I MODDED MINE

TONY SPILLANE

Tony owns the eye-popping 500 pictured here. ‘It used to be my everyday car, covering 10,000 miles each year, so I had to make it faster, more reliable and more comfortable. As a result it’s got disc brakes, a 652cc engine and additional soundproofing. The gearbox has a BIS final drive to make high speed cruising more comfortable, and the front suspension is lowered, to improve high speed stability. I disliked the previous noisy ‘go-faster’ exhaust, so instead fitted a two-into-one system from the later spec German 126. This has larger pipes, but a quieter exhaust note. Overall, the car is great fun to drive, easy to operate in normal traffic, and will cruise happily at 65–70 mph on the motorway.’