There aren’t many opportunities to purchase a unique supercar, but Silverstone Auctions is offering the only road-legal TVR Cerbera Speed 12 for sale on Saturday, May 20.
The listing photos show off the aggressive body. The rear has a tall wing and a bumper design that extends the vehicle’s length. A prominent diffuser is underneath the machine. It looks like a race car that just happens to be legal to drive on the road.
The hood comes off as a single panel to reveal the massive engine that sits behind the front axle. The V12 has a gargantuan air box.
The cabin is spartan. There are two carbon-fiber seats with a tall console between them. A roll cage takes up a lot of interior space. The simple instruments include an analog tachometer and a digital display below it.
TVR introduced the V8-powered Cerbera in 1996 as a sports coupe with 2+2 seating. It was the brand’s first model to use an in-house developed engine rather than tuning a powerplant from other automakers.
The company also began the development of a racing version using a 7.7-liter V12 for the contemporary GT1 class, giving the vehicle the Speed 12 moniker. It saw limited competition before the end of this competition classification. TVR responded by tweaking the car to comply with the GT2 class.
TVR also began taking deposits for a road-going version of the Cerbera Speed 12 but eventually canceled the model. In 2003, the automaker decided it would build a single one. This is the car that’s now up for auction.
In 2010, the UK’s Evo magazine reported on the history of this unique car. It claimed that the current owner had the V12’s engine output tuned to 830 horsepower. The vehicle’s weight was allegedly below 2,205 pounds (1,000 kilograms).
TVR is a small British sports car maker with a history that dates back to the late 1940s. The brand changed ownership several times since then. The current leaders announced plans in 2022 to launch an EV by 2024.
