918 Spyder - First UK customer car - Guards Red

918 Spyder - First UK customer car - Guards Red

Author
Discussion

VladD

7,853 posts

264 months

Saturday 23rd August 2014
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footsoldier said:
As the batteries demonstrate, I'm pretty sure that the 918 is going to be proven to be the best engineered of the 3 recent 'hypercars'. No doubt the batteries will be outdated in a few years, but as long as they still work, that's not a problem.

Hadn't thought about RS in same colour, but seems like a good idea! Having said that, I'm not 100% sure I am going to buy an RS, as struggling to think when I'll get much use out of it. Tracks are generally for racing, not trackdays IMO, although will get 918 out from time to time.

Will the RS be available PTS from day 1? (BTW, what are Porsche charging for PTS on 918? Not found out yet.)
Have you got any pictures of your Countach that you wouldn't mind sharing?

Streetrod

6,468 posts

205 months

Monday 25th August 2014
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I have painted a number of show winning cars over the years and am familiar with virtually all the current paint systems out there. I have been racking my brains to come up with how Porsche can charge £48k for a change of colour in a paint pot. Nine coats of paint on a custom job is not a lot, I have produced a number of jobs with a lot more coats with each being rubbed down and flatted between coats. Are Porsche doing this as this is where costs mount up? I suspect not. Apollo as you seem to know the background to this could you please tell me what paint system is being used as I would like to investigate this in more detail.

As for paint on the other top two, at Goodwood this year I gave both the red and JK's green La Ferrari a decent look over. And too say I was disappointed by the quality especially on JK's car would be an understatement, If that was my car I would have sent it back or asked Ferrari to pay to have the paint corrected. The P1 on display was much better as were the 650s's.

The silver 918 on the Porsche stand was probably the best, probably as good as Rolls Royce standard who I think currently do the best production paint jobs out there at the moment


Edited by Streetrod on Monday 25th August 17:31

burwoodman

18,709 posts

245 months

Monday 25th August 2014
quotequote all
Streetrod said:
I have painted a number of show winning cars over the years and am familiar with virtually all the current paint systems out there. I have been racking my brains to come up with how Porsche can charge £48k for a change of colour in a paint pot. Nine coats of paint on a custom job is not a lot, I have produced a number of jobs with a lot more coats with each being rubbed down and flatted between coats. Are Porsche doing this as this is where costs mount up? I suspect not. Apollo as you seem to know the background to this could you please tell me what paint system is being used as I would like to investigate this in more detail.

As for paint on the other top two, at Goodwood this year I gave both the red and JK's green La Ferrari a decent look over. And too say I was disappointed by the quality especially on JK's car would be an understatement, If that was my car I would have sent it back or asked Ferrari to pay to have the paint corrected. The P1 on display was much better as were the 650s's.

The silver 918 on the Porsche stand was probably the best, probably as good as Rolls Royce standard who I think currently do the best production paint jobs out there at the moment


Edited by Streetrod on Monday 25th August 17:31
It's nothing more than milking the weathy. You only need to look at the rolls royce forum to find a clever buyer who spend 15k on a set on rear screens for his kids. Bottom line, it makes some people feel speacial and gives the 'can't affords' something to laugh at.

APOLO1

5,256 posts

193 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
quotequote all
Streetrod said:
I have painted a number of show winning cars over the years and am familiar with virtually all the current paint systems out there. I have been racking my brains to come up with how Porsche can charge £48k for a change of colour in a paint pot. Nine coats of paint on a custom job is not a lot, I have produced a number of jobs with a lot more coats with each being rubbed down and flatted between coats. Are Porsche doing this as this is where costs mount up? I suspect not. Apollo as you seem to know the background to this could you please tell me what paint system is being used as I would like to investigate this in more detail.

As for paint on the other top two, at Goodwood this year I gave both the red and JK's green La Ferrari a decent look over. And too say I was disappointed by the quality especially on JK's car would be an understatement, If that was my car I would have sent it back or asked Ferrari to pay to have the paint corrected. The P1 on display was much better as were the 650s's.

The silver 918 on the Porsche stand was probably the best, probably as good as Rolls Royce standard who I think currently do the best production paint jobs out there at the moment
Edited by Streetrod on Monday 25th August 17:31
Hi
This is my understanding, the paint in question on the 918 is 2300.00 per ltr, its the same that is used on holograms on c-cards,ie the "shimmer effect2 due to the loss when painting it takes at least 16lts to paint the 9 coats....also the 48k is EU and includes local tax

fakko63

37 posts

115 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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APOLO you seem to be on this forum 24/7 and I gather on other forums as Redfive, REdfive1, Citylad and spacemanxx Where do you find the time? Just intrigued that's all

Edited by fakko63 on Tuesday 26th August 10:31


Edited by fakko63 on Tuesday 26th August 10:32

paddy328

2,902 posts

184 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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From what ive been told, 6 of those coats are the clearcoat, so I think you are more paying for the few litres of expensive paint and then the process and time.

From my experience, products line cars tend to suffer from orange peel the most, where as hand finished cars like Astons, roll's etc don't, but then you get into the realm of user error and time and cost saving. Rolls royce have the best paint in terms of finish, as do Bugatti. Ferrari is shocking and Astons are covered in sanding marks. The trouble is, when someone pays for a "special paint" option, this then puts the car into the hands of someone who will just make a mess of it. Everything at the end of the day is done to a price, including the polishes the factory use, which will most likely contain lots of fillers and once its been given a panel wipe wipedown, reveals the true finish. Most "approved" bodyshops over here are crap too.

In the case of detailers, most of us, clark included use the best products to achieve the best finish possible. At the end of the day, some people don't see the imperfections like we do, but when you point them out, like I did with the 918, you notice the difference in the end result even more. The condition that the car came from the factory was shocking and in the words of the client when we had finished "it looks stunning". Add that to the fact its now covered in paintshield and gtechniq crystal serum, it will stay looking that way for a very long time to come.


Streetrod

6,468 posts

205 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
quotequote all
APOLO1 said:
Streetrod said:
I have painted a number of show winning cars over the years and am familiar with virtually all the current paint systems out there. I have been racking my brains to come up with how Porsche can charge £48k for a change of colour in a paint pot. Nine coats of paint on a custom job is not a lot, I have produced a number of jobs with a lot more coats with each being rubbed down and flatted between coats. Are Porsche doing this as this is where costs mount up? I suspect not. Apollo as you seem to know the background to this could you please tell me what paint system is being used as I would like to investigate this in more detail.

As for paint on the other top two, at Goodwood this year I gave both the red and JK's green La Ferrari a decent look over. And too say I was disappointed by the quality especially on JK's car would be an understatement, If that was my car I would have sent it back or asked Ferrari to pay to have the paint corrected. The P1 on display was much better as were the 650s's.

The silver 918 on the Porsche stand was probably the best, probably as good as Rolls Royce standard who I think currently do the best production paint jobs out there at the moment
Edited by Streetrod on Monday 25th August 17:31
Hi
This is my understanding, the paint in question on the 918 is 2300.00 per ltr, its the same that is used on holograms on c-cards,ie the "shimmer effect2 due to the loss when painting it takes at least 16lts to paint the 9 coats....also the 48k is EU and includes local tax
Apollo, with all due respect that does not add up. Shimmer effect paints are not new, they have been around for decades. As for 16lts needed to paint a 918 that also does not make sense. Paint jobs can normally be broken down into primer, colour, and lacquer. The colour layer in this case, unless the colour is translucent like a candy, is likely to only be a couple of coats at the most. And as that is the expensive paint you are unlikely on a car of this size to use more than a few litres. The lacquer is then added to provide the depth and shine. I cant think of many manufacture who use more that 3 layers of lacquer, and even the best stuff you can get wont add up to these numbers.

Look if Porsche can get away with it then good luck to them, but to me it just smacks of taking advantage. But then Porsche are not the only ones guilty of ridiculas options pricing, Ferrari anyone.....


VladD

7,853 posts

264 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
quotequote all
Streetrod said:
APOLO1 said:
Streetrod said:
I have painted a number of show winning cars over the years and am familiar with virtually all the current paint systems out there. I have been racking my brains to come up with how Porsche can charge £48k for a change of colour in a paint pot. Nine coats of paint on a custom job is not a lot, I have produced a number of jobs with a lot more coats with each being rubbed down and flatted between coats. Are Porsche doing this as this is where costs mount up? I suspect not. Apollo as you seem to know the background to this could you please tell me what paint system is being used as I would like to investigate this in more detail.

As for paint on the other top two, at Goodwood this year I gave both the red and JK's green La Ferrari a decent look over. And too say I was disappointed by the quality especially on JK's car would be an understatement, If that was my car I would have sent it back or asked Ferrari to pay to have the paint corrected. The P1 on display was much better as were the 650s's.

The silver 918 on the Porsche stand was probably the best, probably as good as Rolls Royce standard who I think currently do the best production paint jobs out there at the moment
Edited by Streetrod on Monday 25th August 17:31
Hi
This is my understanding, the paint in question on the 918 is 2300.00 per ltr, its the same that is used on holograms on c-cards,ie the "shimmer effect2 due to the loss when painting it takes at least 16lts to paint the 9 coats....also the 48k is EU and includes local tax
Apollo, with all due respect that does not add up. Shimmer effect paints are not new, they have been around for decades. As for 16lts needed to paint a 918 that also does not make sense. Paint jobs can normally be broken down into primer, colour, and lacquer. The colour layer in this case, unless the colour is translucent like a candy, is likely to only be a couple of coats at the most. And as that is the expensive paint you are unlikely on a car of this size to use more than a few litres. The lacquer is then added to provide the depth and shine. I cant think of many manufacture who use more that 3 layers of lacquer, and even the best stuff you can get wont add up to these numbers.

Look if Porsche can get away with it then good luck to them, but to me it just smacks of taking advantage. But then Porsche are not the only ones guilty of ridiculas options pricing, Ferrari anyone.....
At the end of the day it's economics; supply and demand. You try and work out what cost/demand ratio will generate the highest income. The actual cost becomes somewhat irrelevant. I'm not sure it's taking advantage, but just good business.

GALLARDOGUY

8,160 posts

218 months

Tuesday 2nd September 2014
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Saw my first one today in Essex. Black. Silver wheels. Martini stripes.


oddball1973

1,178 posts

122 months

Tuesday 2nd September 2014
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I'll keep filling in the six numbers - if they come up then one of these will be mine (reckon some sort of metallic taupe colour would look good)

footsoldier

2,251 posts

191 months

Wednesday 3rd September 2014
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VladD said:
Have you got any pictures of your Countach that you wouldn't mind sharing?
Sorry, missed this. There are a few on supercars section countach thread.

Just polished a couple of weeks ago...



And one taken by GF Williams on here, for a magazine shoot just before I got it...



Edited by footsoldier on Wednesday 3rd September 00:55

Terminator X

14,922 posts

203 months

Wednesday 3rd September 2014
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mrdemon said:
what about this UK one
Oof, the wheels lick

TX.

VladD

7,853 posts

264 months

Wednesday 3rd September 2014
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footsoldier said:
Sorry, missed this. There are a few on supercars section countach thread.

Just polished a couple of weeks ago...



And one taken by GF Williams on here, for a magazine shoot just before I got it...



Edited by footsoldier on Wednesday 3rd September 00:55
Glorious, thanks.

AndrewIC

557 posts

167 months

Wednesday 3rd September 2014
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APOLO1 said:
Mine are also keepers, did you know that the batts are designed to last the entire life of the car.....the other one has a 3 year warranty on its batts......are going to have your RS in a matching colour.....?

don't think we will see a faster car for a long time, 1300nm of torque....

Edited by APOLO1 on Friday 22 August 21:54
Fairly sure that if you read the tech details Porsche warranty the batteries for 9 years, so wonder what they class as life...?