# The World's only RHD Fisker Tramonto - 610bhp Supercharged V8!! Wolfs Hard Body!!



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Firstly apologies for the lack of write ups recently - I'm a fair few behind at the moment but should be able to get most of them posted up over the next couple of days. To see all of our latest updates please Follow Us On Facebook!

This write up is quite a lengthy one, featuring the worlds ONLY right hand drive Fisker Tramonto, which is also presumably the only example in the UK!

For those of you not familiar with the Tramonto, here is a summary courtesy of SuperCars.net:

_Together, Henrik Fisker and Bernhard Koehler are building on one of the world's greatest handcrafted experiences in car design - coachbuilting. Thier first car, a resculpted Mercedes-Benz, is this Fisker Tramonto. Beneath the skin, the engineering quialties of a Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG remain. The array of Mercedes-Benz's technology, from the power-retractable hardtop to Active Body Control (ABC), remain untouched - as do safety systems, including crumple zones and airbags.

Compared to its original platform, the Tramonto is reproportioned with a shorter back end, a longer-looking hood line with a pronounced power dome, and no visual bumpers. Take a casual glance at the new car's muscular lines. Gaps between body panels are tight and uniform. Aluminum and carbon fiber - materials that befit an exotic sports car - make up the body panels. Steel is used judiciously, to enhance structural rigidity.

For those who crave performance, a package is available thanks to a partnership betweeen Fisker and Kleemann. This gives the Tramonto a 610-hp supercharged 5.5- liter V8 which helps the car do 0-60 mph in just 3.6 seconds. Details include a custom-made ECU, Super Sport Camshafts, stainless steel exhaust headers, down pipes and 70 mm dual exhaust system with four steel cats allow for freer breathing.

To thoroughly enjoy the power and performance of the Tramonto, a class-leading suspension and braking system are absolutely essential. The independent suspension is 4-link in the front / 5-arm multilink in the rear, optimized with an AMG-enhanced version of Active Body Control (ABC). Stopping power is provided by the Kleemannn High-Performance Brake system as part of the Fisker Performance Plus Package. The Kleemann High Performance Brake system features fully floating, directional, ventilated front discs which are fully compatible with Mercedes-Benz Sensotronic Brake Control, Anti-lock Braking System and Brake Assist.

All Fisker models will have an all-new exterior design and re-designed interior expressing a distinctive Fisker Design DNA. The grille design was inspired by highly sophisticated aircraft designs, such as the F/A-22 Raptor. The Fisker Tramonto's front silhouette is similar to this sleek jet aircraft, with the large center opening tying into the fuselage and the two wings expanding from the mouth.

Interior design is as crucial as the exterior. All seat and fascia surfaces are expertly hand trimmed and hand stitched, in a selection of durable Italian leathers. Milled aluminum highlights the center console, and aluminum details accent the switch gear - joining with leather to form the strong Fisker logo bars on the gear shift knob. The multifunction steering wheel is a Fisker original, with built-in sound system controls.

At the touch of a button, the class-leading power retractable hardtop transforms the Tramonto from coupe to roadster in just 16 seconds. And even with the hardtop retracted, the trunk is still spacious enough for two golf bags._

When the Fisker first came to see me, other than requiring a detail it also needed some paintwork to address a number of cosmetic issues:

Scuffs below the front bumper:


DSC09434 by RussZS, on Flickr

Scratch on bootlid:


DSC09440 by RussZS, on Flickr

Chip and bubbling on rear quarter:


DSC09441 by RussZS, on Flickr

Peeling on the exhaust:


DSC09443 by RussZS, on Flickr

So after searching around for a few days for a reputable, local bodyshop, I stumbled across Mick at Spray Station who had painted the front end on the Velvet Blue E46 M3 I recently detailed. After meeting him and seeing some of his work in person, I knew he was the man to handle this very special car.

The owner also requested a number of cosmetic tweaks which Mick was able to address for him.

The colour itself had no paintcode so the petrol cap was sent off to Lechler for them to match and mix the paint for us - the colour match was perfect.

Some pics from the bodyshop process:


DSC01659 by RussZS, on Flickr

The owner wanted something unique on his wing mirrors. This is Tramonto #10 so 'FT10' was to be painted onto the wing mirrors:


DSC01661 by RussZS, on Flickr

Stencil applied:


DSC01663 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01664 by RussZS, on Flickr

and after!


DSC01666 by RussZS, on Flickr

It was painted in such a way to allow the light of the indicator to all pass through:


DSC01668 by RussZS, on Flickr

Also, where the scratch on the bootlid was located, the owner wanted 'Tramonto' adding to the paintwork. Again a stencil was used and the logo was painted on, rather than using a badge:


DSC01662 by RussZS, on Flickr

Flat black was used to match the colour of the 'Fisker' font on the main Fisker badge:


DSC01665 by RussZS, on Flickr

After!


DSC01706 by RussZS, on Flickr

The repaired area on the front bumper:


DSC01675 by RussZS, on Flickr

The rear quarter was looking great 'out of the gun' but I was keen to get the orange peel matched to the door so we sanded this to reduce the orange peel:


DSC01684 by RussZS, on Flickr

Flattened with 1500, then 2000:


DSC01695 by RussZS, on Flickr

Then polished to remove the sanding marks:


DSC01701 by RussZS, on Flickr

The exhausts were flattened to remove the corrosion then painted with matte black paint:


DSC01710 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01718 by RussZS, on Flickr

At this point the car was looking much fresher but the rest of the paintwork looked a little dull so a corrective detail was required. The car was moved over to my Unit where the detail work was carried out.

Some 'befores':


DSC01719 by RussZS, on Flickr

Rear of the wheels:


DSC01721 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01725 by RussZS, on Flickr

To start off the wheels were rinsed at high pressure to remove any loose dirt and dust ahead of making physical contact with the wheel:


DSC01728 by RussZS, on Flickr

Smart Wheels was used mixed 10:1 on the wheels and calipers, along with Britemax Grime Out on the tyres and arches at 10:1 too.

Smart Wheels applied liberally:


DSC01729 by RussZS, on Flickr

This was the agitated with various brushes to gently remove any dirt and brake dust:


DSC01730 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01731 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01732 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01733 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01734 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01735 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01736 by RussZS, on Flickr

After the wheel areas were addressed, we turned our attention to the more intricate areas of the car which were degreased with Grime Out:


DSC01741 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01743 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01746 by RussZS, on Flickr

After rinsing the rest of the car at high pressure to remove any loose dirt, the car was hand washed gently using the CarPro Mitt and Britemax Clean Max:


DSC01748 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01749 by RussZS, on Flickr

Then rinsed again:


DSC01751 by RussZS, on Flickr

Next the paintwork was assessed for tar deposits and fallout using Tardis and IronX but very little was evident so we moved the car inside to begin the claying process to remove any remaining contamination from the paintwork ahead of machine polishing:


DSC01755 by RussZS, on Flickr

Again, not much present aside from a very small amount of tree sap on the roof and bonnet areas.

After claying, the car was dried thoroughly using the safest methods - pat drying with a Chemical Guys Wooly Mammoth and blow dried with an Aeolus 901X:


DSC01754 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01756 by RussZS, on Flickr

After drying completely, the paintwork was assessed for defects and various polishing combinations were tested to ensure that we were obtaining the best results whilst using the lightest combination possible.

Some of the defects present:


DSC01767 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01778 by RussZS, on Flickr

Meguairs 101 was the compound used the most, along with Rupes Zephir in places. The bonnet and bootlid had considerably hard clearcoat than the rest of the car so we used Optimum Microfibre Cutting Discs via Rotary on these for the cutting stage, with a 3M Yellow Waffle Polishing Pad being used on the rest of the car, aside from the painted areas which only required very light refining.


DSC01845 by RussZS, on Flickr

Some pictures from the corrective process:

Before:


DSC01781 by RussZS, on Flickr

After:


DSC01783 by RussZS, on Flickr

50/50:


DSC01790 by RussZS, on Flickr

Before:


DSC01798 by RussZS, on Flickr

After:


DSC01799 by RussZS, on Flickr

50/50:


DSC01809 by RussZS, on Flickr

50/50:


DSC01826 by RussZS, on Flickr

Starting to look good!


DSC01830 by RussZS, on Flickr


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

The tighter areas were machined with Rupes LHR75E and the newly available matching Rupes pads!


DSC01836 by RussZS, on Flickr

Before:


DSC01834 by RussZS, on Flickr

After:


DSC01838 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01840 by RussZS, on Flickr

After the cutting stage, the entire car was refined using Megs 205, via Festool Rotary:


DSC01844 by RussZS, on Flickr

Meanwhile the interior was being cleansed:


DSC01846 by RussZS, on Flickr

After refining was completed, the entire car was cleansed with IPA mixed 1:1 with water 3 times, to ensure all polishing oils were removed from the paint surface, to allow the Wolfs Hard Body coating to bond appropriately:


DSC01851 by RussZS, on Flickr

Britemax AIO Max was used on the door shuts:


DSC01905 by RussZS, on Flickr

The tighter areas were cleansed using Valet Pro foam brushes and AIO Max:


DSC01921 by RussZS, on Flickr

Finally, after 16 or so man hours, we have the finished pictures:


DSC01854 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01855 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01862 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01869 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01871 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01876 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01878 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01881 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01886 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01894 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01906 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01908 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01925 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01926 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01927 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01930 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01931 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01933 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01935 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01936 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC01937 by RussZS, on Flickr

I hope made it through that okay and would love any feedback and comments please - I'll make sure I reply to them all.

We also have some great cars coming soon including a Brabus D6, a Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead and a few other pieces of exotica - I can't wait! 

Thanks for reading!


DSC01941 by RussZS, on Flickr

Russ.


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## phill313 (May 17, 2012)

great job as always ! and what a car never even seen one in the flesh !


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## Jesse74 (Jul 19, 2008)

Siiiiiiiiiick!!!


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

Fantastic work but not liking the car one bit.


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## spursfan (Aug 4, 2009)

Jeez, that is some car Russ, cracking work, especially like the wing mirrors, nice touch.
What is the cost of that beast?

Kev


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## ted11 (Jul 8, 2011)

amazing work, amazing car, amazing photos.


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## Azonto (Jul 22, 2012)

Great attention to detail there, nice little touches with the custom mirrors too


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## Mad Ad (Feb 7, 2011)

Very nice work Russ and Milly, like the little touches done to it, sometimes the little touches make all the difference


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

phill313 said:


> great job as always ! and what a car never even seen one in the flesh !


Well it lives in Walsall so you may just see it about sometime! Thank you 



Wolf's Chemicals said:


> Siiiiiiiiiick!!!


Thanks Jesse!!



Scrim-1- said:


> Fantastic work but not liking the car one bit.


It's definitely a grower - its much more beautiful in person but maybe not everyones taste!



spursfan said:


> Jeez, that is some car Russ, cracking work, especially like the wing mirrors, nice touch.
> What is the cost of that beast?
> 
> Kev


It was $250,000 when new!!! Thank you :thumb:



ted11 said:


> amazing work, amazing car, amazing photos.


Thank you as always Ted, always massively appreciate your kind words 



Azonto said:


> Great attention to detail there, nice little touches with the custom mirrors too


Thank you! We have a few others lined up for this work - it is a great little touch!


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## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

Great work :thumb:


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## Spoony (May 28, 2007)

Looks good. Not keen on the wing mirror job, looks too patchy when light it shining through.

Interesting car


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## North east Car Care (Jan 14, 2008)

Looks stunning Russ


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## mstenn (Feb 7, 2008)

Beautiful!


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## DJ X-Ray (Sep 2, 2012)

..quality work.lovely finish.


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## Deacon Hays (Jul 25, 2012)

Stunning work:thumb:
Never seen this car before ... love it :doublesho


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## ckeir.02mh (Jan 5, 2012)

That's one hell of a car!

Good job Russ mate!!

Chris.


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## jlw41 (Jun 5, 2011)

what a cracking motor! stunning work as always Russ :thumb:


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## gav1513 (Apr 16, 2009)

absolute stunner!! looks like it may have used a mercedes SL as its base platform?


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Interesting car and quality work.

I'm not a fan of the stickers or the wing mirrors though.


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## Socal Brian (Dec 4, 2011)

Beautiful work as always Russ! The car just isn't appealing to me.


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## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

Very nice indeed


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## athol (Oct 3, 2009)

Stunning work ! Beautiful car !


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## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

stunning car from the nose angle shot. very DB9 lol.

and as said on FB.. it's a hell of a dish on them rear wheels :lol:


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## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

stunning.... love the design of it as well.


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Well done once again Russ, consistently turning out high quality work with the extra services!

Enjoyable write up on a very interesting car! Bet it sounds awesome?!


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## mercboy (Jan 31, 2008)

comment withdrawn due to duplicate


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## Soul Hudson (Jul 5, 2011)

Special car and a special detail great work. Was looking forward to this after seeing the pics on Facebook. Suberb work, paint works looking fantastic.


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## Kriminal (Jan 11, 2007)

WTF is that? I have never seen one of those before, and would like to know how much it costs to determine whether I truly like it or not, ie. is it worth what they ask.

Still, a very happy looking car - I swear it wasn't smiling as much before you detailed it  :thumb:


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## DarrylB (Feb 17, 2006)

fantastic workmanship but really do not like the car at all! :-S 

Mirrors are not to my tastes im afraid, but of course the owner is entitled to do as they please


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Looking good. How much HB you use that? It look that you have find right sealant which is breeze to use:thumb:


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## georgeandpeppa (May 25, 2009)

If youve not gone full time pro i think its about time too! Youre smashing it:thumb:


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## ryand (Jul 18, 2008)

Awesome and nice that the pictures in the write up aren't crazy massive which makes it much more readable, thanks!


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## Joech92 (Nov 25, 2011)

Looks to me like Amg sl. Lovely work guys!


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## 3976 (Nov 20, 2006)

Book marked to PROPERLY read later!


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## davec (Mar 5, 2012)

great write up and fantastic work as always.


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## Steve Burnett (Apr 21, 2009)

Great work.

Merc sl though!


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## TeZ (Oct 28, 2007)

Wow, nice work.

Leaky headlights


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## Porkypig (Jun 20, 2012)

Nice work as ever but a great way to ruin a lovely Merc SL... Looks like a kit car.


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Mad Ad said:


> Very nice work Russ and Milly, like the little touches done to it, sometimes the little touches make all the difference


Thanks Ad 



AaronGTi said:


> Great work :thumb:


Cheers buddy!



Spoony said:


> Looks good. Not keen on the wing mirror job, looks too patchy when light it shining through.
> 
> Interesting car


Indeed, it won't be to everyones taste I guess, but the owner loves it! 



North east Car Care said:


> Looks stunning Russ


Thanks Shaun 



mstenn said:


> Beautiful!


Thanks...



Dj.xray said:


> ..quality work.lovely finish.


:thumb:



Deacon Hays said:


> Stunning work:thumb:
> Never seen this car before ... love it :doublesho


Cheers!! Defo the only one in the UK apparently!



ckeir.02mh said:


> That's one hell of a car!
> 
> Good job Russ mate!!
> 
> Chris.


Thanks Chris!! 



jlw41 said:


> what a cracking motor! stunning work as always Russ :thumb:


Cheers!! 



gav1513 said:


> absolute stunner!! looks like it may have used a mercedes SL as its base platform?


Yep based on an SL!!



Kerr said:


> Interesting car and quality work.
> 
> I'm not a fan of the stickers or the wing mirrors though.


Thank you


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Socal Brian said:


> Beautiful work as always Russ! The car just isn't appealing to me.


Thank you 



WHIZZER said:


> Very nice indeed


Thanks Bill! :thumb:



athol said:


> Stunning work ! Beautiful car !


Cheers 



CraigQQ said:


> stunning car from the nose angle shot. very DB9 lol.
> 
> and as said on FB.. it's a hell of a dish on them rear wheels :lol:


The dish is crazy on those rears!!



Ronnie said:


> stunning.... love the design of it as well.


Thanks Ronnie 



JBirchy said:


> Well done once again Russ, consistently turning out high quality work with the extra services!
> 
> Enjoyable write up on a very interesting car! Bet it sounds awesome?!


AMAZING sound Jon!! Thanks for the kind words 



Soul Hudson said:


> Special car and a special detail great work. Was looking forward to this after seeing the pics on Facebook. Suberb work, paint works looking fantastic.


Thank you as always 



Kriminal said:


> WTF is that? I have never seen one of those before, and would like to know how much it costs to determine whether I truly like it or not, ie. is it worth what they ask.
> 
> Still, a very happy looking car - I swear it wasn't smiling as much before you detailed it  :thumb:


$250,000 but this was picked up at auction for £50,000 this year! Google it and you'll see... 



sm81 said:


> Looking good. How much HB you use that? It look that you have find right sealant which is breeze to use:thumb:


I like HB a lot yes!! Great coating 



georgeandpeppa said:


> If youve not gone full time pro i think its about time too! Youre smashing it:thumb:


I practically am anyway with all of the hours I put in - thank you for the kind words 



ryand said:


> Awesome and nice that the pictures in the write up aren't crazy massive which makes it much more readable, thanks!


No probs, and thank you 



Joech92 said:


> Looks to me like Amg sl. Lovely work guys!


Thank you 



JD said:


> Book marked to PROPERLY read later!


Let me know what you think when you read it please mate 



davec said:


> great write up and fantastic work as always.


Thanks Dave 



Steve Burnett said:


> Great work.
> 
> Merc sl though!


Indeed, thanks 



TeZ said:


> Wow, nice work.
> 
> Leaky headlights


I know  Few other bits to sort and it'll be like new again! 



Porkypig said:


> Nice work as ever but a great way to ruin a lovely Merc SL... Looks like a kit car.


Thank you  Definitely controversial car!


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Amazing:thumb:


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Stunning work mate :thumb:


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## deni2 (May 4, 2011)

Great work, car looks very special :thumb:.


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

tonyy said:


> Amazing:thumb:





DMH-01 said:


> Stunning work mate :thumb:





deni2 said:


> Great work, car looks very special :thumb:.


Thanks all 

Russ.


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## Swell.gr (May 7, 2008)

Superb work as usual Russ :thumb:


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

Nice work Russ. Interesting car too!


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## colarado red (Jun 5, 2008)

Stunning


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## Eurogloss (Jan 22, 2008)

*Pure Porn 

Mario*


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## B17BLG (Jun 26, 2012)

Very nice Russ! I need some of that 101!!


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Thanks all, feedback is really appreciated 

Russ.


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## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

That is very nice, your work on here is getting better and better :thumb:


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## Cat Face (Jan 9, 2011)

That's an amazing car and a top job. I love reading about a car that I never knew existed!


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## TroyScherer (Apr 24, 2012)

Crazy !!!


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## TopSport+ (Jul 22, 2012)

Top work:thumb:


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