Mondo

Ionic Dynamics in the US sell them, so they're definitely not "one-offs" - I doubt there'll be very many here in the UK though, so you've certainly got some bragging rights there :thumbup1:

FunkySi's is carbon fibre, but painted :)

THIS! Close the thread now :)

They lure the punters in, then slap 'em with the details, Pete :lol:

I'm not categorically saying that those in your link are fakes, Lee - I'm just saying I'd be cautious due to the price. They could be factory seconds. Which means they'll still be genuine Recaro, but with some issue or other as to why they didn't pass inspection. Maybe a defect in the trim or an issue with the mechanicals. Without seeing them in person, you'd never be able to see if that was the case or not. Generally, entry-level Sportster seats (trimmed in Ambla "leather" with nothing overtly fancy about their appearance) retail in the UK for a starting price of around £920 per seat plus delivery. Demon Tweeks and Sportseats4u both have them listed in that spec, which is the same trim level as the ones you linked. Perhaps firms in Italy can buy them cheaper from Recaro themselves than UK stockists can? That'd surprise me, seeing as we're all in the EU together (apparently), so I'm still wondering how a non-UK seller can knock the thick end of £300 off the cost of a single seat and offer free delivery as well...?! My money's on either replica seats or factory rejects, personally.

I'd be wary, personally. The price is about £300 too cheap for a genuine new Sportster seat, and there are a lot of copies floating around these days!! A lot of people aren't fussed whether they have an original or a fake but, in the event of a crash, I'd rather know that I was sat on something that'd been put together properly....

Looking forward to seeing this in the metal! :)

I think Pekbau went to view this and it was a rather large dog! No paperwork to back up the expenditure figures, fairly shonky body and, if memory serves, the owner proudly stating that all the rubber on the road outside his house was from the car.... Quality...!

They're not to my taste at all but, as long as you like 'em, mate - that's the important thing :thumbup1:

It works really well against the bright silver exterior, Gaz :) Bird and Harby were over last night and seemed to be admiring it really... ;)

Much better! :thumbup1:

Yep. I wanted to have her looking loads better in time for the shows this year, mate :thumbup1:

It's certainly brightened up the driveway! :lol:

Ok, question time: what do you get at the end of literally years of planning, countless hours of hard work and a ludicrous amount of expenditure? Well, if you're me... you get this... The interior is now all but complete!! :biggrin: Steering wheel needs a trim, as does the handbrake handle, but other than that... it's all done! So the spec list now looks like this: Recaro Speed seats (on rare factory Recaro rails) trimmed in Andrew Muirhead Sateen Virginia leather, with Red Ochre Alcantara centres, grey topstitching and grey embroidered "Recaro" logo. Brand new genuine Recaro bolsters all round. Gear gaiter, handbrake gaiter and all three armrests trimmed in Andrew Muirhead Sateen Virginia leather (both solid and perforated) with grey topstitching. All lower interior panels trimmed in Red Ochre Alcantara with grey topstitching. Doorcards have a custom-made line of piping on each one, made from perforated Andrew Muirhead Sateen Virginia leather. Gearknob trimmed in Andrew Muirhead Sateen Black leather (solid and perforated) with dark red topstitching. The transformation inside now the seats are complete is pretty staggering! In my opinion, it makes a fantastic contrast with the bright silver exterior. Bring on the sunny weather!!!

The hybrid wipers are something that FunkySi discovered as an alternative to all the Aero wipers with the big attaching knuckles. They can be found here if you want to have a look. And yeah, the new scuttles do make a considerable difference! :)

Still loads I need to do, Joel. Like get the interior swapped over!! :biggrin:

Probably...

I've got a good and known working S1 PTU spare here. Lee took it off my Zed when he hardwired the S2 one in for me :)

This morning... indicators modded! Big orange bowl now gone, insides tinted black and they look much better now! Thanks go to FunkySi for the idea in the first place :) And all spats now refitted too. Much nicer to see the proper shape at the back end now - YAY for proper Shortie rear spats!! :biggrin: :thumbup:

I'm going a different route with the indicators, folks :) Re the 'tache: as I said, I felt it needed to tie in with the rest of the paintwork or it would've looked very odd all on it's own. So I opted for gloss black. And it's definitely the same dimensions as it was when it was faded, horrible grey! :lol: Got my spats refitted this afternoon and I have to say that having the proper ones on the back now makes a world of difference! Over the moon that I managed to find a pair! :thumbup1:

The last few pictures as I had too many in the above post! :biggrin:

Everyone loves pictures, right? :) In all fairness, she doesn't really look all that different. Just fresher... and shinier... with no dents or scuffs... or faded, scratched paintwork... :biggrin: I'm loving the black roof and the fact that the 'tache is no longer faded and crappy-looking. And I'm definitely loving the fact that the bumpers no longer have that stonechip effect! Perhaps the "purists" won't like the gloss black 'tache and mirror bases, but here's my thinking: the mirror bases needed to be gloss black as they form part of the elipse with the windows and B pillars, so satin or a dark grey would've (in my opinion, anyway) spoiled that effect. Then I couldn't have the 'tache in satin or dark grey as it wouldn't tie into anything else on the car! There are a couple of little niggles that I'm going to get the bodyshop to rectify, but I sort of knew what I was getting into by getting a "cheap" respray. The overall achievement is that she no longer looks tatty and dented, which was my whole plan. She's been to a couple of local shows this year already and I just kept looking and thinking "I wish that door wasn't dented" or "I wish the 'tache wasn't faded" or "I wish she looked a little more show-y!" Now I don't have to look at her and think those things :biggrin: I can look at her at a show and think "She looks really rather special now!" The spats still need to be refitted too. I'm looking forward to seeing how she looks with the SWB-specific rear ones on - I think it'll make a big difference to the rear view! The list of new parts is as follows: Brand new scuttle panels. Brand new door edge and quarterglass trims. Brand new nose badge. Brand new windscreen mouldings and rear upper mouldings. Brand new targa centre hook. Brand new hybrid wipers (thanks, FunkySi!). Brand new genuine 99 Spec rear lights (en route from the US now). I've genuinely never spent as much on a car before in my life! It must be love.... :wub:

You'll just have to wait, Lee.... :biggrin:

She's home!! :biggrin: Sadly, there's a run on the driver's rear quarter that needs sorting out but that'll have to wait til everything hardened properly, so that'll be taken care of in the next couple of weeks. I still need to refit all the spats and have a general clean-up, so pictures will have to wait. But she looks a little bit like a brand new car now..... :thumbup:

Cheers for experimenting, Keith! At least we categorically know now :thumbup1: