The life of... SharkyUK's Trophy

[SharkyUK]

Absolutely fantastic mate! Glad it's finally back where it belongs!

Only met Mick once, but he really is a nice chap. Credit to him for sorting it out!

Thanks James, I'm chuffed to bits mate. Really, really, REALLY chuffed! As I've said on numerous occasions, Mick is indeed deserving of his reputation. I know I've said similar of other 'specialists' in the past and their actions made me look a liar and, somewhat painfully, an absolute tw*t. Not the case here. It's reassuring to know there are a few gems out there that can be trusted to deliver.

Mick’s a legend!!

Really pleased for you mate. If anyone deserves a big smile, it’s you!

Indeed. And thank you - I haven't stopped smiling since I collected it. All the best mate!

Is this what everyone is on about when they say "it's coming home"?

Probably best I don't say anything given the current situation and how raw things are... (For the record I am incredibly proud of the boys. I may choose to live and work in Wales but I am an Englishman and proud! I was a bit miffed that some folks down the street let of a few fireworks celebrating the English loss though!)

Holy f**k!!! 😍

I'm so pleased for you Andy, I'm so glad you persevered with it. Made up for you.

Thank you, Stef! I'm glad I stuck with it too. There were quite a few wobbles along the way if I'm being completely truthful... but ultimately I believe I made the right choice. Cheers!

Nah Andy is from Wales so they're singing about Bale coming home early for tea🤣🤣

Hey, I'm a proud Englishman you cheeky fekker!

Here starts a new chapter then. I hope it behaves and you have plenty of great drives in it.

And kudos to Mick for getting the job done. Shame on those of you who said "he's had it a year and it's not finished yet" and doubted his resolve! He's a diamond geezer and the Clio world is lucky to have him. 👏👏

Absolutely that mate, a new chapter with #165. There are no guarantees in this life, especially in the Renaultsport world, but the signs are good and the enjoyable drives have already begun.

I can only reiterate your words - the time it spent with Mick was not wasted time and it was not for want of him wishing to get the car delivered back to me. Not many people, perhaps, really understood just what a state it had been left in and what was needed to get it back to stock. A lot of my original parts were gone and needed replacing. This was both expensive and time-consuming, especially when many parts are no longer available for the RS Mk2 Clio. Even getting replacement parts to rebuild and reinstall the aircon system for example. What some people class as "great" or "mint" condition secondhand parts isn't necessarily the case... and more weeks wasted. In the end I bought new where I could, and that presented problems as well. Using aircon parts as an example again, new parts were ordered in (Germany perhaps, I can't recall...) and suddenly prices had been inflated significantly thanks to Brexit and courier / import taxes! We are talking hundreds and hundreds of extra cost over time and wasted weeks chasing parts or awaiting new parts. Covid didn't help matters either! I could go on but there will always be those who still berate, etc. I'm just glad it is home and Mick made it happen.

Bet you’re over the moon! Glad it’s back, it looks great especially considering what’s been happening to it over the years!

Branson and Virgin Galactic have nothing on me, Ant - I'm several times over the moon and just about to circle Uranus. Thank you fella!

So glad to see it finally home.

Can remember seeing it looking sorry for itself at said ‘Specalist’ in July 2015.

Hope you can once again enjoy it.

Cheers Andy. Yes, a few people have come forward and commented on how they saw the car in a sorry state whilst in his care. Care. FLOL. (Sigh)

It's happened mate, time to look forward again and to recover some of those losses by just enjoying it. Which I fully intend to do. Thanks fella.

Great that it's home and running. Hopefully you can do some light tinkering and, more importantly, just enjoy driving it after everything you've been through. Must have been quite a feeling to drive it again!

It will only be light tinkering from here on - standard is good (apart from the brake upgrade, which works very nicely). As I've already alluded to there are many cosmetic things to look at and things I want to refresh / freshen-up and address. However, these are not essential and can happen in my own time and at my own leisure. Looking forward to getting a bit mucky with it! All the best mate.

Great News Andy! Chuffed to see it on the drive.
Well done and fair play to Mick for taking this on and getting it sorted for you, it can't have been easy. He's a good guy!

Enjoy the drives in it over the rest of the summer!

Chris, thank you! It's been a while eh? He is a good guy.

I will definitely enjoy it and may even cross paths on one of your Wales visits. Talking of enjoying it... my missus. I think she loves it. She's into her cars as you know but hadn't experienced the Trophy yet (as a driver). Well. Let's just say we will be fighting over the keys on occasion...

I reckon this is a @Richard_UK photoshop..


chuffed for you Andy. Perfect timing to be home with the nice weather inbound.

He's getting far too good at these 'chops and 'shops - and the secret is out! It's all a lie.

The timing is definitely good and the roads aren't so bad around here either as you know. Weather though. That's a different story! Not that I care. Once I've swapped to some decent rubber it will be taken out in all conditions. Thanks mate, all the best.

This has properly made my morning! Over the moon for you mate! As Ant says, it looks pretty bloody good, considering.

Fair play to Mick, it’s good to know there are still decent guys out there. Congratulations mate, enjoy it!

Ah, very kind of you Luke - thank you for the kind words. It certainly holds up pretty well. It should look even better when the paintwork and clearcoat has had some attention, scratches and dents have been removed, new plates added, etc. Note to self: stick to the decent guys! Thanks fella, all the best.

Glad you finally have it home mate 😁

What this thread has done without question is show up what a complete shower of s**t the so called "specialists" on this forum over the years are really like after being bummed by so many people ! 🙄🤣

I never doubted it mate. Never. LMFAO!

Can't argue with you on that point. Made me look a right chump as well at times. W**kers!

Congrats! Glad it’s back in your care and that it’s come full circle 👍

Thank you mate. Please send over some of that sunshine, yeah? Cheers!

Excellent news!
What a journey you and the car have had together over the years.

Thanks Andy, I hope your own journey is far less troublesome and far more enjoyable. They are special little cars as you know yourself. Cheers!

https://cliosport.net/threads/trophy-no-165-seriously-now-%C2%A39750.248139/#post-3026986

GL05 WFC
9 Miles in over 6 years! must be the most expensive clio per mile ever to run.
You should get in contact with https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com

It has been interesting from a spreadsheet point of view.

Mind you, fuel economy-wise it hasn't been too bad over the last 6 years or so... The little fuel remaining in the tank was a bit past its best mind.

Awesome news, Andy!

Thanks Kieran! Mick was bloody useless but I managed to figure it out myself in the end...

I hope you are both well (and doggo).

 

[SharkyUK]

I had a very busy weekend due to having guests and having to be on entertaining duties. However, I did manage to persuade said guests to take lunch at a favourite cafe of mine in the Brecon Beacons. Naturally I had to take the T and they just had to follow me. It had nothing to do with wanting to drive some of my fave local roads and the fact I am absolutely gagging to put some fun miles on it.

Confirmed. She is a beaut to drive. I'm only around 400 miles in since collecting the other day but it's solid. It desperately needs new tyres and I will be ordering these tomorrow (although not sure what to go for yet, I was hoping Pilot Sport 4S might be available in 205 45 R16!)

Today also marked another very important milestone. I paid the bill and that kind of draws a line under things for me. As @Porl mentioned above, the new chapter starts here.

A couple of quick shots on the cafe / lunch run. I had to. This was important for so many reasons! FLOL! It had to be this spot, too.

Better pics to come as the freshen-up and updates happen.

Thanks again to every single one of you suckers lovely people who have stuck with this build thread. You would not believe how much support and entertainment it has afforded me over the years. Thank you. 😘

 

[Andy P]

Just shows how long it has been with still having an out of date tax disc showing They stopped issuing them in October 2014!!.

 

[dann2707]

I paid the bill

Gu onnnnn. How much?

 

[SharkyUK]

Just shows how long it has been with still having an out of date tax disc showing They stopped issuing them in October 2014!!.

The tax disc will be removed... if I can bring myself to do it. I guess I should really move with the times now. Or I might leave it on there for novelty value.

 

[SharkyUK]

Gu onnnnn. How much?

I didn't think it would take long for this question to be asked!

It's fair to say it cost a fair bit over the years. I do have a spreadsheet that I did contemplate sharing at one point. However, I have decided not to do that now for various reasons. I don't really want to share the level of detail that I have in there and I simply do not want to go through the whole document again to provide a cut-down version purely for sharing on my build thread. It really has been painful enough already.

I've had a few people ask me about the costs and, mostly, have (respectfully) not provided any figures. There are very few people who know the true losses/costs and it is something I don't really want to go into detail over. However, I also know that it is a question that will probably come up time and time again (if the past decade is anything to go by!) so I will say the following:

When the Trophy arrived with Mick... it owed me just short of £42,000. Sadly that is not a typo.
Mick's bill... enough to buy a very nice example Clio 182 Trophy indeed.

Folks are free to read into that as they wish (and have a good laugh about it!) but that's all I'm really going to say on the matter! Many here are into, or have, modified cars over the years and know the costs of parts, labour and how they can escalate over time. It happens and we sometimes make mistakes or take the wrong path. Or wrong specialist. Time after time. Again, with all due respect, I would appreciate it if folks didn't keep asking and prodding all the time as the breakdown of the costs is not something I'm comfortable talking about on here. But, please, do feel free to take the p*ss and have a laugh about it - I do, otherwise I would cry!

 

[RustyMojo]

It’s only money and probably well spent in life lessons! Car is back now and arguably better than ever. It’s really not worth reflecting on what has been spent, it would drive you mad!

I’m so glad the whole debacle has a happy ending.

 

[Krarl]

I dont know about you but my arse really really puckered at that number Andy🤣

Did you ever just consider throwing in the towel and f**king it off?

 

[Scrooge]

I didn't think it would take long for this question to be asked!

It's fair to say it cost a fair bit over the years. I do have a spreadsheet that I did contemplate sharing at one point. However, I have decided not to do that now for various reasons. I don't really want to share the level of detail that I have in there and I simply do not want to go through the whole document again to provide a cut-down version purely for sharing on my build thread. It really has been painful enough already.

I've had a few people ask me about the costs and, mostly, have (respectfully) not provided any figures. There are very few people who know the true losses/costs and it is something I don't really want to go into detail over. However, I also know that it is a question that will probably come up time and time again (if the past decade is anything to go by!) so I will say the following:

When the Trophy arrived with Mick... it owed me just short of £42,000. Sadly that is not a typo.
Mick's bill... enough to buy a very nice example Clio 182 Trophy indeed.

Folks are free to read into that as they wish (and have a good laugh about it!) but that's all I'm really going to say on the matter! Many here are into, or have, modified cars over the years and know the costs of parts, labour and how they can escalate over time. It happens and we sometimes make mistakes or take the wrong path. Or wrong specialist. Time after time. Again, with all due respect, I would appreciate it if folks didn't keep asking and prodding all the time as the breakdown of the costs is not something I'm comfortable talking about on here. But, please, do feel free to take the p*ss and have a laugh about it - I do, otherwise I would cry!

£50k to have a £10k plus car at the end of it. Actually not that bad considering the trophy will only ever appreciate and secondly I doubt you’ll ever sell it!
People make far worse financial decisions, especially with cars and it’s not exactly left you desolate.

As said before I’d imagine you’re bloody over the moon and that’s all that counts!

 

[Darryl_1983]

Reading the latest updates on here, makes me question whether I should keep my RB. Glad you're enjoying the Trophy again, with all the time and money invested in it over the years along with the pain, you deserve to get plenty of enjoyment from it.

In terms of tyres, the best Michelin do is a pilot sport 3, which are ok for normal driving, but are too soft when pushing hard. in terms of road tyres the only decent tyre available in 16's is the AD08RS, though these aren't quite as good as the older AD08R (Nankangs NS-2R are decent in the dry but crap in the wet). If you want something that'll live with the pilot sport 4S at least in the dry you'll need to look at track tyres really.

 

[imprezaworks]

Yeah if you can afford it why not. Like said it's a keeper.

Keep the disc on imo

 

[gez 172]

I wouldn’t dwell on the numbers. You have a unique car that’s back on the road and you have something to show for it at the end.

I’ll keep an eye out for it around the Beacons now. 😎

 

[Sir_Dave]

View attachment 1547870

Seeing this back on the road genuinely fills with me with joy, so glad its finally sorted @SharkyUK

 

[Andy P]

@SharkyUK The cost is now in material and really is only your business.

What matters now is that you have it back and can enjoy it. Cars are our hobby and they cost what they cost.

I too keep a spreadsheet of cost for my 172, and that is way too much tbh but when I use it on track every penny spent is well worth it.

 

[jp_lcr]

There's plenty that deprecated that much and no one would blink. Plus you can't take it with you, and no one needs two GT4s 😉

 

[Clio_fool]

I'm sure back in the max power days that figure was spent by many people on their cars. I knew a lad who had £20k of stereo gear in his astra ffs! Most of those cars are long gone now so was it wasted money? It's a shame that you've had to spend so long without the Clio but at the end of it all you've still got a bloody good example of a great car that's not going to lose any more money. You've just got to make up the lost time and enjoy Le b*****d.

 

[SharkyUK]

It’s only money and probably well spent in life lessons! Car is back now and arguably better than ever. It’s really not worth reflecting on what has been spent, it would drive you mad!

I’m so glad the whole debacle has a happy ending.

Very true mate, no point dwelling on what has now passed. It's all about now and how I'm going to modify it going forward... (just kidding!)

I dont know about you but my arse really really puckered at that number Andy🤣

Did you ever just consider throwing in the towel and f**king it off?

I've lost count the number of times my arse puckered mate. I'd not so much fart as whistle on occasion.

Yes, I did consider throwing in the towel on a few occasions - more so when it became apparent that the high boost turbo build was up sh*t creek without a specialist. It was in such a sorry state / mess though, and nowhere near being completed. I considered just scrapping the whole thing (for scrap money) and cutting my losses but I'd invested too much really. I can't remember the date now but I was sat with my missus (at some restaurant) and I just decided there and then to return it standard, and then to sell it. Enough was enough. I had loads of people interested - some were wanting to take it as is, some wanted to wait until it was back to standard. I had loads of parts to sell that were for the turbo build but I also had loads of parts that were now discarded or missing (which contributed to it taking so long to get back to standard). As it started to come back together in Mick's hands I had chats with various people and decided that it was probably worth keeping. As a couple of people have since said, it will always be known as "Andy's Trophy" so I might as well keep it. All being well it would be great once back to standard and indeed it is. TLC is all it needs now and I'm glad I decided to keep hold of it.

£50k to have a £10k plus car at the end of it. Actually not that bad considering the trophy will only ever appreciate and secondly I doubt you’ll ever sell it!
People make far worse financial decisions, especially with cars and it’s not exactly left you desolate.

As said before I’d imagine you’re bloody over the moon and that’s all that counts!

Yeah - fair points mate. I wouldn't have persevered or continued had I not had the money to cover it (that's not meant to sound big-headed, I'm certainly no millionaire!) but it still hurt when realisation set in and knowing that so much had literally been pee'd away. But, as said, it's not an uncommon thing as far as cars go and I have something to show for it at the end! With a bit of luck I might be able to shift some of this unused stuff I still have knocking around and make a quid or two back.

Reading the latest updates on here, makes me question whether I should keep my RB. Glad you're enjoying the Trophy again, with all the time and money invested in it over the years along with the pain, you deserve to get plenty of enjoyment from it.

In terms of tyres, the best Michelin do is a pilot sport 3, which are ok for normal driving, but are too soft when pushing hard. in terms of road tyres the only decent tyre available in 16's is the AD08RS, though these aren't quite as good as the older AD08R (Nankangs NS-2R are decent in the dry but crap in the wet). If you want something that'll live with the pilot sport 4S at least in the dry you'll need to look at track tyres really.

I think it's worth considering as a keeper if you've got a nice RS Mk2 Clio. Good examples are hard to find (and increasingly harder to maintain as parts gradually deplete or become no longer available). The Trophy might arguably have a slight edge given its rarity (parts bin special) but I think any sorted and well-maintained Mk2 Clio will deliver practically just as much fun. Even some 15 years on they are pretty hard to beat from a driving fun perspective.

Thanks for the advice regarding the tyres. I'm lucky enough to have a couple of sets of Turinis here so will get one set shod in PS3s and the other set will get something a little more track-biased. Cheers!

Yeah if you can afford it why not. Like said it's a keeper.

Keep the disc on imo

Exactly mate. As for the tax disc... it may have to stay as the holder is the perfect shade of pink to match.

I wouldn’t dwell on the numbers. You have a unique car that’s back on the road and you have something to show for it at the end.

I’ll keep an eye out for it around the Beacons now. 😎

Definitely, and I'll keep my eyes open too. Cheers!

Seeing this back on the road genuinely fills with me with joy, so glad its finally sorted @SharkyUK

Heh heh, thank you mate. The GT4 and Abarth have been getting a little bit jealous of late now that #165 is home to roost... I've been using the Trophy for everything since I got it back. I really missed it!

@SharkyUK The cost is now in material and really is only your business.

What matters now is that you have it back and can enjoy it. Cars are our hobby and they cost what they cost.

I too keep a spreadsheet of cost for my 172, and that is way too much tbh but when I use it on track every penny spent is well worth it.

I think along the same lines really - both my missus and I enjoy our cars and driving. They are our hobbies. We don't drink, we don't smoke, we don't have kids, we prefer driving / road trips to exotic shores. If we can afford to engage in those hobbies and they ultimately deliver the enjoyment we seek... then it's a win. Exactly as you say - money well spent. In this case, it was money well spent to get the car back to standard and to be able to enjoy it again.

There's plenty that deprecated that much and no one would blink. Plus you can't take it with you, and no one needs two GT4s 😉

Hmm, two GT4s... how about a GT4 and a GT4RS? Or his and hers? Joking aside, fair point mate.

I'm sure back in the max power days that figure was spent by many people on their cars. I knew a lad who had £20k of stereo gear in his astra ffs! Most of those cars are long gone now so was it wasted money? It's a shame that you've had to spend so long without the Clio but at the end of it all you've still got a bloody good example of a great car that's not going to lose any more money. You've just got to make up the lost time and enjoy Le b*****d.

That's the thing - I can recall reading numerous build threads, posts, websites, etc. where Jonny from Doncaster had spent £62k on customising his Nova, which was then proudly put on display at some show with scantily clad girls smearing themselves across the two-tone paintwork (usually including midnight-purple sparkle as one of the colours). Those were the days!

It could have been a lot better, it could have been a lot worse. Time to enjoy it for what it is and do exactly as you say - make up for lost time.

 

[SharkyUK]

Sometimes things don't always go to plan.

I had intended to make a start on all those little jobs that need doing on #165 and so, a couple of days ago, I got my tools out and set about the front end. The first job was simple enough; to take off the front chin spoiler so that it could be refurbished in a bid to try and get it looking half decent again. Track days, B-roads and years sat outside Somerset workshops had really taken it out of the carbon spoiler.

There are quite a few scratches along it and some hefty chunks taken out here and there. I don't plan on using resin or anything along those lines so it will simply be cleaned, sanded down, smoothed and then lacquered. It will still look pretty beat-up but anything is better than the current state.

However... as I said at the start of this post, things don't always go to plan.

Whilst removing the spoiler I was laying down and simply undoing the screws that held it in place. All was going well until about half way through the job. I rolled slightly to the side as I manoeuvred my body into a better position to loosen the next screw and, pop, there was a horrible sound, a sharp pain and I was in bits. Yup, I have cracked a rib. FFS!



There's not much can be done with a cracked rib so I'm trying to limit laughing, coughing, sneezing and sh*tting for the foreseeable. Despite the discomfort I did rip the spoiler off in anger finish removing the spoiler and will have a go at tidying it up tomorrow. My next update will probably take longer to write as I'll no doubt lose two fingers whilst attempting to cut and polish the damn spoiler...

 

[gambit]

Bloody hell that car fights back doesn't it!

 

[Krarl]

Jesus, I was thinking "Oh no he snapped his carbon splitter"... Nope just a rib instead! 😲 😂

 

[Clio_fool]

When did you rename the Clio Christine? At least you dont need a new splitter👍.

 

[Louis]

I didnt realise you were an 80 year old woman with brittle bones 😂

 

[Amos91]

Have you pencilled in the hip replacement, heard the waiting list is quite long?

All jokes aside, get well soon!

 

[Coops Mk1]

Osteoporcarbonosis is a terrible affliction, get well soon you decrepit old bugger

 

[Ex-User (60778)]

Carbon rib upgrade?

 

[SharkyUK]

Bloody hell that car fights back doesn't it!

Yeah, it bl00dy does mate! Every. Step. Of. The. Way.

Jesus, I was thinking "Oh no he snapped his carbon splitter"... Nope just a rib instead! 😲 😂

Tell me about it mate, I was almost worried for a moment until I realised the splitter was still in one piece!

When did you rename the Clio Christine? At least you dont need a new splitter👍.

My missus has started calling it Christine! FFS! But yeah, thankfully the spoiler is ok. I spent a bit of time refurbing it and will update soon.

I didnt realise you were an 80 year old woman with brittle bones 😂

Mate, I'd take that right now!

Have you pencilled in the hip replacement, heard the waiting list is quite long?

All jokes aside, get well soon!

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'm not quite that bad. Yet. I have started getting up in the middle of the night to pee though so... it's just a matter of time.

Osteoporcarbonosis is a terrible affliction, get well soon you decrepit old bugger

I'm concerned at what I will find next. Don't ever get old mate. And thanks, I think. 😘

Carbon rib upgrade?

Why not? Might as well make the most of this carbon as it's not going back on the car yet...

 

[Darren S]

So, so glad it's back in your possession Andy, but your missus is right to call the car Christine!!

It must be an affliction of red cars. A guy I know at work bought an Alfa Giulia in red - loves it to bits but it appears to have a string of unfortunate events with it, one after the other.

 

[SharkyUK]

So, so glad it's back in your possession Andy, but your missus is right to call the car Christine!!

It must be an affliction of red cars. A guy I know at work bought an Alfa Giulia in red - loves it to bits but it appears to have a string of unfortunate events with it, one after the other.

Thanks, D. I have to admit to being somewhat confused over this whole "red car" thing. The Porker has been rock-solid and not missed a beat at all... I see the GT4 as the Yin to my Trophy Yang. Or something. I'm just praying for a few years of relatively trouble-free motoring!

 

[Djw John]

Gawd, really highlights how long it all took, you sent it away as a young healthy man and it's come back to basically a glass ribbed wreck 😂😂😘

 

[SharkyUK]

Gawd, really highlights how long it all took, you sent it away as a young healthy man and it's come back to basically a glass ribbed wreck 😂😂😘

Me or the car?

 

[Djw John]

Yes.

 

[McGherkin]

Christ, hell hath frozen over. Sharky's trophy runs, drives and is bloody beautiful car. I'm honestly so, so happy to see this car finally finished. Congratulations!

I bet you're driving it every 5 minutes.

 

[SharkyUK]

Christ, hell hath frozen over. Sharky's trophy runs, drives and is bloody beautiful car. I'm honestly so, so happy to see this car finally finished. Congratulations!

I bet you're driving it every 5 minutes.

Yup, it's come home and I'm genuinely over the moon my friend.I really don't want to be tempting fate but it honestly has never been this good. Even when I bought it back in 2007. If it had driven like this back then... well, it would have been a very different story I think. And I would probably have a Ferrari Pista and a GT4 on the driveway with the money I hadn't wasted! I'm awaiting new tyres as the ones currently on there have "gone off", so keeping the driving reasonably sensible until those are sorted.Even so, I think I've done around 600 miles since picking it up and all is good mechanically.

 

[McGherkin]

How long is the commute now? 60 miles? 😂

 

[SharkyUK]

How long is the commute now? 60 miles? 😂

Hmm, the thing is mate... I start a new contract on Monday... and I will actually be working from home! I've spent every single day travelling to my previous client's site throughout the pandemic and, now #165 is home, there is no commute. Typical.

It's easily sorted, though; some people like to jog in the morning before work so I'll just take it out for a spin each day to kick things off. I don't miss out on that authentic work commute vibe then.

 

[McGherkin]

I assumed you already were working from home! 😂

Still, no better cure for a post-meeting case of the fuckits than the ones you have on the drive.

 

[SharkyUK]

Sadly not - the undertaking for the project I was working on could only be carried out on-site due to sensitivity and security, that sort of thing. On the plus side the roads were a lot quieter during the pandemic so my commuting time dropped from an hour to 25 minutes. I can't complain at that.

Even funnier (arguably) is that my new client is literally within walking distance of my house! So if I am required in the office it takes all of 6 minutes from my front door to the client's car park! In fact, I don't actually need a car. Anyone wanna buy a Trophy? Never modified or fettled with...

 

[Coops Mk1]

@SharkyUK you even consider selling this and there will be a riot, you won't survive the night 🤣

 

[SharkyUK]

UPDATE

Despite the minor setback with the rib injury I have been making slow and steady progress on #165. I am due to start working again soon and really wanted to tick as many things off the to-do list as possible. Some things have been started, some completed, some in progress and some are yet to begin.

To start with I have bought a new plate. "T44PHY" will be staying on the Porsche, much to the dismay of quite a few people it would seem! I couldn't really find anything too similar (or, at least, for sensible money) so compromised on something slightly different. Or the same. And totally irrelevant and void of any particular meaning! I'm sure it will become known soon when the change has happened and photos posted.

One of the BIGGEST things to happen recently, marking the end of an era, was the removal of the tax disc. I was tempted to leave it but ultimately decided it had to go. It made cleaning the windscreen easier, too. That tax disc alone gives some indication as to when I last actually had the car in my possession and was able to drive it. Briefly. Until it went tits-up again.

Having now spent some time looking at the exterior there are quite a few dents and dings that need sorting.

Well, they did need sorting but all is good now. The local PDR guys paid me a visit yesterday and removed the worst of them. It has made quite a pleasant difference. I can't get over how many different shades of red / pink there are on the tailgate though... Talking of the rear, I did find that my spoiler has cracked / split on the right side near the fixing points and the boot struts were not stopping the boot short of fouling against the roof edge. This must have been happening over some years now as the affected area has been scratched all through the clearcoat and well into the paint layer. There's not much I can do about that until I decide to get it resprayed (perhaps).

A quick shot of the fleet in the sweltering 32 degree heat. I'll state now that, in case you were wondering, it is not typical of the Welsh weather.

As can be seen in the pic above, I had to break-out the dust sheets to offer some level of protection from the sun whilst I worked on deep-cleaning the inside. It took a while as there were stains on the seats, oily fingerprints on the headliner, excessive dirt on the touch points, snail shells in the carpets, gunk and smelly s**t in and under the rubber trims... it was grim! Thankfully Mick had given it a quick going over and got rid of some of the crap for me (and he kindly got a valeter in prior to that to give it a quick going over).

The steering wheel is melted (no surprise) and will be refurbed, and the heater panel fascia is flaking and will be replaced. After some serious elbow grease and discomfort the inside came up quite nicely. The boot area is now clean and stain-free, as is the cabin. The rear bench seat is pretty decent too and the Recaro Trendlines have come up beautifully. No rips, no tears, no blemishes. Just a few scratches on the rear plastic backs of the seats where things have rubbed against them during... well, during whatever happened in the time before it arrived at Mick's.

In truth I was feeling a bit deflated recently as I had really wanted to get on with sorting #165, but the rib discomfort and lack of sleep was getting to me. The excessive heat didn't bother me too much but it still was draining. Then, out of the blue, I received a fantastic gift from a good friend on here - with this lovely piece of artwork very kindly crafted by his daughter. Honestly, it made my day. And then some. A totally unexpected letter through the door, but an extremely kind and generous gesture and a very welcome pick-me-up. No lies, I was cutting onions at the time. True story... Again, thanks for this wonderful drawing.

Erm... what else...? Ah yes, I decided to finish off refurbing the carbon splitter. Wet and dry with 800 grit, 1000 grit, 1200 grit, 1500 grit, 1800 grit and then DA rotary polisher with compounds and polish to finish it. Once that was done it was given 3 or 4 coats of clear lacquer and the result was as pictured below. It's still not perfect, but it looks a LOT better and helps freshen up the front end!

Talking of freshening the front, I also gave the headlights another quick going over to remove some of the fogging / clouding but I think I'll get new items in the future.

The only other thing of note right now is that I removed the old 'Ring stickers and my old car club stickers. and also removed the damaged and faded side Trophy decals on the skirts. I have replacements that will be going on once I have had a go at correcting and detailing the paintwork. 3 hours. THREE hours to get the decals off! Despite the 32 degree heat, and the use of my better half's hair dryer, the glue just would not relinquish its hold. I was worried about scratching and even warping the plastic due to the heat I was directing towards it. Another 30 seconds and the decals would probably have burned and become ash! This pic doesn't show it too well but you can see "TROPHY" on the side skirts in the car's original colour. To be fair, they haven't faded too badly!

I think that's about it for now, more to follow soon.

 

[SharkyUK]

@SharkyUK you even consider selling this and there will be a riot, you won't survive the night 🤣

#165 is staying. It is very much "Andy's Car" now. Or "Sharky's Car". I quite fancy a riot, though...