The TVR Cerbera

In November 1994, with sales of the TVR Griffith and the TVR Chimaera doing well, the sports car manufacturer added a third car to the range, the TVR Cerbera.

This car represented a landmark in TVR production as it was the first in the history of TVR sports cars to be powered by an engine not bought in from another car manufacturer.

About the Engine

This was the AJP8, a light weight V8 unit designed by Al Melling’s company, Melling Consultancy Design (MCD), and specifically for TVR.

This engine was unique in that its kgs⁄bhp rating was of a class only seen is top–end motorsport contests. The crank case was also so strong it was capable of being used as a stressed member.

Melling Consultancy Design (MCD) had some heritage as the company that was responsible for the design the V12 engine supplied to Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) and which took their Jaguar car to four consecutive wins at Le Mans.

Initially, the TVR Cerbera was powered by the 4.2–litre AJP V8, producing 360bhp. In July 1997, a 4.5–litre V8 version became available, and which produced 420bhp. In April 1998 a third AJP engine appeared in the Cerbera, this time a 4–litre straight–six cylinder unit, which TVR developed as the Speed–Six. Hence the name of the TVR Cerbera Speed–Six.

All TVR’s to Have AJP Power

The Cerbera represented Peter Wheeler’s intention for all future TVR’s to be powered by engines that were designed and built by his company. He didn’t want to be reliant upon third–party engine suppliers and so have more control over what went into his cars. True to normal practice in engine testing and development, the AJP units were first tested on the race track. Race prepared AJP V8 powered cars soon established their superiority over the Rover V8 versions in the TVR Tuscan Challenge series. TVR even set up a works team to compete in the National GT series with a Cerbera GT. This car showed promise and speed, but suffered from poor reliability due to lack of development. The Speed–Twelve Engine TVR’s commitment to motor sport was reinforced when the company once again caused a Motor Show sensation with an awesome looking prototype, a car that was code–named 12⁄7. This was a beast of a car that promised 660bhp from a new 7.7–litre TVR built V12 power unit. The engine was actually built from the design of two recently launched AJP Speed–Six engines, but in a V–configuration. There was talk at the time of a 200mph top speed and a Le Mans entry. Although Le Mans never happened for this car it did hit the racetracks during the 1998 British GT Championship, by which time it had been named the TVR Speed–Twelve. By the time production of the TVR Tuscan Speed–Six had got underway in the year 2000, the Speed–12 prototype car had been mothballed. But the power unit was applied to a newer chassis, this being based on the TVR Cerbera. There was even an outrageous road going version of the Cerbera Speed–Twelve, which boasted potential power output in excess of 800bhp, and called rather predictably, the TVR Cerbera Speed–Twelve.
			Technical Specification 4.2–litre AJP8 75 Degree Alloy V8 Engine Capacity 4280cc Bore⁄Stroke 86 x 88mm Compression ratio 10:1 Max power 360bhp @ 6500rpm Max torque 320 ft lbs @ 4500rpm 0 to 60mph 4.2 secs 0 to 100mph 9.9 secs Maximum speed in excess of 100mph Technical Specification 4.5–litre AJP8 75 degree alloy V8 Capacity 4475cc Bore⁄Stroke 91 x 86mm Compression ratio 10.75:1 Max power 420 bhp @ 6750rpm Max torque 380ft lbs @ 5500rpm 0 to 60mph 3.9 secs 0 to 100mph 8.3 secs 0 to 150mph 17.9 secs Maximum speed in excess of 160mph
			Technical Specification 4.0–litre Speed–Six Straight 6 Alloy Engine, 4–valves per cylinder Capacity 3966cc Bore⁄Stroke 96 x 92mm Compression ratio 10.5:1 Max power 350bhp @ 6800rpm Max torque 330ft lbs @ 5000rpm 0 to 60mph 4.4 secs 0 to 100mph 10.2 secs Maximum speed In excess 100mph

On the track, the new works GT2 Cerbera Speed–Twelve was joined by a GTO class TVR Cerbera Speed–Six, a car entered by Rollcentre Racing. Both cars were right on the pace in their respective classes with the Rollcentre entry achieving success both in British competition and abroad. This included completing the 24–hour endurance race at Spa in Belgium.

The Only TVR to be Built as a 2+2

The TVR Cerbera was sold between 1994 and 2005, and it was the only full production TVR model which had a 2+2 seat configuration. TVR preferred to call it 3+1 on account of the passenger seat being designed to move far enough forward on its runners to accommodate an adult seated in the back.

It is said the inspiration for the 2+2 design of the TVR Cerbera was that of Peter Wheeler wanting to offer customers with young families the opportunity of TVR ownership

Aiming that this customer group would give TVR new sales opportunitues within this market sector. Wheeler had a Cerbera as his own personal issue car, which he used for quite some time.

The concept of this car had begun early in the summer of 1993 and was at that time a styling exercise by TVR’s team of designers. After sculpting the shape of the car in blocks of foam they were given the go–ahead to build the car.

A running prototype was completed in record time and made ready for the 1993 London Motor Show where it was greeted with an enthusiastic reception. Orders were strong with 276 of them being taken at the 1994 Birmingham Motor Show alone.

Whilst the looks of the TVR Cerbera had some resemblence to the Chimaera, it was actually a completely new car. There were completely new brakes, chassis, suspension and it was built by a new construction method.

There were variations of the TVR Cerbera produced throughout its life span, one of the most notable being the Red Rose. This was built as a light–weight car with a specially tuned AJP V8 engine producing a power output figure of 440bhp.

The AJP series engines, from the Cerbera onwards, were installed in all TVR models, but the AJP8 was discontinued with the demise of this car. Thereafter, all TVR sports cars produced were powered by the Speed–Six engine.

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Thursday, 27-Jan-2011

The History of the TVR Cerbera