Could this be the best car to be built ever?
This owner thinks so!!
Well it's here eventually!
Grab a tea and enjoy...
Well sadly the time has come to sell what is, easily the best car I've owned. Nothing has and I doubt ever will get close to the smile this car has put on my face during my 2 years of ownership.
Doesn't matter whether it was a 2 minute trip to the shops or an epic road trip, the car never failed to feel special and put a massive grin on my face. Not many cars can do that, nor can many cars command the attention that this car does. In my honest opinion it's the epitome of a true "head turner".
It's a chance to own a unique and very rare piece of motoring history. The Frp is believed to be Tickford's last ever conversion project and the story of the car is simply brilliant, It adds to the depth of character the car has and how special it feels to drive. From expensive release price and poor opening sales to post release quotes like these from the Evo's Richard Meaden...
"I can't think of another car that delivers such a feeling of oneness, feels so utterly planted or allows you to attack with such ferocity and unflinching confidence. It's a pint-sized Porsche GT3, a bonsai RB5."
"If it had come from hot-hatch stock it would be hailed as the greatest GTi ever created. It is, quite simply, the best driver's car ever to wear the Blue Oval and one of the most exciting road cars I've ever driven."
He said it better than I ever could and is still now widely regarded as one of the best Fwd cars ever made some 12 years later.
Anyway enough rambling from me, onto the important parts...
I travelled to the other end of the country, May 2010 to pick #467 up. After a lot of research on an owners club forum I knew how much better it had been
looked after compared with a lot of lower mileage cars on sale at the time, was an easy decision to make. I always will buy cars based on condition over mileage, so please don't be put off with the mileage on this car, it belies it's years.
I'm the 4th owner of the car, Ford being the first (VOO is a Ford management plate), so the 3rd true owner and it took me months to find the right one. There
are so many examples out there on high and low miles, some in dire need of TLC. This I can confidently say is not one of them. The 2 previous owners and myself were dedicated to keeping the car not only completely original but mechanically sound no matter what the cost. Testament to that is the wallet of history and nearly £10,000+ worth of receipts for parts and labour throughout the years.
Mot/Tax:
Mot: May 2013
Tax: Sept 2012
Full Service history:
Essex Ford - 27/11/01 - 11,500
Furrows Ltd - 10/12/02 - 20,091
Furrows Ltd - 15/10/03 - 30,118
Furrows Ltd - 14/09/04 - 39,787
Pumabuild - 16/11/05 - 49,999 (Cambelt replaced, Frp locking tool used)
RenaultSpeed - 19/10/06 - 56,649
RenaultSpeed - 05/07/07 - 66,467
RenaultSpeed - 07/10/08 - 76,372
RenaultSpeed - 20/04/09 - 80,617
A.Clark Ford - 24/05/10 - 94,005 (Cambelt replaced, Frp locking tool used)
A.Clark Ford - 20/07/11 - 104,927
Hpi clear. No previous accidents or any outstanding finance on the car.
Exterior/Bodywork:
This is where I believe my car sits apart from the others. I take car cleaning a little far to say the least. The car itself has worn thousands of pounds worth of wax and some of the best products on the market throughout my ownership. Washed at least once a week come rain or snow and detailed every 6 months without fail.
Last July before attending a show the car was 95% corrected, removing micro-marring(swirls) and some light marks and a full front end wet sand including headlights. It was then detailed again in November and protected for Winter using Gtechniq's fantastic C1... http://gtechniq.com/shop/3s-for-cars...ystal-lacquer/. This type of protection puts any waxes, sealants or "polishes" in the shade. It's the only protection i'd apply to future cars.
6 months on, it's still protecting the car like the day it was applied and keeps the car looking cleaner/better for longer. Just a small insight into the level of dedication and attention the car has received in my care. One of many details documented here... http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/foru...d.php?t=189550
Now at this stage I should say there are some stone chips on the car and some small marks on the car. A couple of dents on the n/s/r arch being noticeable to me. Most of them I have kept on top of and it's probably just me being fussy but with the front end and rear arches being so wide it's always going to be susceptible to stone chipping.
Even with the rear aches being heavily sealed with spray sealer and anti corrosion material there is one small paint bubble on the o/s/r arch and the n/s/r arch, nothing major.
Replaced in the last year: (All brand new parts)
Both upper and lower front grilles. Both protected with Gtechniq.
Front and back Ford badges replaced.
Front bumper lower vent grilles resprayed, all standard gloss black, they can take abuse from stones being that low down.
Both door lock striker plates replaced for fresh Ford items.
If the buyer wishes, I'm more than happy to detail the car for free prior to collection.
Brakes/Suspension/Tyres:
4X Brand new Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas tyres fitted less than 500 miles ago.
These tyres are simply fantastic both in wet and dry conditions, inspiring a lot of confidence. Minimal road noise and reported excellent wear rate. I wouldn't hesitate to fit them to any future cars. Wheels/tyres all 100% balanced then cleaned and sealed before re-fitting. I decided to fit 4 new wheel bearings all round whilst the wheels were off, more for peace of mind but I think the rears were starting to go. Hubs also rubbed down and treated whilst doing the bearings. Geometry check carried out.
In my opinion the car's party piece is it's handling so it was important to me to get the car set up and feeling like it did as it left the factory, money no object. With that thought I decided to fit brand new oe suspension. Complete struts, springs and top mounts all round and new bolts and bushes. With an rrp of around £1000 I have to say it was more than worth it. The change really transformed the whole feel of the car, from braking to gearchanges, it all felt much more connected. All fitted less than 8,000 miles ago.
Also decided to fit new 'Canon' front mudflaps and Ford rear bumper spats at the same time. Fitment and more documented here... http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/foru...d.php?t=207792 (old suspension in good condition included in sale)
Geometry set-up and re-checked as the suspension settled.
The superb 4pot Alcon calipers were refurbished in the last 2 months. No major issues with corrosion inside caliper and all re-painted/re-sealed. The paint used is almost a perfect match for the factory finish, something I was keen to make sure was right. Pads have plenty of life left in then and brake fluid changed at last service. Discs recently skimmed and will see many many more miles, replaced by previous owner.
Full rebuild including pistons seals and 'H'bar plates fitted in 2007. All still in fantastic condition, they will last for a long time yet provided the brakes are looked after.
Performance wise the brakes are easily the best I've used on a road car. On a lighter car like the Frp you could almost say they are overkill. They just inspire confidence in any condition. Stopping power and braking progression are perfectly balanced.
Exhaust/Engine/Gearbox:
The Yamaha sourced 155bhp engine is strong and smooth. With a Father who has nearly 20 years experience as a Ford Master Technician and a Brother currently
one the car and engine has been religiously serviced and checked. The engine itself uses next to no oil, something standard Puma owners have complained of in the past as the engine gets older. Mostly down to poor servicing I believe.
The Ib5 gearbox that Ford fitted to quite a few cars around that era is quite simply a work of art. In comparison to gearboxes released around the same time and even today to some extent it is leagues ahead. Always feels taught, the tight gears, short shift and a fantastically weighted clutch all add to the overall driving experience.
The clutch and thrust bearing was only replaced at around 70,000 miles and still feels perfect in use. I've never been hard on the car to cause much wear to the clutch or gearbox if I'm honest.
With the previous owner wanting to keep the car as original as possible, a brand new original exhaust system from Ford was purchased in 2007 this included backbox, centre pipe, Cat and manifold, costing in excess of £1000.
Sadly with the manifold being mild steel it did not last long and it was replaced less than 500 miles ago for a lifetime Milltek item and Ford gaskets. It's a simple straight swap and has made no detrimental difference to the sound or running of the car. A great alternative to the poorly made OE manifold in my opinion.
Whilst fitting the manifold I decided to refurbish the rest of the exhaust system, all rubbed down, polished, all gaskets replaced and system repainted/protected using the same hi-temp paint used on the manifold. Looks almost new again.
The Janspeed sourced OE system is simply fantastic. unobtrusive whilst driving at town speed, a total animal above roughly 3.5k and gets better the further you get up the rev range. With it's character defining pops and crackles on the over-run it really does brings out the inner child on every journey.
Interior:
The superb standard Sparco Torino seats are in fantastic condition for their age. Drivers seat has been protected with a seat cover for 99% of use. Sadly there are two small marks on bolster from previous owners. Passenger side seat unmarked. Alcantara centres unbobbled and unstained.
Brand new original gear gaiter and handbrake gaiter fitted July 11'
Brand new Ford deluxe deep-pile Puma mats, front and back, fitted July 11'. Carpets, seats and mats recently deep cleaned using a wet and dry vac system
Sparco aluminum 'heel and toe' pedals
Ford Racing tax disc holder
Standard 6000e single disc CD player
Standard equipment consisting of:
Electric windows
Electric heated Mirrors
Heated both Front and Rear screens, fantastic for the winter
Air conditioning, ice cold after being recently re-gassed
Supplementary Extras:
*2 keys.
*Original Sales Brochure ‘The Ford Racing Puma’
*Original Ford Racing Puma Owner’s Guide Supplement
*Rare Ford Puma 'The Inside Story' booklet
*Ford Racing Puma CD manual, like a Haynes manual in disc form for this specific car. Very rare.
*A printed list from Ford of every individual part fitted to the Racing Puma and part numbers, something I managed to acquire through working closely with Ford.
*Large folder full of reciepts. These include documentation when the car was registered with Ford in 2001, Mot certificates and tax discs going back to 03', and general maintenance carried out over the years.
*A full set of good condition shocks and springs all boxed up for new owner. Well worth keeping for spares.
*6000k Hid bulbs fitted. Due to the projector headlamps these bulbs are 100% legal, beam pattern and alignment is perfect.They have improved the visibility no end. The standard headlight/bulb combo is very poor. This set was fitted February 12' so nearly new. Last one was on the car 3 years with zero problems.
*Wipers replaced with brand new Bosch items around 500miles ago.Windscreen treated with 3 layers of Gtechniq G1 http://gtechniq.com/shop/3s-for-cars...n-smart-glass/ at the same time. The G1 can almost make the wipers redundant in wet weather.
*I also have one spare brand new and very rare plastic wheel centre insert. This item really cannot be bought anywhere. It'll come with the rare original 'Ford' metal centre cap and 2x 'Ford Racing' centre caps.
*6 motoring magazines with Racing Puma specials and release reviews, including a rare Evo edition in which they travelled with Ford to San Francisco for the car's release.
I really hope I've shown that even with the car on higher miles it's been treated like a concours example and has wanted for nothing. I'm confident that the first to view will buy it. Anyway thanks for taking the time out to read the advert guys, I can ramble on a bit.
This is the cheapest Frp on the net at the moment, any questions don't hesitate to PM me. Sadly at this stage I'm not looking for any PX and please no agencies or test drivers.
Proof of insurance required before test driving.
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Originally Posted by Romil Davda
