I own a 98 4.5. It has been by far the most maintenance intense vehicle I have ever owned. Most of the problems stem from being driven on wet, salted British roads. Many owners in the UK don't have undercover parking. Mines saving grace was that the previous owner replaced the chassis in 2007. This meant I only had to deal with corroded discs, calipers, oil lines,the oil cooler, radiator and wheel bearings. I've also rewired the fans and headlights (they don't get enough voltage stock, so you have to use the original wires to trigger relays fed straight from the battery) One of the headlights was out, and fell to pieces when I tried to install a new bulb, so I had to replace all 4 if I ever wanted to change a bulb. I replaced all the fuel lines and the pump, plus replaced the original tiny wire that feeds the fuel pump from the fuse box. I replaced all the suspension bushings, which were the original rubber style that have to be incinerated with a blow torch to remove. The discs looked like they had been used as boat anchors. An electrical gremlin stopped it from starting for a week. The coils are located in the valley of the engine, so when it got hot it would missfire, so I relocated them to the inner fenders. But it will still foul plugs if you let it idle too long in the shed. The alternator is also located in the valley, driven by a pulley attached to a shaft driven by the cam chain. The seal on that shaft let go, filling the valley with oil. Replacing the alternator belt with a new one from a TVR shop meant I had to die grind the alternator to get it to clear the throttle bodies. Replacing the master cylinder means removing the entire pedal assembly via the driver footwell. I actually cheated here and cut the hole in the engine bay larger so I could unbolt the pedal assembly, move it backwards and twist and wriggle the booster out. If you think it's hard to sit in the seat, try fitting into the footwell head first. The power steering pump, oil pump and water pump are all driven by a shaft thats driven by gears on the front of the motor. My power steering pump came loose and disengaged from the drive dog. Reinstalling it is engine out, so I removed it and fitted an electric pump. The local hydraulic shop couldn't match the weird British fittings, so I had to find the right bloke at the right shop who was willing and able to braze the original fittings onto new hoses to suit the electric pump. The pump is now where the windscreen washer reservoir was, and the original power steering reservoir is now the windscreen washer reservoir. A local mechanic the previous owner paid to fix the clutch snapped a socket drive in the oil fill plug, so it has to be filled from the blacked off mechanical Speedo drive. The carpet in the boot nearly all peeled off. The fuel filler and the tank don't quite line up, so even with a new piece of hose joining the two a full tank and right turns cause a smell of fuel in the car. Its latest trick is the O2 sensors constantly show lean, meaning the ecu constantly add fuel. Two new sensors, same problem. With ignition on and the engine off they show readings, start it up and they flatline at zero. From what I've read I need to check voltage at the sensors while it's running. That's the next job. So yeah, it's been a bit more than I expected, but I actually find it very comfortable to drive (and I'm 6 2), and down a long twisty road I wouldn't want to be in anything else. And a baby seat fits in the back just fine!
@@Rainersherwood I think the corrosion control was better. To be fair to the car many of the issues with mine were due to deferred maintenance. I'm approaching it with the idea of fixing each issue for good and then moving on to the next one rather than getting stuck in an endless cycle of fix/drive/break.
@@Rainersherwood yes the later the car the better made. That's why the later years are much more expensive despite most of the eariler cars having the problems fixed.
Fabulous. As the owner of a 1 of 9 prototype Cerbera GT I thank you profusely for getting the worst Cerbera to ever exist out of the UK 🤣 PS: For the indicator, push to turn it on then push again in the same direction to turn it off.
Lol. It's not a looker that's for sure. It would have been better to be restored properly over here though rather than bodge and laughed at in the USA. :/
The only buyer for that would have to have been an American who hadn't seen it, anytime anyone ever says to me the 90's were great I'm going to show them this car.
I wondered if being on UK Pimp My Ride really screwed it up, but it turns out the Cerbera was never "pimped" out - they just used it in the promo trailers. Thank goodness they got rid of that horrendous gold paint job. Btw, my dream "unreliable" British car is a Lotus Super Seven Series II that Patrick McGoohan drove in The Prisoner (also would settle for a 1966 Lotus Elan that Diana Rigg (Emma Peel) drove on The Avengers.
@@popuptoaster the 90s were great, just depends on where you look. Take Japan for example, all those cars built back then in japan still look great for todays standards.
Tvr’s are beautiful dumpster fires. Always loved them (especially the legend of the speed 12), but I would be terrified to own one. Very brave choice Ed.
I've never seen a car that wants to throw a rod, blow it's transmission, electrically total itself, and spontaneously combust all at the same time until I saw this TVR. Don't get me wrong, I still love it, but I'd love it from a distance.
That's nothing, my Dad had a Jaguar with the V-12 and Lucas electric in it. I believe is was called an XJ-12. Cream colored and just beautiful. It was a Hess convertible conversion. That car was as bad as my 1982 Chrysler Imperial which wasn't even a car. The XJ-12, tried to burn itself down at least four times and you'd think Hess would've scrapped the Lucas but they didn't. No wonder the Spitfires in WWII were such junk. Nothing electrical ever worked on this car and it even filled it's interior up with gas. The gas tank is 2 tanks one on top of the other with a tiny "O" ring between them and the "O" ring blew out. Really, I'm not making this up.
@@dannysdailys I have such love, visually, for 80s-90s Jaguars. Especially the XJs. My god did they make beautiful machines. I could never own one unless everything top to bottom was gutted and replaced with non- Jaguar components haha. I've heard absolute horror stories of those cars mechanically and electrically.
@@the_frankc My ex wifes father owned one, they threw stupid level money on that thing. Yeah it looks nice and when it runs right it's great. But I wouldn't take one even for free. It's like a surgically enhanced aging porn star, which I gave a firm NO to also.
I just sent this video to a high school friend who actually worked for TVR when your Cerbera was built. He absolutely pissed his pants laughing and said “Yeah, all of those problems sound about right”… He went on to say “I wonder if that’s the one that had coolant put in the engine and oil put in the radiator on the assembly line!” 🤣🤣🤣
I used to buy Max Power at the time that car came out. Jamie Shaw's work had always looked amazing. He had done loads of Renault 5 GT Turbos before the leap into the TVR.
My Dad owned a TVR s2 when I was younger. Amazing memories of that car going to car shows with it, going on convoys as well as just going on Sunday drives. Just an amazing car and a truly insane brand. The TVR Sagaris is my favourite car ever.
Currently in the middle of importing a early 1997 lotus Elise S1 from the UK as well that’ll be arriving in late June, the adventure of buying a shitbox British car from the country of origin is a fun one
I used to work on these at a classics/ lotus/ TVR dealer. This video made me chuckle. Congratulations you just bought an expert bag of cats. One of the older techs told me to check out the original optional extras. Back in the day you could spec one with a child's Recaro booster seat for that +1
@@ogeenext if you watched the 1st episode of Car Trek series 7 it should be obvious why I what I did. The car has one VIN tag and it might not be original. It also has a non original 4.4L BMW V8 stuffed into it.
As a current TVR owner in the Uk, your experience of a TVR wasn’t exaggerated by the mods. Driving and owning a TVR is like hunting for land mines with a sledgehammer; fun and exhilarating… briefly. I love my 1999 Tuscan but every time I drive it there is a new fault that stumps everyone. Still a great car and I love the show!
Incredible that it even ran. From its MOT (annual inspection) history it was off the road from at least 2006 (when records are available from) until Sep 2011. It was then off the road from Sep 2012 to Mar 2014, Mar 2015 to Aug 2019. And between Sep 2011 and Sep 2021 it went from 22535 to 25871 miles.
@@Matty.Hill_87 I can remember the Max Power style cars being on the road and watching some of Pimp My Ride UK, but the magazine is a little before my time. I know that the Carisma Cerbera is very well known, but I think the legacy of the Speed 12 just has a wider reach
@@Matty.Hill_87 Yea but that's not everyone is it? nor the majority of car guys. So its still a bit of a stretch to say its more famous than a speed 12 which was in printed media, online, tv, games, and pretty much everything else. Its honestly a clickbait title its not that big a deal.
@@mattb106 The one factory delivered Speed 12 is/was there yeah. There is another technically legit Speed 12 made from genuine parts, but it was made privately after the liquidation of the Blackpool factory. Not 100% sure if it uses the same V12 though
….”and Halle Berry’s incredible….(pause)……acting skills”. Well said Ed. Very funny for those of us that have watched the Swordfish movie and actually seen Halle Berry’s incredible Hood-ornaments!
I'm from the UK, and I was a regular spectator at the British GT Championship when they were testing the race version of the Speed 12 during development. Was insanely fast and loud, quicker than anything else in the field (GT1 & GT2) but the lone Saleen S7R.
I still have this magazine in a box down in the basement, it's awesome to see it again after all these years. This Cerbera and the Top Secret V12 Supra were some of the nicer cars to feature in max Power for sure!
I grew up in England and actually purchased this exact max power issue back in the day. The tuner was actually highly regarded in the tuning scene. TVR living up to its name.
I first saw the Cerbera in an Australian car magazine called Wheels and fell in love in the wine colour. Absolutely gorgeous and that 4.2L AJP8 motor was glorious, but they only kept it for that model. The next generation of TVR's which also included the Tuscan got the straight 6 motor. As for the Speed 12, that car was always fun to drive and drag race as a younger adult on Gran Turismo. 😁👍
I live in the England and I've definitely noticed TVRs becoming less common. I feel like I used to see one every couple of weeks and now I probably see one once every couple of months. I did see a Tuscan drive past my house yesterday though which was nice.
As a teenager buying Max power every month, this car and anything out of Carisma (in particular the Renault 5 GT Turbo’s) were objects of Lust and desire. I remember one year that TVR won Max power car of the year or something like that. Fascinating and sad seeing where it ended up. I hope the new owner restores it into its former glory
I really wish you guys would do a follow up episode like this for each car trek. this was great and it was fun to hear about all the problems and what ended up happening to the car. Keep doing the car treks the stories are so fun and thank you guys for making them great.
I did a right off TVR Griffith 500 back in the 90's , it was hardish hit front end smash , the guy also told us once we had it fixed to take a mold of the front end and bonnet a TVR 450 right off he had , I had never made a mold before but there was a guy around the corner from up who made glass fibre cesspits took a wonder around explained what we were doing very helpful he used to make kit car bodies years ago , never got to do the 450 though .
Oh, and the indicators switch off by moving the stalk (which is non-latching) in the SAME direction as you switched them on; i.e. if you're turning left, you move the stalk up, and then push it up again to switch them off, or press it down to immediately turn right afterwards.
Ed, there's a similar story about the perils of importing a car on the Bring A Trailer Midnight Purple Skyline that was just withdrawn by BaT yesterday, though perhaps it's more along the lines of a seller's malfeasance than importing itself. I can't post the link but it's a fantastic read in the comments. Basically, a bad example of a car with previous tracking (with pop rivets everywhere), where the seller explicitly lied about importing multiple cars (even though all his social media showed the cars imported on the bill of lading), having his friend make a huge shill bid (they were friends on social media), resulting in the seller deleting/privating all his social media and the car being withdrawn from BaT. May be worth a story here!
So glad you bought a TVR that's an absolute beast of a car... you'll fix it and bring it back to it's glory days eventually but kudos on getting one here! 🙌🏾
It may be hideous, gaudy and "ricey", but as someone that grew up in the 2000's, I just can't help but be overwhelmed by nostalgia for this style of car
There's a body shop down the road from me and the owner must be the original owner of a FnF style 2000ish Celica, right down to it being painted in some crazy show car goldish yellow pearl. I smile every time I go by and see it parked outside. Nostalgia's a thing for sure.
I'm currently building 2 old Max Power cars 😂 would've loved to have had this as the 3rd in the collection. MAX era cars are a joy only a mother can love 😂
I miss those wild times when all you needed was a bit of imagination, some money and a vague idea of how to wire a sound system/do a bit of fibreglassing
@@joebloggs9719 building a fully custom Peugeot 106. Bodykit, everything smoothed, motorbike taillights, lambo doors etc... Also now building a Fiat Punto, Combat bodykit, boot build etc... Previously build a custom widebody Porsche Cayman using tons of spare parts, bits for other cars and stuff I'd designed and made myself.
I imported a C55 amg from Japan to Namibia, and I can relate to Ed’s experience. I eventually got the car fixed but oh boy do I hope to ever have to do this again
I think on Wheeler Dealers they got a factory replacement frame for the one they bought. The tube frame on these looks like it's from a 60's LeMan's car.
So happy to see this in car trek I’ve wanted a TVR Tuscan for so long. Love your cerebra and T the same time let’s me know I should just stick to wanting one and not owning haha
Way to go, Ed. Take the fantastic opportunity your sponser has given you, and leave them out of your car choices. Real smart, I hope you haven't wrecked things for the other guys.
All il say is when this car came out as the carisma modified car it was incredible, no one was modifying cars like this, it was all Honda civics and vauxhall novas so this was very different on the uk modified scene. Jamie had a real name for himself and carisma, he was a rolls Royce leather trained trimmer hence the crazy interior and this car up'd the game. His 911 was cool too but the Renault 5 gt turbo will always be his master piece and he still owns it. You guys the states if uve seen the film Ali g in the house (Sacha baron cohen) the silver 5 gt is his car. I'm sad the car turned out a bag of rubbish, tvrs are well known for electrical issues as they tried to be futuristic with parts from ford and rover mixed up but they hold a place in UK car lovers hearts
I remember seeing it up for sale before the previous owner bought it and tried to bring it back up to its original max power days before it was sold overseas
Thinking of putting fuel into a TVR. I happened to live pretty close to the late Peter Wheeler and one Sunday evening many years ago I was putting fuel in my car at the BP garage in Clitheroe Lancashire and in comes Peter in a yellow Chimera. He untangled his 6' 5" from it and starts filling up, immediately there's a pool of fuel appearing underneath the fuel tank, he curses, lifts the boot and gives the fuel tank one almighty thump in a very specific spot, then carried on filling it up, leak fixed. I said "is that the approved fix Peter?" he laughs and says "not really, but it works."
Critical commentary? Your Car Trek suggestion was amazing Ed. Your car choice? Sublime. Criticism? You summed it up well in episode 1. World was an oyster, but Freddie and Tyler got novel configured, but disinteresting cars. If not for this TVR? I actually think Season 7 would be quite boring.
One of my work colleagues owns a tvr the electric door mirrors don't work, the back lighting on the gauges stopped working it reeked of petrol and I loved every second of the passenger experience even though I didn't fit in the car very well at all
So, when I hear from a new TVR owner about all the things that are 'odd' and working in a strange way, I just think (as an Ex TVR owner)... .... .... Wow! U R SO LUCKY! The previous owner spent LOADS of time fixing all those things from when it was new!
the reflex spice colour was an option, that at the time was £5000 per layer! nissan did the Micra in this colour and the insurance would write the car off before painting it
I remember when my son was in college in the UK I let him take my C3 Vette to show off a little bit. At the afternoon break all the student went to the car park to look at the Vette. Not to be outdone a fellow student had brought his TVR. As the students were checking out the cars. The TVR would not allow the doors to shut. They then moved onto th engines and just as they opened the bonnets( hoods) a gust of wind ripped the hood right off the TVR and it got carried of to the other side of the car park and shattered into pieces. Months later a customer tuned up at my place of work with a TVR for annual inspection but couldn’t get out as the door mechanism wasn’t working and neither was the horn or the windows. He was desperately trying to catch someone’s attention to let him out. They really are the biggest crock of shot ever made
I have loved the TVR since I first saw one. Wish there was a way to mate the body to something reliable in a left-hand drive. Just a gorgeous can of worms.
I remember beging my mum to buy me a copy of MaxPower in a newsagent cos it had this TVR on the cover and I thought it was just the coolest car id ever seen. I actually got to see the car at a show years later.
Watch the Wheeler Dealer episode with this model car. What you need to worry about is the chassis rusting. In the WD episode Edd replaces the chassis with a rebuilt chassis. Do that and this can be a GREAT car. Very light and very fast. I will add that $13k to ship is ridiculous. Ed is a shrewd salesman to get any where near the $40k he had in it, let alone $59k. Well done Ed. Good luck to the next owner who will need to put in at least $15k more to get a semi reliable car.
I own a 98 4.5. It has been by far the most maintenance intense vehicle I have ever owned. Most of the problems stem from being driven on wet, salted British roads. Many owners in the UK don't have undercover parking. Mines saving grace was that the previous owner replaced the chassis in 2007.
This meant I only had to deal with corroded discs, calipers, oil lines,the oil cooler, radiator and wheel bearings.
I've also rewired the fans and headlights (they don't get enough voltage stock, so you have to use the original wires to trigger relays fed straight from the battery) One of the headlights was out, and fell to pieces when I tried to install a new bulb, so I had to replace all 4 if I ever wanted to change a bulb.
I replaced all the fuel lines and the pump, plus replaced the original tiny wire that feeds the fuel pump from the fuse box.
I replaced all the suspension bushings, which were the original rubber style that have to be incinerated with a blow torch to remove. The discs looked like they had been used as boat anchors.
An electrical gremlin stopped it from starting for a week. The coils are located in the valley of the engine, so when it got hot it would missfire, so I relocated them to the inner fenders. But it will still foul plugs if you let it idle too long in the shed.
The alternator is also located in the valley, driven by a pulley attached to a shaft driven by the cam chain. The seal on that shaft let go, filling the valley with oil. Replacing the alternator belt with a new one from a TVR shop meant I had to die grind the alternator to get it to clear the throttle bodies.
Replacing the master cylinder means removing the entire pedal assembly via the driver footwell. I actually cheated here and cut the hole in the engine bay larger so I could unbolt the pedal assembly, move it backwards and twist and wriggle the booster out. If you think it's hard to sit in the seat, try fitting into the footwell head first.
The power steering pump, oil pump and water pump are all driven by a shaft thats driven by gears on the front of the motor. My power steering pump came loose and disengaged from the drive dog. Reinstalling it is engine out, so I removed it and fitted an electric pump. The local hydraulic shop couldn't match the weird British fittings, so I had to find the right bloke at the right shop who was willing and able to braze the original fittings onto new hoses to suit the electric pump. The pump is now where the windscreen washer reservoir was, and the original power steering reservoir is now the windscreen washer reservoir.
A local mechanic the previous owner paid to fix the clutch snapped a socket drive in the oil fill plug, so it has to be filled from the blacked off mechanical Speedo drive.
The carpet in the boot nearly all peeled off. The fuel filler and the tank don't quite line up, so even with a new piece of hose joining the two a full tank and right turns cause a smell of fuel in the car.
Its latest trick is the O2 sensors constantly show lean, meaning the ecu constantly add fuel. Two new sensors, same problem. With ignition on and the engine off they show readings, start it up and they flatline at zero. From what I've read I need to check voltage at the sensors while it's running. That's the next job.
So yeah, it's been a bit more than I expected, but I actually find it very comfortable to drive (and I'm 6 2), and down a long twisty road I wouldn't want to be in anything else. And a baby seat fits in the back just fine!
Man just reading that is tiring. Lol I loved driving the TVRs in Gran Turismo
Damn 😐
@@Rainersherwood I think the corrosion control was better. To be fair to the car many of the issues with mine were due to deferred maintenance. I'm approaching it with the idea of fixing each issue for good and then moving on to the next one rather than getting stuck in an endless cycle of fix/drive/break.
@@israels5033 Thats the only way to drive a TVR 😂 or own one
@@Rainersherwood yes the later the car the better made. That's why the later years are much more expensive despite most of the eariler cars having the problems fixed.
Fabulous. As the owner of a 1 of 9 prototype Cerbera GT I thank you profusely for getting the worst Cerbera to ever exist out of the UK 🤣 PS: For the indicator, push to turn it on then push again in the same direction to turn it off.
Lol. It's not a looker that's for sure. It would have been better to be restored properly over here though rather than bodge and laughed at in the USA. :/
The only buyer for that would have to have been an American who hadn't seen it, anytime anyone ever says to me the 90's were great I'm going to show them this car.
Was the best in its day. Just well outdated now lol
I wondered if being on UK Pimp My Ride really screwed it up, but it turns out the Cerbera was never "pimped" out - they just used it in the promo trailers. Thank goodness they got rid of that horrendous gold paint job. Btw, my dream "unreliable" British car is a Lotus Super Seven Series II that Patrick McGoohan drove in The Prisoner (also would settle for a 1966 Lotus Elan that Diana Rigg (Emma Peel) drove on The Avengers.
@@popuptoaster the 90s were great, just depends on where you look. Take Japan for example, all those cars built back then in japan still look great for todays standards.
Tvr’s are beautiful dumpster fires. Always loved them (especially the legend of the speed 12), but I would be terrified to own one. Very brave choice Ed.
Similar to the women that were having their necks broken in that car. Beautiful dumpster fires.
ITS A TREVOR NOT TVR
I think the only way to own one of these is to completly rewire the entire car, and possibly put it on a stand alone ecu :P
@@TheOystei and then replace the chassis, suspension, gearbox, body and electrics....
@@chris681975 k
What did you think of the first episode of Car Trek 7?
LOVED IT !!!!
The "no, we have Top Gear at home" of car shows.
The other two guys could have put in a _little_ effort in their choices, really.
Pretty killer
Great as always
I've never seen a car that wants to throw a rod, blow it's transmission, electrically total itself, and spontaneously combust all at the same time until I saw this TVR. Don't get me wrong, I still love it, but I'd love it from a distance.
That's nothing, my Dad had a Jaguar with the V-12 and Lucas electric in it. I believe is was called an XJ-12. Cream colored and just beautiful. It was a Hess convertible conversion. That car was as bad as my 1982 Chrysler Imperial which wasn't even a car. The XJ-12, tried to burn itself down at least four times and you'd think Hess would've scrapped the Lucas but they didn't. No wonder the Spitfires in WWII were such junk. Nothing electrical ever worked on this car and it even filled it's interior up with gas. The gas tank is 2 tanks one on top of the other with a tiny "O" ring between them and the "O" ring blew out. Really, I'm not making this up.
@@dannysdailys I have such love, visually, for 80s-90s Jaguars. Especially the XJs. My god did they make beautiful machines. I could never own one unless everything top to bottom was gutted and replaced with non- Jaguar components haha. I've heard absolute horror stories of those cars mechanically and electrically.
Dont`t forget the chassis that wants to return to mother nature!
@@the_frankc My ex wifes father owned one, they threw stupid level money on that thing. Yeah it looks nice and when it runs right it's great. But I wouldn't take one even for free. It's like a surgically enhanced aging porn star, which I gave a firm NO to also.
My S2 XJ6 was one of the best cars I've ever owned. Trick is to buy based on condition and FSH.
I just sent this video to a high school friend who actually worked for TVR when your Cerbera was built. He absolutely pissed his pants laughing and said “Yeah, all of those problems sound about right”… He went on to say “I wonder if that’s the one that had coolant put in the engine and oil put in the radiator on the assembly line!” 🤣🤣🤣
I used to buy Max Power at the time that car came out. Jamie Shaw's work had always looked amazing. He had done loads of Renault 5 GT Turbos before the leap into the TVR.
Jamie shaw's work always looks good for a year or so but at the end of the day he's just gluing on bits of plastic.
@@K2edg sadly true of most of the Max Power feature cars. At least by the time it peaked. Just look at how all their project cars went 😬
To be fair to Jamie he’s work was 99% interior and it still looks alright even I the car trek video. He didn’t do the body work.
But did you buy it for the cars or the 'articles'?
@@DblBarrelShogun perhaps regrettably it was mostly the cars. It definitely wasn’t the cruise reports though! 😂
My Dad owned a TVR s2 when I was younger. Amazing memories of that car going to car shows with it, going on convoys as well as just going on Sunday drives. Just an amazing car and a truly insane brand. The TVR Sagaris is my favourite car ever.
Currently in the middle of importing a early 1997 lotus Elise S1 from the UK as well that’ll be arriving in late June, the adventure of buying a shitbox British car from the country of origin is a fun one
Is there a euro equivalent of Japanese classics? A company that imports and titles cars for you at a premium?
I love you videos Man
You will love it when it arrives, they handle so well
my dude’s on an Lotus buying spree right now 😂 This is like, what, the 5th Elise you’ve bought? 😅
@@devandrasimanjuntak1646 yeah 5th lotus haha
The fact that he sold it for a profit is more amazing than the story
moral of the story, buy rare cars even if they are dogshit : D
it is actually on sale right now on autotempest for 60k
@@dejavu3741 still is.
@@egis4500 seriously, after 9 months? That’s bad.
I used to work on these at a classics/ lotus/ TVR dealer. This video made me chuckle. Congratulations you just bought an expert bag of cats.
One of the older techs told me to check out the original optional extras. Back in the day you could spec one with a child's Recaro booster seat for that +1
That’s the coolest, most terrifying option ever
You’re a brave man Ed.
Undoubtedly the best story teller on UA-cam. I could sit for hours with a cold beer around the campfire and listen to his stories.
Ed def is one of the best car story tellers out there, great journey you took us on!
The TVR was a brave choice. Looking forward to the rest of series 7!
I don't know how Hoovies BMW made it into the country.
That one "original" vin on the firewall did all the lifting lmao.
The fact that the car is over 25 years old allowed it to be legally imported into the U.S.
I love Hoovies BMW, I'm rooting for it to survive. I've always loved the idea of a newer BMW V8 with a manual in an E30 chassis.
@@GetOffMyLog I guess!
@@ogeenext if you watched the 1st episode of Car Trek series 7 it should be obvious why I what I did. The car has one VIN tag and it might not be original. It also has a non original 4.4L BMW V8 stuffed into it.
Sounds like it's running exactly how it would have when it left the tvr factory if I'm honest, they weren't exactly known for their build quality 🤣🤣
Lol, probably a little bit better than factory.
As a current TVR owner in the Uk, your experience of a TVR wasn’t exaggerated by the mods. Driving and owning a TVR is like hunting for land mines with a sledgehammer; fun and exhilarating… briefly. I love my 1999 Tuscan but every time I drive it there is a new fault that stumps everyone. Still a great car and I love the show!
Incredible that it even ran. From its MOT (annual inspection) history it was off the road from at least 2006 (when records are available from) until Sep 2011. It was then off the road from Sep 2012 to Mar 2014, Mar 2015 to Aug 2019. And between Sep 2011 and Sep 2021 it went from 22535 to 25871 miles.
The Speed 12 is arguably more famous, but this is a pretty well known example too
If you were into the max power car scene back in the day then this is far more famous
@@Matty.Hill_87 I can remember the Max Power style cars being on the road and watching some of Pimp My Ride UK, but the magazine is a little before my time. I know that the Carisma Cerbera is very well known, but I think the legacy of the Speed 12 just has a wider reach
One of (or is it ‘the’?) Speed 12s is in a small museum in the Lake District. Insane car at the time.
@@Matty.Hill_87 Yea but that's not everyone is it? nor the majority of car guys. So its still a bit of a stretch to say its more famous than a speed 12 which was in printed media, online, tv, games, and pretty much everything else. Its honestly a clickbait title its not that big a deal.
@@mattb106 The one factory delivered Speed 12 is/was there yeah. There is another technically legit Speed 12 made from genuine parts, but it was made privately after the liquidation of the Blackpool factory. Not 100% sure if it uses the same V12 though
When a car is unreliable enough to make Ed hate it, you know it's on a whole different level.
….”and Halle Berry’s incredible….(pause)……acting skills”. Well said Ed. Very funny for those of us that have watched the Swordfish movie and actually seen Halle Berry’s incredible Hood-ornaments!
"Silicone parts are made for toys" Sir Mix-a-Lot 1992
Full bolt ons. They seem to work well
I'm from the UK, and I was a regular spectator at the British GT Championship when they were testing the race version of the Speed 12 during development. Was insanely fast and loud, quicker than anything else in the field (GT1 & GT2) but the lone Saleen S7R.
This is so accurate. The TVR Tuscan was my favorite car in Gran Turismo 3. It transformed my career mode!
Wasn't that a Cerbera in GT3?
,@@barnabyjones5161 there was a Cerbera, however, my favourite was the Tuscan.
Loved to have been a part of this journey!
As a teenager there was a TVR dealer around the corner from my house. Still my dream car. The noise they make is amazing.
You're right, Halle Berry's beautiful set of acting skills are on full display in that film
I still have this magazine in a box down in the basement, it's awesome to see it again after all these years.
This Cerbera and the Top Secret V12 Supra were some of the nicer cars to feature in max Power for sure!
I grew up in England and actually purchased this exact max power issue back in the day. The tuner was actually highly regarded in the tuning scene. TVR living up to its name.
I’ve lived within a mile of the old TVR factory here in Blackpool all my life. Miss the sound of those v8’s and straight sixes. Loud!!
Jamie shaw built that. Was an epic car. Charisma was amazing back in the day.
carisma is back
and the porsche he’s building
fuck its unreal
I first saw the Cerbera in an Australian car magazine called Wheels and fell in love in the wine colour. Absolutely gorgeous and that 4.2L AJP8 motor was glorious, but they only kept it for that model. The next generation of TVR's which also included the Tuscan got the straight 6 motor. As for the Speed 12, that car was always fun to drive and drag race as a younger adult on Gran Turismo. 😁👍
I live in the England and I've definitely noticed TVRs becoming less common. I feel like I used to see one every couple of weeks and now I probably see one once every couple of months. I did see a Tuscan drive past my house yesterday though which was nice.
All rotting in a hedge bottom...
As a teenager buying Max power every month, this car and anything out of Carisma (in particular the Renault 5 GT Turbo’s) were objects of Lust and desire. I remember one year that TVR won Max power car of the year or something like that. Fascinating and sad seeing where it ended up. I hope the new owner restores it into its former glory
I really wish you guys would do a follow up episode like this for each car trek. this was great and it was fun to hear about all the problems and what ended up happening to the car. Keep doing the car treks the stories are so fun and thank you guys for making them great.
I remember seeing this car in British car shows when I was 19. It's incredible to see it in a video on the other side of the pond
I did a right off TVR Griffith 500 back in the 90's , it was hardish hit front end smash , the guy also told us once we had it fixed to take a mold of the front end and bonnet a TVR 450 right off he had , I had never made a mold before but there was a guy around the corner from up who made glass fibre cesspits took a wonder around explained what we were doing very helpful he used to make kit car bodies years ago , never got to do the 450 though .
Gran turismo 2 was my 1st run in with these cars,, I remember the paint being so unique from the TVR cars
Oh, and the indicators switch off by moving the stalk (which is non-latching) in the SAME direction as you switched them on; i.e. if you're turning left, you move the stalk up, and then push it up again to switch them off, or press it down to immediately turn right afterwards.
Ed, there's a similar story about the perils of importing a car on the Bring A Trailer Midnight Purple Skyline that was just withdrawn by BaT yesterday, though perhaps it's more along the lines of a seller's malfeasance than importing itself. I can't post the link but it's a fantastic read in the comments.
Basically, a bad example of a car with previous tracking (with pop rivets everywhere), where the seller explicitly lied about importing multiple cars (even though all his social media showed the cars imported on the bill of lading), having his friend make a huge shill bid (they were friends on social media), resulting in the seller deleting/privating all his social media and the car being withdrawn from BaT. May be worth a story here!
All this thing needs is an lsx swap and a hell yea brother and its set. Love it Ed. Thanks again for car trek
So glad you bought a TVR that's an absolute beast of a car... you'll fix it and bring it back to it's glory days eventually but kudos on getting one here! 🙌🏾
I saw that TVR on a French tuner magazine about 20 years ago when i was a teenager . It was ADDX Magazine and i still have that magazine 🤘
It may be hideous, gaudy and "ricey", but as someone that grew up in the 2000's, I just can't help but be overwhelmed by nostalgia for this style of car
There's a body shop down the road from me and the owner must be the original owner of a FnF style 2000ish Celica, right down to it being painted in some crazy show car goldish yellow pearl. I smile every time I go by and see it parked outside. Nostalgia's a thing for sure.
Remember seeing this at Max Power Live. Think around 20 years ago. Loved that show, NEC was always packed out when it was on.
3:57 They don't have a stellar reputation of reliability & quality. Your not wrong 🤣 🤣
I purchased that Max Power in Washington DC on a school trip back in the day was such a cool looking car!
I'm currently building 2 old Max Power cars 😂 would've loved to have had this as the 3rd in the collection.
MAX era cars are a joy only a mother can love 😂
I miss those wild times when all you needed was a bit of imagination, some money and a vague idea of how to wire a sound system/do a bit of fibreglassing
What are you building?
@@joebloggs9719 building a fully custom Peugeot 106. Bodykit, everything smoothed, motorbike taillights, lambo doors etc...
Also now building a Fiat Punto, Combat bodykit, boot build etc...
Previously build a custom widebody Porsche Cayman using tons of spare parts, bits for other cars and stuff I'd designed and made myself.
@@TomModsThings that's cool mate I actually checked out your channel after I left the comment and have subscribed.
I imported a C55 amg from Japan to Namibia, and I can relate to Ed’s experience. I eventually got the car fixed but oh boy do I hope to ever have to do this again
I think on Wheeler Dealers they got a factory replacement frame for the one they bought. The tube frame on these looks like it's from a 60's LeMan's car.
"At some point the fuel pumps stopped not stopping" is the most TVR sentence ever spoken
Car trek is so awesome really enjoying it and so good when all 3 together absolutely killing it. Your the best guys all of you
The Tuscan speed six is still my dream car. Courtesy of Swordfish and top gear magazine that I got when I had a layover in Heathrow back in the day.
Testing at the Freedom Factory- soooo close to having Cleetus in the chair!
"How quickly can I NOT drive the car?"
Funniest quote 😂
Thank you for bringing back memories from my youth.
I had the max power magazine that this was featured in, this thing was huge back then
So happy to see this in car trek I’ve wanted a TVR Tuscan for so long. Love your cerebra and T the same time let’s me know I should just stick to wanting one and not owning haha
“At one point the fuel pumps stops not stopping.” 😂😂
I’ve actually had that happen in two vehicles.
Ed never disappoints… he even made money on that turd! I hope it gets the modifications redone properly so it actually makes mods bearable! 😂
The Sagaris is my favourite TVR and it looks like it could still be sold today very modern aggressive design.
I agree, it’s my fave too
In regards to Swordfish, I always preferred Helga's (acting) skills in the code cracking scene.... 👍
No man she sucked
Did no buddy see the top gear episode where Jeremy Clarkson challenged people on starting a tvr!
Halle Berry "acting" skills was the best part of Swordfish.
Way to go, Ed. Take the fantastic opportunity your sponser has given you, and leave them out of your car choices. Real smart, I hope you haven't wrecked things for the other guys.
Trust me Ed. We the UK thank you for getting this car out of the UK. we won’t miss it 🤣🤣
You won this season of car trek on the first day, who didn’t wish they could have a tvr? Forbidden fruit forever.
6:10 - 6:13 hurt my german heart
unlabeled...*goosebumps*
"Pouring coolant out of the ecm". That's hilarious.
What a wonderful story, glad you made money on it. What a quirky machine.
just saw how it ran.....YIKES!!!!!THINKING you will be walking soon.
I think he will plug auto tempest in every conversation for the rest of his life.
That's the dream! 😂
I remember that car for back in the day, amazing seeing it again if only on screen. Loving Cartrek btw
All il say is when this car came out as the carisma modified car it was incredible, no one was modifying cars like this, it was all Honda civics and vauxhall novas so this was very different on the uk modified scene. Jamie had a real name for himself and carisma, he was a rolls Royce leather trained trimmer hence the crazy interior and this car up'd the game. His 911 was cool too but the Renault 5 gt turbo will always be his master piece and he still owns it. You guys the states if uve seen the film Ali g in the house (Sacha baron cohen) the silver 5 gt is his car. I'm sad the car turned out a bag of rubbish, tvrs are well known for electrical issues as they tried to be futuristic with parts from ford and rover mixed up but they hold a place in UK car lovers hearts
I still have magazines with this car on the cover and a full spread photoshoot. Max Power, Modified, Super Street... Loved that thing back then.
I remember seeing it up for sale before the previous owner bought it and tried to bring it back up to its original max power days before it was sold overseas
Thinking of putting fuel into a TVR. I happened to live pretty close to the late Peter Wheeler and one Sunday evening many years ago I was putting fuel in my car at the BP garage in Clitheroe Lancashire and in comes Peter in a yellow Chimera. He untangled his 6' 5" from it and starts filling up, immediately there's a pool of fuel appearing underneath the fuel tank, he curses, lifts the boot and gives the fuel tank one almighty thump in a very specific spot, then carried on filling it up, leak fixed. I said "is that the approved fix Peter?" he laughs and says "not really, but it works."
Ed, if BBC came to you guys and said “We want you 3 to be the new Top Gear U.S. and AutoTempest can sponsor it” would y’all do it?
Critical commentary? Your Car Trek suggestion was amazing Ed. Your car choice? Sublime. Criticism? You summed it up well in episode 1. World was an oyster, but Freddie and Tyler got novel configured, but disinteresting cars.
If not for this TVR? I actually think Season 7 would be quite boring.
Go to Hoovie's channel. He actually got an '80s Renault Alpine for Car Trek but it got tied up in customs. The BMW was an 11th hour replacement.
@@matthewterry5540 Yeah, that vid came out after my comment here. Did comment on that video too. Would definitely have been a winner
The new owner will have a love/hate relationship with this TVR for sure
They will probably just keep chipping away at repairs until it’s reasonably holding together. Then continue using it for adult movies.
@@markm0000 having a purpose inspires life, long live this rats nest!
Omg that made me laughing so hard how you explain things, please never change Ed Bolian!!
Congratulations on your find....loved watching you on car trek
One of my work colleagues owns a tvr the electric door mirrors don't work, the back lighting on the gauges stopped working it reeked of petrol and I loved every second of the passenger experience even though I didn't fit in the car very well at all
Strange car even in Europe, happy to hear that you did not lost money on it.
2:42 along with Halle Berry's absolutely amazing... 'acting skills' that was in the movie 😆
4:15 & 4:18 🤣
So, when I hear from a new TVR owner about all the things that are 'odd' and working in a strange way, I just think (as an Ex TVR owner)...
....
....
Wow! U R SO LUCKY! The previous owner spent LOADS of time fixing all those things from when it was new!
The way Ed describes this car has me rolling
I love the BMW shade for changing lanes.
the reflex spice colour was an option, that at the time was £5000 per layer!
nissan did the Micra in this colour and the insurance would write the car off before painting it
Ed rocking the Rolex Day Date I like it 👌
Aftermarket ECUs for engine swaps are very good these days. TVRs are a perfect recipient for a good engine and aftermarket ECUs with wiring
I kinda fell in love with that body kit watching this....
Another fantastic storytelling
"Steaming Pile" would seem an accurate discription...My Lord!
You best look after that tvr , its a British icon. Thats been on the show scene forever really
I remember when my son was in college in the UK I let him take my C3 Vette to show off a little bit. At the afternoon break all the student went to the car park to look at the Vette. Not to be outdone a fellow student had brought his TVR. As the students were checking out the cars. The TVR would not allow the doors to shut. They then moved onto th engines and just as they opened the bonnets( hoods) a gust of wind ripped the hood right off the TVR and it got carried of to the other side of the car park and shattered into pieces. Months later a customer tuned up at my place of work with a TVR for annual inspection but couldn’t get out as the door mechanism wasn’t working and neither was the horn or the windows. He was desperately trying to catch someone’s attention to let him out. They really are the biggest crock of shot ever made
I have loved the TVR since I first saw one. Wish there was a way to mate the body to something reliable in a left-hand drive. Just a gorgeous can of worms.
I remember beging my mum to buy me a copy of MaxPower in a newsagent cos it had this TVR on the cover and I thought it was just the coolest car id ever seen. I actually got to see the car at a show years later.
"All of it works [sometimes]."
Sounds like one of my cars.
So true, the dash in a dodge viper is similar quality to the dodge neon
Watch the Wheeler Dealer episode with this model car. What you need to worry about is the chassis rusting. In the WD episode Edd replaces the chassis with a rebuilt chassis. Do that and this can be a GREAT car. Very light and very fast. I will add that $13k to ship is ridiculous. Ed is a shrewd salesman to get any where near the $40k he had in it, let alone $59k. Well done Ed. Good luck to the next owner who will need to put in at least $15k more to get a semi reliable car.