Finally, I am able to answer one of the most frequently-asked (of me) questions over the past year or so.

Q. When are you getting your Coupe back?
A. TODAY!!!!

That very nice Mr Carl and Mr John set off from the frozen north at some ungodly hour this morning, and just after 8am, C8PPO finally returned home!

It only looks flippin blinkin well blimmin AMAZING!

Th weather is dull here today and I can't drive it to some nice photo-opportunity location until I go and tax it at lunchtime, but I know you lot will be baying for pictures, so here's a little taster. The light outside, the conditions, and apparently my camera don't even go half-way to doing it justice - it looks SOOOO much better in the flesh. But at least this will give you an idea of what, now, if I might be so modest, has to be one of the best Coupes in the country?

Hello!

Looking fabulous

Not a ding in sight!

None here either!

Plenty of work done under here too

Red!

Powder-coated and spotless!


Carl is planning a photo montage of everything from the day it crashed up to today, with all the stripping, repairing and horrors found in between times.

Carl, I just want to say a massive public Thanks to you and John for this. If this turns out to be your Coupe swansong, then as far as I'm concerned, you've gone out on the highest note possible. It's brilliant, and both Juliet and I are absolutely delighted with it.

A Very Happy Cappy.

Maybe Carl is moving onto sEnny's - mans finest achivement.

Good post Cappo, bet it feels great to have THE MINTER. However bet you will be very paranoid from now on when parking/leaving it! Anyway do a massive burnout for me in the RO.

Fantastic job guys!! Surely this must want you to do more like this? All the best to enjoy it Cappo

Looking

Wow, looks fantastic, now go polish your car!

Looks great, really nice, all the expense has paid off, it looks like a new car!

Gareth

It really does, Gareth, it's just like a new car!

Have just driven it for the first time in 18 months! Only a few miles, a round trip to it's new lodgings in a secure. dry garage half a mile away. Felt really good to be back in it.

Very very tasty indeed, you're rightly proud of it

Aw Cap, that looks just perfect. I'm delighted and horrified for you at the same time. I well remember your posts shortly after you got the Monaro about it's well being and I fear for your mental state

lol, how well you know me! I was a bag of nerves driving it!

Looks great Cappo, but I suspect those pics really won't do it justice! Moon grey is kinda difficult to capture on camera, it often looks dull and boring. Find a proper camera and make some decent pics

I'm surprised you don't apply the correct spacing to the number plate, for added peace of mind

Mah, looks OK

Is it the standard silver, just looks a little duller in the photos, also whats that mark on the passenger door!!


Muwahahahahahaha

Looks really nice!

Now check the oil!

Same plate, same spacing before as after and I haven't had a problem (yet!).

The spacing between the groups is greater than the spacing between the group characters, but slightly less than it should be.

(PS - the "before" pic came out much better than the after! I think that one was taken with a flash.)

Looks well pony.

Lucky lad.

Best coop alive!........easily!

Are you going to drive it or just keep it for car shows? I would do the later if i were you!!!!!

Carl at his best.

Thanks t0m0!

Plan so far is to keep it tucked away safe and dry, roll it out for nice sunny jaunts, and carry on doing that until one of us pops our clogs!

Would it be rude to ask how much it's cost you to get it like that?

Looks lovely Cappo

Well done to Carl and John

Looks absolutely perfect. Not a ding, or mark on it.

Take it from me. You won't want to leave it anywhere now.

Looks a fantastic job. Must be the best in the UK

Thanks all. Alan, if you're as pleased with yours as I am with mine, then we're both very happy!!

Cappo, lovely example, they've done a really nice job and you can certainly see the effort from the under the bonnet pic .

To really bring that new paintwork out in a photo try some morning sunshine pictures, dawn light makes this colour look great, you must be chuffed

Thanks CC, I'll see how the weather is at the weekend (not looking good) or if not then Carl's pics will probably do it a lot more justice.

@Spee - don't really want to get into that; let's just say it was a very significant amount more than any other price I've seen quoted on here. Carl's opinion, notwithstanding the fact that he did the work, was that it's about the best standard you can reach without delving into a ££ 5-figure full nuts & bolts stripdown.

Needless to say, it is now, and will remain, totally standard - no fiddling about with this one.

Fair enough! I'm just curious, I wince at having to pay for anything for my car yet always feel better when I've done it! Mines being resprayed over the winter and I'll be replacing a lot of parts that I think make the car look old, usual stuff, perished pipes, discoloured plastics (washer bottle etc).

Cheers, look after yours, like you need telling!

I missed what happened to your original coupe cappo.. I remember you getting your monaro but cant remember you coop.

Was it in an accident and rebuilt from there?

Always known carl had been working on something special for you but it looks just magnificent... I think I actually love the engine bay

@Mottles - the Coupe is/was a 2000/X Moonie Plus. Suffered a front end shunt about 18 months ago, but we (mostly Carl!) managed to rescue it from the chop and that was when the plan started to hatch.

There wasn't much wrong structurally, just the front X-member iirc. It wasn't written off in the end, so not recorded as such. Was lucky to save it from that fate, as Adder's Plus, which was almost identical in terms of age/value/damage etc, was lost to the hacker.

Ooh thats very nice

Am I the only fccuker who HASN'T had their coupe resprayed (NB: It is in dire need of a respray though)