1996 TVR Cerbera *Sold £11,000*

Description

• Recent full repaint 
• Chassis shotblasted and powder coated 
• Immaculate Paintwork 
• Recent service 
• 20-year family ownership 
• Low mileage 
• Will come with a full year’s MOT
• PLEASE NOTE THE CERBERA IS A 4.5 V8 NOT THE 4.2 AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED

The TVR Cerbera is a British sports car manufactured by the British automobile manufacturer TVR between 1996 and 2006. Its name is derived from Cerberus, the three-headed beast of Greek legend that guarded the entrance of Hades. 

Introduced at the 1993 London Motor Show, the Cerbera was the third car manufactured by TVR under the leadership of Peter Wheeler (the first being the Griffith while the second was the Chimaera). The car marked three milestones for the Wheeler-led company: the first being that it was TVRs first hardtop (Coupe), secondly, it is the first 2+2 as all previous cars were 2 seaters and lastly the first to have TVRs own in-house built engine fitted. 

Originally owned by our vendors son’s godfather and family accountant the car has been “in the family” for around twenty years, purchased from him by our vendor’s son as a retirement present due to our vendor always lusting after one. Not a bad present at all! 

Originally purchased from TVR Dealer, Horseless Carriages in Harrogate, and with plenty of stamps in the service book from them to boot. Also supplied is the original manual, plenty of receipts for previous works, plus a selection of old MOTs. 

Exterior 

The Cerbera arrived in 1996 with great applause. Okay, most of that said applause was for its performance but the looks were certainly not overlooked. Based on a slightly lengthened Chimaera platform it stunned everyone that looked at it, even today it still looks bang up to date. With those swooping lines inside and out it really doesn’t look like anything else. 

Our super example benefits from a full repaint in its original British Racing Green. It looks fantastic all round, our vendor who is an ex-panel beater, has been in the body trade all his life so knows a good paintjob when he sees one. As you will be aware, these were constructed with composite fibreglass bodies so need to be painted correctly; this Cerbera certainly has. With no signs of micro-blistering or sinkage anywhere, being painted approximately a year ago, any issues would have surfaced already – so expect it to look as good in the future as it does now. Our vendor is selling the TVR Cerbera now to its lack of use.

Underneath you will see that the chassis has been stripped completely, shotblasted and then painted with durable stone chip prior to the black paint. The decision to repaint the chassis was born from lending the car to his son’s business, it was used at an auto show in Birmingham to show off a new product that they were selling: a car ramp. Whilst the TVR was on the ramp, our vendor noticed it was not as presentable as he would like it to be, so he had the work carried out on its return. 

The glass is all original and the wheels were refurbished by Wheel Repairs Yorkshire at the time of the repaint. Like the paintwork they are still in perfect condition. While we are at it, you will see from the images that the tyres are showing plenty of tread so that’s another expense that will be avoided in the near future. 

Interior 

As with the exterior the interior is a sight to behold, lauded for its swooping dash and unique features, it does present a futuristic presence; even now it still looks modern. 

The tan leather holds you snugly as you nestle yourself into the cockpit. You will notice some wear on the driver’s seat that could do with some small repairs to the seams and the green carpets, although they look undamaged, could do with a freshen up. Apart from that everything else looks great. The plus two rear seats hardly look sat in and the door pads and roof lining all look good. 

The underslung instruments and wild swooping dashboard never fail to delight and gives rise to certain Cerbera rituals. Pressing the red button under the steering wheel cuts the ignition. The engine stops instantly, like a racing car. That steering wheel holds push button controls for lights, washers, wipers and horn. Our vendor has shared that they all work as they should; even the funky, touch operated, electric window switches work as they should. 

All extremely important when thinking how unique the interior parts are, this is a very special and uniquely designed car, definitely no parts bin leftovers here. 

Engine and Mechanicals 

This is the part that we suspect will shout the loudest when describing a Cerbera. The engine being specifically designed for this TVR was the key to its success; do an internet search on the Cerbera and the adjectives you will read will be words like ballistic, awesome and phenomenal – such is the speed and acceleration of these things. 

Our early example is the Speed Eight, designation ‘AJP8’ after Al Melling, John Ravenscroft and Peter Wheeler, it is a 4.5 litre V8 rated at 420 hp and gave the Cerbera a top speed of 185 mph.  Mated to a five-speed transmission and fitted to a car that weighed less than 1200kgs you will find supercar performance without the pocket draining cost.

So good was the Cerbera, more so than any other TVR before it, it cemented the Blackpool company’s place in the big league of performance car manufacturers. 

Having been stripped completely for the chassis to be refurbished, everything else was checked and put back together. All the bushes were checked and the few worn were replaced, the engine was serviced and at the same time the fuel pump was also replaced. With so much work carried out around the whole car, we suspect that not only does it look spectacular it will also be a spectacular example to drive, just as it was when it left the factory.  

Our view  

With surprisingly friendly handling and biblical acceleration you get the best of both worlds with the TVR Cerbera. Already an iconic car that will only get more sought after, we think it to be a great time to invest. Add to that the fresh paintwork and properly sorted chassis and what more do you want? 

A great example of these fiendishly fast two by twos in a colour that won’t blind you….  Perfect!