E200JVV GTA TURBO Resto

Darren, sometimes I think they were designed and built by someone from another planet..........door catch/lock/opener for instance..........FFS...........Mk1 fives from the first half of the feckin' seventies had flush doors with a simple push button and a cut out to open the door..........Fuegos were flush doors with no button but a catch in the cut out in the rear quarter.....but no!.....two solenoids and a myriad of wires and micro switches.
Parts bin here and there, and then there they must have wasted tens of thousands on designing bob-bar like that, interior light timers.....central locking on a car you can reach the other door from.....all which upped the price and just added hassle ........the next one if/when I do will have all that pants ripped out.......and a V8.....

Hah ha. Yep the solenoids make me laugh, but they're fun when they work. I usually use the emergency job on the floor.

Don't forget though, those proper flush door handles, flat undertray, etc etc all contributed to a CDA figure of 0.48 m2 (turbo is a bit higher due to the fat rear tyres). That's better than the Calibra (which Vauxhall constantly marketed as the most aerodynamic car in the world - neglecting that CDA is a better measure than CD).

Even now there's still not much that can get close.

0.48 puts it just behind the original Insight - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Insi ... .932006.29

Right, gone a bit quiet on this summer is biking season, so time to bring it up to date, and explain the lull.
The car ended up painted about the end of May/start of June I think and looked great in the booth, but when it was brought outside, there was a glaring difference between the panels that had been done on stands, and the main shell.
This pearl is very difficult to see ' where you're at' until the lacquer goes on and it's in natural light.

Some angles/light it looked fine, Mick wasn't happy and his gut feeling was it wasn't 'right', anyhow I took the car away trying to convince myself it would be fine when the little bits of trim were on.

I spent a day at a British Superbike meeting and all I could think about was the car and couldn't accept it not being 100 per cent, so as soon as I got back I phone Mick and we agreed just to do it again, but this time panelled up as all the shuts were done in the 015 pearl as opposed to the original 168.

Remember this is a mates rates job so Mick had barely covered his costs up to now, so I had to be patient and let him earn some real money before it could go back in, factor in holidays for both of us and we ended up at the start of September. I had hoped to get the car out and about this year with perhaps a trip to France in it, and make a decision whether it stayed or went as storage is an issue.

Fast forward to now and we are all done and all one shade whatever the light, the finish is gob smacking , it's certainly lighter than the old pearl, the pictures aren't the best, a bit shadowy near my house, but you can see where the light picks up the sparkle.
My advice to anyone who wants to keep pearl, but veer away from 168 is pick a modern shade you see on a car, as Andy the painter warned me the Renault pearl part of the 3 stage pearls is like wee wee.
015's base white is mega bright compared with 168 creamy base, there is three coats of pearl on E200, and its still quite bright.
Anyway some pics, not quite finished, bits of trim to tidy, and I'll try and get some better pics of it out and about in bright sunshine.
If you don't like it ....................you know what you can do, my nerves are frazzled..........






Compared to...................old shade..........

Try and get a few miles on it now.

That looks bob-on Ryan
I'll be down the yard from about 11 if you dare take it out on the road...suns out

Tempting to bring it down.......but the fecker ain't charging for some reason ( recon alt, new batt, in recent past) so as usual its spanners out instead of enjoying it, also still got little bits of trim to fettle, then it's on Car and Classic for 25k...................... ...Then I can retire to Mablethorpe in a static caravan, free from life's pressures.

Mablethorpe !! ooo-eeer get you ...I see you more Skegness .

[BIG_MVS]

That looks superb, definitely see the difference to the original ahem brown pearl.

Surely you can't be thinking of selling after all that graft you put into it? Keep it for another year at least to fall in love again

Yep that does look good. Proves how right the original design was on original wheels.

[The Saint]

Sell that!!!! you must be "Radio Rental!"


Keep it at the rate the prices are going up, it will be worth it.
Nice looking original car. not many about, Original that is!!

[Alpineandy]

I'm not a fan of white cars but that new white colour is definitely softening my stance on that.
It looks really good.

very nice.... all one colour too! Get driving, you can go a long way on a charged battery

Charging sorted, so I thought I'd burn a few gallons off and get a few pics out and about...









Here's one outside a house near me apparently he's something to do with Devonshire..............but doesn't like his house used for photos ....

That's about it then, big thanks to all who gave advice and supplied parts, Clee being the main man, JohnC for speedo board repair and gremlin advice................what now?

[Alpineandy]

what now?

Use it!

V nice..... Bit what u really need now are some retro cool alloys.

This little chap turned up this morning, TBH a bit bigger the I expected, but the cheapanese listing wasn't the clearest.



I need to find a spot to mount it, ashtray is looking like it's got to go, I daren't ditch another vent!
I've booked a lunch time crossing on Tues 27th coming back Weds night and a Ibis Budget in Eu that I have been to before so me and my son can do a quick run to Dieppe and I can show him some of the Atlantic wall German defences, it's going to be a bit rushed but I'd rather be busy than have loads of time. You know what teenagers can be like.........I'm boooooorrrrrrred !
Father and son bonding init ! I can always threaten to drop him off with immigrants at Calais..!

Tunnel and hotel about £100, so add fuel and I've got a few Euros kicking about plus the credit card.....so feck it, I'll pack the front with oil, coolant, tools and a few spares and give it a crack............worst comes to worst I be on here asking if anyone knows a low loader in the Upper Normandy area..................