Some of you know this, some of you don't. I work for Max Power, and I've been building a Mk1 Ph3 Clio project since last December, thought you guys might be interested to see it...

Stage one: The car

The base car was a 1.2 'Provence' which had been a Max staff project a few years back, but developed some problems and the owner lost all love for it. As a result, it spent about 18 months in our works car park and people were basically waiting for it to get nicked/torched. But I could see the potential.

The idea really was to show that for a couple of hundred quid you can buy a decent base car, and build it up to a cheap to run, head turning show car for a realistic budget. Obviously being a mag, we could do this in a matter of a few months. But it shows it's possible!

Getting it back on the road wasn't as difficult as we'd expected. It failed its MOT on two bulbs, knackered exhaust rubbers, brakes which look like they'd been brought up from the Titanic and that's it. It started first time, on the key, after 18 months in the car park left to rot.

So we knew we had a fighter on our hands - one tough little car which wanted to be reborn. All we had to do was pick a route. We settled on Euro, as it doesn't mean going for expensive bodykits, and it looks cool. Max hadn't done a Euro project yet, so why not!

I'm no Photoshop artist, but I knew what I wanted...

Stage Two - The makeover begins

The Clio's new look started off with a trip to Welsh Coast Customs in Newport, who were brought in to get rid of the well built but head-splittingly noisy exhaust and fit our new Supersport suspension kit.

Off came the old exhaust

New TDI style hidden tailpipe. Bob on :)

The car was already lowered 30mm, but with smaller wheels going on than in its first incarnation (it used to roll 17s!) the stance was going to be all wrong.

Then off with the wheels for the new suspension:

This got the front end right down, but we left the back as we knew we were going for a heavy ICE install. Looked better already!

New plates from Craigsplates.com - complete with French surrounds. Big projects are all about minor details, so it pays to get them all sorted!

Fake splits, yes, but they look awesome considering their price. So we bought a set of Lenso BSX for the car. Euro style without breaking the bank.

Wrapped these in sticky Uniroyal Rainsports, and WOW, suddenly the car looked a million times better even with rusty arches and dented flat paint!

Stage Three - the interior

The standard interior was never gonna cut it, and it smelled bloody awful too after being sat for so long.

E46 M3 leathers were an eBay find, and cheap too.

Who better to fit them than Ray at Rayvern Hydraulics. He's just down the road from us, and aside from fitting up lowriders he's a welding genius. A couple of days later I was driving back to the office in the comfiest seats ever fitted to a Clio.

Onwards to the ICE install. Retrimming the rear seats would've been expensive, so we decided to bin them and go for a stripped rear with a simple but effective install for shows. Car Audio and Security in Hayes took on the job for us, we left the car with them before Christmas and picked it up a few weeks later with a whole new interior. They even wired up the electrics on our M3 seats, so they work!

Never underestimate the importance of wiring. Audison Connections gear cost £120, but it's worth every penny!

The skeleton of our install is SO simple- a sub box in the back, with a custom MDF case for the amp up front...

...but it looks awesome with the lid on I reckon! JBL 12" sub and a four channel amp - affordable but crystal clear and with bass that could wind you. Awesome.

Up front we went for a Kenwood KDC-7421 head unit and JBL components in custom door builds.

We let the professionals handle it, unfortunately we don't get paid workshop time. But this is an install we reckon most people could build with a bit of time and patience. And believe me, it sounds fan-bloody-tastic. :)

Stage Four - Bodywork

Scary stuff, and the most expensive phase of the project. But we kept the mods simple, tidying up rather than smoothing it to death.

House of Kolor Cocoa Brown was our hue of choice, with detextured Gloss Black trim and roof. Badges were removed from the tailgate and side rubbing strips, and the doors were delocked. But the main mission was repairing the arches after they'd been savaged by the 17s.

Elite Bodyworx in Hull took on this mammoth task, and the results are spot on.

Here it is, fresh out of the bodyshop:

This was the Monday before ISTS, so we had very little time to sort stuff out before its show debut. It spent Tuesday and Wednesday at a garage having the (seized) torsion bar adjusted to drop the back end to a more tarmac-scraping ride height and a battered front wheel bearing changed.

That's more like it!!!

Unfortunately the weather wasn't great for its grand unveiling, but when the sun came out on Saturday evening I think even the doubters among those on our stand really understood why I'd picked a House of Kolor respray. It's not that expensive, and just look at that colour pop in the sunshine!

So I guess it's finished, sort of. But there is more to do before its next appearance at the Modified Nationals in May. For starters, we've GOT to slam the front end and get rid of the rake (time was a killer before ISTS!) and the standard steering wheel has to go (Momo Team ftw). We're also trying to think of something to do with the headlights.

But all in this car costs around £5,500 to buy, restore and build. And it ticks all the boxes without being in-your-face. It uses next to no fuel, and even a new driver could afford the insurance and running costs. It's all show and no go, of course, but it's meant to be a bit of fun rather than a hardcore performance mule.

Is it recession friendly? You betcha! I know it's not VAG but I hope you like it! Let me know, I'm interested to hear any feedback about it!

There's a full feature car shoot in the next issue, due out at the beginning of May.

Edited 15 April, 200917 yr by Alex

its ok, a genuinly like it, but 5.5k seems steep. how expensive was the paint??

my god..

this is damn polo forum....go post your french shite where the majority apprectiate it.

sorry to be so blunt but its the truth..

i do like brown though.

In one lump sum yes, but the idea is to show this can be done in parts. Add up the cost of most show cars and they spiral way above that. My G40 owes me more for starters. That's a complete lump sum including buying the car and getting it back on the road remember.

We've not costed the bodywork yet but it's the most expensive bit. But it's the biggest part of the transformation, so I guess it's fairly logical that it's the most expensive bit.

5.5 doesnt sound that cheap to say its a paint job,wheels,some ice & slight bodywork, no engine mods or major bodywork.

The car itself could be picked up for under £500, mine still owes me less then that.

So over 5k in costs, i imagine the paintjob is to a high standard and that + ice prob took around 85% the budget

Do like the colour tho and in that last photo, sun on it looks good.

Edited 15 April, 200917 yr by bondbill2k2

a suppose compared to some show cars its not too bad,

i've never even considered the full on show route prob cos i'm a stereotypical tight arse jock.

as for taking his tat elsewhere that is fairly blunt and if you didn't like it so much move on to

the next thread its a public forum and compared to some of the crap that gets posted

in this section like "washed ma car the day now its clean", it was a good read!!!

Edited 15 April, 200917 yr by stupotboy

It quickly adds up though. Start factoring a kit into the equation, more expensive wheels, more expensive ICE (or a retrim, which is the alternative) and you'll quickly start racking up more cash than that. Modified cars are expensive.

having the luxury of time and doing everything second hand may have kept costs down too, overall it is pretty nice imo anyways

5.5k for an R reg clio! Not really 'budget' tbh. Could just buy an audi s3 and leave it standard for that money, and still get attention at the shows with just the wheels satin blacked.

Does look miles better than before though, but that wasnt hard was it?!

I'd agree with that. But it's not what everyone wants. It's not the cheapest, but all the work's been done properly with good parts and the right people doing it. It stands out enough without going balls out, and I think that's the beauty of it.

Suppose so,I've never spend much on a car (never spend more than £200 on ICE lol) But i know that can get costly.

PS Alex noticed the mag getting better recently much more euro stuff, and more on dubs old and new.

Fast car mag took this route a while ago tho :)

Yeah, we've had a much needed modernisation recently and I really like the way it looks. We're always aiming to have a good mix of cars in the mag, from the most insane bodykitted mental show builds to subtle Euro stuff.

Did you write the guide on 'how to make your car look euro'? lol

Agreed that £5.5K ain't exactly what I'd call budget but it's nicely executed I guess, need to eliminate the reverse rake that it has at the moment though.

the colour is spot on, but it is FAR too high!!!

IMHO, lenso BSX look shit.

you coulda OEM'd the shit outa it using some quirky laguna/espace wheels an some mad stretch...

and ice install looks neat, but rest of interior looks french...and nasty.

just a typical max power car to me to be honest mate and I'm not into it colour looks good tho

5.5k is nothing considering its had a full respray, custom ICE installation, brand new wheels and tyres, M3 electric leather seats, suspension and s/s exhaust and including the cost of the car!

modifying is an expensive game so everyone saying its not budget enough are being far too trampy

you people are failing to get alex's point.

It COULD be done on a budget, if you did the work yourself.

I could build that same car and still have change from £1500

you people are failing to get alex's point.

It COULD be done on a budget, if you did the work yourself.

I could build that same car and still have change from £1500

Exactly what i was thinking to be fair ...

Did you write the guide on 'how to make your car look euro'? lol

Yep, I did. Difficult nut to crack mind...

the colour is spot on, but it is FAR too high!!!

Agreed, the back end is slammed but the front is way up in the air compared to where it needs to be. That'll be sorted soon enough.

just a typical max power car to me to be honest mate and I'm not into it colour looks good tho

Is it though? No bodykit, minimal ICE, small and subtle wheels...

modifying is an expensive game so everyone saying its not budget enough are being far too trampy

Exactly. Walk around most car shows and you'll be surprised how much cash has gone into the metal you'll see there.

you people are failing to get alex's point.

It COULD be done on a budget, if you did the work yourself.

I could build that same car and still have change from £1500

Exactly, shows what can be done if you've got the budget, and that you can make a big difference from small changes.

Hectic, this car look cock on bro!

my god..

this is damn polo forum....go post your french shite where the majority apprectiate it.

sorry to be so blunt but its the truth..

i do like brown though.

wtf is your problem? No one forced you to look at it, and how do you know the majority of the users on clubpolo don't atleast appreciate the read etc.

quality write up dude

i really like it, that colour is spot on, does need that reverse rake sorting

i am however getting sick of seeing people replies on here that are a waste of time and quite frankly out of order, it says in the title what it is going to be, if you don't think your going to like it, don't look. keep your volkswagen snobbery to yourself!

Top work Alex!

Jamie

TBH, always gonna get mixed responses to putting a very V-Dub style on a newish French motor. But hey, debate is good!

TBH, always gonna get mixed responses to putting a very V-Dub style on a newish French motor. But hey, debate is good!

true true, debate is good, but some people's responses are unworthy and unwanted...