Lovely little Pug. Never had one but an iconic hot hatch.
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A good friend of mine had a bigger engine early 205 from almost new in central London, and it never had a chance to rust; the body panels were being rapidly replaced by other drivers on a regular basis. With some very subtle mods he reckoned it was one of the best cars he ever owned, a true Q-car.
Eventually it caught fire all on its own at the main dealer one night. Written off, it was replaced by them with one of the same age with no dings and still no rust.
While the second was still immaculate he sold it quickly for more than he paid for the first one three years earlier, and bought an Audi 100 Avant, which while seemingly twice the size somehow was never dinged in the next ten years or so.
Even now he regrets selling the 205.
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I spent three months working for BT in Central London back in the late 80s. They gave me an Austin Maestro van that had been used and abused by every man and his dog. Not a straight panel on it. An absolute joy to drive in rush hour traffic. Everyone else took one look at the state of it and gave me plenty of room.
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Me again…
The Le Mans feels like it’s making slowish progress, even though it isn’t. I popped in at the weekend and it was awesome to hear that we might be on the road before the summer’s out. That would be epic, because I’m eyeing up a 2023 trip to Le Mans with my son and had assumed that Spring 2023 would be the earliest realistic target for being roadworthy. If we get MOT’d this year, I’ll be more than delighted.
In the meantime, I have something cool to share, which feels like a great way to introduce a little splash of Le Mans colour to the Black Le Mans:
These were made for me by the chap below. It’s great to find people who have a real passion for what they do and he has been a pleasure to deal with. He’s clearly just starting out and I wish him the best of luck with his workmanship and business. He’s got a nice MX5 too!
If you fancy a rocker cover, these are worth checking out.
Please use the black and orange one. Looks very classy. As for the one with the white splashes, looks like a plasterer’s radio. 
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Any progress to report?
Well… there is lots of stuff going on, but not a huge change in appearance. There’s been lots of engine prep work, part restoration, powder coating and so on.
Next week it should have the engine bay repainted and then the engine will go in and things should start gathering pace. We’re still aiming for late summer…
In the meantime, J207 was rewarded with a day out in the sun last week.
Further update before the end of the month hopefully!
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Oh, and in other news, the NB and mini are rocking along nicely (although the 5 is booked in for chassis rails next month) and the 205 is still not MOT’d but now has some much needed new sills
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Its coming along nice, looks like its gathering pace.
Sill repairs on french Ditto!
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I must confess to having a good nose around the car at the Spring Owners club show! looking forward to seeing the journey continue 
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Ooh. Is that a 106?
Ah yes, that’s ringing a bell now!
Popped in today; it was nice to see some lovely cars out, including the (green and orange) MX5 Restorer Le Mans.
Had a chat with Garath and took a picture of J207’s backside, which looks a lot more together (and clean) than last time I looked. Otherwise, we’re waiting on the engine bay to get into the paint shop - hopefully next week. 
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Now off to enjoy the sun !
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J207’s back from it’s first trip to the body shop in many years, after waiting what seemed like an age (but really wasn’t) to get a slot for the engine bay and inside bit of the windscreen pillars to be painted. All looking nice and shiny now - the next time it goes there should be under it’s own steam for a full respray later in the summer. Fingers crossed.
Next up is a decision on the steering rack - we’ve had a few discussions on the pros and cons (and availability) of new vs. reconditioned, but I’m leaning towards new if possible. That said, they seem scarce and eye wateringly expensive so we’ll see what the guys can come up with.
I’m hopeful the engine will start to get some attention this month too - it’s barely turned since 2010 and has been out the car since 2016/7 so I’ve no doubt there are some lovely surprises lurking in there. It still makes me smile every time I see this peeping through though !
The NB is having it’s chassis rails done in a week’s time, so I’ve got a good excuse to be in the garage a couple more time this month - hopefully more to report after those visits.
MG
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Goodness me, it’s autumn.
Work has been gathering pace and we’re now reaching the point where things are starting to come together as all the hard work, stripping down, preparation and endless labour is really showing and J207’s rebuild means she’s starting to look like…well, a car.
July was a little slow - a busy period in the workshop and a quite a lot of bit and bobs to be blasted and re-coated meant the visible progress was hard to find, but the attention to detail that Chris and Garath have put into the car is really going to show when all is said and done. It’s already pretty special. 
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In August, there was a second visit to the paint shop - a lovely deep black finish for the boot and bonnet (inside and out), sides, quarters, doors (inside and out), number plate surround and boot spoiler. That leaves the front bumper and wings still to be done.
We’ve managed to mask off and save some of the original orange and red too - notably under the kick plates, in the cabin and on the inside of the windscreen, which is a nice touch.
Mechanically, all manner of things went back onto the car and the engine was dusted off for the first time in years and given a thorough strip down, inspection and rebuild, with more pieces sent off for aqua blasting and reconditioning. It really is a piece of art - when I saw it built up on the engine stand, I grinned. A lot.
The invoices have been painful - notable highlights have included an eyewateringly expensive replacement BBR manifold as the original had been clumsily welded where they often crack. It’s a beautifully crafted chunk of metal and at £900, so it should be!
Aside from that, I never knew carpets could be so expensive, or that it was possible to rack up so many hours of labour. I’m going to have to have a serious conversation with an insurance valuer before we get on the road !!
It really does feel like the end is in sight. There is still plenty to be done, of course, but we’re getting there, folks !
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£20 to £25k all day long.
Conservatively
I’ve a feeling this is going to be a pain. It’s impossible to find a replacement, but there’s quite a lot of damage to be repaired on the front bumper and spoiler, which has clearly taken a battering. Joy. 
Looking nice, where did you get the manifold?
Mx5 restorer chaps got it from BBR, I believe.