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With the quieter festive time upon us we thought it was a great time to get Project Z4 GT3 V8 to first base, and that meant a trip to the wizards at Emerald M3D so this week we took the drive over to Watton in Norfolk, and catch up with the ECU gurus and entrust them with their magic, it was also an excuse to stop over at the Bentley Hotel & Spa and unwind with a beer or two.

BMW Z4 GT3 V8

This is the most important stage of the build as we have to make sure all of the BMW Z4 electrics, work with the all new V8 engine, it’s imperative if you want it to run with the BMW idrive factory oem set up, this is the first process we have to go through, as well as building the engine loom and ECU upgrade, whilst it sounds like not much is going on, this is the main ingredient to make sure this car and conversion works correctly, so it’s a pretty important parts of the conversion.

With the car at its new home for the few couple of weeks, it will be mid to the end of January before we get to collect the car from the Emerald crew, that’s when phase two of the build will kick in, as its off to Dynotorque, Craig can then get creative with our install, and boy oh boy do we have some Great plans for the overall finished package, pure quality being added, brakes, engine, suspension, will all come in for some changes, he will leave no stone unturned in his quest for the ultimate Z4V8 build.

We are working with quite a few people on this build, well they do say “teamwork makes the dream work” and we are happy to welcome another company onboard the build, Reflex Auto Design from Daventry, who will be responsible for the painting this beast, these boys need no introduction they are extremely well known for their paint qualities across a wide spectrum, from restoring old classics, to custom one off body work modifications, their credentials speak for themselves, so we are happy a company with this much talent are involved with the task of painting our beauty.

We have now decided on the final wheel choice and finish, and it was such a hard decision to make, a lot harder than we ever thought it would be.

Our wheel partners on this build is AVANT GARDE (AG Wheels) as we have been the Exclusive European importer for the brand for the last two years it was a no brainer, so it was just a few weeks of backwards and forwards of what to build.

The front wheels is a 10x19, the rear wheel is 13x19, and we have decided again to run with a different design on each side of the car, we have done this a few years now, it’s a great talking point, but it also shows what two designs and finishes look like on the car.

The first design we decided on was the AG F422 we like this design a lot, plus the fact we have only seen the design in the spec 3 concave profile, and we decided on the Spec 2 with reverse lip, this will be finish in the all new Monaco Copper, with a brushed matte centre and gloss inner and outer barrels, with brushed silver hardware and logo. On the other side we will be fitting the AGL23, from the Luxury line up, finished in black, with matte centres and gloss barrels, with Monaco Copper hardware and logo, we chose this design, because it’s very reminiscent of the race wheel that is fitted to the Z4 GT3 Race car, tyres we are using Nitto in sizes 285/30r19 front and 345/30R19 rear.

This is going to be the long four months … roll on the spring.

 

It’s been a while in the making, and believe us we have been pestering like crazy, but due to other commitments the boys have been flat out, so unable to really push on and complete the moulds, getting them ready for manufacturing, but we are happy to announce the Aspect GT Audi R8 Ultra wide body moulds are now ready, all we can say is roll out the first build.

The conversion consist of the usual parts, front bumper, separate front splitter, front replacement inner front fenders, complete front vented hood, side skirts, side blades, rear quarter panels, rear bumper, rear diffuser, with optional extras to include rear wing with supports, light weight forged 1, 2 or 3 piece forged wheels, 11” fronts with 13” rear wheels, performance valvetronic exhaust, coilover suspension, the list is endless.

We offer a full fitting service, or we can supply parts only providing they are being fitted and installed by a reputable company / body shop, it’s a fairly straight forward conversion, for a experience shop.

For more details on this aero conversion for your Audi R8, please contact our sales staff, they will be more than happy to discuss your requirements.

**Urgent Notice**

We have no association with CARBOSTUFF ENGINEERING who are based in Neumünster Germany, if you have ordered any Audi R8 Ultra or LMS UItra parts, you have paid in full, and not had delivery, please get in touch with our team, and we will assist you with getting in touch with the contact at the German Crime Squad.

 

Since the internal restructure of VAD at the start of 2015 the company has grown immensely, finding new direction in the way we have gone about our business. The company made some terrible decisions in the early years, taken mainly by a certain member of the team, the company looked great from the outside, but unfortunately it’s was a bit of a mess on the inside, I think the whole global industry will remember the RWB fiasco, let’s face it who hasn't, it's a topic that I want to personally discuss in finer detail over the coming weeks, there is a story to tell and it’s about time the truth was told, but this blog post isn’t about the past it's about the present and the future.

At the start of 2015 with the changes in place, losing the in-house paint facility of the company set us back a few months, losing various Porsche aero parts, namely the 993 and the Cayenne was no huge loss, and if im honest a huge relief, it was tarnished and still is, it bought the company and the brand nothing but hassle and aggravation, so it was time to get back to basics, after all VAD are renowned forged wheel specialists and we have been for the past 15 years, servicing the trade whilst recently opening the doors to the public domain, so it wasn’t difficult for the company to refocus and get back to doing what we do best, build and sell custom forged wheels.

The demand for aero parts was still huge, especially the GT3 aero programme we had advertised and promoted throughout 2014, and although the parts we were able for us to source and were beautifully manufactured, its worth remembering they are a race part, so the fit and finish for a road car application is like chalk and cheese, as we found out they fit where they touch, something we wouldn’t be happy selling or fitting to the world’s elite brands, so it was time to rethink and make a plan.

First of all the search was on for us to find a paint specialist that we could work with, advertising an in-house painting facility isn’t worth promoting if your work is substandard, and i would rather work side by side with companies that offer me a unique high quality service, that can then complement what we do, this is when I came across Adam Barmby and his composite company BAMD.

Those of you that read the VAD blogs will know all about how VAD and BAMD came together and what projects we have worked on, along with whats planned for the future, we both share the same quality core values, fit and finish is paramount if you are putting your name to it, as you can see from the attached pictures it’s quite evident that Adam is completely anal when it comes to finish and attention to detail.

This particular 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera is a credit to him, showing his capabilities as a car builder, every nut and bolt has been either changed or upgraded, with some crazy one off bespoke touches, I particularly like the petrol cap that’s recessed into the front bonnet, it’s a real touch of craftsmanship, the interior of this beauty is as clean as the exterior, as is the underside and engine bay, this is one meticulously put together machine, a job he's immensely proud of, who wouldn't be.

So what's next for the Aspect-GT brand. Well with enquiries coming in thick and fast from all over the world, a full carbon fibre Ferrari 458 Curseive GT3 in the planning stages, along with our new Audi R8 Ultra –R, along with our own Z4 V8 GT3 build, as well as a bit of aero enhancement to the all new 991 Porsche GT3-RS model, it’s going to be a very busy year, and as we have always said at VAD… Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort and skillful execution, a slogan we can both relate to.

 
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Saturday                9.00 am > 1.00 pm
Sunday                   Closed

Unit 5
James Road
Tyseley
Birmingham
B11 2BA
Art...Some people collect it, We like to build it
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