Leader of the Moddin' World

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My Fairlady

Amy Slade’s passion for things automotive started exhibiting itself at an early age. 13 cars by the age of 30 gives you some idea of her constant quest for something new. Something different.

Amy Slade FTO 1

This quest has gained Amy a serious reputation in street modified circles, and earned her not a few rewards too.

It’s the passion, personality and detail she injects into each project that makes her stand out. Her current work in progress is the almost baby blue 350Z you can see below. That baby blue typifies Amy’s meticulous approach.

Amy had long been planning to change the colour of her Nissan from the original silver, but she wanted a colour that would make the car even more distinctive (there are many silver Zeds on display at the shows). Amy’s not the type of person to simply flick through the Dulux brochure until she saw a shade she liked. There had to be a deeper meaning to it…

“For my 30th birthday I asked my partner for paint for my special day! The colour was Datsun Sora Blue. This colour was a special choice. The first true Datsun sports car was the Fairlady in 1964. Its signature colour was Sora blue with white tyre walls and detailing. So I decided to mark the 50th anniversary of the Fairlady with my Nissan Z33…”

“I got a Fairlady badge for the back of the car to officially call the car ‘my Fairlady’.
…On my birthday my car rolled out of the bodyshop Spraytacular Coachworks in Hemel Hempstead for its transformation.”

The end result certainly achieved what Amy wanted. But even before the colour change the car was already catching people’s attention.

“I took this car to all the shows and although loved it it was hard to not be entering the competitions… and shine with it. With previous cars I had won many shows and would usually be in a great spot with one of the best show cars in the UK. I was just accepting the fact I simply could not do any more to the car and to not worry about trying to make it more modified or one of the best.”

But it seems as though modding is a hard habit to break. Especially when it brings such unmissable opportunities…

“The turning point was a day out with Ace Cafe London in Brighton at their InCarNation car show. I was approached out of the blue by a scout looking for a car for Universal’s Fast and Furious 6th London film premiere in Leicester Square. I actually thought it was a joke at first but was not going to turn this down. I thought I was dreaming, way too lucky. My last car, my Mitsubishi FTO, was the only car they had used on a red carpet at the London 4th Fast and Furious premiere. They are my favourite films and the whole reason behind customising my cars and getting into the modified car scene.”

Amy Slade FTO2

After the exposure gained from showing the car at the premiere, Amy approached Clarion audio as a potential sponsor. Clarion liked the car and made Amy a brand ambassador. Shortly after winning most-voted for car at that 6th Fast and Furious premiere, Clarion sent her a full top of the range installation.

Following that success, Amy approached other potential sponsors and, as a result, she has received support from Yokohama, NGK, Pipercross, in-car-tec and Bilstein.

A combination of ambition, skill and attention to detail carried Amy to the top of the UK car modding scene and helped her dreams come true.

Not sitting on her laurels, for 2015 Amy is planning to redo the car interior to fit a new exhaust system and perhaps an air ride and a big brake kit. We’re looking forward to seeing more of her work in the future.

“The big event for me in 2015 is the 7th Fast and Furious premiere, I am very hopeful they will do another London premiere early April. If I can display the cars new look in the blue, it would be a very special day for me. I am very sad my favourite actor Paul Walker wont be there, but I bought a ‘Fast’ private number plate and added a little tribute to him at the bottom to remember him.”

Tags: , , , Published on 8th December 2014