TVR Cerbera Speed 12 - More powerful than Hemi's weedy Merc! :D

What a car... keep ya Porsche!

Some nice cars mentioned, but I at a loss to a few of them. GT3 4x4 turbo? Gt3 is an NA RWD car, where as the 911TT is AWD. 4x4 usually means it has a trasfer case for 4WD low. The GT2 is also RWD only, but it is turbocharged, so it would get my vote for the best production Porsche now.
929 of the late 80s? There was a 959, and a few were imported, but are usually regulated to tracks only; meaning there is no onroad useage. There is also a company in Santa Cruz Cali that will make them street legal, and perform about as well as a 996 911TT X50. In short, fast.
Thanks for all the great pictures guys, some of the new exotics are looking great.

Yeah Hmmmmmm............ I think I'll take the TVR over the porche.

this is in my opinion the greatest car out there...the bentley continental gt... the worlds fastest fourseater!

i took that pic at the ny auto show last week

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Not really sure what ya discribing captain. Are you talking about the LSD (Limited Slip Differential)? I think all the later models have that as standard nw Apart from that, the one i drove just had the standard power assisted rack and pinion steering.

Anyhow have you seen the new Sagaris??? Oh yes look at it.... LOOK AT IT!!!

Nice car Watty! No I have not seen it before - thanks!

Re the TVR, I was talking about the steering rack being non linear like I said. When you turn the steering wheel a certain number of degrees on a normal car the road wheels turn a set number of degrees. The relationship if fixed. On the Tuscan I drove there was a race type rack where that relationship varied. So when you were starting to turn the steering wheel the road wheels turned less than if you already had a lot of lock on, at which point the slightest movement of the steering wheel generates a lot of road wheel turn. In theory it makes hard cornering easier because your arms cross less when you use fixed input steering (not shuffling your hands around the steering wheel) In practice it's bloody scary until you master it - the car seems very twitchy on tight corners, like it's trying to get away from you. I read a magazine review someplace and the journo said the same. I think they've reverted to normal racks now mostly, though I guess you could still have the race rack if you specified it in your build - they are pretty flexible in terms of specials. Benefits of a hand built car I suppose.

My uncles XJR and I think his XKR have the same type steering rack. It takes time to get used to it, but after a few minutes of hard driving you dont notice it at all. Another cool one is BMW's active steering, which varies the ratio depending on what you are doing. Big ratio for highspeed driving, and nice tight ratios for the canyon runs. The only thing I could do to trip it up was decelerate hard for a decreasing radius turn. Other than that, I like variable racks as throwing around a wheel more than 3/4 of a turn annoys me.

Interesting - I used to drive an XK but it had a fixed ratio rack. Your uncle has good taste barry

As I said, I know for a fact that the XJR has the variable rack, but I'm not sure about the XK. Yeah, he has nice taste indeed, with a cherry XJS-12 to compliment the selection (except that the XJS is dog slow...damn GM 3speed auto on a oversquare V12). His Xk has a smaller pulley on the supercharger, remapped ECU, retuned suspension, and some others. Near ~420 Hp, and it's a total blast to drive. Just wish it wasnt an auto, but hey, that's how they come.

As autos go though it has to be one of the very best on the market. The XK is a very long legged mile muncher and I actually thought the auto complemented the general relaxed atmosphere in the car. Calm but powerful if you know what I mean. The auto on mine was also very responsive and very chuckable. Lots of twisty stuff near me, and I made good use of it too! Given a choice on the XK I'd pick auto. Given a choice on a Porsche or Ferrari I'd pick manual though.

I agree that the auto does suit the character of the car, but I just yearn for more. Call me stubborn, but a stick is a must, otherwise I get bored.
I do agree that the MB 5 speed auto in that car is a great box. I think the newer ones use ZF 6spd autos, but for me the 5spd was silky, fast, and usually grabbed the right gear. I just need a third pedal to feel involved. The auto box in the new E60 BMW 5's is on par with the MB box in the Jags too. It would take a 2nd to 1st downshift at 30 mph, and you couldnt feel it downshift. But once again, here goes my ass talking about BMW's. (I can never stay on topic)

There's a TVR garage up the road from work. Every couple of weeks during the summer, you'll hear an unholy rumbling noise, and one of these little beauties will roll past, accompanied by a wave of drool!

Fantastic cars, shame they spend most of their life on the hard shoulder with the bonnet open


I have variable PAS on the Laguna. Scared the hell out of me the first time I took it out, as I thought the thing had dropped its steering. However, once you get used to it, it is pretty useful. Saves valuable wear and tear on the arm muscles and all that!

Welcome Benny! I grew up near the Lotus factory, so we had had the same thing with Esprits. Isn't it funny though, a TVR always turns heads! Like you say the engine note is just fantastic. As Jeremy Clarkson would say - it's not an engine - it's a musical instrument! Top Gear is back soon I hear. Woohoo!