With a comprehensive Rover V8 offering sat along side an equally impressive Speed 6 offering, there was always going to be an amount of cross-pollination. Reminiscent of the original Speed 6 Factory prototype which is unfortunately no longer in existence, is Power’s latest development and another first; a 4.3 litre Speed 6 Chimaera.

From the outside the car looks no different. Under the bonnet the Chimaera engine graft, which is incredibly neat and tidy, features a Powers Performance 4.3 litre Speed 6 engine which is complimented by a Power MBE mapping system. With no external body modifications having had to be performed to accommodate the unit, the car looks completely standard but roars like a lion. It really is an impressive looking and sounding piece of kit.

With the Speed 6 unit being slightly heavier than the Rover V8,to improve balance Power has located the transplant engine three inches further back in the chassis,with acceleration and deceleration calculations confirming a very well-balanced car. The Chimaera istherefore able to run on its original Factory specification Bilstein valved dampers and maintain its original ride height. Due to hit the road this month,the Powers Performance Speed 6 transplant is a look at what TVR had intended to do before it was eventually decided to put the new Speed 6 engine in the new model Tuscan. It may not be one for the purists,but if you want to keep your Chimaera for the long-term, but like the look of a Speed 6 engine,well now you can have your cake and eat it.Now available as an offering for the open market from this month, the Powers Performance Speed 6 transplant is available as a 4.0 Red Rose, 4.3 or 4.5 litre and comes complete with a five year unlimited mileage warranty.

And isn’t it good to know that with no current TVR production and no rumours of any good newsin the pipeline,Powers Performance is continuing to invest in TVR developments, improving reliability,giving us a choice and making our cars go just that little bit quicker.

To find outmore about our portfolio of upgrade packages, you can call the us on 
024 7636 6177 or email Dom on dom@tvrpower.co.uk

Words: HOWARD BRYAN

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It is incredibly five years since Powers Performance announced the launch of its 4.3 litre Speed 6 engine conversion.The goal at the time wasto develop a 4.3 litre Speed 6 unit which would be as smooth, reliable and punchy as their highly respected and much loved 4.3 litre Rover V8 unit. The Rover V8 4.3 over the years had gained almost cultstatus amongst Chimaera and Griffith owners and Power wanted to create the same feeling with their 4.3 Speed 6 amongst the ‘T’ car and Cerbera fraternity. Five years down the road they appear to have succeeded.

With 195 conversions completed and no major mechanical failures to report, the Powers Performance 4.3 Speed 6 conversion has proved to be a very popular and much sought-after upgrade. The company has a continuous flow of 4.3 units through its engine building room and moving forward a very healthy looking order book.With the high demand for this ever popular conversion complimented by excellent customer feedback, we have surely witnessed the birth of a true modern classic.

When Power first announced their 4.3 Speed 6, there were those who considered they were on a hiding to nothing. And you have to say the naysayers had a point. After all,the Speed 6’s reliability record thusfar hadn’t been the most impressive. However Power’s excellent development history coupled with its undoubted engineering expertise meant that their first Speed 6 conversion could only be a roaring success and five years on that has proved to be the case.

Dom Trickett, Managing Director of Powers Performance comments“ We could see huge potential in developing the Speed 6 unit further and were happy we had solved the early reliability issues experienced with many of the Factory fitted engines. So it was natural for us to develop the engine one step further and to see how much reliability we could build into it.”

Power’s standard practice of a lengthy development programme including a gruelling and lengthy testing schedule meant that when they announced the 4.3 conversion, they had already spent two years developing the unit. With an approach like that, which includes a sizable investment,you can be pretty sure that the finished product will be the real deal.

However in true Power fashion they were already looking for more, so when the 100th 4.3 conversion rolled out of the workshop they decided to take the Speed 6 one step further. They started development work on the 4.5. Now you would think that offering a 4.5 alongside the 4.3 would merely dilute the existing market, but the contrary was to prove to be the case. In actual fact the emergence of the 4.5 option merely enhanced the reputation of the ultra-reliable 4.3 and sales continued to grow. And whilst Power’s 4.5 option was released comparatively recently, 24 conversions have been completed to date and again the order book is looking healthy.

Danny Winstanley’s outingsin last season’s GT Cup in the Team Winstanley 4.5 litre powered Sagaris also proved Power’s latest conversion to be reliable, even in the extremes of a race environment. So with 4.3 and 4.5 firmly established it was time for Power to move it up another gear. With a good amount of tolerance still left in the block, Power decided the third and final step would be to take the Speed 6 unit to its ultimate conclusion and develop a 5.0 litre version.

Dom continues “The reliability of the 4.3 and 4.5 impressed us greatly and the feedback we received from our customers cemented the fact. So we decided to take the Speed 6 as far as we could as an engineering exercise to see for ourselves how far we could develop the unit.The results so far have been very impressive.”  



Power’s development 5.0 litre Speed 6 uses the same stock valve train asthe 4.0, 4.3 and 4.5 litre engines, with a modified cam timing combination. To gain the extra capacity the 5.0 litre uses the same bore as the 4.5, but isfitted with a custom made Powers Performance stroker crank. This in turn is complimented by new, shorter H section rodsfeaturing modified pin positions.

The ultimate Speed 6 engineering exercise, Power’s new 5.0 litre test engine has already covered over 3,000 milesin Dom’s development Sagaris and so far everything is looking good; well, pretty much.

Dom explains:
The 5.0 litre’s reliability so far has been perfect and the power the engine produces is astounding.

But in actual fact there is so much power at the rear wheels, there is now an argument as to whether we fit traction control to the car to aid drivability.

Let’s just say in the wet it is character building. And I wouldn’t rule out launch control either. This is one of the fastest cars I have ever driven and getting it away without spinning up the rear wheelsis almost impossible.” Power’s current 5.0 litre development and testing programme is by no way meant to herald the release of yet another Powers Performance upgrade. But the experience gained from taking the Speed 6 to its ultimate conclusion will help the company build additional reliability into its existing engine options which at the end of the day can only benefit their army of loyal customers.

Indeed with a good amount of data from the 5.0 litre test engine now having been analysed, Power is taking the project on a step further and is currently moving into stage two of their 5.0 litre development. Dom explains “Stage two takes our crankshaft and con-rod combination on a step, building into the engine even more reliability whist developing even more power. Put simply; as an engineering exercise I want to make a reliable, high revving 5.0 litre which will make huge numbers to show what the Speed 6 isreally capable of. So watch this space.” On a lighter note it hasn’t escaped my notice that over the pastseven years of Speed 6 evolution, Dom’s development Sagaris has generally been fitted with a bigger engine than anyone else’s.

If this Managing Director’s car also happened to be fitted with a full race roll-cage I would be tempted to tell him to paint it reflex green and stick a number 8 on the side! Although I can think of one group of driversI know rather well who are no-doubt delighted that it isn’t and he won’t. The good newsisthat once Dom’s engines developments have been fully proven and released as a Powers Performance upgrade, we can be powered by exactly the same thing.
So Dom’s broad grin today is our broad grin tomorrow.

MBE was founded in 1987 in order to provide powertrain control systems during a time of intense technological change within motorsport. The techniques MBE employed enabled rapid development of the company and to the subsequent growth of MBE Systems.

MBE has built its reputation by harnessing its significant technical expertise with an impressive "can-do" approach to every project undertaken - a success story proved over and again. MBE deliver:

• Fast Response - often outpacing client deadlines
• Highly Competitive - in development and production costs 
• Bespoke Systems - designed to meet the most exacting standards
• Experience - valuable advice and consultancy at every stage
• Innovation - in design and performance which exceed client expectations

The collective goal at MBE is to enable the development of the best technical innovations within the powertrain industry, whether that goal is cleaner environment, reduced weight or more power. The MBE team is continually developing unique diagnostic software systems and revolutionizing the design and manufacturing processes associated with emission-legislation compliance. The key benefits to clients being increased speed in design and development and reduced production costs.

The sophisticated technological advances made by the company have led to MBE being regular partners in the development programs of Engine Management systems for some of the world's leading automotive companies for production vehicles, R&D applications, military applications and motor sport clients.

MBE first started to work with TVR in the early 1990s where the synergies between the two outward looking and innovative companies led to a long and successful partnership. Numerous innovations enabled TVR to produce road going emission legal cars with exceptionally high specific power outputs at far lower cost than contemporary competitors. 

The recent turmoil at TVR have resulted in many of these projects lying dormant and rather than let these projects fade into memory, MBE and TVR Power have decided to blow the dust away and let TVR drivers experience some of the features that only that original thinking mentality of that TVR era would have produced.

The features that were near to production were:

Enhanced Logging capability
Euro 6 emissions compliance 
Encompassing Drive by Wire
Wide band Fast Light Off Lambda Control
Variable CAM control
Knock Control
Throttle body Production variance compensation strategies
ESP/Traction Control  
Automated Transmission
Knock Suppression Strategies
Flat Shift Functions
Optional Data Display – ( lcd screen) 
Plug & Play to fit stand wiring harnesses
No more Eprom Chips

http://www.mbesystems.com/ 

The TVR Power Pro Stock Bike team have had a number of challenges this year, but rider and tuner Dave Beck goes into the final major event of the year feeling confident. The year opened well with a European best run of 7.06 seconds at the Easter meeting. The 1755cc, 350bhp Suzuki suffered some engine damage, but hung on to take the win. The next event was the UEM Main Event at Santa Pod, but we suffered more motor damage before even turning a wheel in anger. The summer saw Dave ride a Finnish owned bike in the European rounds in Finland and Sweden, and while this wasn’t on the TVR Power bike, some valuable data was collected which will be put to good use in the future.

For 2011 there is one remaining round of the UEM Championship left, at the European Finals at Santa Pod in the UK. 25,000 spectators are expected on the qualifying and race days, as the best European drag racers on two and four wheels do battle. The Pro Stock bike class has been very competitive this year, with the Sovereign backed team of Jesper Thiel and Rasmus Olesen regularly run in the 7.1 bracket and even into the 7.0s with their Buell V-twins. Not wanting to be left behind, Fredrik Fredlund imported a Suzuki motor from the Karen Stoffer NHRA race team and has also gone into the 7.0 bracket. Both of these teams have also invested heavily in tuning expertise, with the Sovereign team bringing legendary Pro Stock tuner George Bryce to the European championship rounds, and Fredlund bringing leading tuner Gary Stoffer over the pond.

But coming into the European Finals, the fastest bike outside of the US is still the TVR Power Suzuki. “I think the guys in Pro Stock bike have really raised the bar this year, with 7.0 runs becoming much more regular – in fact you need to be in 7.1s to compete at all,” commented Dave Beck, “speeds have also gone up into the 190mph range now. Guys like Jesper and Fredrik have invested heavily and have got the best advice and moved the class forward.” “We had some problems early in the year, but I have worked hard with all our sponsors and advisors to get to the bottom of the issues and I’m confident we have a motor that will compete at the Finals,” Beck continued “As well as race wins, the guys are all trying hard to be the first bike over here to nail a six second run and I feel we have as good a chance as anyone to do this. We have a fresh motor in the bike now, with some key modifications, plus I also picked up some tuning learning over the summer that will help.” You can see Dave contest the European Finals on the TVR Power bike at Santa Pod from 9 to 11 September. “We are gunning for the six, but we aren’t going to forget we are there to win the event – I want to sign off the year with a big performance for my sponsors!” concludes Dave. Dave is sponsored by TVR Power, Stephen Moon Consulting, MTC Engineering, Falicon Crankshaft Components, PR Factory Store, Worldwide Bearings. Nimbus Motorsport and VP Fuels.