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Having owned one of these pocket-rockets as a young man I decided later in life that I wanted another. I set about trawling eBay for a tatty example that I could bring back to life, and boy did I find it!
A quite rare model to those in the know, being a phase 1 in Topaz blue, which was only made in limited numbers for about 6 month. It had seen a hard life. Almost every panel was a different colour, and damaged, much of the interior was stripped out, and it was generally knackered. For £350 it was perfect!
I set about it at my old workplace, stripping it right back and repairing the damage, minor rust issues, and replacing several panels.
After many hours of work it was given an all-over coat of light blue primer to give me a uniform base to work on, then started colouring up the insides
The panels were then hung on loosely for the exterior paint.
It received a few good coats of a slightly modified Topaz blue. I added a small amount of large aluminium flake to the mix to give it a bit of extra sparkle, but that doesn't really show up in pictures.
The car was then taken apart for clearcoat to ensure full coverage and no ugly edges inside the door shuts etc.
Mechanically it had modified 309 GTI suspension fitted to give it a wider track all round and more negative camber up front for awesome handling, and of course brand new or fully refurbished brakes. A big thanks to my mechanic mate Lee, pictured here, for his help with the oily bits. I also spent months finding the Italian made Speedline version of the wheels. Visually identical to all but an expert from the SMR wheels the factory also fitted, but at 1Kg lighter for each wheel they would help with the unsprung weight.
After many more hours of work including brand new lamps all round, a modified front bumper made by splicing a 309 GTI bumper together, and various bits and bobs, it was finished.
I enjoyed the car for several years before having a slight bump with my garden wall in the snow. It got left for a few years and I never got around to fixing it so a guy bought it from me, repaired the minor damage, and now has it for sale at £8k!
A quite rare model to those in the know, being a phase 1 in Topaz blue, which was only made in limited numbers for about 6 month. It had seen a hard life. Almost every panel was a different colour, and damaged, much of the interior was stripped out, and it was generally knackered. For £350 it was perfect!
I set about it at my old workplace, stripping it right back and repairing the damage, minor rust issues, and replacing several panels.
After many hours of work it was given an all-over coat of light blue primer to give me a uniform base to work on, then started colouring up the insides
The panels were then hung on loosely for the exterior paint.
It received a few good coats of a slightly modified Topaz blue. I added a small amount of large aluminium flake to the mix to give it a bit of extra sparkle, but that doesn't really show up in pictures.
The car was then taken apart for clearcoat to ensure full coverage and no ugly edges inside the door shuts etc.
Mechanically it had modified 309 GTI suspension fitted to give it a wider track all round and more negative camber up front for awesome handling, and of course brand new or fully refurbished brakes. A big thanks to my mechanic mate Lee, pictured here, for his help with the oily bits. I also spent months finding the Italian made Speedline version of the wheels. Visually identical to all but an expert from the SMR wheels the factory also fitted, but at 1Kg lighter for each wheel they would help with the unsprung weight.
After many more hours of work including brand new lamps all round, a modified front bumper made by splicing a 309 GTI bumper together, and various bits and bobs, it was finished.
I enjoyed the car for several years before having a slight bump with my garden wall in the snow. It got left for a few years and I never got around to fixing it so a guy bought it from me, repaired the minor damage, and now has it for sale at £8k!
