Project MX-5: Part 22 (A fresh new look)

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Project MX-5 has been given a fresh new look...

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Solid, but not in the best of shape.

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Project MX-5 on the day it arrived.

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The stripping process.

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The entire body was cleaned with alcohol in preparation for the vinyl wrap.

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The first pieces of vinyl being applied.

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Project MX-5 in its old race livery.

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The new race livery.

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The new colour scheme.

Project cars

▪ Posted May 4, 2017

By: Sudhir Matai

If you follow this series of articles closely you would have noticed that Project MX-5 looked a tad difference in the last race report. You can read about that race meeting by clicking on this link.

The transformation took place in the days leading up to the race weekend, which meant I could not report on it, until now.

Always on the cards

When I bought this MX-5 in the latter part of 2015 it wasn’t in the best shape. The car had been stored in a warehouse, without a cover and it was ignored for a few years. I saw potential in it as there was no major rust and there were only a few minor dings.

I knew that at some point I would change the look of the roadster. British Racing Green sounds evocative and it may have looked great in 1989, but the colour just felt a tad outdated to me.

Busy with racing

Through 2016 we concentrated on upgrading the car for racing use. The links below outline all that we managed to do through the year. Thanks to sterling reliability and some consistent driving, I ended the season well.

In fact, I’d say we performed better than most expected, netting third place in the Kent Homes Fine Car championship in our rookie year.

Unforeseen issues

We had scheduled a complete revision of the external appearance ahead of the season-opener, but a technical issue moved our focus elsewhere as we tried to ready the car for the first race. Despite our best efforts, we retired from that event.

Finally, a new look

Between the first and second race meeting and with a leaky gearbox seal taken care of, the hard-working guys at GT Graphics, which also happens to be one of my main sponsors, set to work stripping the car of all its race livery.

With all the old markings removed and the paintwork washed and cleaned with alcohol, they set about applying their magic touch.

Multi-coloured approach

I’d always been keen on a matte finish, and GT Graphics chose a contrasting yet complementary colour palette for the body panels. Matte silver was used down the flanks, while black was applied to the boot lid and bonnet. The white nose, which has become a recognisable feature of the car, was retained.

Fresh new look

GT Graphics kept me away from their workshop until all the vinyl was applied. On the day ahead of the race meeting they rolled the car out of their workshop to debut the new look.

I had imagined the colour combination in my head but that could not have prepared me for the final product. Project MX-5 had come out looking better than I had expected.

A raft of compliments

At the racetrack fellow competitors and other racers were quick to throw compliments our way. A few marshals even questioned whether I had replaced the old car with a new one.

Competition time

To celebrate Project MX-5’s new look, CAR and GT Graphics, in conjunction with Avery Dennison vehicle wrapping film, will be giving away a full exterior vinyl wrap for a passenger car, worth R20 000. If you are based in the Cape Town area, or can make your way here, feel free to enter the competition here.

Here are links to all the previous Project MX-5 posts:

Part 20: http://www.carmag.co.za/speed_post/project-mx-5-part-20-race-weekend-1-2017/

Part 19: http://www.carmag.co.za/speed_post/project-mx-5-part-19-suspension-upgrade-finally/

Part 18: http://www.carmag.co.za/speed_post/project-mx-5-part-18-general-maintenance/

Part 17: http://www.carmag.co.za/speed_post/project-mx-5-part-17-more-whoa-to-match-the-go/

Part 16: http://www.carmag.co.za/speed_post/project-mx-5-part-16-race-weekend-8-championship-finale/

Part 15: http://www.carmag.co.za/speed_post/project-mx-5-part-15-race-weekend-7-moving-up/

Part 14: http://www.carmag.co.za/speed_post/project-mx-5-part-14-cooler-water-cooler-air/

Part 13: http://www.carmag.co.za/speed_post/project-mx-5-part-13-race-weekend-6-quicker-times-and-silverware/

Part 12: http://www.carmag.co.za/speed_post/project-mx-5-part-12-tuning-for-speed/

Part 11: http://www.carmag.co.za/speed_post/project-mx-5-part-11-race-weekend-5-quicker-than-ever/

Part 10: http://www.carmag.co.za/speed_post/project-mx-5-part-10-race-weekend-4-wrong-way/