Puma 1 - Standard Puma 1.7 with Lux pack
Ex-wife bought it in Jan 2002 with 18k on the clock, kept it as a daily driver until 2009 when it failed it's MOT on brake pipes so she bought a VW Eos instead and I 'aquired' it for free with 86k on with full history but an expensive MOT to do, cambelt and some slightly crusty arches. I kept the Puma when my other half and I parted ways, she says she still misses it! This is her after having two full quarters put on in her standard days in 2009.
I used her as a play thing, track toy, and for 18 months my daily as I was tired of driving new cars and losing thousands each time! I succumbed back to having a new car again and so 'Black Widow' (as she was aptly named after trying to kill a couple of drivers at Oulton Park one damp November thanks to a misaligned rear beam and suspect Pirelli's) was retired to tinkering duties so after a full respray and floor refurb 'Barry' style with many patches cut out, derusted and made better than factory, the old girl is now very pampered. Whilst the body is totally immaculate and standard, it's got new standard Ford shocks with Eibach springs, thunder door panels and rear seat with Millenium Recaros re-done in matching midnight black to the thunder. Other mods are it being lined with Dynamat after the floor repairs, Fiesta Ghia outside temp clock and a full Longlife stainless system for longevity rather than sound. It's also got the 'proper' ET35 Cosworth style 16" wheels on so the offset is still spot on.
The old girl has around 160k on the clock by now, still on original clutch, alternator, etc, etc. Thanks to being pampered she wears her miles and life very well and is still a hoot to drive and very tight.
Puma Two. 'Project Bankrupt' - AKA, the FRP!!
I bought FRP 477 in June 2015 with 54k on the clock and three owners, knowing it wasn't perfect but good history and genuine unmolested car.
Now pictures can be deceptive! It looks good from 20 paces, but so far has had a full brake rebuild, engine out for clutch, cambelt, all oil seals, new water pump and pipe work to make sure it's perfect for the future and all the mechanicals are spot on. Bit of an extravagance, but manged to get five brand new FRP wheels as the old ones were way past their best and it needed new tyres anyway. Man maths at its best.
And then there is the body....
For those of you following the restoration thread, it's a little crusty and in need of quite a bit of intensive surgery. The worst rot is the bottom of the drivers rear quarter / sill and this will need proper fixing. The whole bottom of the car is getting soda blasted in two weeks and then the bodywork can start in ernest.
