TVR Cerbera
| TVR Cerbera | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | TVR |
| Production | 1996–2003 |
| Assembly | Blackpool, England |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Sports car |
| Body style | 2-door coupé |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 4.0 L straight-6 Speed Six 4.2 L V8 Speed Eight (AJP8) 4.5 L V8 Speed Eight (AJP8) 4.7 L V8 Speed Eight (AJP8) factory built specials (low numbers made) |
| Transmission | 5-speed manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,566 mm (101.0 in) |
| Length | 4,280 mm (168.5 in) |
| Width | 1,865 mm (73.4 in) |
| Height | 1,220 mm (48.0 in) |
| Curb weight | 1,100 kg (2,425 lb) (Speed Eight) 1,060 kg (2,337 lb) (4.5 Lightweight) 1,130 kg (2,491 lb) (Speed Six) |
The TVR Cerbera is a sports car manufactured by TVR between 1996 and 2003. The name is derived from Cerberus the three-headed beast of Greek legend that guarded the entrance of Hades.
The TVR Cerbera was the third car manufactured by TVR under the leadership of Peter Wheeler (the first was the Griffith and the second was the Chimaera). The car represented three firsts for the Wheeler-led company:
The prototype was introduced at the 1994 Birmingham Motor Show.
Prior to the Cerbera, TVR had purchased V8 engines from Rover and then tuned them for their own use. When Rover was purchased by BMW, Peter Wheeler did not want to risk problems should the Germans decide to stop manufacturing the engine. In response, he engaged the services of race engineer Al Melling to design a V8 engine that TVR could manufacture in-house and even potentially offer for sale to other car-makers. In an interview for the television programme Top Gear, Wheeler explained "Basically, we designed the engine as a race engine. It was my idea at the time that if we wanted to expand, we ought to make something that we could sell to other people. We've ended up with a 75-degree V8 with a flat-plane crank. The bottom-half of the engine to the heads is exactly as you would see in current Formula One engines."
Wheeler was quoted at the time of the car's launch as saying that the combination of light weight and high power was too much for a road car, a quote which ensured much free publicity in the press. Enthusiasts still argue about whether this was a typical example of Wheeler's legendary frankness, or an equally typical example of his PR chief Ben Samuelson's knack for saving on advertising costs by creating a story.
The result was dubbed the "Speed Eight" (official designation 'AJP8') after Al Melling, John Ravenscroft and Peter Wheeler, a 4.2 L V8 producing 360 horsepower (268 kW) and gave the Cerbera a top speed of 185 mph (297 km/h). A 4.5 litre version of the engine was later offered with 420 horsepower (310 kW).
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