Real AFTERBURNERS, anyone???
Discussion
Hi Folks--- I`m still planning to do an afterburner-type rear light conversion. As I always fancied the Zertec conversion (not longer available) as it resembles mostly the original later type rear like cluster I asked Quadconversions whether they could do one for me...
(they can and will-See copy of their response below...)
So if 10 or more of you would be interested it would be great- I am happy to collect the deposits- please make cheques up to Quadconversions and post to me (address via personal email)- should I get 15 or more deposits I´ll try to slash a couple of more quid off the 300 GBP asking price...
copy of email from quadconversions
Hello Oliver,
Just to put the records straight, 'Afterburner' is a registered trade name belonging to Quad Conversions. The lights that Zertec produced were a copy of our lights and the extra light was added in an attempt to get around any copyright that we might sue them over.
Unlike the cheep fibreglass (cramorra is not so much worried aboute the fibreglass, as whole car is made out of it
)that Zertec knocked their lights out of ours are ABS plastic which has been trimmed by a CNC 5 axis router. The forming tools, trimming mount and computor program for the trimming patern are all very expensive and simply adding an extra light socket could be done but would cost thousands.
If it's really the Zertec 'copy' you prefer, we too could knock you something up in fibreglass but it would have to be worth our while... 10 orders minimum. If you can get 10 deposits of say £20 together we will replicate the Zertec copy of our lights for you. Including VAT, each kit would be £300. (cheeper than the Zertec kit)
(they can and will-See copy of their response below...)
So if 10 or more of you would be interested it would be great- I am happy to collect the deposits- please make cheques up to Quadconversions and post to me (address via personal email)- should I get 15 or more deposits I´ll try to slash a couple of more quid off the 300 GBP asking price...
copy of email from quadconversions
Hello Oliver,
Just to put the records straight, 'Afterburner' is a registered trade name belonging to Quad Conversions. The lights that Zertec produced were a copy of our lights and the extra light was added in an attempt to get around any copyright that we might sue them over.
Unlike the cheep fibreglass (cramorra is not so much worried aboute the fibreglass, as whole car is made out of it
)that Zertec knocked their lights out of ours are ABS plastic which has been trimmed by a CNC 5 axis router. The forming tools, trimming mount and computor program for the trimming patern are all very expensive and simply adding an extra light socket could be done but would cost thousands. If it's really the Zertec 'copy' you prefer, we too could knock you something up in fibreglass but it would have to be worth our while... 10 orders minimum. If you can get 10 deposits of say £20 together we will replicate the Zertec copy of our lights for you. Including VAT, each kit would be £300. (cheeper than the Zertec kit)
Now some pics and text from zertec(wich is the set going to be copied for us)- The main difference as you see is that they come with four pods and somehow resemble TVRs original rear light design for the later models, whereas most fiesta lights either come with 3 pods or a lot of little leds like the lexus style lamps which looks 
imho
Pics
www.pistonheads.com/news/images/2668-01.jpg
www.pistonheads.com/news/images/2668-02.jpg
www.pistonheads.com/news/images/2668-03.jpg
Copy of old zertec text...
These new light units are direct replacements for the existing Fiesta lamps in the Cerbera and early Chimaera. They are fitted from inside the boot so no bodywork or removal of Perspex covers is necessary.
Unlike the Ford Fiesta lamps, these new units are symmetrical with a fog and reverse light on each side. Volcano-red LED side lights light up the rear like the after-burners of a fighter jet!
This is the normal Quadconversion Afterburner with 3 pods to compare
www.quadconversions.com/images/tvr/TVR%20Rear14.JPG
imho Pics
www.pistonheads.com/news/images/2668-01.jpg
www.pistonheads.com/news/images/2668-02.jpg
www.pistonheads.com/news/images/2668-03.jpg
Copy of old zertec text...
These new light units are direct replacements for the existing Fiesta lamps in the Cerbera and early Chimaera. They are fitted from inside the boot so no bodywork or removal of Perspex covers is necessary.
Unlike the Ford Fiesta lamps, these new units are symmetrical with a fog and reverse light on each side. Volcano-red LED side lights light up the rear like the after-burners of a fighter jet!
This is the normal Quadconversion Afterburner with 3 pods to compare
www.quadconversions.com/images/tvr/TVR%20Rear14.JPG
Hello Guys,
The differences between an Afterburner™ and the cheaper Mk3 Fiesta aftermarket lights are many.
One has components manufactured in Germany and England and the other is produced in Taiwan...
One is produced in massive bulk and shipped into the country in huge shipping containers. Snapped up by 'bedroom' Ebayers that eke a couple of quid profit selling to the mass bargain hunters and their 'wanna be different, as cheep as possible with zero effort, supermarket dwelling' Mk3 Fiestas. That's the price difference.
A more subtle difference is the design. The magpie attracting chrome of the Lexus lights and random light placement, cramming as many lights in as possible is a fashion! and fashions come and go. If you study car design, you'll see that the more beautiful a car's design is, the less embellishment it needs. Lexus cars are not sleek, they are the expensive end of Honda for the people that can afford a Lexus and wish to 'wear' it as a status symbol. The more 'bling' the better and combined with the other chrome work on a Lexus it actually works. (Think you'll find it's good quality chrome though and not your aluminium, electro coated chrome look-a-like, Taiwan stuff)Want real status, Lexus Gold plate it!
Have Ferrari, Lotus, Maserati... ever stuffed an extra light in where it's not needed? The clean crisp design of minimal round lights is timeless... it was there before Lexus and those crazy bazooka lights and it will be there long after the badly designed, chrome monstrosities have joined the 3 spoke wheels and furry dice.
So there you have it, one is a cheaply manufactured, mass selling 'tart yer bum up' and the other is a piece of timeless design which complements and does not distract from the feminine curves of a Cerbra or Chimaera.
Park a car with Afterburners™ next to a car with Lexus lights at night and there is no competition! the precise ring of quality LEDs on the Afterburner perform their function with clarity and just enough of a quirk to say 'I'm different', without having to shout it.
Sorry for the lecture, but as you see, at Quad Conversions (like TVR) we're passionate about design. The Taiwanese and Zertec for that matter are parasites, in that they copy and have no creative insight of their own. We announced in a 1992 copy of Max Power that we were the 'creators of the Afterburner™'. Look at 1992 cars, they all have square lights. Bmw, Jaguar, Ford Mk2 Fiesta, Mk3 Escort all square rear lights. Pininfarina (the great Ferrari designer) gave the Morris Marina... Square lights!
It was a fashion, and it's gone. Car manufacturers slowly return to the simplicity of the round light. The Afterburner™?... The little black dress of car design.
The differences between an Afterburner™ and the cheaper Mk3 Fiesta aftermarket lights are many.
One has components manufactured in Germany and England and the other is produced in Taiwan...
One is produced in massive bulk and shipped into the country in huge shipping containers. Snapped up by 'bedroom' Ebayers that eke a couple of quid profit selling to the mass bargain hunters and their 'wanna be different, as cheep as possible with zero effort, supermarket dwelling' Mk3 Fiestas. That's the price difference.
A more subtle difference is the design. The magpie attracting chrome of the Lexus lights and random light placement, cramming as many lights in as possible is a fashion! and fashions come and go. If you study car design, you'll see that the more beautiful a car's design is, the less embellishment it needs. Lexus cars are not sleek, they are the expensive end of Honda for the people that can afford a Lexus and wish to 'wear' it as a status symbol. The more 'bling' the better and combined with the other chrome work on a Lexus it actually works. (Think you'll find it's good quality chrome though and not your aluminium, electro coated chrome look-a-like, Taiwan stuff)Want real status, Lexus Gold plate it!
Have Ferrari, Lotus, Maserati... ever stuffed an extra light in where it's not needed? The clean crisp design of minimal round lights is timeless... it was there before Lexus and those crazy bazooka lights and it will be there long after the badly designed, chrome monstrosities have joined the 3 spoke wheels and furry dice.
So there you have it, one is a cheaply manufactured, mass selling 'tart yer bum up' and the other is a piece of timeless design which complements and does not distract from the feminine curves of a Cerbra or Chimaera.
Park a car with Afterburners™ next to a car with Lexus lights at night and there is no competition! the precise ring of quality LEDs on the Afterburner perform their function with clarity and just enough of a quirk to say 'I'm different', without having to shout it.
Sorry for the lecture, but as you see, at Quad Conversions (like TVR) we're passionate about design. The Taiwanese and Zertec for that matter are parasites, in that they copy and have no creative insight of their own. We announced in a 1992 copy of Max Power that we were the 'creators of the Afterburner™'. Look at 1992 cars, they all have square lights. Bmw, Jaguar, Ford Mk2 Fiesta, Mk3 Escort all square rear lights. Pininfarina (the great Ferrari designer) gave the Morris Marina... Square lights!
It was a fashion, and it's gone. Car manufacturers slowly return to the simplicity of the round light. The Afterburner™?... The little black dress of car design.
Edited by QUAD CONVERSIONS on Wednesday 15th November 15:50
. [quote=QUAD CONVERSIONS]Hello Guys,
A more subtle difference is the design. The magpie attracting chrome of the Lexus lights and random light placement, cramming as many lights in as possible is a fashion! and fashions come and go. If you study car design, you'll see that the more beutifull a car's design is, the less imbelishment it needs. Lexus cars are not sleek, they are the expensive end of Honda for the people that can afford a Lexus and wish to 'wear' it as a status symbol. The more 'bling' the better and combined with the other chromework on a Lexus it actually works. (think you'll find it's good quality chrome though and not your alluminium, electro coated chrome look-a-like, Taiwan stuff)Want real status, Lexus Gold plate it!
Hmmmm....I think you'll find that Lexus ere the expensive end of Toyota not Honda! I've got a Lexus and I think that you'd be hard pressed to describe it as bling. I'm sat here trying to think of any chromework that's actually on the car other than the badges. It's not a status symbol either; I bought it because it looks well styled (IMHO) and is exceptionally reliable and was the right price, offering value for money compared to the Mercs and Beemers that I also looked at (but to be honest a Beemer was never really in the running for me). If a status symbol was what I was looking for I'd have gone for the Merc but compared to the Lex, it was a really uninvolving drive!
I also have a Cerbera and I'm looking to convert the rear lights to 'afterburner' style units. I was considering 4 light units but having seen the photos, I think that the 3 light unit looks better. However, I think that out of the two cars, the Cerbera is likely to look more 'bling' with afterburners fitted than the Lex ever will; in reality I don't think the term 'bling'will apply to either car. IMHO it is more fitting to the max power styled cars that frequent the local supermarket car parks of an evening and pull up at the side of me when I'm in the Cerb revving their engines all the way to the red-line!
A more subtle difference is the design. The magpie attracting chrome of the Lexus lights and random light placement, cramming as many lights in as possible is a fashion! and fashions come and go. If you study car design, you'll see that the more beutifull a car's design is, the less imbelishment it needs. Lexus cars are not sleek, they are the expensive end of Honda for the people that can afford a Lexus and wish to 'wear' it as a status symbol. The more 'bling' the better and combined with the other chromework on a Lexus it actually works. (think you'll find it's good quality chrome though and not your alluminium, electro coated chrome look-a-like, Taiwan stuff)Want real status, Lexus Gold plate it!
Hmmmm....I think you'll find that Lexus ere the expensive end of Toyota not Honda! I've got a Lexus and I think that you'd be hard pressed to describe it as bling. I'm sat here trying to think of any chromework that's actually on the car other than the badges. It's not a status symbol either; I bought it because it looks well styled (IMHO) and is exceptionally reliable and was the right price, offering value for money compared to the Mercs and Beemers that I also looked at (but to be honest a Beemer was never really in the running for me). If a status symbol was what I was looking for I'd have gone for the Merc but compared to the Lex, it was a really uninvolving drive!
I also have a Cerbera and I'm looking to convert the rear lights to 'afterburner' style units. I was considering 4 light units but having seen the photos, I think that the 3 light unit looks better. However, I think that out of the two cars, the Cerbera is likely to look more 'bling' with afterburners fitted than the Lex ever will; in reality I don't think the term 'bling'will apply to either car. IMHO it is more fitting to the max power styled cars that frequent the local supermarket car parks of an evening and pull up at the side of me when I'm in the Cerb revving their engines all the way to the red-line!
One other thing I could add, is that around about the time that Peugeot were designing the 206 the 'powers that be' declared, in the car manufacturers guide lines, that ' tho' shalt only have one fog light'. Something to do with fog lights overpowering brake lights and causing accidents. So not only does Zertec’s copy start to look like a cluster of barnacles on the back of a car but they also date it too. Further evidence of the ‘original’ Afterburner’s timeless design.
Paint: The body of the Afterburner is manufactured in Acrylic capped ABS and although it looks shiny and paint wouldn’t stick to it… it does. In fact, because it’s such a small area, an aerosol can (Halford’s acrylic) does a good job. The shiny surface of the Afterburner body actually attracts the fine mist due to static (you need to see this to believe it) and you can’t really go wrong.
We recommend: take the lights out (6 nuts) No flatting, just mist on some primer (Cellulose, acrylic... it all works) flat with some 800 or finer grade wet and dry and mist on your base coat. 10mins later apply the lacquer. You can actually skip the primer and flatting stage.
Sorry about the Honda / Toyota mix up and I really didn’t mean any offence. I work near Bradford where it’s common to see a Lexus ‘well blinged up’, chrome wheel spinners and the works. In Bradford… it’s a status symbol. But Bradford is almost a foreign country now where status is a whole new thing.
We recommend: take the lights out (6 nuts) No flatting, just mist on some primer (Cellulose, acrylic... it all works) flat with some 800 or finer grade wet and dry and mist on your base coat. 10mins later apply the lacquer. You can actually skip the primer and flatting stage.
Sorry about the Honda / Toyota mix up and I really didn’t mean any offence. I work near Bradford where it’s common to see a Lexus ‘well blinged up’, chrome wheel spinners and the works. In Bradford… it’s a status symbol. But Bradford is almost a foreign country now where status is a whole new thing.
QUAD CONVERSIONS said:
Paint:
Sorry about the Honda / Toyota mix up and I really didn’t mean any offence. I work near Bradford where it’s common to see a Lexus ‘well blinged up’, chrome wheel spinners and the works. In Bradford… it’s a status symbol. But Bradford is almost a foreign country now where status is a whole new thing.
Sorry about the Honda / Toyota mix up and I really didn’t mean any offence. I work near Bradford where it’s common to see a Lexus ‘well blinged up’, chrome wheel spinners and the works. In Bradford… it’s a status symbol. But Bradford is almost a foreign country now where status is a whole new thing.
None taken...do you still have your three light afterburner lamp kits for Cerbs on offer?
Hi,
We certainly do...
[url]www.quadc.co.uk/tvr_chimaera_cerbra_afterburner_lights/tvr_chimaera_and_cerbera_led_lights.htm [/url]
The kit now comes with 'all clear' lights with Silvatech indicator bulbs included.
We certainly do...
[url]www.quadc.co.uk/tvr_chimaera_cerbra_afterburner_lights/tvr_chimaera_and_cerbera_led_lights.htm [/url]
The kit now comes with 'all clear' lights with Silvatech indicator bulbs included.
One of the legal requirements for car lights is that they are E marked. An E mark is an approval for road use. It’s an expensive test for light manufacturers involving 2 government bodies. The test ensures that the light emits the correct colour and brightness at the correct angle. The test equipment measures this from 90 degrees behind the car. If the lights are not fitted to the car correctly and do not emit the light at 90 degrees to the back of the car then the E mark is technically void. If said car was ever (heaven forbid) involved in a fatal accident and the insurance company inspected the car with a ‘fine tooth comb’, then this would technically void the insurance, MOT and the rest of the driver’s life.
To this end, Quad uses an elaborate jig across the back of the car to ensure the lights are set correctly. If you build the lights on a bench, as it would appear Zertech did, you don’t have a ‘cat in hell’s chance’ of getting it right.
Just to clear up the Lexus thing, when I said they weren’t sleek, what I meant was, compared to a Cerbera or Chimaera… they are in a different class of car to a sports car. And the chrome lights and other chrome on the car serve to accentuate the metallic paint work and rightly add a touch of bling, a bit like the way a single diamond stud in the ear of a young Audrey Hepburn catches the glint in her eye ;0) I’m all for chrome badges, door handles, wipers, window surrounds and even chrome Lexus lights.. They work on a Lexus.
My real reason for submitting to this forum was to clear up the misconception that Zertec were the originators of the Afterburner.
www.patent.gov.uk/tm/t-find/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2281916
To this end, Quad uses an elaborate jig across the back of the car to ensure the lights are set correctly. If you build the lights on a bench, as it would appear Zertech did, you don’t have a ‘cat in hell’s chance’ of getting it right.
Just to clear up the Lexus thing, when I said they weren’t sleek, what I meant was, compared to a Cerbera or Chimaera… they are in a different class of car to a sports car. And the chrome lights and other chrome on the car serve to accentuate the metallic paint work and rightly add a touch of bling, a bit like the way a single diamond stud in the ear of a young Audrey Hepburn catches the glint in her eye ;0) I’m all for chrome badges, door handles, wipers, window surrounds and even chrome Lexus lights.. They work on a Lexus.
My real reason for submitting to this forum was to clear up the misconception that Zertec were the originators of the Afterburner.
www.patent.gov.uk/tm/t-find/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2281916
QUAD CONVERSIONS said:
My real reason for submitting to this forum was to clear up the misconception that Zertec were the originators of the Afterburner.
www.patent.gov.uk/tm/t-find/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2281916
Knowing Clive, I am certain he was offering the "Afterburner" kit before Set 2001. www.patent.gov.uk/tm/t-find/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2281916
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