It was 20 years ago today....

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

...It was twenty years ago today,
Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play
They've been going in and out of style
But they're guaranteed to raise a smile.


But, for me it's 20 years ago today that I got my first TVR...and it changed my life.

So, in Spring 1995 my boss rocks up in his new car...a TVR Chimaera in a gorgeous red. He never kept his cars for long so I started the subliminal thing....you know when you are bored with this I'll happily take it as my company car.

Drip, drip, drip

Fast forward to December "are you serious about the TVR?". Er, yes!

So I borrowed it just to make sure I'd like it (as if)

January 10th 2006 was handover day

So, there it was, I now had a 4.0 litre car as a company car

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Happy days.

Ran it for a year & a half at the rate of 30,000 miles per annum.


Autumn 1997...."you'd better change your car"

So, I'm at the Motor Show & order a 5.0 in Audi Aluminium Silver. I don't want power steering so need to negotiate with Peter Wheeler himself

Did the deal & went to the factory to see it being born



Sold the 4.0 for £27,000, £2k more than we paid for it

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Did maybe 43,000 miles in the next 18 months.

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Got a deal to sell the Silver Rocket...

...so ran a BMW Z3 3.2 M thing for a few weeks. I hated it



But worse was to come!

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So, I was in the motor trade, and collected my next 5.0 in 1999 on trade plates. Was registered for the road from 01/01/2000

It turned out to be utter, utter, utter crap!

Although we did do the obligatory Monaco GP route

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Whilst she was being mended I was loaned a Griff. Was OK, but was not a Chim!!!

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So crap car eventually went back

Cue 5.0 in Magnetique!

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So...I did maybe 60,000 miles in that in 2 years & I fancied a change (big mistake!)




I give you the worst car ever made in the history of all car making ever

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Whilst the above piece of poo was being mended I had this:



I loved it, really loved it. When I came to swap it back for my car

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I was so disgusted by the way I was treated I vowed never ever ever to have a TVR again, so I bought me this:

[Don1]

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

I was so disgusted by the way I was treated I vowed never ever ever to have a TVR again, so I bought me this:

Talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face!

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Three weeks later I popped into Fernhurst for a coffee. Came out with this



But..it was a 450, and as much as I tried to love her she just wasn't a 500...

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So a few short months later I bought me this:




...and 11 years later we are still together

I love TVRs and I thank you

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Don1 said:

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

I was so disgusted by the way I was treated I vowed never ever ever to have a TVR again, so I bought me this:

Talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face!

But do you know what? I loved that car. 40,000 miles

[Don1]

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

So a few short months later I bought me this:




...and 11 years later we are still together

I love TVRs and I thank you

Welwyn/Digswell?

[Don1]

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

But do you know what? I loved that car. 40,000 miles

Fair enough. It's strange the cars that properly talk to you. My 255 Clio V6 -seats too high, gutless engine, wheel too big but I loved that car.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Don1 said:

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

So a few short months later I bought me this:




...and 11 years later we are still together

I love TVRs and I thank you

Welwyn/Digswell?

No, somewhere in Northants near Rockingham

[chris watton]

Put a big smile on my face reading that.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Don1 said:

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

But do you know what? I loved that car. 40,000 miles

Fair enough. It's strange the cars that properly talk to you. My 255 Clio V6 -seats too high, gutless engine, wheel too big but I loved that car.

...we went all over in it



Can you see the ghostly appirition of me in the 4 x 4 parked to the right? Reflection looks just like a person depending on how you look at it