TVR Cerbera | Part Two

Cerbera is pronounced Sir - burr - uh and is derived from the mythological beast, Cerberus, who was the brother of the Chimaera. In addition, in Italian, una cerbera is a frightening, fierce woman.

The Cerbera actually comes with three different engines. The Cerbera Speed Six was the first car to be fitted with TVR’s own straight six and has softer suspension and higher profile tyres to give a more comfortable ride and less road noise in line with its grand touring design. Very much in the tradition of British sports cars of the sixties but with modern abilities, the Cerbera Speed Six is a coupe with a very British, very sporting nature.

The Cerbera 4.2 remains in production for those customers who prefer a V8 and the Cerbera 4.5 gives a range topping 420 bhp and 380 ft.lbs. of torque. Getting to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, 100 in 8.1 and 150 in 17.9, the Cerbera 4.5 is one of the fastest road cars in existence. With larger brakes, modified suspension and larger wheels and tyres, the Cerbera 4.5 offers the handling and braking to match its performance, stopping from 100 mph in only 3.8 seconds. The 4.5 Cerbera also includes a Hydratrak speed sensitive differential as standard.

For the 2000 model year, lights, A pillars, roofline and seats were changed and lightweight bonnet, doors and bootlid were introduced on the Cerbera 4.5. In 2002, the headlight housings were faired into the wings for even smoother lines at the same time as the suspension being upgraded.

For 2002, all TVR Cerberas now have a new suspension set-up, the most notable parts of the which are gas-filled dampers which TVR has developed in conjunction with HBE to incorporate a highly unusual damper curve. By ramping up the rebound very quickly at higher piston speeds, traction and ride can be improved at the same time as high-speed body control. Cerbera prices, however, remain unchanged at £41,100 for the 4.2 and Speed Six and £46,500 for the 4.5.

It is also now possible for customers to have a red rose conversion for any TVR Cerbera 4.5. It gives 440 bhp at 7250 rpm and 390 ft.lbs. at 5500 rpm (up from 420 bhp at 6750 rpm and 380 ft.lbs at 5500 rpm). With reshaped inlet and exhaust ports to increase the flow of gases and a higher compression ratio giving about 50% of the improvement, the rest is only available when using 97 octane super unleaded petrol. The red rose conversion actually has a dashboard mounted switch to control which fuelling and ignition map is used to enable the engine to take advantage of the higher octane fuel while avoiding detonation when using the more easily available lower octane fuel. The conversion is priced at £2350.