Copy of Article Text Below
.....For all those of a certain age, the car on these pages could induce a serious case of lust, longing for lost youth and Chronic Wallet Opening Syndrome. The first case was Simon our snapper, who, after getting up close and personal to Aaron Barton's XR2, was instantly transported back to his formative years and his own Supersport, which he described as his first 'proper' car.
It's no wonder - this particular XR2 has been lovingly returned to its former glory with a couple of subtle modifications for a little bit of spice. A man of his youth shouldn't have such good taste, but at 22, Aaron has demonstrated admirable restraint. The original colour and body sticker set have been kept, and the only concessions to fashion are the Ashley exhaust, speakers on the rear shelf ('made from a new one to preserve the original') and lowering springs which gives it the stance of a true pocket rocket.
Maybe it's Aaron's career that has stood him in good stead. Three years as an engineer in the Merchant Navy meant seeing the world (shark fishing on Christmas Day anyone?) and getting his hands on some proper hardware. Now he works for Southern Electric, which funds projects like this.
The Fiesta started, like many, as a basket case that was pulled out of a barn. Mostly straight it may have been, but clean and rust-free it certainly wasn't. A new wing was already on it and the front valance had been sorted, but it was a kaleidoscope of colours.
Aaron set to work, with originality in mind. The decision was made to take it down to bare metal and then prime it, with a professional paintjob on top. After a thorough strip down though, a couple of dents and a few spots of welding underneath needed sorting before it was ready to be prepared.
"It got to the point where I just thought, 'I don't want to be doing this anymore'. Every night and every weekend, rubbing it down and putting bits of filler on." A month of this mental torture though, was enough to get it back to bare metal and straightened out, ready for the spray job.
As is usually the case, it came back looking absolutely spanking, but rather than get straight into it, Aaron's dad wanted his garage back, so it sat in the garden undercover for six months. "I was waiting for the rust to come back, but I was more worried about my nephew - he loves throwing stones." However, the break gave him time to gather together enough cash to buy all the spares it needed, and complete the job in one fell swoop.
"I decided to give myself a kick up the arse, found myself a workshop, rented it out for three months and hit it hard," explains Aaron. The underside of the car was welded but unclean, so he wire-brushed it right back and then undersealed it, giving it the kind of protection it needed straight from the.....
Captions -
Bottom-Left - The XR2 remains original, with standard graphics and those oh so '80s pepperpot alloys.
|
