Speed 8?

[cockers]

Help!

My girlfriend is doing the big ring round for insurance on the Chimaera (a 94L) and, when she gives the car's numberplate, nearly all insurers are trying to tell her it's a "Speed 8".

I didn't think there was such a thing. Is it just the usual misunderstanding of TVR models by mainstream insurers, or is something dodgy going on (one of the insurance companies asked whether our car had been written off and rebadged, which I'm not impressed with at all - I'm 99.9999% sure the car's absolutely straight, but this has got me worried)?

[richb]

The Speed 8 was a prototype around 1988 a kind of predecesor to the thinking that produced the Griffith. In pictures looks like the nose is a rounded off wedge and the tail is a Griffith. Rich...

[cockers]

But it never made it into production?

So I couldn't possibly have one?

[squirrelz]

I had a couple of quotes from insurers that termed the Chimaera a 'speed 8'. Neither were competetive, and besides, would you trust them to repair it correctly, if they can't even get the name right?

Might come back looking like a Chimaera/Speed 12 hybrid

[tvradict]

I always thought that griff prototype your refering to was the Griffith Speed Six. I thought the speed 8 was the name of the AJP8 engine, as in, Speed Six (AJP6), Speed 8 (AJP8), Speed 12 (AJP12) and the V10 there currently working on will be the AJP10, Speed 10.

However, the Top Gear test drive section on the website gives the Speed 8 as the name of the car!!!

TVR have had so many prototypes it gets really confusing!!!

I'll just have a butchers around the net!!!

[M@H]

I have a similar problem with the S1.. most insurance companies seem to only have records from the S3 model and above... so I get:
"We'll just put it in as an S3"...
"what year was it??" ...
"but the computer says they didn't make an S3 in '89 so I can't quote you.."


Cheers
Matt

[cockers]

Cheers chaps.

My mind is rested. Matt - your situation reminds me of one online insurer I went to, who only listed one model of Chimaera (the 4.5) and only gave age options starting in 1997.

Is it amusing or is it pathetic? I have yet to decide.

[pbrettle]

Cockers,

Will that be www.elephant.co.uk by any chance? Did the same for me and I had to call them to get the correct car / model - at 50p a minute!!! Still gave me a competitive quote so cant complain...

Cheers,

Paul

[cockers]

Paul,

It would indeed! Funnily enough, Admiral use the same system and had the same options (don't know if the companies are related).

Girlfriend has just phoned me at work - she's sorted it with Tesco. Same price as last year (different insurer), but unlimited mileage (instead of 5,000/yr) and a lower excess. £873 for two under-30s: I'm happy with that.

Cheers,

Paul.

PS - Despite the claim on the Tesco website that you get a 5% discount for insuring online, she got the cheaper price over the phone (£907 online, with a larger excess)...Something to bear in mind, folks.

[PetrolTed]

At some point the insurance companies categorisd the V8 Griffs/Chimps as the 'Speed 8'. It's not a term TVR have used to my knowledge but it is stuck in whatever database the insurance companies use to categories models.

[pbrettle]

For reference - Admiral and Elephant are the same company....

[richb]

quote:
I always thought that griff prototype your refering to was the Griffith Speed Six.

Take a look at page 110-111 of TVRs Tasmin to Chimaera.
The TVR Speed Eight of 1989 was a two seater intended as a replacment for the long running 280/350/390 convertible... and again in 1990 at the NEC the Speed Eight appeared as a 2+2 with a longer wheelbase, but as the Griffith stole the show TVR quietly dropped the SPeed Eight. (Sort of the front of a 450SEAC and the back of a Griff - Actually looks quite nice IMO) Rich...

[M@H]

quote:
Cockers,

Will that be www.elephant.co.uk by any chance? Did the same for me and I had to call them to get the correct car / model - at 50p a minute!!! Still gave me a competitive quote so cant complain...

Cheers,

Paul

..just tried them, same problem... they say S1 has 2800 engine, so I have to select S2 for my 1.5 to get the 2.9 engine size.... then in the "year" box I can't choose '89 I have to use '90.
(and the quote was Cr@p ! nearly £800)
Oh well,

Matt.

[HarryW]

Just to add confusion, whilst trying to indentify the lump in my V8S had cause to speak to TVR Power today. They confirmed my lump to be a 400HC and refered to it as a "Speed 8 spec'd engine".

Harry and a green V8S(HC)