BMW Z4 M Coup

I've seen a couple of these newer shape BMW Z4 M Coupe's driving around in Johannesburg recently and I reckon they'd be quite funky to do up!

Nice compact shape, a bit of power, light weight but could look quite funky

Here's a pic from the BMW South Africa site....

PPG SEMA Booth to Feature Celebrity Customizers and Designers

Some of the most accomplished custom automotive and motorcycle artists in the nation will appear in the PPG booth #23093 at the annual SEMA show to be held November 4 – 7 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. They’ll be there to display their latest work: a series of custom painted surfboards. Each surfboard reflects the artist’s interpretation of the booth’s colorful theme which marks the introduction of PPG’s new waterborne-compliant Vibrance Collection® coatings and demonstrates there’s no need to compromise creativity when working with the line’s colors and special effect finishes.

The list of celebrity artists reads like a Who’s Who of customizers. Scheduled to appear are Charles Armstrong, Justin Barnes, John Deel, Marcos Garcia, Keith Hanson, Art Himsl, Charley Hutton, Mitch Kelly, Tom Kelly, Troy Lee, Dave Perewitz, Troy Powell and Larry Wood, chief designer at Hot Wheels®. Booth visitors will have a chance to meet and chat with their favorite artist and get autographs.

In addition, the 2008 PPG Hot Wheels® Spectraflame® PAINT YOUR RIDE Contest trophy will be awarded at the booth. Larry Wood will help present this esteemed award.

SEMA show attendees are encouraged to visit the PPG booth, #23093. The schedule of events is as follows:

Tuesday, November 4th
Meet and Greet the Artists:
11:00 – 12:00 p.m. 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Charles Armstrong Justin Barnes
Keith Hanson John Deel
Art Himsl Charley Hutton
Dave Perewitz Mitch Kelly
Troy Powell Tom Kelly
Troy Lee

Wednesday, November 5th
11:00 a.m.
PAINT YOUR RIDE Award Ceremony with Larry Wood

Autograph Sessions:

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Larry Wood
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Dave Perewitz
Thursday, November 6th
Autograph Sessions:

11:00 – 12:00 p.m. Charley Hutton
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Dave Perewitz
Friday, November 7th
Meet and Greet the Artists:
11:00 – 12:00 p.m. 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Charles Armstrong John Deel
Justin Barnes Marcos Garcia
Keith Hanson Charley Hutton
Art Himsl Mitch Kelly
Dave Perewitz Tom Kelly
Troy Powell Troy Lee

Would you buy a car online?

So as some of you know, I’m on something of a mission to work out how online consumers (Both private and corporate) in South Africa think and I guess what they would and wouldn’t buy online.

My two part question for today is pretty simple:

- WOULD YOU BUY A CAR ONLINE?
- WOULD YOU SOURCE A CAR TO BUY ONLINE?

Upfront I would say I wouldn’t buy a car online simply because I hadn’t seen it or done a test drive in it so I wouldn’t be able to make a fair assessment of the car.

But then car sites like Auto Pedigree (See right) and Carfind wouldn’t do the business they do.

At the same time, people use an auction site like BidOrBuy to actually buy cars on auction. There is this competition they have running here.

Here are some examples of prices that people have paid for cars on BidOrBuy recently - as you can see not exactly chump change:

2008 Chery QQ3 8.0 TE. Market price: R59,900.00; winning bid: R50,051.00
2008 VW Tena City 1.4l. Market price: R75,300; winning bid: R68,000.00
2008 Suzuki Swift. Market price: R131,900.00; winning bid: R123,506.00
2008 Toyota Yaris. Market price: R100,300.00; winning bid: R88,200.00

Looks like you can get some nice deals there!

Dunno - tell me what you think - would you buy a car online?

Shelby

I was on the Sportech website and came across this Shelby image they have in their gallery.

OMG! How hot is this?!

The paint job looks really hot but I can imagine that it muse be an absolute nightmare to keep it looking like that.

Stone chips etc would be seriously irritating.

Renault Sport - Gold / Yellow

Renault have come out with a pretty funky yellow / gold for their Sport Range.

Seen a couple of them driving around recently.

Don't have a great picture but I guess you'll recognise the colour when you see it!

Pic from the previous post

Historic models in Münster and at the Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring

Three strong partners have made it possible: On Saturday September 6, 2008, two pieces of automotive history will be on show at BASF Coatings in Münster. For the plant’s Open Day, Opel Classics, BASF SE and BASF Coatings are presenting two milestones in the history of the car, an Opel Motorwagen from the year 1908 and an Opel Kapitän from the year 1958. Both vintage cars have been restored and repainted. Even before their guest appearance in Münster, the two cars will first be on show at the “Oldtimer Grand Prix” to be held at the Nürburgring (August 8 to 10).

Both 4-wheel vintage models were deliberately chosen because their years of manufacture correspond to landmark anniversary years that are being celebrated in 2008 by the Glasurit paint brand of BASF Coatings. Just as the two car models are 100 and 50 years old respectively this year, Glasurit is also celebrating three special anniversaries. In 1888 Max Winkelmann established a company to sell coatings and colorants. Ten years later, in 1898, Max Winkelmann decided to market all the products under the name “Glasurit”. Finally, in 1908, the firm was converted into a joint-stock company (“Aktiengesellschaft”). The plant in Münster-Hiltrup was opened in 1903.

Both vehicles were painted at the paintshop of Glasurit customer Georg Büttner in Darmstadt. Both vintage cars arrived at the paintshop dismantled in individual parts and had to be carefully and progressively painted. The work has continued over several weeks, since the original colors had all been applied.

Paintshop owner Georg Büttner, himself a genuine fan of vintage automobiles, one thing was happy: “It is wonderful to be ready in time for the two big events”.

The Opel Kapitän was produced in its various versions from 1938 to 1970, and together with the Opel Admiral and Opel Diplomat formed the top of the Opel range. The P 2.5 appeared in 1958 and had a 2.5-liter engine with a power of 59 kW (80 hp).

Panoramic windows, tail fins and two-color paintwork were the hallmarks of the cars of the late fifties. In keeping with these lines, the Kapitän 1958 had a lean, modern look, with a slightly sloping roof. The luxuriously chrome-plated front end and the sweeping, eye-catching bumper follow the lines of the fenders. Wraparound panoramic windows integrate the roof structure harmoniously into the overall design. Chrome trims divide the side panels, which flow naturally into the rounded tail fins. The rear lights are arranged in the characteristic shape of a keyhole embedded in the ends of the tail fins. This feature in fact also gave the 4.70-meter long Opel top model its nickname – it was rapidly dubbed the “Keyhole” Kapitän.

The Opel 10/18 hp double-phaeton, which has also now been freshly restored, was presented in glowing words at its market launch in 1908:
“Proceeding from the principle that only the best is good enough, Opel‑Werke this season is putting a small 4-cylinder model on the market, taking fully into account the demand of the public for this type of vehicle and being sure to satisfy the most extensive requirements,” read the brochure of the time for this motor vehicle that was priced at 8,500 Deutschmark. The features that were particularly emphasized were its "usability as both town and touring car, absolute operating safety, light weight and consequent extremely low tire wear, minimal gas and oil consumption, simplest conceivable mechanism with resulting ease of use even without a chauffeur, speed of up to 60 km/h, gearshift guide channel, magneto ignition, precision workmanship and top-class materials".

The 10/18 hp Motorwagen was particularly successful in motor sports. For example, in 1909 it won first and second place at the then renowned “East German Königsberg – Zoppot Touring Rally” and won second prize at the speed race organized by the Automobile Club of Argentina. It also won the 1025-km long international “Test drive for light cars – Vienna – Triest – Klagenfurt – Vienna”.

In the same year, the 10/20-hp model, which was of identical design but with 2 hp extra power, won first, third and fifth places in the most important race of the year, the roughly 2000-km long "International Prinz Heinrich Touring Rally” and received the top prize from the Imperial Automobile Club.

Land Rover - Burnt Orange / Gold Colour

I'm not normally a fan of Land Rovers, but I've recently seen one in a Burnt Orange / Gold colour in South Africa - it looks stunning!

I'm sure I have also seen the same colour on Renault quite recently.

Does anyone out there have any idea what the colour is? I've checked the local dealer sites and none of them have the colour listed as a standard - would love to know what it is.

Fast, high quality and inexpensive: MicroRepair with Standoflash

Standoflash from Standox, Wuppertal, is a particularly fast and economical UV refinishing system for bodyshops. All components dry in next to no time under UV light, cutting the usual repair times for small areas by up to 70 percent. Standoflash achieves brilliant results in only 25 minutes and allows bodyshops to offer professional repairs at attractive prices. The fully VOC-compliant UV refinishing system was launched in the market only a short time ago. Three examples from Germany show how it is used in practice by experienced bodyshop professionals.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a small dent or a deep scratch. “Take your time and have a coffee, we’ll repair your car in the meantime”, is what master craftsman Jürgen Mailbeck from Langenfeld likes to tell his customers in such cases – and is usually rewarded with incredulous looks. But Standoflash from Standox keeps what he promises, as the UV filler, stopper and 2K clearcoat set new standards in the repair of damage up to a size of an A4 sheet – not only in terms of speed, but also with regard to consumption and cost-efficiency.

All Standoflash products can be processed as usual. The only difference is that they dry extremely quickly under the special UV lamp, and consume less energy than conventional booth drying. The stopper, for instance, needs less than 45 seconds to through dry under the UV flashlight. This is beaten only by the filler, which needs less than 30 seconds. Master refinisher Klaus Stenzel, who works at the Burchert bodyshop in Kempen especially appreciates the fact “that the cars do not block the booth. We can perform all the necessary tasks at the filler application area.” This enables the workers to complete more jobs in the same time.

The reduced downtimes were also the main benefit that prompted Peter Triptrap, proprietor of E. Triptrap Fahrzeug­lackierung in Schermbeck, to invest in the new UV system. “Now we can work in a continuous process. There are no more waiting times or major cleaning work, as the long potlives of the filler and the stopper (both 1K products) mean that no waste is produced.” “And the results are really convincing”, adds Jürgen Mailbeck. “It is true that the filler requires some getting used to, but it is easy to process. The same applies to the stopper. And the 2K clear offers excellent adhesion and a perfect flow, not to mention the fact that it can be polished immediately after drying. In fact it’s so fast there’s no time for a coffee break between coats,” he says tongue-in-cheek.

And the customers? They are highly satisfied – with the result of the repair, the time they save and the affordable price. After all, the bodyshop operators include the reduced time requirements, the energy savings and the low consumption of the UV materials into their calculation and pass these advantages on to their customers. And this approach pays off. Motorists who come to the bodyshop to have larger damage repaired increasingly decide to have smaller repairs as well. At least this is what the three professionals we interviewed have learned.
Standox is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of automotive refinishing paints. With its headquarters in Wuppertal, Germany, the company offers innovative and environmentally compatible product systems worldwide. Standox seeks to build long term relationships with its customers based on premium product quality and high levels of practical support. Approvals from all major manufacturers reflect the company’s position as a leading partner to the automotive industry. As such, the Standox brand gives professional refinishers the assurance of perfect results every time.

www.standox.com

Save time and money with new DTM technology

Bring speed back into your workshop with ChemSpec's latest breakthrough direct to metal primer (DTM). DTM is an epoxy-modified primer system and is isocyanate free. With its excellent anti-corrosion properties it sticks beautifully to aluminium and steel.

DTM is the magic tool when your bodyshop is feeling the pressure of too many jobs and too little time. By using DTM, you're completely cutting out the intermediary stage of etch or wash priming which inevitably accelerates turn-around time of repair jobs. In fact, you can save up to 1 hour per job with DTM.

You can now prime bare metal surfaces without any pre-treatment. DTM is better than traditional epoxy primers due to its fast sanding properties. It is fully compliant with USA VOC legislation and can be applied to steel, aluminium and galvanised steel. DTM gives a high film build and provides optimum adhesion and excellent corrosion protection on bare metal and OEM surfaces.

The development of Metalux 2 DTM is yet another reason why we're getting people to convert from over-priced refinish systems to Metalux 2.

Competing in the same league as other top brands, this premium refinish system offers you a whole range from primers, basecoats, clearcoats, hardeners and accessories that deliver superior performance in any climate.

Fallen

I have fallen in lust with the Newport Blue Pearl that they are currently using on the Subaru Legacy in South Africa.

Available on the Subaru 2.5 GT Premium Sedan and 3.0 Premium Sedan, this is probably my colour of the year. My feeling is that if you are looking for an executive sedan with a bit of go, classy exterior looks and you don't want to go German, then give some serious consideration to this combination.

The Satin Pearl White isn't bad either. Subaru seem to have gotten their colours right this year and definately something to consider.

Out of this world “Chip-tuning” for R-M paints

Münster / Southfield. California native Chip Foose, car designer and host of the internationally known TV series Overhaulin’, is considered to be one of the world’s best-known and admired designers. And now, Foose will be developing an exclusive Line of special colors for BASF Coatings’ R-M automotive refinish brand, adding a special feature to the brand’s CARIZZMA Premium paints, which have just made their public debut. The name of the exciting new color Line, which will be produced in a limited edition, is “Foose.” During the course of this year, it will be available for purchase as an environmentally friendly waterborne basecoat.

Design or no design – that’s not the question

The saying “Fine feathers make fine birds” applies to cars, too. And “Foose Design” has already been using R-M to give their vehicles a fantastic outward appearance for years. Chip Foose’s life is dedicated to asphalt art. He earned his design degree from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and turned his passion for hot wheels and design into a career. His success was meteoric. By the age of 31, Foose had already made it to the “Hot Rod Hall of Fame.” These days, Foose’s passion includes both designing new hot rods, like the Foose “Hemisfear,” as well as souping up older vehicles. Whatever he does, his motto is “quality, not quantity.” Individual design is everything. Foose applies his unique ideas to production vehicles, lending them a distinctive appearance. This look is so unusual and new that the English language has had to be expanded to accommodate it. Foose’s fan club has a special word for a car that has seen his magic: “foosified.” To get an idea of how this works, viewers from all over the world can tune into Foose’s series Overhaulin’, in which he introduces them to all aspects of automotive design, from rebuilding the body to designing the interior, as well as sophisticated paintwork design. To add even more spice to these designs, R-M and Foose are now working together to develop new colors. “Chip Foose has long been a friend of BASF and a fan of our automotive refinish paints,” said Darlene Eilenberger, Director of Marketing for BASF Coatings in North America. She is particularly looking forward to the new joint project. “We are very excited about taking our relationship with Chip to a new level as we work with him to create a new line of custom colors.”

Formula for success

In his series Overhaulin’, Foose is known for playing tricks on celebrities like Lance Armstrong to get a chance to make over their vehicles. But when it comes to quality, he’s dead serious. When selecting the people and products for his company, Foose accepts only the “best of the best.” When he started up “Foose Design,” he made a point of selecting R-M paints. “I talked to the people who really know their paint – the painters and the retailers. And every one of them gave me the same recommendation for paint: R-M,” said Foose, whose passion for paint was probably nurtured at an early age. As a young boy, he much preferred sprayguns to water pistols, using the paints in his father’s workshop to spray his bicycle. His father, Sam Foose, was already using R-M 40 years ago. “I probably repainted my bike a hundred times,” Foose recalled. It has been over 30 years since he spraypainted his first car at the age of 12. In what has come to be his standard, even back then he didn’t cut any corners when refinishing a Porsche 356, turning it into a real gem. Now, at 41, Foose is particularly enjoying his partnership with BASF Coatings, which is allowing him to create new colors with its proven quality. The new R-M colors are the next step toward greater individuality and exclusive paint design. The cooperation shows that even the best quality can be improved when two partners share their visions. “BASF Coatings and I share a goal: We want to take paint to a new level,” he said. In his cooperation with R-M, there are no limits to his creativity. And so the formula for unique design of the future is as follows: Take one portion of tradition and add a portion of solid quality. Add in the “Foose factor”. And voila. That's all it takes to come up with individual and high-quality solutions: R-M CARIZZMA paints with a Foose effect.

R-M Automotive Refinish : an important part of BASF Coatings

Under the R-M brand, BASF markets a comprehensive range of automotive refinishing paint systems, focusing on eco-efficient waterborne basecoats and high-solids paints. By using these systems all legal solvent-reduction requirements can be complied with anywhere in the world, and with regard to appearance and resistance, the products meet the same quality standards as solvent-borne paints. In this area, the company offers a wide variety of services to support its customers. R-M Automotive Refinish is approved by most of the leading car manufacturers for aftermarket repair and chosen by the world's most prestigious car companies for its color expertise.

Web Site R-M : www.rmpaint.com

Nissan banks on Spies Hecker

From now on, the Middle Eastern Service Centers of car maker Nissan are using Spies Hecker technology for accident repairs.

Fast, efficient and high-quality vehicle refinishing: Car maker Nissan Middle East FZE and the Cologne paint-maker Spies Hecker have now signed a three-year agreement in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on the use of advanced Spies Hecker paint products and training. Along with its product approval, Nissan Middle East is now banking on hand-on Spies Hecker training as well.
"In view of the upcoming launch of the new Nissan GT-R and other innovative models in the next few years, we are very happy that Spies Hecker is supporting us and the Nissan Service Centers with innovative products and professional expertise. This way, damaged Nissan vehicles can be successfully restored to their former condition," explains Norihide Tomita, Manager Aftersales of Nissan Middle East FZE. In the context of the Nissan Middle East FZE training programmes, practical training will be carried out initially in Dubai, head office of Nissan Middle East FZE, and extended from here to the entire Nissan Service Center network in the Middle East.

"The partnership with Nissan Middle East FZE puts us and our importers to the test – a challenge we're more than willing to accept. Our high-quality training will help to develop and improve the quality and productivity of vehicle refinishing in the Nissan Service Centers," says Spies Hecker Brand Manager Melzer.

High-grade paints and a close relationship with the vehicle refinishing trade – this has been the philosophy of Spies Hecker for 126 years. The Cologne-based company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of refinishing paints. In over 60 countries, Spies Hecker offers its customers easy-to-use products, practical solutions and personal service on site.

PPG Announces Winner of Hot Wheels® Spectraflame® Paint Your Ride Contest

July 14, 2008 – Jim Cooper was named the winner of the 2008 PPG Hot Wheels® Spectraflame® PAINT YOUR RIDE Contest. The announcement was made at the 11th Annual Goodguys PPG Nationals in Columbus, held this past weekend.

Cooper, of Laguna Hills, California, was selected from a field of 12 finalists that included custom painters, car builders, and hot rod enthusiasts. Entrants created original paint schemes for their vehicles using eye-catching Hot Wheels® Spectraflame® colors available in PPG’s Vibrance Collection®. The co-branded custom colors mimic those found on the Hot Wheels® line of die-cast toy vehicles from Mattel, Inc.

Cooper’s winning entry was a 1956 Chevrolet Handyman 2-door wagon painted in PPG’s Hot Wheels® Spectraflame® Medium Sapphire with silver flames. Co-owned by Cooper’s wife Melinda, the winning car features a blown 496 big block with turbo 400, a 9" rear; and an Air Ride suspension built by Randy Ward at Rod Benders.

“All the entries were truly spectacular, so it is a real honor to be named the winner,” said Cooper. “I was amazed to see all the wild and over-the-top finishes you can achieve with Spectraflame paint!”

As the Grand Prize winner, Cooper will receive an exclusive Hot Wheels® 1/18” scale model award trophy featuring his winning paint scheme. The scheme will also be reproduced on a future Hot Wheels® toy car to be introduced in 2009 by Mattel, Inc. In addition, the dazzling ’56 Chevy wagon will be showcased in the PPG booth at the 2008 SEMA show in Las Vegas and displayed in full color on a 2009 PPG calendar along with the other finalists. It will also appear in an upcoming issue of PPG Repaint Reporter magazine.

A distinguished panel of judges selected the winning entry. The panel included Dave Perewitz of Perewitz Cycle Fabrication, Paul Stoll, PPG’s custom painting trainer, Larry Wood, chief designer at Hot Wheels®, Brian Brennan of Street Rodder, and Ed Capen of Goodguys Rod & Custom Association.

Wood acknowledged how difficult it was picking one winner out of 12 stunning vehicles. “We were so impressed with all the finalist cars. It was a very difficult decision. Everyone has their own taste in cars, and each judge had their favorites. But in the end, we all agreed on the Chevy Wagon. It had everything—awesome paint, cool graphics, a great overall look.”

View the winning vehicle and all the finalists of the 2008 Hot Wheels® Spectraflame® PAINT YOUR RIDE contest.

Introduction

Welcome to the Spray Shop blog.

To give you a bit of background information - I am a South African entrepreneur. My first exposure to the Automotive Refinish / Sprayshop environment came through my IT company. We developed a Paintshop Management Systems (PMS) for the South African market for the mixing of automotive toners.

In the course of my work I spent a helluva a lot of time in a variety of different sprayshops watching how they work. I got to see everything from the high end shops that dealt with brands like Porsche and Ferrari, right down to the guy who did touch up jobs out of the boot of his car.

I loved the smell and sights of a bodyshop in action and am adamant I'm going to launch my own shop shortly. The industry as a whole fascinates me and I believe that readers will find it just as intriguing when they see how the industry operates.

The idea behind this Spray Shop blog is to allow me to cover spray shop industry related news and information as well as provide a bit of a meeting place for professionals to share ideas and comments on different toners, suppliers and technology.