Puma Diaries - Vol 1
So I’ve been thinking about how we can communicate with you guys a bit better over the last few weeks and I’ve decided this is the starting point for doing that. I’m going to keep you up to date with what I’m up to and how the car is progressing. We are looking at other ways we can interact with you lot even further. Maybe I'll start doing YouTube stuff in a Jamie FYD or Adam Ivell style… we’ll see!
Anyway, I thought for the opening post in Puma Diaries I’d give you a bit of back story about me and the car, I bought this car 10 years ago as a 21st birthday present to myself and it was a proper minter, no rot, lady owner and full service history. I can still remember the exact house I got it from and how the lady I bought it off cried when I drove it away. I do sometimes think it would be funny to go and stick it on her drive and see if she would recognise it!
When I bought it I went through the phase of wheels and coilovers for lows and used the car everyday for a good few years.
I did however introduce the car to a tree one evening coming home from work…. The resulting damaged took me around 5 months to repair.
Eventually while I was working at Bruntingthorpe I needed something a bit more economical and for the first time I was a two car guy.
This is when the modifications started to really push the car down the track day route, all the interior was removed, bucket seats etc.
The car has remained largely unchanged over the last few years, I’ve spent most of my money and spare time doing track days rather than building engines and other new parts. For me the car is for driving not for being sat in a garage never to be finished.
I’ve done countless track days now with this car and every time I go out I learn something new and develop myself as a driver.
And after 100’s of laps together I know the car inside and out, I know all its little noises and how to get the best out of it. We’ve had a few issues along the way, a few offs here and there but never anything major and this car has never mechanically let me down. It’s been a seriously tough little machine!
A couple of years ago the car underwent its biggest visual change for a long time, I got in touch with BYC Designs about a wing and skirts for the car.
I dropped my car off with Mark and he spent around 6 weeks developing the aero package for the car.
I dropped my car off with Mark and he spent around 6 weeks developing the aero package for the car.
It translated into a huge difference in feel when on track, the car felt more planted going through fast corners. Turn 1 at Rockingham was flat before but the car would move around a lot, now its flat and stable.
That brings us relatively up to date and I'l give you another update once I've finished the next round of modifications. Those of you who know and follow my Instagram will already know that car no longer sits on the orange OZ wheels. I'l reveal the new wheels in the next post.