Southern Belle

[Joesson]

The non metal hard top for the 2 is a factory supplied option, so technically not a "replacement".

Bonnet, sorry; see photos.

Saw the photos but unfortunately didn't relate to the Americanism! So will this mean you will need a "spare" unmolested hood / bonnet for your "MOT"?

[Petrus]

Sadly, yes.

[Petrus]

Here´s the link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97tlU3HqnBM&feature=youtu.be

A footnote; mountain girl deserves a compliment because she generally keeps stumm unless I go in ´hunting down-mode´ and when we drove to Vélez the other day her only comment was that those would be racer motorcycle blokes were a nuisance braking for every corner, holding us up.

[Petrus]

Life on the sharp edge; ordered a bl@@dy large rear wing.
If the gf´s don´t like it, well they don´t háve to sit in the passenger seat but the car goes better balanced with the seat occupied and I still have Córdoba on the list; it is up to them   
Will take two or three weeks for the wing to fly over here so we all have time to sort it 

[Petrus]

Great drive yesterday.
Think I smelled the clutch material though...
I cannot nótice it slipping but it must be.

Had the Mini VCI diagnostics kit on the wish list anyway so that has been ordered.

Also looking into the clutch change on the smt. Seems the clutch is the same but not; needing a thinner thrust bearing?!
Not too keen on having it done by the AD.

[Petrus]

A  national holliday so most people are late to rise.
I got up early to enjoy the empty roads in the glorious morning.
Nearly back at the farm up in the mountains, I for the fírst!! time experienced lack of horse power.
Coming out of the village I got stuck behind a Seat Cupra hot hatch with a wannabee behind the wheel. The twisty bit was too narrow with simply not enough clear view to pass and on the straight meters he sped off.
Only the last kilometers of a highly enjoyable ride though, so a nice cool down anyway 

[1979scotte]

A  national holliday so most people are late to rise.
I got up early to enjoy the empty roads in the glorious morning.
Nearly back at the farm up in the mountains, I for the fírst!! time experienced lack of horse power.
Coming out of the village I got stuck behind a Seat Cupra hot hatch with a wannabee behind the wheel. The twisty bit was too narrow with simply not enough clear view to pass and on the straight meters he sped off.
Only the last kilometers of a highly enjoyable ride though, so a nice cool down anyway 

Why I wanted more power straight off the bat.
Too much TED on stock power levels.
Living in the congested SE you will always get stuck behind something.
Even at 0630.

[Petrus]

Why I wanted more power straight off the bat.
Too much TED on stock power levels.
Living in the congested SE you will always get stuck behind something.
Even at 0630.

As I wrote, I live in driver´s heaven.
On the secondary roads here there is very, véry little traffic. If you choose the hour/day right, traffic is even rare and then easily passed.
Hence this morning was the proverbial exception.

[Petrus]

The most beautiful spring weather here so after a morning cup of coffee on town square went for a spin with charming company in the passenger seat. The last part was almost all of my test route.
She weighed probably some 75 kilos including her shopping, handbag and my laptop.

Because I always do the test route solo I clearly noticed the difference of 75 kilo even though sat low in the middle.
After I had dropped her off, went to the local breakers to have a look around for safety belt buckles, which lead me over the second half of the test route.
Yes, definitely noticable.

With the grippy tyres very much more than with the slippy ones. The reason being that the forces are higher so the same % difference is a larger actual difference. Like 10% of 1.000€ or 10% of 2.000 = twice as noticable.

She saw me looking at bomber bucket seats on the laptop and asked about those.
´Well, I need to adjust the handbrake cables.
For that I need to take out the centre console.
For which I have to take the seats out.
Well and if I have the seats out, I might as well replace them with lighter ones.´

[Petrus]

Before taking the seats out took my dog for a short spin. He was as content as a monkey with seven tails 

[Petrus]

WUUUUFFFFF!!!!

The Northern Belle, aka mountain girl, was in a .... euh... playful mood and demánded I take her out in the Southern Belle for  naughty pictures under sun in stunning scenery.
I dropped whatever I was doing, forgot what, sorry, also for not sharing any of the photographs. But I am dwelling off topic;
so back to the cár:
Since we were in a good mood, the weather ideal and the route/scenery a dream, I pushed the car a bit. Not too much so as to become uncomfortable for the charming company but enough to be fun for me.

One stretch of highway only; now bear with me; a bit of a spaghetti-like y-junction winding over a junction of three local roads. Our direction is a a split off curve to the right that then bends to the left over the whole lot, to continue in a right bend to become the southbound highway.
This combination of bends first slopes down, then rises over a viaduct and then slopes down again. The cambers are positive, positive, negative, positive and there are several bridge sections with steel connections running at an angle accross the lanes.
Right, I flowed through at around 180 kmh and mountain girl kept chatting in relaxed comfort.
So I asked her what speed she thought we were going back there. She thought 140 max.
Thát Sirs, it a húge compliment to this little car 

[Petrus]

Ok, I know it is bad form, but weighed the lady.

Coming back from the village saw Diego entering the cooperativo so followed him in and he weighed my car.
Normal crap in glove box, tow eye/bolt, bottle of puncture repair foam, windscreen washer fluid, say 15 litres of gas.
Mind; it´s an SMT with airco and OEM sound system.

[shnazzle]

Jesus that's a fair amount of weight saved!
You haven't even really removed that much

[Petrus]

In all fairness it should be mentioned that the official weight is with a full tank of fuel. But still, yes rather a  I had nót expected. It is an official weighbridge though so the really real weighed weight of the car I drove back from the village.

I already set the budget for the seat apart so when (read ÍF) I can get the female agreement, it should read under the 900 kilos.

[Petrus]

The seat story is turning into a sage with devided points of view and opinions.
To be continued....

Another thing I have looked into several times over the past decennia, with different conclusions, is lexan windows.
Those dó save about half the weight of the glass ánd come with several additional advantages. On the MR, it would save a whiff over 3 kilos on the two door windows. Not a cheap one eitehr as they are thermoformed ánd need be hardcoated both sides.
Not sure whether that is worth bothering Mr.Templar about.
Any members of the group buy still about??

[Nvy]

The seat story is turning into a sage with devided points of view and opinions.
To be continued....

Another thing I have looked into several times over the past decennia, with different conclusions, is lexan windows.
Those dó save about half the weight of the glass ánd come with several additional advantages. On the MR, it would save a whiff over 3 kilos on the two door windows. Not a cheap one eitehr as they are thermoformed ánd need be hardcoated both sides.
Not sure whether that is worth bothering Mr.Templar about.
Any members of the group buy still about??

Group buy? Did i miss anything?

[Petrus]

No, was several years ago.
Mr.Mike Templar will still have the moulds though so it should be a doddle for him.

[Nvy]

No, was several years ago.
Mr.Mike Templar will still have the moulds though so it should be a doddle for him.

I would be up for it to be honest. Id need to make a video of my door open/close because the window is a bit pressured with the frame and i think it can be a bit wrong. I will post them on my thread, i still forget i have it.

[Petrus]

Yesterday drove down to the coast. This time slow life mode; short shiftng, not pushing it, windows down, cruising through the views.
Decided on buying the Luso seats. Will order when I have sourced a set of OEM mountings. There should be plenty around but sofar nothing. Patience, patience. Like that is my fuerte 

Any of you remember the launch campaign in Japan or at least the illustrations?





Malagueña gf is sorting her dress for the Feria de Jerez; WOW!
Never understood how Toyota marketing connected the MR-S with Cervantes´s windmills and Sevillana dresses but hey, in mý life it ÍS!
Here a row of Don Quijote´s ´giants´ in Castilla-La Mancha; we had time trials right at the bottom of the hill:







No time today but hoping to take some dress photos Tuesday.

[Petrus]

Btw Carolyn; the ´no time´ was a cover up for her not wanting to go on any photo without the accessories such as the large flower holding the hair bun. It has to be just ríght or not at all. Even though it can be a bit of a pita at times, I lóve that attitude!

Tonight we´re off the ´San Isidro´. The new sanctuary of the patron saint of our barrio is opening officially this evening.

5 months of head to tail fiestas and ferias to go. A tough job but someone´s gotta do it 

[Petrus]

for reason beyind my control; the will of the lady, no photo in/with the car but nevertheless; here the lady in red;

[Petrus]

Today is an exceptionally lovely day, evn for here: Idealspring temperature with just a bit of a breeze: Thé ideal beach weather.

But let´s not get ahead. Yesterday was a very nice day too, just a bit hotter and more, more chilly wind.
Ideal for meeting a friend on a terrace at the beach.
A véry knowledgeble car guy, on holliday from the UK, and I suggested a quaint chiringuito, like 40 years ago and all but gone. You sit under a century old tree, just beyond the flood line but still feet on the sand. An old bloke shuffles around and tell his nephew, an out of work builder, to wait on the tables.
fter a lóvely lunch we walked up to ´De Kikker´ and he totally go it. Me not going for performance through hp but for sportyness through adding lightness. He has a Renault Spider so hardly a surprise there.

Today was sun(ny)day so went with the lady in red to Playa Marina; a nude beach just a bit down the N340, so now we are bóth red.
No, seriously, we took care. We líve here so aware and not in a hurry like tourists from the north.
Still had quite enough as it ís a very southern sun, however you look at it.
The drive there and back with the MR2 was púre enjoyment. Windows down, ríght along the bright blue med reflecting the brighter blue still southern sky.
The Malagueña observed she was ever so comfortable. ´Time to get the bucket seats then ´I responded. "But WHÝ?" ´So you tell me to put the pedal down to get there quicker.´ 

[Petrus]

Is there nó end to the mods??!!

I have shave só much weight off the car, some 80 kilos and 20 to go still, that it sits ever higher on its springs.

On the one hand a weelywéély appreciate the extra ground clearance, it does not do much good to the stabilty at speed through long undulating corners.

So, shopping for lowering springs I suppose 

[Petrus]

Seems the Eibach Pro is quite progressive now:

[shnazzle]

Seems the Eibach Pro is quite progressive now:

I always found this odd. Eibachs were always progressive for other marks
So when it was said the TTE springs are rebranded Eibachs, I didn't get hwy they weren't progressive