Looking nothing like the '87...
Looking nothing like the '87 Fiero that serves as its platform, the lengthened chassis is accentuated in classic Lambo fashion by gullwing doors.
Richard Frick only knows one way to build a kit car--perfectly. He insists on doing everything the correct way; and to accomplish this, he is able to do much of the intricate work himself while resolving that anyone else who works on the project must feel the same way. We reported on Frick's last kit, a genuine 24-karat gold-trimmed D&R Countach replica, in the November '97 issue, and he has just completed his second kit. Five years between completions suggests that he is in no hurry to spit 'em out. The result is one of the best-detailed kit cars we have ever seen.
Anyone who has seen this car will never make a derogatory crack about something being "built like a kit car" again!
Frick is a machinist by trade, and spends his spare time working with D&R Replicars on prototype development projects. There's nothing he likes better than solving a tricky engineering problem and then making the parts on a CNC lathe or mill. His latest D&R Diablo project is like no other.
Richard Frick's D&R Diablo...
Richard Frick's D&R Diablo is inspiring in its ever-changing ChromaLusion Indigo Blasberry iridescent paint job.
At first glance the paint job grabs your attention--DuPont ChromaLusion Indigo Blasberry. This deep blue-to-royal purple iridescent paint not only sets new standards for subtle color change, at $658 a quart (and it took 6 quarts), it could replace gold as an investment-grade material. This paint changes color depending on the angle at which the light hits it, and some ChromaLusion paints change radically among five or more colors as you look at them from different angles. Frick wanted something more subtle and just wanted his to change from purple to dark blue. He agonized over the exact shade, staring at samples and even getting a small amount to paint an underhood panel so he could check the result. "I didn't want a paint that changed to gold or copper like Blasberry Lime," Frick says. To squirt his pride and joy, Frick chose Ed Sandy, owner of Sandy's Custom Painting.
Sandy says, "This was the hardest paint job I've ever done in 25 years of custom painting". Part of the problem was that the ChromaLusion basecoat must have clear shot over it within 24 hours, and the application must be extremely precise. Sandy uses a digital HVLP gun that can be set to an exact pressure so all panels are shot precisely the same. And the gun angle must match on all panels or they won't refract light the same way. This would result in some panels being blue and others purple when viewed from the same angle. In order to deal with these variables, Sandy first shot the door jambs and then cleared them. Next he sanded the jambs and hung the body panels on the chassis for the color coat. Once the panels and doors were painted (on both sides) Sandy removed them from the chassis and clear-coated them separately so he could get the edges smooth without any tape lines. Although Sandy traded Frick the paint job for interior work on a D&R Roadster he is building, he says a similar paint job would run $20,000.
A '94 Cadillac Northstar V-8...
A '94 Cadillac Northstar V-8 and transmission, which had been powering a Sedan DeVille, now pump out 300 hp for this homage to Lamborghini.
After you walk around admiring the mile-deep paint in all its majestic tones and shades, you begin to take in the meticulous detailing. Start with the grilles. On some kit cars these are adapted from production car grilles, or cut out of punched metal or screen wire. The grilles on the back of Frick's car are milled from metal and assembled into complete units. Each bar is made separately, drilled and tapped from the back and assembled onto vertical bars with special bolts to form a complete assembly. This is done so that each bar can be properly plated and polished, which would be impossible on a one-piece assembly. The front grille bars are laser burned for precise fit. The results are far better than any production car. Once Frick develops trick parts such as these, they are offered through D&R.
Frick's car is a replica of the rarest Diablo of them all, the '94 SE 30 Jota. Only a reported 12 of these ultra-high performance (211 mph) road warriors were made, with 600hp V-12s and lightweight bodywork. Outwardly, the distinguishing features were twin-engine intake scoops atop the rear deck (also used on the VT) and the SE 30 trim. Some were painted Violet Metallic (a distinctive purple not unlike Indigo Blasberry, but without the color change ability). With the engine scoops installed the driver could not see out the back so the rear view mirror was deleted. The Jota was not road legal and cost a cool $300K, so buying a real one was out of the question. However, Frick was convinced he could improve on the fit and finish of the original.
The Jota rear wing was adjustable, so Frick had to fabricate a mechanism to rotate the one on his car. The trick was getting the mechanism to fit in the narrow pedestals the wing is mounted on. A 9/16-inch Bimba air cylinder is hydraulically activated by a convertible top hydraulic motor system from a Dodge convertible. A switch under the dash can change the angle of attack on the center section by 30 degrees.
Coil-over shocks are used...
Coil-over shocks are used all around with Willwood 12-inch disc brakes, and Frick duplicated the distinctive vents employed by the original Diablo.
Frick was particularly attracted to the OZ racing wheels used on the original SE 30. They were handsome 17-inch rims and Frick decided he would only build his dream car if he could match or improve on the originals. As attractive as the OZ wheels are, Frick says they cannot be plated and he insisted on that bit of brightwork. Since no off-the-shelf wheels could satisfy him, Frick proceeded to make his own. He contacted a wheel manufacturer who sold him a special set of prototype 17-inch steel rims that had been part of a project for Ford. Frick had them widened to 9 inches in front and 13 inches in back before they had center plates welded in to the proper offset and smoothed for plating. He researched for months before finding a plater who would take the job of doing a high-end plating job on these rims. The problem lay in the deep rear wheels, which necessitated carefully placing the plating anodes so that the chrome would be even back to front.
Frick then turned his attention to the wheel centers, which he made from billet aluminum on a CNC lathe. The billets were cut down to circles and the holes laid out and bored. A fixture was made so that they could be machined to their "S" shape (as viewed from the side) and then the edges were chamfered, polished and plated. The centers are attached to the rims with blind screws drilled in the back. Original type Pirelli P-Zero tires are used, 245/45 ZR17 in front and 235/35 ZR17 in back. When asked how many hours he had in the wheels, Frick laughs and says, "Too many!".