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Austin Healey 3000 vs TVR Chimaera - British Sports Car Brutes (1967 Healey MkIII/1997 Chimaera 400)
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- Опубліковано 2 сер 2024
- WIN a Sealey tool kit with Lancaster Insurance: bit.ly/3Io4ha3
The 'Big Healey' defined brutish sports cars in the 1950s and 60s, but does its spirit live on into the 1990s with the TVR Chimaera? Paul and Joe compared this pair of hairy-chested roadsters!
Thanks to Sherwood Restorations for loan of these cars, both are for sale!
Austin Healey: sherwoodrestorations.co.uk/ve...
TVR: sherwoodrestorations.co.uk/ve...
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Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:54 Austin Healey 3000
4:50 TVR Chimaera
9:04 How Do They Compare?
Bloody superb video. Thank you.
Thanks Tony!
I bought a Chim tyo have a bit of fun for a couple of years in 2006. 16 years later I still have it and have driven to the North of Scotland, West Wales, Isle of Man, Italy and Southern Germany (twice). Brilliant fun and highly underrated. Many thanks to Clarkson and co for keeping the prices and demand low for so long so more true enthusiasts can afford them. For how much longer, who knows? The Chimaera is the best kept secret of the sports car world. Once you accept they are a bath tub strapped to scaffolding with Ford brakes and some leather and wood thrown in for good measure, you realise they are greater than the sum of their parts. Buy a good one and you'll be laughing. Buy a bad one and you will weep.
110% agree Those that knock them have never had one "ITS A FACT BECAUSE I SAID SO" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The only thing to touch them for out and out fun is a super bike
1000c.c. plus otherwise just stick to the Chim !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TVR owner for 18 years and one of the most reliable cars l have ever owned. V8 soundtrack, just glorious
We couldn’t agree more, Nick!
No one mentions the Cerbera in all these back slapping luv it comments, why? Ok it’s my choice out the them all because of, guess… and that interior …
@@davidtaylor2131 possibly because the Cerb needs a new engine every 32 miles?
@@madhatchetman delay in response didn't think that they were that bad
Okay. I'll take both. But, if I had to choose, it'd be the Big Healey - all day and every day. Even if just to park on my driveway for me to drool over. I've loved them all my life. So beautiful.
The Chim for me but then I’m biased. Used mine as my daily last couple of days and even after 3.5 years of ownership I fall in love with it each time I drive it
I just can’t think of anything else I’d replace it for the money
I love the looks of an Austin Healey. Mankind has never manufactured a better looking car, I don't care how it handles, it looks great!
A good comparison of 2, different eras, traditional British sports cars. A straight 6 for me every time!
I have to side with the Big Healey here. They take a lot of physical (and mental) effort to drive fast but they pay that back with being surprisingly precise to drive and capable of covering ground very quickly. They're not all muscle and no control, they're just a proper heavyweight. When I drove a BJ8 around the N. York Moors I ran out of bravery well before the car ran out of ability. I love the unburstable all-iron feeling of a Big Healey too. The C-Series makes such a fantastic noise - that classic straight-six snarl, loads of induction snort and a thudding exhaust. And when cruising it's just a steady, smooth thudthudthudthudthud, almost like a classic parallel-twin motorbike. One of my all time most enjoyable classics to drive.
The commentary from both of these chaps, was absolutely excellent. Cars were amazing too.
Great video. I’m pretty sure the Chimaera and Griffith have the same chassis and wheel base, but the Chimaera has bigger overhangs for the bigger boot
Was going to say the same. Built on the same floor pan I thought
I've had both at the same time and can say yes, they are the same. Only the boot is bigger.
@Colin Gregson well, none of my cars had the original suspension for very long, so I don't know how they really handle. I got my chimaera to handle pretty well
The chimaera was considered the soft TVR but when you consider it weighs the same as an MX5 but has a nice big V8 with all the horsepower you could possibly need, no ABS and no traction control there’s nothing soft about it.
Brown trousers will be des rigeur.. or optional
Waited a long long time to get a Chim bought one 2 years ago not a single issue to date Whoops yes the windscreen washer pipe snapped what a pain L.O.L.
The sound is second to none !! The wife can drive it so she does not moan !! Well to be honest I don't let her out in it too often !! They are now going up in value
so its a win win is it not ??????????????? Very very underrated car in my humble opinion and those as I have said that try to knock them have never had one
it's all hear say and nothing more .. Does not matter what car you buy if its a dog its a dog Get a good one and it will probably be ok but with a Chim you do get
more smiles per miles that's for sure !! Good up load by the way Well done fellas !!
My wife's uncle used to own a big Healey, that he himself fully restored - such an incredibly gorgeous car. As a car guy, I loved seeing both of these models featured together. I would jump at a chance to drive either one of them in all honesty. Variety is the spice of life, especially when it comes to cars. I really enjoy the diversity of vehicles represented on your channel, please keep up the good work.
Thanks for your kind words! The variety keeps on coming, this month alone we’ve got Bentley, BMW and a 1970s Fiat still to come!
Hope you weren't complaining about having to go into work that day! Great fun!
That Chimaera looks fabulous, still has some traditional British sports car styling, with a more modern aggressive stance. Easy to drive as well? Damn so tempting, a TVR that doesn't try to kill you.😯
It was an early start worth making, Joe nearly put in an offer to Sherwood Restorations for the TVR!
This stuff about them trying to kill you. 🙄 If the driver is a careless idiot, maybe. I've 'survived' 4 wonderful TVRs.
@@grahamw56 Just a turn of phrase mate, I wouldn't expect the back end to kick out every corner! Older cars just need a bit more consideration in the way you drive them, that's all.
I love both of those cars. I bought a 1974 Spitfire 1500 in Monroe’s Scotland while I was in the US Navy stationed at RAF Edzell. Drove it all,around the UK and across the US.
Lol, they canny wee car but they don’t go around Uk roundabouts very quick… too independent the suspensions can’t make up their m8nd which way to tramp lol…
The big Healey is undoubtedly a superb sports car...I once owned a 100/6 but the ground clearance was a bit of a problem but this was eventually improved in the later mark threes as depicted here in this great video. Drum brakes could be uncomfortable and it was easy to' lose it' in the wet.
Austin-Healey always wanted one beautiful I do like the TV on as well
Back in the mid-1960s a work colleague here in London owned a big Healey and let me drive it around the
West End one memorable day. What a thrill. Sports car motoring that stays in the memory! Later, I was to
buy a 100/4 Le Mans (louvred bonnet with strap) and enjoy that too , both here in the city and on a trip to
the West Country. Those were the days, my friend!!
The blare of a straight 6 is every bit as evocative as a beefy V8 when you hear them being given the beans, good vid.
The Healy is just beautiful. Exhaust magnificent. Friends Dad had one. In it we chased Eisenhower limo down Pennsylvania turnpike until waved off by Secret Service agent with Uzi under flapping raincoat who was riding the rear bumper of the "Queen Mary".
Aaaaaand now I’m back on ebay looking at Chimeras again
Happy bidding! 😉
Having stacked a fairly new Porsche, my fault, and done expensive damage to road crash barriers, suprise suprise the insurance didn't want to pay. So I bought a Chimera just as they came out. L511BPD from Mole Valley TVR. I had most of the toys during the 80's and 90's although never an Italian one, regrettably. But my Chimera was heavenly. It did leak, for a while I had problems with the brakes 'glazing'. But beyond that it was the best and most enjoyable toy I ever owned. Reasonably reliable, apart from the leak, bloody quick, impeccable manners, easy to drive fast. Had one superb summer cruising in the S o France. Bought for £28k did 42000 miles, then had my first daughter. Sold for £26k, and I cried, really. Loved that little car, would love to find it again. Kind regards P
Great comparison, 30 years between them but both desirable now. As you stated there’s a lot of commitment needed to drive the Healey, whereas the TVR isn’t the brute I thought it was.
You should try the 5.0 chimaera then as that’s a brute
i love my chimaera .. i have a red 400 and it's the most fun you can have on 4 wheels ..
Great comparison gents, I’m the proud owner of a 4.5 Chimaera and absolutely love it, the Healey does look lovely, 2 gorgeous cars. 👌👍
Our pleasure, thanks for watching!
Excellent video. Both cars sound beastly!
I've had a Chim 4.5 for 11 years now and used it as a daily for a long time. Apart from one snapped throttle cable, it's never broken down. If you drive it well within it's limits (and that's still incredibly fast), it's a big pussy cat that anyone could drive. Push it to the very limit and you need a lot of skill and lightning reactions.
But the sound, the speed and the sheer practicality (huge boot and tons of room behind the seats) make it a fantastic Grand Tourer which does more smiles per mile than any other car. And for under £20k. Nothing at that price comes close.
My first car in 1966 was a 1962 Healey triple carb with an Abarth exhaust the sound was beautiful
Having driven these when I was a lot boy at a dealership back in 1965 - 66 I will say they were a serious object of lust albeit a much more stodgy alternative to the E-Type. The Healy was much more of a parkway car ... but compared to its competition from the US i.e., the Corvette, it was a less capable but more elegant 'old man's' car. I'd take a 300 Mark III British Racing Green and Saddle interior pleas with wire wheels ... 🙂
Funny how Denis Collins is a HUGE big Healey fan, personally I’d have one over an e type everyday of the week…
Very nearly the same time difference from now to the Chim, and from the Chim to the Healey!
Pretty sure the pic of the 5litre engine cut into the video is my engine bay!
Owned a Healy 100/6 BN4 many years ago. Pretty gutless. But so pretty that I had to have it. Wish I still owned it.
These are everything an electric car isn't.
Oh yes.. THree hours in an electric car and men become strangely attractive. This doesn't happen in a Healey....
I purchased a Chimaera in 1994, a 4 litre HC, red with white leather, it was new, from NMG in Norwich, I was putting £80 worth of petrol in it a week, the woman who worked at the petrol station, said where do you drive to use that amount in a week, my answer Nowhere!!!
I'll take the Healey any day or an MGA after my all time favourite the Elan, old British sports cars seem to have a soul and aa character all of their own very unlike today's sports cars
Oh, anything with that Rover V8 in gets my vote, such a tunable lump with a fantastic sound xD
I still miss both my Healey’s ( one stock, one Corvette 327 v8 powered)..My ‘67 Sunbeam Tiger has lots of torque but she is not as pretty or curvy as the Healeys…oh well ;)
We’d fancy a go in a Tiger, Bill!
I own a Chimaera 450 fabulous car drives and handles as a Griff because despite what your chap says they are mechanically identical chassis brakes suspension the lot only the body is different. Both go very well despite TVRs very conservative power figure’s 😀.
As a Chimaera owner for 28 years I'm not too sure that the car is as "cuddly" as you make out! Certainly not in the 500 variant I have at least.
Yeah mines a 500 and the comment about going straight from your driving test into one made me smile
@@2702simmo followed by strait to the scene of the accident, strait to the undertakers then the ground I fear. Love TVRs but you still need to know how to drive properly
Had mine for 23 years. Span mine in week 3 on a wet road thankfully late at night (no traffic) and at a reasonably slow speed. It got my respect/attention immediately and have never been close to that scenario again. I took delivery in late November back then, it was my main drive at the time and trying to get to destinations when frosty/ snowy within a month or so was a very steep learning curve! I love the Peter Wheeler line in the manual - 'slow in, fast out'.
Was at a corporate track day some 25 years ago and was taken around Goodwood in a classic race prepared Healey. Couldn't believe the power from what was a 1950's car. Quite an experience and who knows it may have led me to the Chimaera .. hence loved this video
Great item thanks 👍
Thanks Robert! Which would you choose?
@@ClassicsWorldUK neither thanks.
Gimme that Austin Healy anytime
2:45 "Let's open it up and see what happens" Lots of noise but no discernible change in speed lol
He didn't open it up about 3500rpm plus he missed his gear change in standard form it should get to 0 to100 in about 25 seconds With a mild tune it will top out at 135mph and cut the 0 to 100 to about 17secs .I know.
I agree. Cars need to be safe for those that they run over.
The big healey makes the chimaera look like dawn french
And the chimaera doesn’t rust on the body work , just keep the chassis clean and painted
Need to test a dart
We’re hoping to get our hands on one at some point!
The ‘67 Healey wasn’t a brute. Those Healey’s were getting softer and heavier as they tried to tried to morph closer to being a Mercedes. The earlier Healey’s were closer to true sports cars. They may have been successful in racing in the UK, but only having all the softness ripped out of it. They were actually, from the factory, more of a GT car and happier being driven swiftly (as Jay Leno would say) than fast.
I have a 1960 Sprite, it sounds good too. M.
Plenty of people these days refer to a roadster as any car where the hood (or roof here in the States), or even just a portion of it, can be lowered or removed. I'd guess that very few of them have ever seen a proper roadster such as the one you own. Such an iconic car.
@@VirtualGuth Thank you. Well said. M.
Brilliant 1st.
Nice one, John!
I've owned 5 Healeys over the years and one Chimera. Loved them all but the Mark 3. Phase 2 was the most enjoyable
Thank you for the video, love both but isn’t that Healey sex on wheels!
Thanks Julian, it’s absolutely stunning!
No competition for me. I'd pay £65000 for the TVR if I had to and £10000 for the Austin Healey, because the TVR is just a much better car. Looks better, goes better, more practical and easier to drive. The Healey was a great car in its day, but the TVR is just on a different level.
I so want a Cerbera and unlike her hatred of cars as other than a shopping trolley so does the wife! Go figure…
Classic Chimaera: roof on….
Going back to the backrooms bye
TVR's were very poor chassis wise. More flex than you could beleive possible. Given the details around the wheel base and I am sticking with my own experience The Chimera was always the poor and pontless relation to the Griffith.
No comparison.
Used to work with TVRs. . . Not the beasts people believe. . terrible build quality.
The Healey is a far superior Vehicle,heavy truck engine works well,better looking.
TVR is Furr coat,no knickers
Healey is Lady of the manor
Lady of the manor Also with fur coats and……… they set the trend l9l
What language are they speaking?👎