TVR Forum

Hello Everyone,

Firstly, I apologise for using English but my German writing is really terrible (still!). However, I can read some German and like to practise by reading your forum. Please make allowances if I get the wrong end of the stick on some occasions.

I own a 1994 Chimaera 500 in Starmist Ocean Haze.

I was lucky enough to live close to the TVR factory and puschsed my car new, directly from the nice people at the factory. I have pictures of the build for my car. I often visited TVR and was able to wander around. I met Peter and his dog Ned, as well as many other TVR characters over the years. I still contact a few exTVR employees now and again for help and information, or even just a beer and chin wag if I am back in England. My cousin was once a mechanic at TVR and he also used to drive the cars to and from TVR factory events. Some of my old schoolmates used to work there too.

I emigrated a few years ago to Villach in lovely Austria and brought my Chim with me. I can now also understand a tiny bit of Karntnerisch too

I feel a bit isolated and lonely with the car now that I am in Austria but I hope to meet up with some fellow TVR enthusiasts once more some day. As a result of my isolation I now have to service and look after my car myself TVR used to do it for me

and so I am now learning quite a bit more about what exactly goes on under the surface of that nice looking body.

You can also see me posting on Pistonheads with the same username, m4rk.

Before the Chim I have also owned various Chrome bumpered MGB's roadsters and a 1973 TVR 2500M. (also boring stuff like Ford Fiesta, Peugot 205, Ford Escort and currently my very excellent, and not so boring, Audi A3 Quattro ,,, great for Austria)

See ya one day, Ich hoffe!

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m4rk

Hi M4rk,

welcome to this brand new and still tiny German TVR Forum. And congrats to the awesome color of your Chim !

Living in Luxembourg, I am glad to see there are also other "foreigners" posting here. On the other hand, I believe that TVR drivers are of special nationality (not from this planet ) anyway, aren't we ?

We might have "met" each other on the PH forum already, where I am posting as "Funky Jo".
You seem to have outstanding contacts into the former factory community.... Do you also know Cath Mason, who used to make/repair PODS and ECUs at TVR ? She actually has my heater ECU for repair, which I am desperately awaiting to be returned....

Have fun in Austria und viel Erfolg beim Deutsch (Kärtnerich) lernen

cheers,
JO

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Gruss,
Jo

in every TVR, there is art and soul - every journey is an adventure

Hi Funky Jo,

Thanks for the Welcome

I looked you up on Pistonheads. I don't think our threads have crossed yet. I see you have a Tuscan and are relatively new member. ps The pic of your car in the members directory shows as an x, as does your avatar here. Maybe the link is broken.

I do not know Cath Mason but I might know people who do. Is she in the Blackpool area?

I wondered what an heater ECU was at first... my heater control is a plastic valve from a VW Jetta (and its leaking) and wire attached to a wheel. I guess TVR 'improved' things a bit with the newer models

When I bought mine I only specified the simple, low tech options. I have no power steering, no electric seats, no heated mirrors, no ice detector. It was not because I was skint; it was because I know TVR

I wonder what modern car will still be running in 15 plus yrs time when the electronic gizmo's begin to expire. Can't fix those with a tie wrap and soldered piece of wire

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m4rk

Hello Mark,

You are right; the Chimaera has a cable operated heater control using the two rotary discs. One of these discs drives the VW plastic valve. But the Chimaera has more Electronic Black Boxes than you think.

Beside two or three more electronic boxes there is from app 1996/7 a Heater ECU Box which controls the Heater Fan. It was introduced with the change from the rotary switch to the variable fan speed control. The Griffith had a far more sophisticated electronic heater/ventilation control from the beginning.

So even in your pre-96 Chimaera with no Heater ECU there is quit a few electronics involved. That’s the bad news. Good news is that these electronic circuits have a simple design using more or less standard components and are almost easy to fix.

But I fully agree with you. Modern cars with lots of highly integrated and special designed electronic circuits will cause a lot of problems in 15 to 20 years from now.

But who knows. It’s possible that in 20 years there are only few of today cars left. And these cars are not driving on the road but are exhibited in museums as fossils.

Regards
Eckhard

Hi Mark,

owning a 3000M Turbo and living in Vienna, I would say that I fit your profile.

You can reach me under stefangur@Inode.at.


Regards

Stefan

Hi Stefan,

I added you to the list of Austrian TVR's. I hope that's OK with you

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=13&t=553531&i=999999&nmt=TVR's%20in%20Austria%20-%20roll%20call

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m4rk