Hi All, just got a Phase 1 GT

[kiwicolour]

Hi all,
thought id introduce myself, im Rick and run my own scratch/Dent repair business in Leeds: http://www.kiwicolour.co.uk and ive just bought myself a rather nice Phase 1.
you might have seen it for sale on piston heads the last few days.
been looking for a R5 on and off for a few years, ive never had one before, but saw this and had to take a look.

1986 LHD phase 1 in pearl white.
beautiful original condition, arrow straight 1 previous owner 72k KM's (40 odd thousand miles) and a wallet full of every receipt from new. the guy used it as a run around in France/UK attached to the back of his caravan.
interior is mint, its like a time warp!
the only bit of surface rust is around the front wipers, i had a quick dig with a screw driver
this evening and its nothing that wont grind off. sills and all other areas are solid.

my plans are a full respray (you could run it as is! but im very fussy - being a painter and all!)
bonnets been painted before and has a few blemishes.

i am also thinking of colour coding the arches and bumpers - currently they are painted in a satin cream/white which i believe was original in this colour?
what are peoples thoughts on properly colour coding them or should i redo them satin white?

wheels are a big thing for me and half of me is torn to getting these powder coated and the other half says get some different wheels, Phase 2 alloys, turbines or somthing? any ideas/thoughts?

i wont be messing with this much at all, will be kept pretty much totally standard.

i would loike to hear your thoughts/views and see you around the forum.
Cheers

[s3irios]

Really in very good shape as it seems! U must watch for rust inside of front wings (they are easily removed) theres almost always inside there. Another very painful place of hidden rust is in the trunk, on the 2 sides there are some "holes" where u can see the upper side of the back whell arches.

Now about the rust that u DID found in the front wippers...Care there cause the existance of it in this particular place is veeery tricky. I had the same thing, something that looked small, but when we started cleaning it we were almost left with no metal to clean. The most was gone cause the rust was there for some years (although it didnt look big damage from the outside) and it was eating it inside. Atthe end we were left with a tin foil of metal, we stabilized it with rust stabilizer and put enough layers of polyester from the inside, just to make it strong enough to bare the wipers.

In my dear opinion and since u own your own paint shop, plz respray it full and the plastic arches too! It's ok as it is, but since this is your job and all, not anything special for u.

Grats again it's a beauty!

[BabyBluGTT]

Easy Rick, i recognise your name and business from PSC?? My user on there is Southy85sx Nice ph1 matey looks to be in good shape!

[kiwicolour]

small world!  :lol: ive still got the punto GT its taken a back seat and lost its garage space to the 5 at the moment! - it was a toss up as to which might rust outside first! cant bring myself to sell it though

[Ruivar]

What a perfect example! You are very lucky to find such nice GT turbo.
Are the red license plates the original plates? I see the number 86 to the right... If they are original, it is so pucking genious!!! And it is very nice to see a fellow LHD car on the site, as they are a minority
Do you have any plans with the car? Even though it looks rather perfect as it is now :wink:

Welcome to the site, mate!

[kiwicolour]

the red plates are the original french plates. french plates are usually yellow or white so ive no idea why there red? but yes the '86 would be the age of the car. its now on UK plates though.

Ive only had it 2 days and the bumpers, lights and trims are stipped off already. - apart from some
surface rust on the wiper panel, theres no rust anywhere, and i mean anywhere!

couple of imperfections in the paintwork , so i am respraying it in the original colour - just because im fussy, i will also be painting the arches and bumpers properly.

wheels im still deciding what to do.

really cant be many left in this original good condition!
cheers

[DanMay]

Another 5 in Leeds      
Welcome to the forum old lad!!

[VintageSpeed]

very nice F1.  If I were you I'd keep is as stock as possible.

Original faseI's are difficult to find, and certainly in that beautifull white combo.

I'd leave it as is and repaint to og specs

[Ruivar]

the red plates are the original french plates. french plates are usually yellow or white so ive no idea why there red? but yes the '86 would be the age of the car. its now on UK plates though.

Ive only had it 2 days and the bumpers, lights and trims are stipped off already. - apart from some
surface rust on the wiper panel, theres no rust anywhere, and i mean anywhere!

couple of imperfections in the paintwork , so i am respraying it in the original colour - just because im fussy, i will also be painting the arches and bumpers properly.

wheels im still deciding what to do.

really cant be many left in this original good condition!
cheers

In my opinion you should really keep it as original as possible, especially when you have got a so perfect example.
You are right about loosing the pearl white coulor, I reckon. What is this car's original colour, by the way?
Also I did some research about the red plate! The red plates are duty free plates. read the whole story about them on this site: http://plaque.free.fr/f_tt_e.html  

Cheers.

[Big Steve Raider]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

Don't re-spray or touch that original Pearl White phase 1 bodykit!!

I kid you not when I say that may be the LAST original Pearl White Phase 1 in the country!!! They're THAT rare!!!

If you re-spray/mess about with it you will be reducing it's value guaranteed!!!  :wink:  :wink:

But It's your car & you can do with it what you want mate, just my point of view!  

[kiwicolour]

I think there is some crossed wires going on!  :lol:  the original colour of this car is pearl white. I am repainting it IN ORIGINAL BIANCO NACRE PEARL WHITE!
i am not messing with it at all. its all staying original.  
the only thing i am thinking of doing is colour coding the arches in pearl white as at the moment they are painted in a tatty cream colour that is flaking off in places.

hope that clears it up!

are they really that rare? anymore info on the pearl white models? was it a top of the range, or optional extra?
its also got electric windows, which i thought was odd for a phase 1?

[Big Steve Raider]

Hello mate,

The original dodgy white that the bodykit was IS original. If you go painting it the same pearl white as the bodywork then you will lose it's originality. As a bodykit guy like you are I'm sure you can find a closer match to the OE colour of the arches.

Believe me mate when I say that Phase 1 Pearl White's are as rare as rocking horse teeth!! They were a standard colour for the first production run of fives but as far as I know were not a custom or rare colour. It's just the passage of time & the limited numbers that were made that make them rare!!  :wink:

I can't off the top of my head think of another guy owning a nice OE looking one?? Phase 1's were made in Black, Pearl White, Red, Silver & Electric Blue & I know people that have every colour except Pearl White.

Got a bit of a soft spot for the Pearl White ones as a guy I knew had one when I was a younger man & it was that very car that got me into the fives in the first place!  :wink:

All road going GT Turbo's were fitted with Electric Windows as they were the factory fit. The 5 COUPE model (basis of the UK Cup Car & sold in Europe in handfulls) was issued with Manual winding windows.

[Ruivar]

Okay, sorry. I was not aware of the pearl white colour being an OE colour. It just seems so futuristic for an 80's car..
Then I say you should keep the pearl white colour.

[Ruivar]

Okay, sorry. I was not aware of the pearl white colour being an OE colour. It just seems so futuristic for an 80's car..
Then I say you should keep the pearl white colour.

wellcome to the club mate

I am not new, but thanks anyway :wink:

[small_all@hotmail.com]

thats a nice looking front grill u got there dude, fancy parting with it, if u remove it it will help air get to ur engine better.. u dont realy need it.. onistly  :lol:  :lol:

only joking dude, nnnnnnnnice car though, try keep that colour onit  :mrgreen: