CSET

Very nice, glws!

Here's my armrest console as a comparison - you can see how it gets in the way haha. Expect to have this in the next couple of weeks or so, excited! Recaro2 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr Recaro1 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr

Here's a pic of the console. Not my car (clearly, its LHD)

Next up for this car is an oem armrest delete center console in schwartz - gets in the way now the seats are quite a lot lower. Also some replacement plastic sill trims, I put a scratch in one getting the old seats out. Big mods here haha

Yep, my father owns this one. Good car, well looked after (as you'd expect haha).

They are pretty low - which suits me ok being lanky but probably wouldn't suit many others! Pulled the seats out again today and moved rails back an inch on the drivers side - seating position is now absolutely spot on! Thanks again to Atlantiskiwi you rock.

Working on getting a new car cover for MTOY at the moment, given I have a big bit of scaffolding over the back the current cover just won't do. I've partnered up with Covercraft to supply premium indoor covers to NZ, check out www.nzcarcovers.com (disclaimer it points to my website haha). Will post pics when it arrives.

Went for a drive, new seats are awesome. Nice and snug without being full-on race seats. Would recommend. IMG_60961 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr

Not fussed about street cred - this car barely sees the street ..! Besides, I've just installed all that lovely carbon fiber in the car - it'd be a waste to start removing trim. That said, the weight savings from replacing the seats is comprehensive. The Recaro's are so much lighter - rails and mounts included!

It's quite strange sitting on the floor haha - they're a lot lower than standard seats. That's the point I guess. Heaps more supportive than the oems too - mine didn't have the electronic side bolsters, so that might make a difference.

Recaro seats are in! Huge thanks to atlantiskiwi for his help. The seat rails took a fair amount of 'massaging' with a dremel to fit. NZKW straight bolt on ... Need to bolt up properly but we're 90% of the way there. Seats1 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr Seats2 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr

Badass! Great find!!

Haha that's a problem that's shared by many mate All good will be awesome to see you!

Keen to see how long the tyre lettering lasts. The issue I had with the $11 UNI Paint pens from Supercheap was yellowing after 3 months or so. Whether it was caused by age or cleaning/tyre protection (or a combo of the two) I don't know. Vinyl lettering could be an option next if your method doesn't last - there's a few applying it now.

This is the brush I used. Not a sales pitch, any soft-bristled brush should work just as well. I've actually bought a 'specialist' alcantara brush from Ebay today to try - watch this space..! https://unitedcarcare.co.nz/shop/brand/valet-pro/boars-hair-dash-brush/ Interior cleaner - once again any mild interior cleaner should do the trick - just don't use much & make sure it's not too strong or you risk damaging the alcantara. If in doubt, dilute. https://unitedcarcare.co.nz/shop/brand/valet-pro/classic-interior-cleaner-500ml/ Microfibres. I do 2-packs of these for $10 in-store. https://unitedcarcare.co.nz/shop/brand/united-car-care/high-quality-300gsm-seamless/ EDIT: try not to use those thick white terry cloths. I got impatient and tried one - it seems they're a bit harsh (started taking the dye out of the seat/turning black!!). Gotta be so bloody gentle.

Sure mate, it's not hard but I found it takes a lot of time and patience to get right - it took me just under 5hrs to do this seat, and it was mainly focused on the patches shown. The danger with alcantara is scrubbing too hard and removing the pile (making it worse) - so you need to be extra gentle agitating the seat. I found it most effective to work in small sections, about 6in x 6in square. I used a soft-bristled boar's hair brush, two clean 300gsm microfibres & a very small amount of all purpose interior cleaner (I stock all of these in my shop if you're after any). Spray APC onto brush bristles (a couple of sprays, don't want the alcantara to get too damp), work evenly into the alcantara for a minute with the brush, gently wipe off residue, repeat. It took me 15-20 goes on each section to get the result pictured. I'm not sure this is the best way (as It's painstakingly slow) but it was the most effective method for me as I couldn't afford to risk damaging the seat!

The driver's seat was getting a bit shiny on the wear-areas (side bolster & centre seat). I spent a few hours detailing it the other day Before (the alcantara is matted in places & shiny in others, looking worn): 20160516_115454_HDR by Christian Taylor, on Flickr 20160516_115442_HDR by Christian Taylor, on Flickr 20160516_115448_HDR by Christian Taylor, on Flickr After (different camera, but no more shinyness or matting): IMG_5032 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr IMG_5049 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr IMG_5054 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr IMG_5040 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr And matching alcantara shoes, courtesy of my wife. These'll be staying in this car once I put the seats in..! AlcantaraOverload by Christian Taylor, on Flickr

Hey mate after some digging around it seems these seats were an option for the Evo 8 MR. Here's some that were up for sale a little while ago: http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-accessories/mitsubishi/interior/auction-1078406135.htm You'll probably have more luck buying them in oz, I found a few listings over there, including this one where he said they're from an S2000. Worth looking into, but I can't find any pics of s2k's with these seats: http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/liverpool/other-parts-accessories/genuine-recaro-evo-8-mr/1113343030

Not sure on exact model mate. I've had these seats in another car for a year or so, and love the balance of comfort vs support. Way more comfy than my old fixed back racing seats, and much more supportive than OEM M3 ones. Plus they look <3 in full alcantara. They don't bolt in directly, you need aftermarket floor mounts, as well as spare seat & airbag occupancy sensors from BMW (unless you're happy to hack up your OEM seats). The added bonus of aftermarket mounts is you can interchange a variety of bucket vs reclining seats with ease.

The fun never ends! S54 is more than enough power for me - the car has a lot more potential than the driver in this case. Which I like - I'm still learning how to drive it properly.

If you don't like the wing you definitely won't like what's coming next haha Recaros1 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr

I was lucky to have the chance to compare the fake carbon roof against some real ones over the past few days. Not bad! Fest4 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr

I did a bit of research and it seems that carbon wrap comes in different 'grades'. Not sure if this is an official thing across brands or just a guideline tho. Also a shot from the front Roof2 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr Edit - I had a layer of 3M protection film applied to the front splitter after the last Rally to help protect it against gravel rash. It was pretty bad haha 13086877_1054817571231770_5435005651463935159_o by Christian Taylor, on Flickr

I went for a proper drive on the new wheels last weekend, and having a little more sidewall on smaller wheels seemed to give the car a more stable feeling on the road. It didn't seem so bouncy or jittery over bumps, and was still quite planted at 99kph - not sure how much of this was a placebo with shiny new wheels tho tbh. I'm still chipping away at the odd thing here & there on this car. The boys at AutoStance kindly applied a 5d carbon film to the roof panel. Whilst I'm a huge fan of real carbon fiber and all the other carbon parts on this car are genuine, I can't afford a new roof panel. Besides, I'm not a good enough driver to justify the weight saving of a real carbon roof, so this is purely for aesthetics. This wrap is awesome, and adds nicely to the look imo. If you're after carbon wrap definitely check them out - Matt or Heino at autostance.co.nz or just pm me and I'll send details. Roof3 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr Roof1 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr Close up Fake by Christian Taylor, on Flickr

Nice looks great, awesome photos too!