Nicely done- that looks the business.

Coming along very nicely!

Looks very good Barber,the methodology and the execution are looking good at this stage. Will be a very nice shape once completed. Looking forward a lot to seeing this one progress.

That's coming together nicely .....would like to see a few different angles...

The new Complete Kit Car magazine has a fair bit of Tribute stuff in it this month ...The new Rook stuff , a yellow 250 SWB convertible that looks pretty good ...some good coverage but not a single reference to Tribute themselves which I found disappointing ...

Not convinced on the rear window I'm afraid. It just screams window upside down to me, sorry. Could a perspex window be moulded from it, that would allow the top corners to be trimmed. I think that would greatly improve the look and give space for the rear side windows.
I Emailed Brian about the DB5 rear window and it was a custom 1 off. I wonder how much one would cost? You could use the Micra screen for curvature and just ask for the top corners to be modified, or is it not that easy?

More pics to follow in a few weeks.I should have taken a side shot whilst I was at it, but got distracted by the discussions on various style enhancements.

Ha, I knew it wouldn't get past your good taste filter. :lol: We could have gone the custom manufacture, but the idea of re-using stock parts appeals, and I have a blunter aesthetic. Whilst the rear is less tapered down the roofline, and lass sleek, I kind of like how it is, so we are going with it. Anyhow, should there ever be a convertible, it won't make any difference. :-)

Of course, the convertible will be different, it will be much nicer!

Nice to see some more progress, have you got your car back yet?

Collecting the car tomorrow as we are home for the weekend. Back in Bristol for another week of school runs next week, then home again for two weeks before a fortnight trip to see my other daughter. However, during those two weeks I have to strip out the kitchen and bathroom ready for the fitter who is arriving on my return.

End of October before I can do anything on the Z3, and then it will probably be too cold/wet a lot of the time.

Kitchen and bathroom sound like a job for the wife leaving you to get on with the more important things.

Z3 Update
 

As the car was in the garage for a few weeks, the MOT ran out. The garage gave it a once over before the test, and discovered that the rear brake lines need replacing. Not a big job, but one they could not fit in on Friday, so it will have to wait until next week.

The good news is that I got to have a look underneath the car whilst it was up on the ramp. Very little corrosion, and any surface rust can probably be dealt with in an hour or two, so a bit of good news.

On the electrical side, they said that they experienced the one week wonder depletion from the battery a couple of times, but after they gave it a full charge on their super dooper charger, it has so far lasted two weeks. Could be good news (he said something about the battery being re-cycled - that was not putting it in the green skip) but we shall see.

I fitted a new battery to mine but it isn't taxed so not being used. I get in it turn the key and nothing or sometimes a clicking. Connect a battery pack to it and it starts first time. Remove the battery pack straight away and it will still start and will do so for about a week. After that it needs the booster to kick it back into life. New battery, clean terminals, can't work it out unless ut goes into sleep mode when not used for a length of time, my Harley does this but I have never heard of a BMW doing it.

Where we are heading
 

Lancelot Link raised a valid point about not enough pictures of how the car is shaping up, soI thought I would share some of the thinking about how Chris and I are evolving the Z3gato.

For the side profile, all the Zagato/Pininfarina influences of the 1960s come into play in part. However, the images below of the Lancia Flamina and the AM DB4 models give the general impression best, though at the front, the AM more round wing profile and the Lancia Appia is more where we are going. At the rear, we are definitely going for a longer boot as the Lancias and AM show, rather than the short one on the Bristol. The Lancia Flamina’s front wings have a bit of the Jaguar look about them, and we are not going for that.

The Bristol gives a better idea of where the rear quarter light is going to be, though it is not too dissimilar to the others.

Note the slight flares on the Flamina’s arches. The Appia and Bristol have none, and the AM only on the front. Though the Z3gato arches are rounded, they will have the flares. The hump over the wheel arch will be more like the Bristil/AM, and the wing will taper down as per the lancia Appia and the AM.

Lancia Flamina Side
http://i64.tinypic.com/n9zj7.jpg


Lancia Appia Side
http://i64.tinypic.com/2j46j5f.jpg


AM Side
http://i65.tinypic.com/160pzjm.jpg


Bristol Side
http://i65.tinypic.com/ruzdk5.jpg

For the rear, you can see from progress so far, that the wing profiles are quite different. The AM is horizontal/rounded, whereas the Lancia Appia has quite pronounced sloping shoulders. The Z3gato will be somewhere between, and is looking good to me (which right now is all that matters).

Rear lights will be more like the AM, ie separate units, but set within a single recess. The number plate light unit is going to be the plate/reverse light as per Jaguar, AM and several others of the period. The AM has a molding on the boot that flows into the light unit, whereas the Lancia is flush to the boot surface. So we are aiming for the smaller AM type fitting, but with a flush fitting against the boot.

I am not going for bumpers, so the rear wings / valance will be more like the AM, though not exactly the same. I’ll get better pictures next time.

AM Rear
http://i63.tinypic.com/33pexlk.jpg


Lancia Appia rear
http://i65.tinypic.com/o56lx5.jpg


Hopefully for next time, I’ll have some update progress on the front to share.

Door window of the Aston reminds me of the Z3 coupe window.

Update on Front
 

Chris has made more progress on the front, lengthening the bonnet aperture and air scoop. I can see why the shaping of the scoop mouth has been done, but prefer it to be more snub nosed like the pictures posted earlier.

Happy times though.
http://i66.tinypic.com/34t8mlv.jpg

http://i65.tinypic.com/2zsa9tw.jpg
That lip looks a bit like Rio Ferdinand's wobbly flap. ;-)

http://i65.tinypic.com/2wml35i.jpg

http://i65.tinypic.com/33c654g.jpg

The grill obviously looks much better with the grill in place.

Looking at the second picture, it looks as if Chris is using a full width 250 bonnet and necking it in to fit a Z3 using existing doors, ie no door skins.
Does this mean it would be not a major job to graft the Z3gato grill and light area to a standard 250swb bonnet?
Ideally would like the Z3gato in widebody version but as the convertible. Quite happy to stick with the current 250 convertible rear end, just delete the vents on the front and rear side panels.

Has MrTowed had a helping hand in that bonnet scoop?

Latest
 

Chris sent me some updates in the past few days. I am going down to see progress in the flesh tomorrow, so may have some more photos.

Fuel filler location, and slightly more built up rear wing profile.http://i64.tinypic.com/15zmq1i.jpg

Rear wings to be dropped more at the back,
wip obviously
http://i67.tinypic.com/2lvgy7b.jpg

Note the rhs is now higher than the untreated lhs at the top of the wing. Both lower wings are further down than previously.http://i64.tinypic.com/281zrk0.jpg

Scoop leading edge has been made more of a 90 degree cut,http://i65.tinypic.com/2eqgpj5.jpg

Looking good, such a shame Chris doesn't post anymore as the development of new cars is the best part of the forum.
When you go down can you ask Chris if the front section could be grafted onto a 250swb front clam.

I don't think I can wait for the development of the convertible, you 2 are working so slowly:peep:

I didn't think the rear window would work but it now looks very good.
Did Mouller help with cutting out on the fuel filler?

The fuel filler at the original location was cut out so the the fuel could be topped up. The buck car still drives. I believe that the front is more akin to WCAs narrowed SWB bonnet, but I'll check if the new nose can be fitted to a regular 250 SWB bonnet.

Battery Update
 

I have just been away for two weeks, and the battery did not go flat. This afternoon I started the Z3 up and it kicked into life first time. I have been using an uprated windscreen solar trickle charger, as per:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/AA-50601146.../dp/B00AC1LLQY
note: this is a 2.4W cell. My forst one was 1 point something and proved to be useless. The current one is either 5 or 6 watts. The extra £10-£20 is worth it.

I took the car for a vigorous spin to charge the battery up. Everything as expected, other than a peculiar high frequency reedy noise at speeds (let's say) around the legal limit.

I pulled over, opened the bonnet and had a poke around. Nothing obviously amiss. However, seeing as it is autumn, and we have an abundance of chestnut and beech trees near us, there are plenty of leaves around, and one (of the many trapped under the bonnet) had become caught under the windscreen wiper. Once everything was cleared, the noise seems to have disappeared. I'll have to give it another spirited test tomorrow.