# •Ultimate Shine• Ultimate Restoration on a Devil, biggest job to date(Over 300 pics!)



## Ultimate Shine (Jun 3, 2008)

Hi Guy's

It's been a long time since my last write up, the longer you work as a detailer full time the more you focus on your work and not so much on taking obscene amounts of pictures and filling hard drives up with pictures. Hopefully my new website will help with that so I can share more cars I have done.
The job in question is on a 1990 Lamborghini Diablo 2wd with no powered steering, no traction control and no ABS. An absolute animal of a car even though the car has 499 PS (367 kW; 492 hp) and 580 N•m (428 lb•ft) . Compared to modern cars it has similar power to a BMW M5 but when you look at the bigger picture the hot hatch of its day was the first of the escort cosworths with 225BHP. So this Lamborghini had more than double the power of the RS cosworth. The cosworth being just over £22000 new and the Diablo for the life of me I can't find that information but I am sure it was well over £100,000. Mental car and absolutely stunning to look at.
My customer contacted me and told me he had seen the work I had done on the Purple SV,
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=177739 








He wanted me to carry the work out on the car he was buying. He confirmed the deal had went through and asked me to pick the car up from www.topgear-cars.co.uk 
I wanted to see the car before tackling the project so I knew what was involved and this was my first visit to see the car.








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Now the original plan for the car was wheel refurb and detail and leather re-furb.
So picked the car up and drove back to Markinch, I have never felt so much like a pop star driving this car as it's the biggest head turner I have ever been in. The exhaust noise was just on a different level (so much so my customer that owns an Aventador heard this exhaust and wished his car sounded like that)








A few pictures of the car prior to clean,































































































































































































Next after assessing the back bumper I found the best thing I could do was remove the bumper to get a proper look,


































The following pictures show how badly the rear bumper had been painted and it had not been removed for painting (something I would later discover why people don't strip these cars down)



































































































So after my shock of finding these problems with the rear bumper I then called the customer to explain the situation and gave him the idea of removing the front bumper as well and having that painted to freshen it up.










An easy removal of the front bumper, these cars are hand built so everything is accessible.










Next notice where the grills have been at the bottom, the original car had driving lights here but unfortunately the lights were discontinued so grills were the subtle answer.


























Number plate brackets were removed so customer could have a shortened number plate fitted.


















Filler cap removed so the painter could scan the colour to get a proper paint match.



































































Removed the panels to get them painted as the rusty look wasn't very nice.










After speaking to the customer and telling of the terrible aesthetic appearance of the brakes and the inner arches he agreed for me to paint callipers, hubs and under seal the inner arches










































Customer had also asked for the engine bay to be properly cleaned and the Lamborghini Logo on the intake manifold to be re-painted in red so next was the removal of the engine cover.










Wheels removed for re-furb and to let people see I had to take a picture of one of the rear tires beside a 235 tire I had sitting in my unit.










Sill covers removed and template made so I could have them painted and the Lamborghini Diablo logo put back in the same place.










Closer condition of the wheels,



























Condition of engine cover


















Time for some claying










Before,










After,










After,










Condition of the paint,



















The engine cover looking better after compounding










Before,










After,










Wiper arm removed for re-furb,










Next stage to take the seats out for re-furb as the only way I could get into all the small areas properly


































This gives you an idea of how dirty the leather was,





























































Time to get the steam cleaner out for some thorough cleansing





































Seat removed and thankfully I did so I could clean it properly prior to re-furb.
























































































Panel removed for my leather specialist to send it away for a colour match





















































Paint arrived from furniture clinic perfectly matched to the sample that was sent









Some after shots of the leather,



































































Nice earthing points on the chassis


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## Ultimate Shine (Jun 3, 2008)

Ok so the first plan for getting the o.z racing 3 piece wheels refurbed were going to be powder coated lips and rears and painted centres. So when we went to split the wheels I then discovered after many suppliers I phoned the tool for removing the bolts was a specific 10 spline 10mm and 12mm socket that only a company in Germany could supply at a cost of £150. So I called my local wheel supplier and asked if they knew anyone who would have a tool and they told me to call Mike the polisher www.thepolisher.com
Now after a 2 hour journey to drop the wheels off as I wanted to speak to Mike in person and get a feel for his work and to make sure he was going to do a sufficient job on the wheels. I arrived in the middle of Govan in Glasgow and gets out the car to "What's happening big man you must be Ultimate Shine let me go and put the kettle on" Now Mike when you first meet him is like Yoda in the swamp planet of Dagobah (The master in a metal polishing heaven) I go through the back office for a coffee and a chat to see work he had done..........
Well guy's I was standing there making out I was quite obsessed with polishing until he tells me he spent 400HRS polishing a set of wheels or the gearbox casing he spent a month prepping and then stuck it in his ceramic polishing bath for another month. Honestly after talking to him about my knowledge of polishing metal he knows everything there is to know about polishing metal. He tells me that once you get to the 400HRS on a set of wheels you start to see shadows in the metal itself and not defects OMFG this guy is a "legend" 








Diablo wheels sitting stripped,








Examples of his work on wheels















Back to under sealing and painting callipers and hubs






















Onto the machine polishing,



































































































































Ok the next plan of attack was to remove and replace the door struts in the doors as the doors would not stay up on their own




















































Paint coming on a treat,








Then another trip back to Mike to pick up wheels,






















Next decided to freshen up the heat resistant exhaust paint as it was looking terrible,























AS seen below the customer wasn't happy with the look of the rear grill section with the fog light and reverse light integrated as the lens covers stood out a mile.








I remember the window tinter I use telling me about a new film out that you can put on your head lights and it only reduces the light by a small amount. Here are the lens covers with so called Spi Eye film.








Some before and afters of the lights getting polished,









































































Here are the wheels with the tires fitted,
















My decision for the rear of the wheels were to have them done in black as access into the rear of the wheels wasn't great for cleaning so having them black was the best compromise.








Ok another bug bear of mine on the car was the side light and indicator lenses. The ones that were fitted to the car when it arrived with me looked odd as there was a slope on the top half of the lens and the bottom of the lens went straight down. The lenses on the car were wrong as someone had fitted 2 passenger side lens covers. After some serious homework and calling around I found that the driver's side lens cover had been discontinued so the best alternative was to fit a set of full indicator units with side light from a fiat 127 (similar size)
Another great idea until you find the units at the rear were different sizes so some modification work to the opening required. This was done with a dremmel and the only way I could seal the units in was using some super tiger seal.







































Now that these units had been fitted I needed to re-think the lighting wiring at the front end. The lighting earth points were really poor and were affecting the light pop up motors and the side lights were dimming when the indicators were flashing. So a full 10 hours spent sorting the wiring, fitting the indicators and then re-fitting and shimming the bumper level (What a nightmare job)









Bumper re-fitted,
















Next day involved re-fitting the rear bumper into place. First of all cleaning the bumper brackets and rubbers up.








Tailpipes in dire need of a clean and polish








Right hand side done,








Tail pipes polished and ready for the bumper to be re-fitted,








Bumper re-fitted,
















Time to sort out the red logo's on the intake manifold,































Next up the rear section that supports the spoiler required some serious machine polishing.
A few before,






























After








Now onto some paint correction shots,









This part was probably the most frustrating part of the car for me as I knew I could not do anything about it. The front of both driver's side door and passenger side door had been painted and faded ¼ the way along the door and knowing I couldn't get this right was going to bother me. But as most of my customers tell me now "nobody would really notice it as a detailer looks at paint different from most people"


























































































































Next up was to coat the Diablo badge on the rear grill with some G-Techniq C1 with a cotton bud






















More paint correction shots,





























































































Probably one of the best be-spoke tools I have had made for me. Extension bars for the rotary, I have 2 sizes this being the bigger.








More correction shots,






























The blend line of the paint on the door,















































































Next job was to remove the door handles and have them painted,




































More correction shots,



















































So at this point my customer had decided to have the side windows tinted 50%, so off to my window tinter "Auto tint" Barry Fimister
Good time to get the windows tinted when the door cards were off the car


































































Next up while the door cards were removed was to apply some sound proofing to the doors to reduce some of the road noise. This was also applied on the floor under both driver and passenger seat area.















Due to the window tinters bookings I still had some minor correction work to do to finish.





































Now we're getting there,


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## Ultimate Shine (Jun 3, 2008)

Well after a full 2 months passing by the car was finally ready. This car was probably the most extensive job I have ever undertaken. Learning curve was massive and I can't describe how much job satisfaction came from the job.

















































































































































































































































































































Sorry for the amount of pictures on display but well less than my total taken (over 1200)

I hope you enjoyed the results. I have not done write up for a while as various comments and different opinions of previous jobs have taken the wind out of my sail for spending the time doing them but hey this might change my mood.

Detailing a vehicle is all down to what your perception of detailing is and what you think the customer would be happy with. In this instance it wasn't all down to the correction work it was all the finer details as well that would make the car look more complete. My feeling is if you treat the car like it's yours and how you want it to look then hopefully if you have a good eye for detail your finished product should stand out and make people stop and look and comment. Customers like the feeling of a freshly detailed car as it makes them feel good and if people stop and look then their feeling of self achievement in life increases and so does their smile. 
People that look at detailing as a career to give you an idea this is what fuels your fire and makes you thankful that you can do what you love as a job and get rewarded for your efforts.


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## twink (Mar 31, 2012)

WOW............an amazing car and an even better job done


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## DannyG (Mar 3, 2009)

SUPERB!! . . . .I very rarely post, but I really enjoyed this post!

Thanks for sharing.


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## Dtfrith (May 22, 2010)

Amazing out come and a great read.


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## DetailMyCar (Apr 19, 2010)

Absolutely fantastic job, one of the best write-up's I've ever read and on one of my favourite cars of all time!

The work you have done is simply beyond detailing in my opinion, and it's a huge credit to you for taking on so much when you agreed to do the car.

In all honesty as it arrived with you, it wouldn't be worth just the usual "Detailing" in terms of paint correction as there was just so much that needed doing, most of which I wouldn't be prepared to do personally or have the knowledge either so a huuuuuge well done and a fantasic job and write-up. How did you even start with quoting it? 

Thanks again, please feel free to do more write-ups though as I can't imagine people minding 

Awesome!


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## jacko666 (Aug 31, 2010)

Awesome job:thumb: man wish I had skills like that.


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## Prism Detailing (Jun 8, 2006)

So your still alive Paul 

Excellent work, as Nick said not really a detail, but more a full restoration and you cant get bored of threads like this


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## Bill58 (Jul 5, 2010)

Amazing result, one of the best turn arounds I've seen.


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## steve from wath (Dec 12, 2008)

awesome job from the very start to a stunning ending
what an amazing transformation.

i can only admire your work and dedicaton in bringing this car back to life

fantastic
one of the best write ups and work i have ever seen

congratulations


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## sidewalkdances (Apr 19, 2007)

Spectacular.

That Lambo was in one sorry state, and now looks factory fresh.


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## The_Bouncer (Nov 24, 2010)

Holy Shi....

That is probably one of the best details / resto's I've seen on here - That car had been used well but you've turned it factory fresh with no corner untouched.

I'm pretty lost for words - simply stunning !!!!

The customer now has a very special absolute stunning car.

Hat's off to you

:thumb:


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## 123quackers (Jan 29, 2009)

Hat's off for that one Sir...:thumb:

A beautiful job done and one I have also had the please over the years in doing on these cars. As you so finely put at the end of your thread regards satifaction and reward they give that every time you look at them.... They are unbelievable cars, that is a very early car with HI Instrument pod.. the lower front driving lights, if you ask your customer to contact Mike Pullen @ Carrerasport in haywards heath a very well respected service repairer in the Lamborghini world, he may be able to source some for him....

What LSP did you decide on??

So HUGE :thumb::thumb: up for a awesome detail.

I see this being 200+ and 30,000 looks thread


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## Rizzo (Jan 22, 2009)

Incredible work, well done


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## TUBS (May 9, 2006)

Well done, what an amazing job, hats off to you !


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## Nelex (Aug 23, 2011)

Awesome work


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## ChrisST (Jul 19, 2009)

This has to be one of the best threads I have ever seen on here, and that is saying something!!
I take my hat off to you, the level of work is simply stunning. The photos of the finished car are fantastic, proper timewarp stuff. :argie:


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

You missed a bit......:tumbleweed:




Well someone had to say it! :lol: 






Amazing write up, fantastic car, quality work....


:thumb:


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## dhiren_motilal (Apr 3, 2011)

WOW that's all I am going to say about the result. Cheers for posting has to be one of the most detailed write ups for this year.


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## greener (May 2, 2011)

Amazing work on an awesome car!!

Congratulations


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## Yowfailed (Mar 14, 2012)

There are very people out there who I would trust to do anything to my car but by God man, that is really the dogs!!

I've no doubt the cost was quite high but given the before and after it would have been worth every penny and would undoubtedly have had a massive impact upon resale value.

Can you also walk on water ?????? :lol:


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## Chrisfin (Jun 27, 2011)

I agree with some others who have posted before me. This is more a restoration plus a detail rather than just a detail. It's a truly remarkable turnaround. Thanks for sharing it with us.


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## moono16v (Oct 12, 2010)

:doublesho WOW that is pure dedication!!

Best write up ive read. I shake your hand!!!!


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Great job there mate.


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## ted11 (Jul 8, 2011)

As a car restorer I can appreciate your dedication to bringing this car up to this standard witch i would guess is far beyond what the customer expected and although you would have been paid a reasonable sum for doing it I would bet my shirt that it never covered the amount of extra hours you put in to get the car to this level of quality. 
Well done mate and look forward to future write ups.


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## fil_b (Oct 24, 2007)

dude thats a stunning read. just spent my lunchtime going through and i take my hat off too you

well done good job there


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## grayz (Feb 2, 2006)

Wow! :argie:
Car looks brand spanking new. Well done sir, take a bow!


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## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

Good work :thumb:


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## Miguel Pestana (Feb 16, 2012)

wow fantastic job, wish we could see more jobs like this


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## paranoid73 (Aug 5, 2009)

superb, well worth the wait :thumb:


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## Racer (Oct 27, 2005)

Epic Work :thumb:


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## stonejedi (Feb 2, 2008)

fantastic turn around,superb:thumb:.


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## R9SH G (Mar 14, 2011)

that car deserved some TLC, and now it looks x100 better. well done


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## davec (Mar 5, 2012)

for once i'm lost for words, that is absolutely stunning. you are the benchmark that other detailers must meet. i particularly love the bit at the end:

[/QUOTE]Detailing a vehicle is all down to what your perception of detailing is and what you think the customer would be happy with. In this instance it wasn't all down to the correction work it was all the finer details as well that would make the car look more complete. My feeling is if you treat the car like it's yours and how you want it to look then hopefully if you have a good eye for detail your finished product should stand out and make people stop and look and comment. Customers like the feeling of a freshly detailed car as it makes them feel good and if people stop and look then their feeling of self achievement in life increases and so does their smile. 
People that look at detailing as a career to give you an idea this is what fuels your fire and makes you thankful that you can do what you love as a job and get rewarded for your efforts.[/QUOTE]

once again, stunning. and thank you for sharing with us.:thumb:


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## sutti (Nov 8, 2011)

Unbelievable turnout! Fantastic.


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## bilout48 (Apr 10, 2008)

que du bon boulot! bravo ;-)


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## amiller (Jan 1, 2009)

This is brilliant.

Your photos are excellent and this is my favourite! 










Andy


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## 123quackers (Jan 29, 2009)

amiller said:


> This is brilliant.
> 
> Your photos are excellent and this is my favourite!
> 
> ...


Gets my vote +1, not often you see one in that position.......:thumb: plus those 335/35/17 Pzero's just hanging


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## sristeve (Apr 9, 2010)

stunning motor and fantastic work


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## thehulk2002 (Mar 16, 2011)

WOW what a fantastic result must of cost a bomb but well worth it. Bet thats put the price tag up on the Lamborghini.


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## Joech92 (Nov 25, 2011)

Ohh my, my favourite write up ever!!


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Absolutely unbelievable! Such a great read and full credit to you. Best write up on here and gets my vote for the detail of 2012 already.

Thanks so much for sharing, i hope we can get the pleasure of viewing more of your work. Im glad you've posted after the last episode you referred to, i read that thread and thought it was mighty unfair of the other party.

Pleased you've come back on!

Jon


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## Rgk Detailing (Dec 6, 2006)

Excellent work! Lambo looks like new now :thumb: goes to show there is far more to Vehicle detailing than just polishing the paintwork.

Richard


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## Incredible Detail (Sep 26, 2007)

Can't read the whole thread as my browser keeps crashing for some reason. 

Just posting to say that I seen this car near the start of the detail in Paul's unit. Paul started it up to let me hear it and it's the best sounding car ever!


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## Scrim-1- (Oct 8, 2008)

Stunning work fantastic attention to detail.


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## superdoug (Jan 4, 2010)

I'm sorry I have a couple of complaints, this is taking ages to load on my phone and nobody has complained yet! 
I've missed your write ups and your photography.


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## Mad Ad (Feb 7, 2011)

That is one of the best write ups, stunning workmanship restoring a classic lambo to such a high standard truely awesome work.


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## masammut (Jul 13, 2011)

Super Super job! Well done - Great turnaround!


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## matt_83 (Apr 28, 2009)

Epic detail, fantastic restoration!! :thumb:


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## fitz (Jul 25, 2009)

Phenomenal!!!!! 
Attention to detail!! Inspiring


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## Diablo (Feb 25, 2008)

I used to own this car when it was a few years old and in like new condition. I am really pleased that it is with someone who will now cherish it. Incredible detailing job!


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## Mr Face (Jan 22, 2009)

Great post, thank you for taking the time and effort in the pictures and write up, the effort in a post like this is considerable.

Lovely work and attention to detail :thumb:

You said " People that look at detailing as a career to give you an idea this is what fuels your fire and makes you thankful that you can do what you love as a job and get rewarded for your efforts"

I would also say this is true for the hobbyist too, which ever car I do, new or old (as the majority are) I treat as my own and the transformation is what fuels my fire to do more and take on the next project.


Extension bars for the rotary : without doubt one of the best investments Ive made too, Big thanks the The Cueball :thumb:


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## Damm Rasmussen (Sep 26, 2011)

That is one big job, and what a good looking car...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## SnowmanE36 (Mar 23, 2012)

Wow what a change! You took a tired looking Icon and put it back to how it should look! amazing work on an amazing car!!!


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## 123quackers (Jan 29, 2009)

Diablo said:


> I used to own this car when it was a few years old and in like new condition. I am really pleased that it is with someone who will now cherish it. Incredible detailing job!


Lambo club member current or old? still has a lambo?


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## Diablo (Feb 25, 2008)

123quackers said:


> Lambo club member current or old? still has a lambo?


Yes, I was a member when I had the Diablo, but then renewed on and off. I have a Murcielago.


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## 123quackers (Jan 29, 2009)

Diablo said:


> Yes, I was a member when I had the Diablo, but then renewed on and off. I have a Murcielago.


Back then I had black 5000s (123FAB) I think we would know each other, was a member from 1992 to 2001


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## Diablo (Feb 25, 2008)

123quackers said:


> Back then I had black 5000s (123FAB) I think we would know each other, was a member from 1992 to 2001


Yes, I think we spoke re the 5000. 81/82 Black/Black car? I was looking for a Countach around 1998. Did you also have the Yellow Anniversary with the sports seats?


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## 123quackers (Jan 29, 2009)

Diablo said:


> Yes, I think we spoke re the 5000. 81/82 Black/Black car? I was looking for a Countach around 1998. Did you also have the Yellow Anniversary with the sports seats?


Yes Black/Black 82 car...Yes had the pair sold the 5000 in 99 kept the yellow anniversary , very good memory.... Never really moved on from the Countach looked at a couple of Diablo's (roadster I nearly bought in 2002) but the Countach was always the one for me...

Which Murcielago model you in? colour?


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## Mr Singh (Apr 4, 2006)

firefox crashed first time round viewing all those pics. Cracking work!


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## Diablo (Feb 25, 2008)

123quackers said:


> Yes Black/Black 82 car...Yes had the pair sold the 5000 in 99 kept the yellow anniversary , very good memory.... Never really moved on from the Countach looked at a couple of Diablo's (roadster I nearly bought in 2002) but the Countach was always the one for me...
> 
> Which Murcielago model you in? colour?


You have a PM.


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## 123quackers (Jan 29, 2009)

Diablo said:


> You have a PM.


Replied :thumb:


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## RandomlySet (Jul 10, 2007)

keeps crashing firefox due to the amount of pictures


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## RandomlySet (Jul 10, 2007)

You seriously couldn't re-post this could you as several separate threads? I've had to restart my Laptop/Firefox 4 times now due to constant crashing :lol:

Really want to read it too


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## President Swirl (Oct 23, 2011)

Reading that is a poisoned chalice, seeing my boyhood car returned to its glory is jaw dropping. Sadly i now have to sell all my stuff and live in a tree.


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## RandomlySet (Jul 10, 2007)

cracking work mate... Managed to get it all loaded and read it at work


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## FabrizioTDI (May 6, 2011)

IMPRESSIVE. Hall of Fame of the Works.


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## David Proctor (Mar 6, 2011)

Totally stunning and a great read too......


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## gtechrob (Sep 11, 2006)

wow - paul - you said this was a big job - you weren't kidding!!

this type of turn around is detailing at it's best imo. and of course you would be needing some extremely advanced and magnificent coating to finish that off :lol:

will be interesting to see what state the diablo we have coming in next week will be in. if it's a well used one craig will have his work cut out to make such an epic transformation.


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## scott508 (Aug 23, 2007)

can't believe the neglect some people will allow for their possessions, :beer for you!


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## MattOz (May 15, 2007)

Fantastic write up and epic number of pics! The car looks like it should now. It's not a detail, it's a restoration in my opinion


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## Pedro92 (May 5, 2011)

Just.... INCREDIBLE !!! :doublesho


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## GolfFanBoy (May 23, 2010)

Simply amazing :thumb: One of the best studio threads I think I've read.


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## Black Magic Detail (Aug 17, 2010)

great work paul ,fantastic write up.still a fast and raw car bet its a bit of a handfull to drive


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## Perfetta (Apr 2, 2012)

Very very good job!


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## Joel. (Jun 22, 2011)

Looks better then it did coming out of the factory. Great work!


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## Serkie (Dec 8, 2007)

WOW, just WOW!!!

Stunning job on an all time great.


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## Defined Reflections (Jun 4, 2009)

Awesome work!


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Wow..simply amazing


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## minimadgriff (Jul 8, 2007)

WOW! Awesome work. That wasn't in the greatest condtion before hand. I bet the customer thought you had swapped it with another one!


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