Hi again. After just a couple of days with the BeigeX, I can share some initial thoughts. Quick background: This is my 7th X, 6 of which were '74s. My yellow '74 X is nearly all stock and has been my Sunday driver for around 12 years. Until I got the BeigeX, I thought my yellow one was in great condition ;-)
First impression when the BeigeX arrived and before it even rolled off of the trailer: It's a TIME MACHINE. I had high expectations for the general condition of the car based on prior descriptions from Matt and the BAT photos, but I was VERY pleasantly surprised at the condition of the paint. It looks straight off of the showroom floor. I am in awe of how a 46 year old car can retain it's original paint in such good condition. In fact, I have to question whether this really IS the original paint? I still don't know the complete history of the car pre-Matt, but I hope to find out soon. My guess is that the car must have been stored somewhere other than a typical garage - not only because of the condition of the paint but that it has very few indentations or dings. None of the rubber seems to show any age, unlike my yellow X.
Driving impression after just 20 miles or so: The car feels very well 'sorted out'. Matt did a great job with the suspension, tranny, and motor. All feel very solid. I thought my other X ran great, but this one feels much tighter all around (I guess that's the difference between 13k and 86k miles, not to mention the thorough reconditioning it went through). This car sits at least 1-2 inches lower than my yellow X, even though I have it slightly lowered as well. It has a bit more power, but not a huge difference. The Ansa exhaust is the same as I installed on a car back in the 80s, and has a subtle throaty sound. The gears and clutch shift nicely, again a bit easier and smoother than my yellow X which I thought was fine until compared. For some reason the 4th gear feels like it's a higher ratio than stock. I'm able to comfortably run at 55-60 mph without revving too high. It may have been changed out.
The interior is in excellent condition (as you may have seen in the BAT photos). The exception being the seat bottoms which are showing wear with a small tear, a seam coming apart, and some discoloration. I'm exploring options of how to address this including OEM covers from Henk because the seats stand out for an otherwise spotless interior. The instrument cluster struck me as being grey instead of black (did they come that way?). I need to compare with my yellow X side by side ... it may just have been the light. No cutout for the radio in the dash! How often do you see that?
There are plenty more details that I can share, but I don't want you to regret asking to hear about it ;-) At least so far, the car has been a nice surprise. I'll check back in a while, hopefully with nothing changed other than a few more miles on the odometer.
John