MadaboutKitcars

I must admid that I hate the interior of my kobra! Its spoils the look of the whole car

Not surprised the demo car is paying dividends - it's a stunner.

Yeah, apologies to all those who find the Z3 interior comfortable and ergonomic, when I typed that comment I had very slightly od'd on a rather amusing Grenache...

What i really meant to say is that I feel it's a shame to keep such a modern, plastic (even if high quality plastic) heavy dash and interior, and obviously modern seats in a car that outwardly convinces the observer that it was built in another era.

Tribute make some very convincing homages to some very beautiful cars. It's a shame if the owner/driver is the only person who can't see any of its classic looks when it's on the road. Believe me, a complete change of interior to a more authentic period style will transform the driving experience far more than any engine or chassis mods.

For a 250GT I'm looking at the original cars' dashes and the Fiat Coupe dash and thinking it'd be a relatively easy job to make a flat, body coloured panel for the BMW gauges to sit behind, with an upholstered 'eyebrow' above and protruding that could use the five or six inches of Z3 dash closest to the windscreen as a starting point to fabricate from scratch.





Anyway, I for one am really looking forward to seeing some original thinking from builders when it comes to Tribute interiors.

I had planned somethig more radical with the interior and got to about here...



...and realised just how much work was involkved and how much wiring etc there was behind the dash.

Every switch has mutli-functions so several wires. I removed what I could do without and hid the rest behind a fake panel with switches. The area behind the dash is remarkably full of stuff so might be difficult to make it much smaller

I would be interested in seeing what someone with electrical skills could do though.

Hi Guys
Just spoke to Steve Hole at Total kit car Magazine (or now Track Kit Custom) and he said his article on the 250SWB Kalifornia will be in the December issue. This is the one we have been waiting for as the photos were fantastic. Make sure you get a copy!
Subscriptions go out earlier but should be in all newsagents by January 2nd.

Looking forward to it

Ooh, so near and yet so far. Bit more stripping of plastic appendages to get it looking like this -



...bish bash bosh with a bit of fibreglass and filler and you could've ended up with something like this -



Silk purse out of sow's ear? No problem.

Hi Everyone
Just got my latest issue of Car Mechanics magazine. (January 2016)
They are running a 4 page servicing guide (full service) on a BMW Z3 2.8 manual.
Thought it may be of interest to newby's?

They have contacted us and asked about building a 250 SWB for them next year, with the build serialised over a few months. Phew busy year!

For me retaining the interior just means ease or use and, when my girlfriend uses the car, it won't appear to be too different to other moderns that she's used to. I'm not keen on appearing to replicate a Ferrari and certainly won't use prancing horse badges etc, so it shouldn't be too much like it's pretending to be something it's not. I see the Kalifornia as an inexpensive and practical alternative to a big-engined TR, or similar.

Presumably it will end up here: pdf-magazine-download.com/18183-car-mechanics-january-2016.html which is a paid download site- it's not free !!!

The latest version there at present is August 2015.

Look forward to see the TKC article but even more enthusiastic to see the mag cover strapline after last editions "you don't need beer goggles..." comment!

How about "She may be a fake Italian but Berlusconi still would..." lol

Well wait no more my copy arrived yesterday, its a great article and we even got a front cover photo. Rare as you normally have to buy advertising space to get on there!

I look forward to reading about this. Checked in Smiths today, but they only have last months issue.

Fitted the fuel filler cap to the Blue kalifornia today, looking good.





Will touch in with paint around the drain hole..before someone mentions it.

Corrected all the shutlines on the bootlid of the coupe amongst other jobs.

How involved is that ? Will future kits you supply have this work done or is it down to the builder to make corrections ?

No sorry, this is a very time consuming job to perfect, and inevitably makes the difference of a so-so one or a very good one. It would be nice to work for free but eventually we would starve. We are not currently taking on any more builds as there are 5 in the pipe line however we are offering the kits and unlimited advice 7 days a week, buyers guide, stripdown and build photos (800). And of course 3 demonstrators.

5 builds, blimey! Nice problem to have.

I guess my SWB bonnet may remain Matt for a while. I would like to pop up at some point during the holidays to chat about what you can do and what I can do in advance regarding my paint and prep.

I am in Henley on the 27th which isn't far from you I guess. And you planning on being around at all between Christmas and the New Year? I can visit during January if if is more convenient

Nick, that does not apply to you. We always have space for you!
27th is good, Im back to work then...look forward to seeing you.

Will check with the boss and email to confirm. She may say NO so don't expect me unless I email or call.

Cheers mate

I know you used to be into Drag Racing Richard, but don't "burn out"........

I appreciate the comment. Thats why we have stopped taking on any more builds at the moment. When your job is your hobby you can keep going for much longer.

Been a crazy few days. Exhausted but when we see the finished result and the praise from the owners it makes it all worthwhile.There are some more pics on Geoffs thread to see.

The first two pictures are the Koupe we have just sent to paint and the next three are the one back from paint.

Having seen both coupe and kalifornia kits in the raw I know that's taken a lot of work to produce such an excellent - and from the pics it really does look excellent - finish. Well done Richard and Team - Geoff must be ultra excited!