Interesting Bumper Mod on a Spider

sptcoupe · Post by **sptcoupe** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:20 am

Take a look at the bumper mod on this E-bay listed spider:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Fiat-Spy ... 2ea9e45353

radiopilot · Post by **radiopilot** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:43 am

Somewhere there is a 'rest area' missing the handicap handles from the handicap stalls now installed on this Spider. Along with the handicap bumpers is the mod to the door panels, seems he took another vehicle's black door panel part and added to the door panels instead of the metal/carpet kick strip.

These types of mods make the car look terrible in my view...

Nick

sptcoupe · Post by **sptcoupe** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:12 am

And what is with the puffy steering wheel? Is that an airbag adaptation?

radiopilot · Post by **radiopilot** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:20 am

sptcoupe wrote:And what is with the puffy steering wheel? Is that an airbag adaptation?

I don't think he went to the trouble of installing the crash sensors on the bumper... I just think it's a hacked wheel.

I hope some responsible person buys this car and restores it back to it's original look or close to it.

Nick

fiasco · Post by **fiasco** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:47 am

The puffy steering wheel is weird, but I don't think the rest is so bad. Wouldn't do it to my car, but I enjoy seeing people do things a little differently sometimes. One of the great things about these cars is how amenable they are to personalization. Make it your own, and if you like it, great!

Not sure about the benefit of custom power door locks though. Who locks a convertible?

-- se

spiderrey · Post by **spiderrey** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:18 am

That bumper mod has been done on a few x 1/9,s. It looks good on the x, not so good on the spider. Maybe that guy is just an ebony & ivory fan.

radiopilot · Post by **radiopilot** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:28 am

Wouldn't take much to bring back to decent condition assuming the rest of the car had no issues like rust and PO mods to the engine, etc.
If my daughter really wanted one this would be one I'd change the sterring wheel, remove the funky bumpers and add some Abarth bumpers, remove the ugly door panel additions and it might look ok... don't like the seat much so that would be another upholstery adventure for me...

Nick

Forgot... looks like a new paint job too based on the hood and front quarter panels...

Foster48x · Post by **Foster48x** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 1:10 pm

The front tube bumpers make the car look REALLY happy!

Even though the MODs aren't my cup of tea either you've gotta appreciate the love this guy/gal put into this car. It looks to be in really good shape.

amsiegel · Post by **amsiegel** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:03 pm

Here is my opinions

I kinda like the front bumer. It might look better if was chromed. It does look like a handicap bar though.

It has made me reconsider upholstering the panel around the gear shifter.

I almost painted my door panels 2 tone black/grey becuse my dash wood panels are painted grey (darker)like this one. Damn PO. Now I am also glad I did not do that.

Steering wheel pad. I think some is missing a hot water bottle somewhere. Modification does not always equal good idea

azygoustoyou · Post by **azygoustoyou** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 4:13 pm

I was wondering what it would look like to do a bumper like that. I was thinking of making it sit next to the body as close as possible though. Ferrari had a car that had a bumper close to the car. The bumper was a better shape though and looked better. I like the idea of the hitch on the back.

pope · Post by **pope** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 4:19 pm

I think it is for the Spider owner who drinks a lot. She can come out of the bar and grab onto the safety bumper and walk herself around the car to the drivers door. You can probably hang your laundry from it when your out camping.

I think everyone thinks auto design is easy and most owner that try changes to their cars prove that it should be left to the professionals.

maytag · Post by **maytag** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 7:56 pm

Okay, could be I'm really weird: but with the exception of the steering wheel, I really like it!

And Pope:
I like ya, dood, I really do. But some of us think of a car-design as a "Jumping-off-point", or a "place to start" ..... NOT the "Final answer" that you are thinking of.

And I will point-out that car designers are just hacks with jobs; just like the rest of us. To suggest that somehow they're smarter than the rest of the population is ludicrous, in my opinion, and even a little offensive.

IF God had wanted us to keep all cars stock and original, he wouldn't have invented the aftermarket.

pope · Post by **pope** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 8:46 pm

Hey, I'm all for banging on a car. Unique is good.

maytag wrote: And I will point-out that car designers are just hacks with jobs; just like the rest of us. To suggest that somehow they're smarter than the rest of the population is ludicrous, in my opinion, and even a little offensive.

I hope you were really joking there, because that would make you look really, really silly. Thats like the high school grad talking down the MIT grad. But its your opinion.

maytag · Post by **maytag** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:32 pm

pope wrote: I hope you were really joking there, because that would make you look really, really silly. Thats like the high school grad talking down the MIT grad. But its your opinion.

Not joking, but certainly good-natured in delivery.

I don't know why you'd make an assumption about my education, or that of other car-modifiers?

Nor do I know why you'd want to assert that Fiat designers / engineers are graduates-all of MIT?

Some of the smartest / most educated folks I've known have been capable of the biggest gaffs I've ever seen. That's not to suggest that they're not smart, or that they've wasted a good education; rather I'd suggest that ideas, ingenuity and creativity can come in many forms, from many sources, and simply paying somebody to do it everyday does not an expert make.

And those who would think themselves superior because of whatever degree, or signature on their paycheck, may do well to do a little googling on "Narcissus".

radiopilot · Post by **radiopilot** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:46 pm

Many auto/aerospace engineers go to a lot of trouble to go to 4-8 years of engineering school and get internships at various design centers to get the knowledge and aesthetics to design these products we drive and fly today, to think that some weekend hack is somehow going to design something better is pure nonsense...

Here are some examples of those weekend designers:

Chevrolet needs to hire this designer quick!

Here is a Corvette/Ferrari-Tesstarossa/Honda/?????

Add some fur on this one and it could episode on Dumb & Dumber Part 2.

This one is a hack of all parts found in the garage.

I'd be afraid of being next to this wizard at the stop light...

This beauty is the car to pull up to the best restaurant in town.

Enjoy the horrors and think twice before picking up that non-Fiat part to add to the car you've labored so hard to get just right.

Nick

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