a displacement of 7.7 l, twelve cylinders and is said to have developed almost 1,000 hp (735 kW). However, an exact performance measurement was never carried out. Nevertheless, his power delivery is said to have been impressive and he would have accelerated the car from 0-100 km / h in just over 3 seconds and the achievable top speed would have come close to that of the McLaren F1 .

history

Concept vehicle Project 7/12

The car, known as the TVR Project 7/12 , first appeared at the Birmingham Motor Show in 1996 and dominated there as it attracted more visitors than other cars. The number 7 indicates an engine with a displacement of 7 l (although it was actually 7.7 l) and the number 12 indicates the number of cylinders. TVR announced that the engine would develop over 800 hp (588 kW) and would be faster than the McLaren F1; the first concept vehicles were aimed at the FIA ​​GT1 class in the form valid at the time. The cars should have been throttled to a more modest 660 hp (485 kW), but the weight of around 1000 kg would have been retained. The street version would have weighed just as much, but without the limiters the power would have increased considerably: TVR said it was 800 hp (588 kW), but there was no reliable measurement. The car had a specially designed six-speed gearbox and a clutch. The Speed ​​Twelve engine consisted of two Speed ​​Six engines that were brought together on a crankshaft. Unlike other automobiles of this type, the engine block was not made of cast iron or aluminum, but of steel.

Speed ​​12

In 1998 the car was renamed TVR Speed ​​12 and the GT1 racing version was almost ready. TVR wanted to name the car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans , but that never came to fruition. But the Speed ​​12 GTS competed in some races for the FIA GT championship in the GT1 class, despite sudden rule changes due to extremely expensive racing machines, such as the Porsche 911 GT1 , the Nissan R390 and the Toyota GT-One , and the subsequent task made the Speed ​​12 superfluous in the class in other championships. So that the work done was not completely in vain, TVR immediately took care of a street version of the Speed ​​12. However, this project could not be completed within a year.

The TVR Cerbera Speed ​​12 , which was completed in 2000, was - like its predecessor - never subjected to a power measurement, but the original machine (which is said to have developed 800 bhp) was reinstalled. Vehicle weight remained at a low 1000kg and TVR reminded its staff that they were about to build a car that would beat the McLaren F1 by using the words "over 240 mph (384 km / h)" on several occasions . The new car was also to be built in parallel to a new racing car, with TVR having to opt for the GT2 class, as the GT1 class had been abandoned a few years earlier. The new racing car competed in the British GT Championship for a number of years and celebrated numerous successes and won a number of races. However, there were a number of problems with its reliability that often forced the car to give up. In the meantime, the street version was almost ready and TVR had received a large number of orders and down payments for it. At £ 188,000, it was the most expensive car in TVR history.

The racing version of the engine delivered approximately 675 hp (496 kW), with power being curtailed by inlet limiters prescribed by the racing regulations. These limiters were not necessary for the street version and so the machine was developed without them.

In an interview, then-owner Peter Wheeler said that TVR had tried to determine engine performance using a dynamometer. The dynamometer was suitable for up to 1000 hp (735 kW), but the attempt ended with the input shaft breaking. To get an approximate value, the TVR engineers tested each of the two cylinder banks separately and came up with a value of 480 hp (353 kW) per bank, which suggests a total engine output of 960 hp (706 kW). Wheeler, who was not new to high-performance vehicles and a seasoned racing driver in the company's own TVR Tuscan Challenge , drove home one of the finished prototypes and concluded that the car was unsuitable for road use as he believed it was just had too much power.

TVR returned the down payments and the plans for series production were put aside. The remaining prototypes were shown around at various car shows and then dismantled piece by piece and the parts used for the Speed ​​12 racing cars that were still racing in the British GT Championship . The life of the Speed ​​12 was not over yet. In August 2003, TVR placed an advertisement for a TVR Cerbera Speed ​​12 with the registration number W112 BHG in Auto Trader . TVR wanted to rebuild one of the prototypes and sell it to an enthusiast. The purchase is said to have not been an easy matter; the buyer is said to have met Peter Wheeler personally and checked by him whether he would be a suitable buyer. Eventually the deal was closed, the Speed ​​12 was rebuilt and handed over to the new owner. Since the original body had been destroyed, TVR had to use the body of one of the GT racing cars, which had the advantage that the car with the additional downforce was even faster than before. In addition, the TVR revised the engine and ECU. The car appeared in the May 2005 issue of Evo magazine, where it was described as "awesome" and "terribly fast".

Chassis and body data

• Brakes : Internally ventilated disc brakes with 378 mm diameter (front) and 273 mm diameter (rear)
• Suspension : double wishbones, coil springs, gas pressure shock absorbers and stabilizer

Mileage (unconfirmed factory information)

• 0–100 km / h in around 3.0 s
• Weight: 999 kg
• Power: 800 bhp (597 kW; 811 PS), 735 kW (1000 PS)
• Top speed: 386 km / h
• 0-320 km / h in 13.9 seconds
• 0–402 m in 9 seconds (248 km / h)

Web links

Commons : TVR Cerbera Speed ​​12  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Data from the TVR Cerbera Speed ​​12 at www.Fantasycars.com
2. ↑ TVR Cerbera Speed ​​12 - data from TVR-Talk (2000) ( Memento from March 5, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
3. ↑ John Barker, Evo Magazine, May 2005 issue
4. ↑ Data of the TVR Cerbera Speed ​​12 on zeperfs.com