Ex-Stig Back At The Top Gear Track In a 1000bhp Cerbera Speed 12!
The car’s been reborn by Helical Engineering, blending outrageous British (and especially TVR) spirit with modern turbocharging and track aerodynamics. Underneath the menacing, Gran Turismo-inspired bodywork is a 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12 with 1,000 horsepower, delivering performance on par with the Bugatti Veyron but with far more rawness and less electronic safety net.
From the outset, Collins makes it clear this machine is a beast to handle. Weighing just 1,300kg and sending all power to the rear wheels, the Speed 12 Turbo is a handful even for a seasoned professional—especially on a cold, greasy track. Unlike the original naturally aspirated TVR V12, the new powertrain brings ferocious turbo noise and explosive acceleration, but puts colossal strain on the rear tyres and demands constant attention at the wheel. Without four-wheel drive (like a Veyron or SF90), traction is a real issue, especially in winter conditions.
Collins quickly discovers the car’s character: the steering is heavy, the turning circle vast, and the chassis balance aggressive. At its limits, the car is compared to monsters like the Dodge Viper ACR—manual, rear-drive, huge power, and always threatening to let go. The driver is given no modern aids: no ABS, no traction control, just pure mechanical connection and the ever-present risk that a slight miscalculation will send you off the track.
Despite these challenges, there’s an old-school thrill to the experience. Collins runs into trouble during his first proper hot lap, locking up and sliding straight on at one of the track’s trickiest corners—proving just how difficult it is to tame this beast without electronic intervention. After a restart, he pushes on, the car wheel-spinning in every gear and fishtailing down the straights, constantly on the edge of control.
Ultimately, the track conditions never allow the Speed 12 Turbo to show its full potential, with lap times falling closer to a quick Saab or hot hatch than to a true hypercar. But that’s hardly the point: this car is about engineering audacity, brute force, and the kind of white-knuckle excitement that defined British supercars of the past. Despite its brutal nature and the unforgiving cold, Ben Collins tips his hat to both the wildness and the ingenuity that revived the Speed 12 for a new era—reminding fans what genuine, analogue performance truly feels like.
