TVR Cerbera Speed 12
Encyclopedia
The TVR Cerbera Speed 12, originally known as the Project 7/12, was a high performance concept car
designed by TVR in 1997. Based in part on then-current TVR hardware, the vehicle was intended to be both the world's highest performance road car and the basis for a GT1 class
endurance racer. However, problems during its development, changing GT1 class regulations and the eventual decision that it was simply incapable of being used as a road car ended the idea, forcing TVR executives to abandon its development.
The vehicle's engine
, displacing 7.7 litres and having twelve cylinders
, was reportedly capable of producing nearly one thousand horsepower
, although an exact measurement was never made. Nonetheless, its performance was said to be astonishing, and it may have been capable of hitting sixty miles per hour in the low-three second range and have a top speed close to that of the McLaren F1
.
and dominated the show once it was unveiled, attracting more crowds than any other cars in the show. The number "7" referred to the seven litre
engine (though it was actually 7.7 litres), and "12" for the number of cylinders in the engine. TVR said it would have over 800 bhp and be faster than the McLaren F1. The first concepts shown were based on in-development FIA GT1 class race car that was current at that time. It would be restricted to a more modest 660 bhp but the weight would be kept at roughly 1000 kilogram
s. The road car would weigh the same but without the restrictors, the power was greatly increased, TVR officially said it had 800 bhp but the real figure was never properly recorded. It had a specially built 6-speed manual transmission
and clutch
. The engine
was basically two TVR AJP6 straight-6
engines mated on a single crankshaft
. Unusually for an automobile of its type, the Speed Twelve's engine block was not constructed of cast iron
or aluminium
alloy
, but rather of steel
.
, but that never happened. However, the Speed 12 GTS did manage to compete in a few races in the FIA GT Championship
in the GT1 class, though sudden rule changes caused by advanced high-cost purpose built racers such as Porsche 911 GT1
, Nissan R390 and Toyota GT-One
and the subsequent demise of the class in other championships suddenly rendered the Speed 12 obsolete. In order that their work not go to waste, TVR immediately set about creating the road-going Speed 12, although the project would not be completed for another year.
Design-complete in 2000, the TVR Cerbera Speed 12, like its predecessor, never had a true measurement of engine power output officially taken, although the original engine (which produced 800 bhp) was employed yet again. The weight was kept down to 1000 kilograms and TVR reminded people that they were making a car that they thought would beat the McLaren F1 with the words "over 240 miles per hour" mentioned on several occasions. The new car would also be built in parallel with a new race car, although TVR were forced to opt for GT2 class as the GT1 class had been dropped some years previous. The new race car managed to run for a few seasons in the British GT Championship
and had some success, winning several races. It did however have problems with reliability, often leading to the car retiring from races. Meanwhile, the road car was almost ready and TVR had taken a good number of orders and deposits for it. With a price of £188,000 it would be the most expensive TVR in history.
The racing version of the engine produced approximately 675 bhp with its power limited by the intake restrictors required by racing regulations. For the road-version of the engine, the restrictors were not needed so the engine was developed without them.
In an interview then-owner Peter Wheeler
, said that TVR had tried to record the car's power on an engine dyno. The dyno
was rated at 1000 bhp but the test resulted in its input shaft being broken. To get an approximate figure TVR engineers tested each bank individually; the result was 480 bhp per bank, suggesting a total rating of 960 bhp. Wheeler, no newcomer to high performance cars and an experienced racer in the TVR Tuscan Challenge
, drove one of the finished prototypes home and concluded that the car was unusable on the road, in his opinion simply too powerful.
The deposits were returned when the production plans were cancelled. The remaining prototypes were carted around to various car shows and one by one they were dismantled and used as spares for the Speed 12 race cars still competing in the British GT championship. The life of the Speed 12 was however, not yet over. In August 2003 TVR placed an advert in Auto Trader
for a TVR Cerbera Speed 12 registered W112 BHG. What TVR planned to do was to rebuild one of the prototypes and sell it on to an enthusiast. Buying the car was not a simple process however, and involved being personally met and vetted by Peter Wheeler himself to make sure the buyer was a suitable candidate for purchasing the car. Eventually, the deal was completed and the Speed 12 was rebuilt and handed over to its new owner. Since the original bodywork had been destroyed, TVR had to use a remaining shell from one of the GT racers, which proved a positive point as with the increased downforce the car would be even faster round a track than before. On top of that TVR did some more work on the engine and the ECU. The car featured in the May 2005 edition of Evo Magazine
in which it was described as "awesome" and "terrifyingly quick"
Concept car
A concept vehicle or show vehicle is a car made to showcase new styling and or new technology. They are often shown at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not have a chance of being produced....
designed by TVR in 1997. Based in part on then-current TVR hardware, the vehicle was intended to be both the world's highest performance road car and the basis for a GT1 class
FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
endurance racer. However, problems during its development, changing GT1 class regulations and the eventual decision that it was simply incapable of being used as a road car ended the idea, forcing TVR executives to abandon its development.
The vehicle's engine
TVR Speed Twelve engine
The TVR Speed Twelve engine is the name of a V12 engine manufactured by TVR for use in the TVR Speed 12 race car, and later the TVR Cerbera Speed Twelve road car in which on the Cerbera Speed 12 went into production....
, displacing 7.7 litres and having twelve cylinders
Cylinder (engine)
A cylinder is the central working part of a reciprocating engine or pump, the space in which a piston travels. Multiple cylinders are commonly arranged side by side in a bank, or engine block, which is typically cast from aluminum or cast iron before receiving precision machine work...
, was reportedly capable of producing nearly one thousand horsepower
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
, although an exact measurement was never made. Nonetheless, its performance was said to be astonishing, and it may have been capable of hitting sixty miles per hour in the low-three second range and have a top speed close to that of the McLaren F1
McLaren F1
The McLaren F1 is a supercar designed and manufactured by McLaren Automotive. Originally a concept conceived by Gordon Murray, he convinced Ron Dennis to back the project and engaged Peter Stevens to design the exterior of the car...
.
Project 7/12 concept
The vehicle, known as the TVR Project 7/12, first appeared at the 1996 Birmingham MotorshowBritish International Motor Show
The British International Motor Show is an automobile show held biennially in the United Kingdom. It is recognised as an international show by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles. The 2008 was the last event with no news of a return of the British International Motor Show...
and dominated the show once it was unveiled, attracting more crowds than any other cars in the show. The number "7" referred to the seven litre
Litre
pic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
engine (though it was actually 7.7 litres), and "12" for the number of cylinders in the engine. TVR said it would have over 800 bhp and be faster than the McLaren F1. The first concepts shown were based on in-development FIA GT1 class race car that was current at that time. It would be restricted to a more modest 660 bhp but the weight would be kept at roughly 1000 kilogram
Kilogram
The kilogram or kilogramme , also known as the kilo, is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units and is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram , which is almost exactly equal to the mass of one liter of water...
s. The road car would weigh the same but without the restrictors, the power was greatly increased, TVR officially said it had 800 bhp but the real figure was never properly recorded. It had a specially built 6-speed manual transmission
Manual transmission
A manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
and clutch
Clutch
A clutch is a mechanical device which provides for the transmission of power from one component to another...
. The engine
TVR Speed Twelve engine
The TVR Speed Twelve engine is the name of a V12 engine manufactured by TVR for use in the TVR Speed 12 race car, and later the TVR Cerbera Speed Twelve road car in which on the Cerbera Speed 12 went into production....
was basically two TVR AJP6 straight-6
Straight-6
The straight-six engine or inline-six engine is a six-cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase...
engines mated on a single crankshaft
Crankshaft
The crankshaft, sometimes casually abbreviated to crank, is the part of an engine which translates reciprocating linear piston motion into rotation...
. Unusually for an automobile of its type, the Speed Twelve's engine block was not constructed of cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
or aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
, but rather of steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
.
Speed 12
By 1998 the car had been renamed the TVR Speed 12 and their GT1 racer was almost ready to go. TVR wanted to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
, but that never happened. However, the Speed 12 GTS did manage to compete in a few races in the FIA GT Championship
FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
in the GT1 class, though sudden rule changes caused by advanced high-cost purpose built racers such as Porsche 911 GT1
Porsche 911 GT1
The Porsche 911 GT1 was a car designed for competition in the GT1 class of sportscar racing, which also required a street legal version for homologation purposes...
, Nissan R390 and Toyota GT-One
Toyota GT-One
The Toyota GT-One was a racing car initially developed for grand touring style rules, but later adapted into a Le Mans prototype. It raced in the 1998 and 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans.-History:...
and the subsequent demise of the class in other championships suddenly rendered the Speed 12 obsolete. In order that their work not go to waste, TVR immediately set about creating the road-going Speed 12, although the project would not be completed for another year.
Design-complete in 2000, the TVR Cerbera Speed 12, like its predecessor, never had a true measurement of engine power output officially taken, although the original engine (which produced 800 bhp) was employed yet again. The weight was kept down to 1000 kilograms and TVR reminded people that they were making a car that they thought would beat the McLaren F1 with the words "over 240 miles per hour" mentioned on several occasions. The new car would also be built in parallel with a new race car, although TVR were forced to opt for GT2 class as the GT1 class had been dropped some years previous. The new race car managed to run for a few seasons in the British GT Championship
British GT Championship
The Avon Tyres British GT Championship is a sports car racing series currently based in the United Kingdom, although they have had select races outside of Britain in the past few years. The series was created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and for its first two seasons was called the...
and had some success, winning several races. It did however have problems with reliability, often leading to the car retiring from races. Meanwhile, the road car was almost ready and TVR had taken a good number of orders and deposits for it. With a price of £188,000 it would be the most expensive TVR in history.
The racing version of the engine produced approximately 675 bhp with its power limited by the intake restrictors required by racing regulations. For the road-version of the engine, the restrictors were not needed so the engine was developed without them.
In an interview then-owner Peter Wheeler
Peter Wheeler (TVR)
Peter Robert Wheeler was a chemical engineer from Sheffield, Yorkshire, UK, who owned the Blackpool-based TVR sports car company for 23 years....
, said that TVR had tried to record the car's power on an engine dyno. The dyno
Dynamometer
A dynamometer or "dyno" for short, is a device for measuring force, moment of force , or power. For example, the power produced by an engine, motor or other rotating prime mover can be calculated by simultaneously measuring torque and rotational speed .A dynamometer can also be used to determine...
was rated at 1000 bhp but the test resulted in its input shaft being broken. To get an approximate figure TVR engineers tested each bank individually; the result was 480 bhp per bank, suggesting a total rating of 960 bhp. Wheeler, no newcomer to high performance cars and an experienced racer in the TVR Tuscan Challenge
TVR Tuscan Challenge
The TVR Tuscan Challenge is a one-make series dedicated to the second incarnation of the TVR Tuscan sports car , and takes place throughout the United Kingdom...
, drove one of the finished prototypes home and concluded that the car was unusable on the road, in his opinion simply too powerful.
The deposits were returned when the production plans were cancelled. The remaining prototypes were carted around to various car shows and one by one they were dismantled and used as spares for the Speed 12 race cars still competing in the British GT championship. The life of the Speed 12 was however, not yet over. In August 2003 TVR placed an advert in Auto Trader
Auto Trader
Auto Trader is an automotive sales website and classified magazine located in the United Kingdom, owned by Trader Media Group, itself a joint venture between Guardian Media Group and Apax Partners...
for a TVR Cerbera Speed 12 registered W112 BHG. What TVR planned to do was to rebuild one of the prototypes and sell it on to an enthusiast. Buying the car was not a simple process however, and involved being personally met and vetted by Peter Wheeler himself to make sure the buyer was a suitable candidate for purchasing the car. Eventually, the deal was completed and the Speed 12 was rebuilt and handed over to its new owner. Since the original bodywork had been destroyed, TVR had to use a remaining shell from one of the GT racers, which proved a positive point as with the increased downforce the car would be even faster round a track than before. On top of that TVR did some more work on the engine and the ECU. The car featured in the May 2005 edition of Evo Magazine
Evo Magazine
Evo is a British automobile magazine dedicated to performance cars, from hot hatches to supercars. The first issue was produced in November 1998 as an unofficial successor to Performance Car, which had been closed and integrated into Car Magazine by publisher Emap. "Evo" is published 13 times a...
in which it was described as "awesome" and "terrifyingly quick"
Chassis and body statistics
- Brakes: Ventilated discsDisc brakeThe disc brake or disk brake is a device for slowing or stopping the rotation of a wheel while it is in motion.A brake disc is usually made of cast iron, but may in some cases be made of composites such as reinforced carbon–carbon or ceramic matrix composites. This is connected to the wheel and/or...
, 378 mm (14.9 in) diameter (front), 273 mm (10.7 in) (rear) - Suspension: Double wishbonesDouble wishbone suspensionIn automobiles, a double wishbone suspension is an independent suspension design using two wishbone-shaped arms to locate the wheel. Each wishbone or arm has two mounting points to the chassis and one joint at the knuckle. The shock absorber and coil spring mount to the wishbones to control...
, coil springCoil springA Coil spring, also known as a helical spring, is a mechanical device, which is typically used to store energy and subsequently release it, to absorb shock, or to maintain a force between contacting surfaces...
s over gasGasGas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
dampersShock absorberA shock absorber is a mechanical device designed to smooth out or damp shock impulse, and dissipate kinetic energy. It is a type of dashpot.-Nomenclature:...
, anti-roll bar
Performance statistics
- 0-60 mi/h: 2.9 seconds
- weight 2205 lb (1,000.2 kg)
- power: 800 bhp
- top speed: 240 mi/h