Lotus Exige Scura #27 of 35 units produced - Apollo Auto

[Apollo_Auto]

Hi kids! So this is the first Lotus that I've done (got another scheduled for some time in June) and come to find out it's a very rare one indeed. There were only 35 of these ever produced and this one is #27... who's the lucky boy?! Doing exotics always makes one all tingly inside, but when it's a limited edition one like this, I get an extra little butt tingle ... Anyway, this is one bad MF (and I don't mean microfiber)... 0-60 in a mere 4.1 seconds!! Snap! This thing is so ninja it's unbelievable... I need one. Badly.



So the car wasn't really that dirty, as it's only got 200k on the clock but it had some nasty scratches on the finish and also needed some protection on it before it's taken out into the elements... the protection was a very peculiar process...

.

Paint flecks from the waterlogged garage walls

Rims before the nano rim cleaner

Brushed in with a detailing brush and rinsed... (different rim, but you get the point )

Some pretty nasty scratches and I'm pretty sure I know where they came from... I'll show you later.

So I decided to give Aquartz another shot and this time on something other than the paint (I did test it on the paint today also...). I've read that it can also be used as a textile sealant, so I applied the first layer of it a little heavily to ensure that it soaked into the fabric a bit. After a couple hours drying time I applied another layer by "misting" the ragtop, then let it sit for a bit and then wiped it in with a sponge applicator. Results to come...

A little "worked in" stripe

Everything was carefully taped up because this paint is super sensitive. It specifically states in the owner's manual to use salt-free shampoos, etc. so I didn't want to have any polish with lots of solvents in it landing on the paint and making it spotty!

Jeez what a mess!!

Whaaaaat! Leopard skin throw pillows for $6 at Lidl? Aw hell yeah, daddy's goin' shoppin' tomorrow!

Mess all gone . Polished out with a finishing polish and finishing pad and lots of passes... Being that this is fiberglass I didn't want to go too aggressive so I just took is slow and easy...

There are still a couple of deep scratches that will just have to remain as permanent residents, but they look much better now.

Front spoiler swirls. I had to remove the license plate holder to get to these

After

Wing before

Wing after

 

[Apollo_Auto]

So I did some homework on this car and its finish the night before and it has specific instructions on what and what not to use. No wax. No not even Swissvax's magic non-shiny 40% carnauba wax "Opaque"... that stuff's funny :lol:. Instead, they give you a little care package of what to use on the finish...







































W T F?

Yep, they say to use Armor All on the matte finish! Anyway, after getting a feel for the paint I understood why they said to use Armor All. The paint is pretty soft and therefore porous so it will inevitably fade much faster than let's say a bumper. They actually said that within the first year or so, expect quite a bit of change. The UV protection from Armor All will certainly help slow that process down. Because this paint is porous, it was almost like applying leather conditioner to unprotected leather; you could see the dressing soak into parts of the paint better than other parts. This made the application process a bit slow... Once I wiped it on (overlapping several times to ensure even coverage), I had to let it sit for a while to be absorbed, but not for too long because it would dry and leave streaks! Once almost dried, I had to buff it out with a MF until the streaks were gone. It was a PITA.



And an even BIGGER W T F for this!! A 3M scrubby pad to "remove tar and other bonded contaminants" :scared:. Which explains where the huge scuffs in the paint came from...

Engine cleaned and dreesed with a nano-dressing

Cool air duct here that leads to >>

...here to help keep the car cool

This is some kind of oil pump for the car...

Well it looks as if I've found a good use for the rest of my Aquartz

Mr. Scura's brotha from a different motha, Truck Norris, making a cameo appearance, sporting his new kicks .

#27 of 35... cool

All that beef and they still managed to cram a radio, an air conditioner and traction control in this little monster!

 

[Apollo_Auto]

Daddy must have...



Thanks for reading and to all the Playboy subscribers, thanks for "reading"!



- Jesse O'Connor

 

[Envious Eric]

your posts crack me up...awesome stuff man!

 

[imported_JoshVette]

Nice job getting your hands on a limited run car. They are always cooler then the cool cars. :2thumbs:



So what did you use on the paint? I haven't dealt with a flat painted car yet, but wondering what can be used and not?



Will polishing make it shiny you think?



Josh

 

[imported_d00t]

Looks very nice, Jesse! What a treat to work on!

 

[Barry Theal]

Great Job my american friend!!! LOL Amazing car.

 

[Labster]

Awesome work as always Jesse!

 

[dsms]

Thats a wild little thang, fine work Jesse!

 

[XL Advantage]

I'd like to see more pics of "Truck Norris."

 

[MrCLRider]

Bitchen little car! Tires look like they will provide a whole **** ton of grip.

 

[jashton]

The last ten or so pictures aren't showing up for me! :'(

 

[Apollo_Auto]

your posts crack me up...awesome stuff man!

Thanks Eric!

Nice job getting your hands on a limited run car. They are always cooler then the cool cars. :2thumbs:



So what did you use on the paint? I haven't dealt with a flat painted car yet, but wondering what can be used and not?



Will polishing make it shiny you think?



Josh

Thanks Josh! I forgot to post this part >>



"Yep, they say to use Armor All on the matte finish! Anyway, after getting a feel for the paint I understood why they said to use Armor All. The paint is pretty soft and therefore porous so it will inevitably fade much faster than let's say a bumper. They actually said that within the first year or so, expect quite a bit of change. The UV protection from Armor All will certainly help slow that process down. Because this paint is porous, it was almost like applying leather conditioner to unprotected leather; you could see the dressing soak into parts of the paint better than other parts. This made the application process a bit slow... Once I wiped it on (overlapping several times to ensure even coverage), I had to let it sit for a while to be absorbed, but not for too long because it would dry and leave streaks! Once almost dried, I had to buff it out with a MF until the streaks were gone. It was a PITA."



So on my truck that's wrapped in matte black I've used Opti Seal,Swissvax Concorso, Tropical Mist and my nano sealant and have not noticed any change in the color. But my wrap is not as porous as the painted version of a matte black car and this one in particular has a different paint than the "normal" matte black. It's almost like a textured undercoating and you can literally feel that it's softer and therefore more porous. I accidentally got some nano sealant on the paint and didn't realize it, but when I wiped it off there was no change in the paint's color. Therefore I don't think there would be any harm in putting a non-greasy sealant on it.

Looks very nice, Jesse! What a treat to work on!

Cheers Aaron!

Great Job my american friend!!! LOL Amazing car.

Hey, I'm from Indida... remeber? Thanks buddy!

Awesome work as always Jesse!

Thank you sir!

Thats a wild little thang, fine work Jesse!

Thanks Dave! He's going to take me for a spin in a couple of weeks when I go back to do his Range Rover and SLK ... wohooo!!

I'd like to see more pics of "Truck Norris."

Thanks XL! Here's Truck Norris' transformation thread http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-de...-deatil-wagon-wrapped-matte-black-carbon.html

Bitchen little car! Tires look like they will provide a whole **** ton of grip.

Thanks! Yeah the owner said the thing drives like a gokart... just hugs the corners like you wouldn't believe!

The last ten or so pictures aren't showing up for me! :'(

What about now??

 

[JimmyCutlass]

Last pics still aren't showing up for me either.



So you did go ahead with the Armorall? Knowing that it needs that kind of product, I would have used one but certainly not Armorall. I probably would've opted for some Meguiar's M40 or Ultimate Protectant. M40 probably has more UV protection, while Ultimate Protectant dries to the porous surface.

 

[Apollo_Auto]

Last pics still aren't showing up for me either.



So you did go ahead with the Armorall? Knowing that it needs that kind of product, I would have used one but certainly not Armorall. I probably would've opted for some Meguiar's M40 or Ultimate Protectant. M40 probably has more UV protection, while Ultimate Protectant dries to the porous surface.

Yeah buddy, I went with the Armor All . Felt a bit strange and wasn't the easiest thing to get an even coating... took me about 2 hours just to dress that little thing! I will start using my own dressing once the warranty is up on the car, but until then I'll have to stick to AA. To tell the truth is isn't that bad for an OTC product. Also, it didn't leave a greasy film like a lot of dressings do, which is important because this paint is soft to the touch and therefore very porous.

 

[imported_dfazekas]

Thats a sweet car, man.

Excellent work, as always.

 

[Apollo_Auto]

Thats a sweet car, man.

Excellent work, as always.

Oh thank you Mr. Fazékas! Beszélsz magyarul is?

 

[MarcHarris]

I'm really loving this one. Rare to see car with an oversized oil pump to make sure the engine runs smooth

I must admit that I'm a little sad to see this isn't a Solstice with a Lamborghini Murcielago body kit though

 

[DeanSweet]

How is it people who own such a rare bird and get the paint looking like that?

Curious how the car will look in 12 months?



'Truck Norris'? Funny stuff.

'Truck Norris can slam revolving doors!?'

 

[JJ_]

Nice detail !!