Post by khianu on Apr 18, 2024 17:47:50 GMT
Firstly, hi all
Secondly, there will also be a build thread here so bookmark if you fancy though I'll do my best to keep them both updated:
towardsthehorizon.co.uk/exocet-kit-car
Thirdly, here's the first post from the website
How do you define your first car?
For me my dad very generously tried to get me into driving when I was 17 and bought me a ford fiesta. Unfortunately for him at that time for some reason I had little interest in it and it sat on the drive, I definitely couldn’t be considered to have ever driven it.
Then when I started working I needed a car to commute, I did try riding a bike down a straight busy single lane national speed limit A road for a while and quickly decided that was not a long term solution (one way or the other I wasn’t going to be doing it long). Step in my dad again with a friend selling a 12 year old Corolla for cheap. Don’t get me wrong I loved that car so much, it was brilliant, and I made a strong attachment to it, but I never quite felt like it was mine.
So then after a couple of years, having saved a little, with no obvious need for practicality I went on a search. After a bit of browsing this little silver car came up, was promptly checked over, purchased an back in my parking space. The Corolla summarily was handed to my sister after which the exhaust immediately vacated it’s mountings and a short time later the car was written off when failing to match up to an icy country road (everyone was fine). But back to the little sunlight silver (22V) 2004 Mazda MX5 that became nicknamed Kayleigh and my love for this little machine was absolute.
At risk of spoiling the ending of this post, I still have this car 12 years later as well as another MX5 because, of course, two of a good thing is better than one.
That started a long relationship with Kayleigh, the MX5 platform, the community and the world of car modification. I joined the MX5 car clubs, I started modifying, I took Kayleigh on a track day to Abingdon and later another at Castle Combe and of course, I learned all about MX5 rust issues.
Early modifications were subtle with the side reflectors and indicators, a grill and a front lip, then progressed to wheels and tires, an exhaust, an aftermarket ally radiator, Meister coilovers and whiteline ARBs. All of that brought us to this.
Alongside the modifications came not one, but two rounds of welding up the sills, about 6-7 years apart but still. Then there was an advisory for rust on the suspension components so a full strip and powdercoat of the wishbones happened along with replacing the bushes with stiffer replacement rubber bushes after which another successful MOT passed with yet more rust advisories. This time for the chassis rails. I was not surprised. I was however, upsettingly, losing my love for the car, which is where the next chapter picks up.
One last note though is that because of all of this time and joy with Kayleigh, another acquisition was made. This one is named Sienna and came about because of my deep love of the colour and orange coupled with a wonderful partner that can only otherwise be described in this case as “a bad influence”. The good news as you can see is that the car does get used to it’s full potential, most recently at Oulton Park and Anglesey over a surprisingly mild weekend in February.
Secondly, there will also be a build thread here so bookmark if you fancy though I'll do my best to keep them both updated:
towardsthehorizon.co.uk/exocet-kit-car
Thirdly, here's the first post from the website
How do you define your first car?
For me my dad very generously tried to get me into driving when I was 17 and bought me a ford fiesta. Unfortunately for him at that time for some reason I had little interest in it and it sat on the drive, I definitely couldn’t be considered to have ever driven it.
Then when I started working I needed a car to commute, I did try riding a bike down a straight busy single lane national speed limit A road for a while and quickly decided that was not a long term solution (one way or the other I wasn’t going to be doing it long). Step in my dad again with a friend selling a 12 year old Corolla for cheap. Don’t get me wrong I loved that car so much, it was brilliant, and I made a strong attachment to it, but I never quite felt like it was mine.
So then after a couple of years, having saved a little, with no obvious need for practicality I went on a search. After a bit of browsing this little silver car came up, was promptly checked over, purchased an back in my parking space. The Corolla summarily was handed to my sister after which the exhaust immediately vacated it’s mountings and a short time later the car was written off when failing to match up to an icy country road (everyone was fine). But back to the little sunlight silver (22V) 2004 Mazda MX5 that became nicknamed Kayleigh and my love for this little machine was absolute.
At risk of spoiling the ending of this post, I still have this car 12 years later as well as another MX5 because, of course, two of a good thing is better than one.
That started a long relationship with Kayleigh, the MX5 platform, the community and the world of car modification. I joined the MX5 car clubs, I started modifying, I took Kayleigh on a track day to Abingdon and later another at Castle Combe and of course, I learned all about MX5 rust issues.
Early modifications were subtle with the side reflectors and indicators, a grill and a front lip, then progressed to wheels and tires, an exhaust, an aftermarket ally radiator, Meister coilovers and whiteline ARBs. All of that brought us to this.
Alongside the modifications came not one, but two rounds of welding up the sills, about 6-7 years apart but still. Then there was an advisory for rust on the suspension components so a full strip and powdercoat of the wishbones happened along with replacing the bushes with stiffer replacement rubber bushes after which another successful MOT passed with yet more rust advisories. This time for the chassis rails. I was not surprised. I was however, upsettingly, losing my love for the car, which is where the next chapter picks up.
One last note though is that because of all of this time and joy with Kayleigh, another acquisition was made. This one is named Sienna and came about because of my deep love of the colour and orange coupled with a wonderful partner that can only otherwise be described in this case as “a bad influence”. The good news as you can see is that the car does get used to it’s full potential, most recently at Oulton Park and Anglesey over a surprisingly mild weekend in February.
