1998 TVR Cerbera 4.5

 

The fastest production car…

                … IN THE WORLD!

I'll let my esteemed colleague Mr. Clarkson explain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vif80JxqVT0

Now you're back with me, most of you will remember this amazing shootout with Clarkson in his prime, same as TVR, back in the glory days. There is a lot of conjecture regarding the level of fettling that particular 4.2s engine had on test, but having driven most of the cars on that test extensively, I can confirm that a Cerbera in any guise will walk away from the others, a healthy 4.5 would leave them wondering which way it went and that ladies and gentlemen is what we have here.

 

A 20-year-old TVR still can’t be that fast, can it? Yes, oh yes! With 405bhp on the rolling road there aren’t very many cars that this thing won’t show a clean pair of heels to. A very high percentage of those will also be fully automated and boring modern things, which won’t have a rare and special engine, developed directly from the pits in F1 and won’t be just you and the car. Is it scary? Good question, but no, it isn’t even remotely twitchy. Yes, the rears can and will light up often if you’re not deft with your inputs, but the long throttle travel and wheelbase, matched with super-fast steering inputs allows a slide to be caught with ease. You’ll need to be confident at pedalling a car to extract the best from one, but even cruising, they sound like you’ve got a tail gunner in the boot.

 

It is becoming known that I’m more than a tad partial to a Cerbera V8, especially the 4.5 – I genuinely believe they’re the best car you can buy for the money. Ignore the mileage, we all know by now that on a TVR mileage is your friend, it proves reliability for one thing, it also means any niggles, issues and upgrades have already been carried out, meaning the new owner merely needs to enjoy the car, as Peter Wheeler first intended.

 

The colour combo on this car is rather special too, Aston Martin California Sage is eternally classy, with the gold lightweight wheels and the black full hide interior, this car isn’t ever likely to go out of fashion. The sleek silhouette just doesn’t give any idea of how potent these cars are & weighing in at between 1,100 – 1,200kg, they also handle better than 99% of people expect too, all that with 4 seats, a large boot an inbuilt roll cage, AP Racing brakes and probably the world’s only factory fitted helmet holder TVR fully intended for the owners of these supercar killers to put all of that performance to good use, now it could be your turn.

This stunning example comes with all of the right factory options, the paint colour to start with just has to be one of the best possible choices, factory full hide interior, which is truly wonderful and in great order too considering the age and mileage, plus the all-important factory AC! Upgrades and maintenance throughout the years have been extensive too, as the car has been used properly, a full engine rebuild at 75k miles, new outriggers, upgraded Pro-tech custom suspension, Quaife ATB LSD installed by John Reid Racing, gearbox rebuilt, new radiator, starter motor and the list just goes on, all of which are documented.

 

Speaking of documentation, this car is one of the rare examples to come with its original sales documentation, which is a lovely addition to prove that it is still in its original spec, besides the wheels, upgrades and a de-catted & sports exhaust, creating better flow and a lot more noise!

 

Fresh from a service at TVR specialists TVR101, having had fuel hoses and belts, with a fresh MOT, we’ve just fitted 4 new tyres too so that the car is ready to roll and for a new owner to just hop into and go and extract the best from.

 

With the upgraded Quaife diff and upgraded anti roll bar set up, you can really feel the car push you through the corners at speeds that really must have been mind bending in the 90’s. There aren’t too many cars that can keep up now, let alone then. This particular car is coming from long term ownership, in which time absolutely no expense has been spared. With only 367 Cerberas left on the road in the U.K, you can assume that around a third of those will be ach engine style, 4.0 Speed Six, 4.2 AJP8 and 4.5 AJP8, making them all mighty rare cars, with the 4.5 being the daddy, the crowning glory and to my mind the best engine TVR ever produced it is the one to have. The urgency to rev only matched by the Ferrari 360 & 430, which is saying something.

 

It won’t be long until the American market is fully opened up and they start to see these incredible cars, once you’ve been in one, nothing else will really fit the bill. Get one whilst you still can, or you’ll live to regret it, trust me!

 

 

TOTAL NUMBER OF PREVIOUS OWNERS: 4

TRANSMISSION: 5 speed manual

Engine: 4,475cc V8

Power: 420 bhp

Torque: 515nM

0-60 mph: 3.9 seconds

Top Speed: 195 mph

PRICE: £27,995.00 - ONO

 

 

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