The Best of 90s British V8 Sports Cars | TVR Chimaera & Marcos Mantara: The Same, But Different?
Вставка
- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- The 90s really was a wild time for car enthusiasts! In this video, I have the privilege of driving two of the very best 1990s British V8 sports cars. Possibly for the first time on UA-cam, Fuel Up Classic have put the super-rare Marcos Mantara side-by-side with the iconic TVR Chimaera. Think they're just the same? Well, after living with, and covering thousands of miles in the Mantara, I wanted to show just how different these two cars are when you get behind the wheel.
Which would you choose,and why?
With similar specifications on paper it's completely understandable to think these two are much alike. Both have a V8 engine, fibre-glass body, and plenty of quirks, but when it comes to the driving experiences, they are wildly different.
If you're interested in more in-depth videos on either of these two cars, check out the Fuel Up Classic channel for a full buying guide and review on each - as well as my special road trip with the Marcos and Bentley Arnage through France.
I have 2 4.5 Chimaeras, one of which I've owned since 2009 and the other which has just been fully restored after many years. I love the whole experience. The Marcos is a very good car, but the Chimaera is simply the best value for money driving experience you can get. Very fast (especially with an Emerald ECU), comfortable, practical (big boot), handles well (especially with CORE sports racing suspension), sounds amazing and is extremely reliable (one breakdown in 15 years).
There's a very good reason why TVR sold 6000 Chimaeras and Marcos only made 137 Mantaras. But I'd like to own a Mantara.
As an owner of a well sorted Chimaera, my choice is already made, and for me the looks of the TVR are much more to my taste.
Your point about practicality is valid, I use mine to commute more or less once a week, take my kids to their sports fixtures, and take the wife out for dinner; but I also rip it round some backroads, let it roar under a tunnel, and get a wobble on the back end when you give it a really hard change from first to second. It has really tight steering, the chassis is tight yet forgiving, new suspension is both comfortable and performance (it is slightly lowered, so the same issue of bumps can sometimes come up), and the sound is glorious!
I would love to have a go in a Mantara though, along with all the other sports cars that house the Rover V8!
I bought a Chimaera last year for £11k. They are a bargain to buy and more importantly to run. In my 30s and insurance is £240 fully comp a year, new clutch is £300 plus fitting, new Gaz coil overs are £700 a set, full pollybush set is £280. Essentially sub £2k and you can completely refresh the chassis with all new parts including fitting by a specialist - that’s the price of a service on a lot of performance cars these days.
Absolutely! They don't need to break the bank and in terms of 'bang for buck' very little comes close.
Having just purchased a Chimaera 450 I can say it is a lovely car. I have always admired the Marcos & as you say a rare beast. What you did not say is if you want a fully sorted Marcos then dig deep into your pockets. They command big money. Great video.
Steve.
Thank you.
Marcos is what I prefer. Both the exterior and interior designs are fantastic. Furthermore, the engine's sound is so nice. Of course, TVR is a wonderful car. Thank you🙏
Thank you for watching.
I love this content man! Keep bringing more British classic sports cars.
Thanks! Will do!
Just thought what I should say !! I own a Chimaera and if you are not good with the tools so to speak go the T.V.R. route. If on the other hand you can work the tools go the Marcos route. Having said that both cars really should be owned by a home grown mechanic otherwise you are going to spend some money on repairs and servicing and they always seem to have one issue or another.. If you are thinking of buying make sure the chassis are good because if not thats a bloody big big bill. The old engine is not too expensive to sort and any old mechanic will sort in a very very short time trust me and it will not be too expensive unles its a tottal re build ?? I personaly would always go the T.V.R. route for what its worth as the Marcos really is a specialists car and if you dont like people then stear clear because lots and lots will be asking you what it is etc etc etc Hope my two pennies are of some use to an already great up load ??
Great to hear from a Chimaera owner and thank you for watching. You're right about the Marcos and how people always want to talk to you... Fill ups at the petrol station usually end up taking about 20 minutes as someone comes over for a chat about the car.
i am mechanically inclined, did you get any wheel alignment specs for a chimera? i know the rear toe is adjustable. is there an camber adjust? just going to see one for sale in New Zealand, it has had adjustable dampers fitted.
My cousin had a Marcos and this brings back loads of memories. Thanks. Great vid
Glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for watching.
I have to go through London, the sleeping policemen on some of the roads are HUGE, I think from what he is saying the Marcos simply wouldn't be able to get over them !
You have to take them slowly and at an angle, as I found out when coming across some huge ones in France. You develop a bit of a knack for tackling them, but there's no getting away from the fact it's very low and those exhausts are just a few inches above the ground.
@@fuelupclassic Yeah, I'm thinking of a few specific London roads I know & the way the parked cars funnel you in to the humps it seems pretty impossible !
I'd always admired the Marcos after reading an article about the Mantula as a boy, they did mention visibility for lorries as a potential problem as it is so low - I wouldn't see that as a showstopper but they didn't mention ride height as an issue at that time, it's a good thing to know...
Great video by the way. ⭐
@@thelimey351 Oh yes, it would likely struggle in those situations.
There's been a couple of times overtaking lorries where you can feel quite vulnerable, especially in the pouring rain. I tend to drive with the headlights on at all times and rely on the fact it's bright blue and quite loud - in the hope they do see me!
Thank you for watching :)
I love the Mantara, the Mantis, so many nice Marcos models. But so the same about the TVR's. Hard to pick just one. If possible, I'd own both.
Totally agree!
Brilliant, I’m just about to do a deal on an M reg Mantara. Your videos have been so helpful and I reckon you have sold me on the Marcos. Maybe we’ll meet up in the future? Thank you.
Great to hear! I really hope you enjoy Mantara ownership - there really is nothing else like them. The Marcos world is a small one and no doubt we will meet in the future. If you need any help or advice on your Mantara just drop me a message. All the best, Matt.
Thanks Matt, what a gent!
The TVR Chimaera would be the car, I love everything about it. I think on styling it leaves the Marcos at the starting gates and I also insist on comfort. the TVR just looks classy.. Getting in and out of the Marcos as you say would be an issue for me especially in my garage. I have to contort myself to get in and out of my SLK. It is horses for courses I guess. TVR should be revived they produced some wonderfully futuristically designed and iconic cars. Enjoy the videos.
Exactly that - it's 'horses for courses', both offer something very different. Perhaps one day I will do a video on how I very 'ungracefully' roll out of the Marcos when the hood is up and it's tucked at the back of garage with limited space haha!
Probably I will go for the Chimaera around September with the same BRG but wooden dash and black leather seats. I am still trying to find the appropriate garage to service it; By the way, great side by side video!!! Greetings from France!
Thank you for watching and best of luck with your search.
Great video, both cars look fab to me!
all Marcos are race cars
they are much closer to Ferrari in this aspect
Marcos with TVR interior would be perfection
Both great cars. But i do own a Chim and to me the most reliable tourer ever. Been everywhere in it and never let me down. And the noise OMG !!. No need to have the stereo on !.
Both great cars, but it's the Chimaera for me. That and the Griffith are peak TVR for me, once the Rover V8 was gone and they built their own engine (that was a bold decision, but the Speed Six and Eight left me cold). Back when the Chimaera was relatively new, I scratched my TVR itch with a 350i. Sadly, that car deserved its reputation as poorly built and unreliable, and it broke my heard (and my bank balance). I did get to drive a Chimaera once, at a wedding reception, and I loved every minute of it. It was the car I always wanted my 350i to be, but the prices were out of my league. That craving for the V8 never went away though, and my toy in the garage is a 2005 Mustang GT. Big n lardy compared to the TVRs, but with a decent boot and back seats, my wife and kids can enjoy it too. Great video, thank you!
Thank you for watching and sharing your TVR ownership story. I'd like to get a 350i on the channel at some point, as it's such an intriguing car. The Chimaera and Griffith really were some the very best TVR ever produced. Once you go for a V8, it's really hard to settle for anything else - Hope you're enjoying the Mustang.
Enjoyed that ...owned a couple of TVRs including a 450 Chimaera.... but can see the marcos has more drama
Thank you. Glad to hear you enjoyed the video.
That's why I got a tvr chimaera in the late 90s because you can use it every day still have one now
Absolutely! They're great things to live with and all the better for being used regularly. Although, when the weather is good I still take the Marcos out at every opportunity despite not being quite so easy to live with.
@fuelupclassic7003 I always loved the marcos a lovely car
Marcos is banglebutt avant la lettre😂
Haha! Maybe that is where he got his influence from :)
I owned 2 3 litre vovo engined marcos and i loved them. I just think the mantara looks bloated from the back and the early cars were far better looking
Looks like the Marcos was styled by 3 people who didn't talk to each other. TVR looks so much better.
First to comment !!!! but not sure what to say !!!!
Love it!
🥱 First Wow !. Now exciting for you. Your mommy must be so proud of you 👦 you ?....
question. do the Chimera have the battery in the boot?
From memory the battery in the TVR is located in the passenger footwell. In the Marcos, it is located in the boot.
TVR better looking, Marcos rear end is not my taste.
Neither of them could even offer 5 lug nuts on the wheels, despite the prodigious power outputs ? Both nice overall, but Marcos has real racing pedigree.
Interesting point!