And another MC Stradale enters the forum....

Ebenezer

Member
Messages
4,445
Personally not sure about the scoops on the Stradale. Prefer the clean lines of the GTS. Both lovely colour though!
Eb
 

CLRut

Member
Messages
120
I really wish you would stop teasing with these pics, ultimate strad for me and keeps reminding me I was £35k short(at least) would love to see it in flesh, NW pizza night maybe??

Apologies Dave - this next post won't help then!

A brief positive shout out to Reep Detailing (Midlands) who had the Strad in these past few weeks for a thorough detailing. I thought hard about undertaking this on a one year old car which had already had the AutoGlym "Lifeshine" 14 months back, but ultimately bit the bullet. As a car which will likely spend a lot of time outside and being driven, it warrants a quality paint protection. Going the whole-hog on a paint protection film however didn't make much sense to me given a) the car already has some very minor stone chipping given its a year old and b) the cost which was realistically a bit much (c£2k+ for the very latest Lumar).

Overall, I am delighted with the outcome. The original AutoGlym process really wasn't that great and in comparison to the single stage polish/clay bar with GTechniq Crystal Serum Black ceramic product which Reep have done, it is significantly better. Interestingly, I was there when they measured the paint thickness around the car pre-process, and for those of you who have a technical bent, the average paint thickness was well over 165 microns on all panels (very good I am told for Italian cars).

The process comes with a 7yr guarantee and so long as I use appropriate products ongoing, a decent wash and quick ph-neutral shampoo should retain the level of quality finish, and glass-like feel, which I am seeing now for a long time to come. Using the 20% discount available from the SuperCar Driver club membership, it was reasonably competitive and "worth" it as much as intangible, irrational purchases such as this can be!! :)

If you are considering this, its well worth talking to the guys at Reep as their roster of cars and work is very impressive - and their service level unwavering and excellent whatever car you have.

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montravia

Member
Messages
1,619
That's lovely and sounds good value for the quality.

Your stone chips.... how did they address? Was it a matter of polishing out or delicate touch up?
 

CLRut

Member
Messages
120
That's lovely and sounds good value for the quality.

Your stone chips.... how did they address? Was it a matter of polishing out or delicate touch up?

Appreciated.

Stone chips - more the former as much as a single stage polish can achieve, and in no way the latter.

I didn't ask for them to be addressed as they are very small and minor in nature, and frankly, only really addressable (100% properly) by a front end respray which isn't worth it at such an early stage and with so limited chipping.
 

Ewan

Member
Messages
6,757
That is a simply stunning car. Could you PM me with the approximate cost for your detail and GTechniq job? I ask because I met with my detailer today to discuss this treatment to my newly purchased 2011 GranTurismo-S MC-Sportline. I'd be interested to compare prices (given the car size/shape is the same).
 

azapa

Member
Messages
1,300
That car really looks lovely, colour, and finish. Congratulations.

The stone chips are infuriating, I get some new ones almost every time I take it for a blast. 95% around the nose. I touch them up with matching paint with a small applicator, sand with 1500 around a tiny block, and polish. They disappear totally, of course, until the next ones come along. Doesn't spoil the fun though, and a clear nose wrap would look yellowish after a while on my car.
 

CLRut

Member
Messages
120
It's been a while since I last posted, but after over 2k of miles in under a week with the Stradale, it pays to reflect - extremely positively - on a pivotal week in really "bonding" long-term with the car.

A road trip in Northern Spain - magnificent roads, landscapes, weather, culture, people and food - gave me the opportunity to, for the first time in 13 yrs, betray the TVR as the usual road trip carriage and test the Strad on a testing range of twisties, sweeping roads and long straights. The outcome was simply fantastic - the Strad more than exceeded my (and all others) expectations in its capacity to deliver huge smiles, thrills and performance on every road surface and type I threw at it. On one particular run, over 30+ miles of superb roads, my friend behind pulled over and called the noise from the Strad "biblical" and of a nature which "bored into his soul" (in a good way :))! I am used to a very high smiles-to-miles ratio from the TVR and the Stradale didn't let me down.

The car behaved consistently in a very composed, "tight" manner and was very responsive at all times - aided perhaps by new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S's and a full geometry set-up from Tony Bones before I left (thanks Stuart for the recommendation!). I recommend both - performing very well in all conditions, including heavy rain, and surprisingly for Spain, temps well below 15c in the upper ranges of altitude. It always provoked a positive reaction and with plenty of space, I even managed to cram in some well-packed Rioja and Graciano.

Some pics of a lovely trip with great memories and enduring appreciation for wonderfully understated, but extremely accomplished, car. A few also cropping up on Instagram -
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Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
That's just one lovely Stradale.....So wish original owners had been more adventurous with colour like this one. Stunning car and sounds like you are still smitten.
 

DaveT

Member
Messages
2,830
Good evening all - looks like I am joining a growing club of Stradale owners! Congrats to Stormbrew for his weekend purchase of a lovely car.

Many thanks for the very kind comments below - these are much appreciated. I also want to express my specific thanks to Richard and Stuart who gave very freely of their time and experience, which was incredibly helpful. Lots more to learn on the idiosyncrasies of ownership – looking forward to it immensely, as well as contributing to this forum. 









I collected the car late Friday and it's fair to say the drive home was an event. Very early impressions are extremely positive, and the sense of occasion is everything I hoped it would be. If there was one overarching memory from the first drive home, it would be the way, even at low speeds, the car just “feels†much faster. It shares a lot with the Tuscan in this respect. I am also getting used to driving through the gears above 4-5k revs which doesn't come naturally, but when it does – even in the lower gear range – it invokes a smile as wide as the howl is as loud.

I spent a lot of time thinking, researching and then asking questions before taking the plunge and am glad I did; however, it's also fair to say I probably over-read and over-thought on a few items. Yes the infotainment isn't great, but then again, there is nothing in the TVR (!) and the Land Rover one is poor as well up until very recently. Yes the Auto mode isn't great – but then on a long motorway drive, it's absolutely fine – and I tend to err on driving in Sport anyway. Overall, and in these early few weeks of ownership, my overarching focus is much more about the feel of the car/drive, the overall sense of occasion, and the fact you need to concentrate to get the most out of the car but can equally pootle if needed. In other words - the really important stuff (for me at least)!

Anyway - pics :)

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Wow.