2017 London Taxi
Specs
| HP: | 160hp, turbodiesel |
| 0-60: | 12s |
| 1/4mi: | 18s |
| Color: | Starlight Black |
| Client: | 11x |
| Other: | Limited Edition: 080/300, RHD |
Titan Products
- Paint Correction
- GYEON Evo Infinite Type Two Ceramic Paint Coating
- Enclosed Trailer Pickup and Delivery
We’re fans of the obscure - wait, is this actually obscure? One of the most recognized taxis in the world, made exclusive by its lack of availability stateside. Let’s dive in.
First up, most of these were equipped with a 101hp naturally-aspirated diesel which MAY get it to 60mph before the time you’re finished reading this article. Maybe. This particular unit has the optional turbodiesel which makes closer to 160hp, and WILL get to sixty by the time you’re done reading this paragraph out loud. Smooth choice.
Naturally, everyone asked about turning on the ‘taxi’ light, but it’s not wired. According to the internet, the subsystem for that unit is tied to a meter that is to be installed when you’re awarded/registered as part of the taxi meter system in the UK. It’s probably like those medallions NYC cabbies have to obtain to be a yellow cab. Authenticity and posterity are dangerous automotive side-quests, so we’ll leave that alone for now.
Our client had been working on this project for some time, and with the mechanical completed it was time to get it looking proper. We started with multistage paint correction to reduce any imperfections and scratches.
With that out of the way, it was time to protect. Now whereas we’d strongly recommend STEK paint protection film for a taxi in the line of duty, this collector piece won’t see heavy traffic or close-quarters urban combat. So we’re off to the ceramic coating department to enhance depth, add gloss, and make maintenance easy.
We chose GYEON Evo Infinite Type Two, in conjunction with Infinite Top Coat for that maximum wet-look. There is some wonderful nerdy tech behind how GYEON achieves this quality with just two coating layers, and since I can barely spell fluoro-modified polysilazane, I’ll just say it works wonders and looks phenomenal. We went with the Type Two/Topcoat variant for a little added depth on this Starlight Black paint, helping bring out the deep purple tones within.
Once buttoned up, our client requested our enclosed transport for delivery back to their facility. Thankfully our trailer is modular - did you know this taxi is taller than a Toyota Tacoma? - and with the interior ramps removed we had it loaded up and on its way home, no messy weather or exposure along the way.
10/10 on the quirky car scale.
