Let’s see if you remember this post I wrote earlier this year. Rockin’ Roadster has been making good progress and I thought it was time for you guys to hear about the status. Our very own Allard has been working hard on his project together with a bunch of friends. The last time I told you about Rockin’ Roadster, it was simply an introduction of the project and the car was basically being dismantled and assessed to discover which parts were reusable or not.
I was happy to be able to make it over just before the year ends. There is nothing more embarrassing than not showing up at a friends project for almost a year, so it was about time I did Allard a favour. I’m happy to say that the project is making great progress at the moment.
All the subframe and handling parts have been revised, restored or replaced with new parts already, some are waiting on the shelves for their chance to be mounted on the car when the time is right. At this moment a big project of customizing parts has started. Allard told me that he wants custom made mods as much as possible and this weekend I found out how easy it can be when someone puts time and effort into work out their ideas…
It’s cool to see that from a simple sketch something really awesome can come out in the end product. Luckily for Allard, he has a way to get any self-designed and fabricated parts he wants for the Roadster.
That’s where this guy comes in the picture – Superman, Clark Kent, or just his regular day name, Jack, is Allard’s project buddy. Allard assures me that he couldn’t have done all of this without Jack, who has found an easy way to fabricate parts himself, which we might tell you a little more about in a future article.
This is the first part of the center console which is custom-made by Jack. As you can see the interior will be kept to a very minimum, yet everything from heater switches to a 12v connector for a phone will be available. Function will meet form and comfort, what else could you want?
Moving on to the next part which needs to be custom made, the brackets for the big wing that will be mounted – and I mean it’s really big for a Roadster! Allard got a nice deal for a big APR carbon wing in great condition.
Another cool feature of the car is this classic Alfa steeringwheel which was a lucky online purchase. This will be the normal cruise steering wheel and there will be another one for the track action. I’ll put my money on that being a crazy deep dish one!
Most of the body work is prepped and ready for paint, but first Allard will have a full roll cage installed by the people of Purple Haze Automotive, which he hopes will happen in early 2015.
That’s basically where we’re at right now. Fabricating parts, preparing everything to be mounted back together for the rebuild of the Roadster. The engine is still with MX5 guru Hans Schilders for the rebuild. I guess you could say that the real big parts of the project will be finished up pretty soon and I think we can expect another sick Roadster to hit the streets and tracks in 2k15.
The next update about this project will contain a little more info about the rollcage that will be installed. We’ll update you about the engine and the latest custom parts that are being made as we speak. Brace yourself for Rockin’ Roadster!
-Rens