2013 Neil Garner TVR Car Club Open Day

900Kg Chimaera Racecar

Neil Garner once again hosted TVRCC’s (Wiltshire Region) annual event in what is rapidly becoming one of the biggest on the car club’s calendar.

There were TVR’s from every era represented and all the car’s on display were to a very high standard revealing just how much their owners cherished them. The one thing that stood out was the amount of detailing from the condition of exterior paint to plush leather interiors and thick pile carpets. Up on a ramp in one of the workshop garages was a car that had just undergone a full body off chassis renovation and stood underneath the only way to describe its powder coated wonderfulness was; better than new.

Garner had beautifully renovated this TVR chassis to better than new
Garner had beautifully renovated this TVR chassis to better than new condition

The club had also invited other product providers and so no surprise to find both Meguiars and Autoglym present given the time TVR folk must spend washing and polishing their prized possessions. Not forgetting leather experts D & C Trim who were on hand to sort out any interior woes for worried owners. There were products to make your TVR handle better, look better, and perform better. On that front Torque V8 had on offer a serious looking turbo upgrade for V8 cars, the size of which had to be seen to be believed. The DIY installation mounting dead centre directly in front of the engine where both exhaust manifolds meet for the first time. Interesting way to go I’d have thought, large single turbocharger on an already torquey and tuned Rover V8.

Neil himself was on hand to chat to anyone who wanted to indulge and it was interesting to hear his journey from leaving the Renault F1 team in 2005, the year Alonso won his first championship, to launch the business here in the southern Cotswolds. Non-stop travel proving to be the crunch decider, especially with plans to settle down and start a family. In terms of the business the approach is still very much the same and whether you want an annual tune-up for your TVR, Porsche, Lotus or other performance car, the service you will receive is nothing short of professional. After all the Garner operation involves supporting a Mosler in the British Endurance Championship Britcar Championship, which is still a very serious motorsport commitment.

Torque V8 offered a single turbo conversion kit
Torque V8 offer a large single turbo conversion kit

The thing that stood out most in the exposed coolness of Cotswold Airport business park near Kemble while walking between stunning Sagaris, timeless Chimaera’s and aggressive looking race cars was the openness of everyone present. TVR it would appear is a genuinely classless club, it doesn’t matter what step on the ladder you sit with your investment you are amongst true friends. The cars after all never enjoyed a reputation for reliability and robust build quality, in fact the roll out Speed 6 engine proved to be anything else. But, and this is what counts for so much today, the club, owners and specialist like Neil Garner have grown to work through the problems, iron out the crinkles and fix the flaws to keep the cars alive and well year after year.

TVR's through the different eras all lined up on the day
TVR’s through the eras all lined up on the day (most facing the right way)

These days if you do your homework, spend wisely and find out where the expertise is you too can enjoy this fantastic organisation as well as one of these truly awesome cars on both road and track. Better still Chimaera’s are looking incredible value at the moment and who knows maybe on the turn in terms of value, so buying now at around the £10K mark may prove to be a great move. Go on, you know you want to, if nothing else to make your way to events like this with a smile on your face and your head held high, you’re amongst the very best of British.

How does this event make you feel?

In one word: Brash

As a favourite meal: BBQ Burger

Anything Else: The TVR name lives on today through dedicated owners and specialists like Neil Garner who not only fix faults the cars suffered from when new, also encourage making them even louder.

Key Ingredients: TVR’s are in your face and so is this event with a loudest car challenge, tuning parts, and products that make already bright paint appear even brighter.

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Call Neil Garner on 01666 577 449 or visit Neil Garner Performance Engineering

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