Archive for January 13th, 2009

Classic Plastic?

January 13, 2009

Nowadays, there’s so many FRP (Fibreglass Re-inforced Plastic) and Carbon Fibre panels, components and different styles of bodykits available, it’s seems almost commonplace and it can be hard to remember a time when all these things weren’t really a concern for most.  Afterall there was a time when having the car was enough, but of course, with affordability and access to cars becoming so much greater over time, in order for people to maintain some form of individuality over their friends and co-workers who had bought the same car. If you had no fabrication or mechanical skills to speak of, what on earth would you do?!

You’d buy something from manufacturer’s of body-kits and styling products such as this…

Mk 3 Ford Escort with Kamei Body Stlying

Mk 3 Ford Escort with Kamei Body Stlying

They became the thing to have, they could be ordered from many local “speedshops” and/or where a local automotive or bodywork retailer had managed to snaffle the distribution rights.  Generally, as it is now, they were able to be bought in pieces for you to affix yourself or bought as a kit and installed by the retailer.  As you can see by that picture with it’s colour coded wheels as well as kit, taste is a fine thing and you can almost taste that car just by looking at it.

Of course, Kamei wasn’t the only manfacturer of bodykits during the earlier days, there were plenty of others…

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