Hello again! Now that I've been home since late October, I've had quite some time to extensively plan and orchestrate more upgrades for this car. As most of you reluctantly know by now, I am rather obsessed with the Roadster (to put it lightly), and it has allowed me to do none other than stare at photos & be around these cars for the past 5 years of my life. Most of all, the past three years of consistent ownership & experience across several Roadsters has allowed me to analyze each model and compartmentalize every single pro, con, and complaint I could possibly have about the cars. Which leads me to the point of this entire thread...
UPGRADES
As you've seen above, I've conquered this once-somewhat-ugly Roadster's four-color disease and turned it into mostly a blue and black masterpiece by powdercoating the wheels gloss black and changing the interior to a one-of-a-kind Black & Blue Rally One. However...there were key parts of the vehicle that have always bothered me. The largest one?
Those horrific trim pieces.
It's not to say that all Roadsters aren't beautiful just the way they are. Myself of all people knows that. But, that doesn't mean we can't modernize these cars. The ideas came to me at a local Cars & Coffee meet that I frequently attend here in North Dallas. I noticed a similarity between several newer cars, such as:
2016 Mazda Miata (ND)
2017 Ford Shelby GT350
2015 McLaren 650S
and most similarly - a 2013 Lotus Evora S in Laser Blue Metallic (which is Electric Blue on the Roadster).
All of these cars I've listed, plus many, many more that I haven't listed, have something in common. They all have gloss black or anthracite gray painted trim and accent pieces. I noticed right away that the cars not only looked fantastic, but it looked luxurious and modern. Then, I looked at my Roadster and noticed the faded gray front lip, rear diffuser (which NEVER looks clean), the windshield surround pillar, and most of all...
those tail light surrounds. Yuck. Even all of the Adam's Polishes VRT (vinyl, rubber, and trim) cleaner in the universe could
never save these trim pieces from looking the opposite of striking and modern. Something had to be done...
As it turns out, something WAS done. And here it is.
Here's an overall shot of the car. At this moment, the front lip, windshield surround, side mirrors, and rear diffuser were all wrapped in Jet Black.
Close-up of the Jet Black mirrors & the windshield surround. The blue triangle area behind the mirror assembly is actually part of the door, and it was debated for a short while whether or not to wrap it as well...but there wasn't exactly a point of ending for the wrap itself. We decided this would make the most sense for the most professional and stock look.
I concluded that the greatest idea was to have the trim pieces in question to be wrapped in Jet Black. With the massive advance in vinyl wrap technology over the past few years, it was a no-brainer to select such an option for the car, as opposed to actually painting my car. This way, I can remove the vinyl if I were to sell her, or if I wanted to revert to normal. Also, it protects the original surfaces below, much like a clear bra or Paint Armor.
My design cues for these areas were largely based off of Tesla's original Carbon Fiber Accent Group that they offered for the exterior. As we know, they offered the front lip and the rear diffuser in carbon fiber, which at a glance always looked fantastic. Most of the time, the pieces are noticeable on Roadsters due to the gloss finish. It modernizes the car, and it usually isn't until you're close to the car that you can really discern the carbon fiber from a gloss black or anthracite finish. The main negative thing I always experienced on the exterior carbon fiber, is that it had massive issues with fading from Tesla's supplier. It seems like none of the pieces would match in coloring and hue, and they certainly wouldn't retain their rich blackness from the beginning. The reality is, most of these cars with the factory setup are 6-8 years old at this point, too.
But, it doesn't end there. As soon as I arrived and saw the excellent work that was done, I IMMEDIATELY requested him to wrap the hood louvers and rear spoiler. It was time to mimic the factory carbon package completely, as well as match my added pieces (mirrors and windshield surround). Here we are.
You might notice that one piece of the original carbon package that is missing - the side intake vents. To access these pieces, you must either remove the rear wheels and probably some other things I'm missing. It just wasn't worth the trouble yet. Will I figure it out eventually? Yes.
As you can see in the overhead photo above, the factory carbon roll bar that is on every single Roadster seems to match perfectly at a glance with the Jet Black accents.
Finally, the hard top. This hard top was something of a miracle that I located on Craigslist thanks to my great friend @Roadster. What a fabulous guy! Anyway, the top needed some TLC to say the least. Three of the four corners had major cracks and chips in them, so I spent a solid two days applying Bondo body filler into the holes, allowing it to cure, and sanding it down to as smooth as possible. This would allow the wrap to adhere efficiently, as well as minimize the visibility of any imperfections in the finish below. I think it turned out pretty great.
My favorite part is how the Jet Black accents seamlessly flow into each other where the windshield surround and the hard top meet. It's just dreamy.
Here's a festive fall photo for you all to enjoy during the holiday season. Shout out to my PEM for likely sucking up at LEAST 9.5 of these leaves. 
As always, thanks for reading my compulsive upgrade thread. It's safe to say that the exterior is 90% complete. The remaining 10%? Those tail lights. I have acquired a spare set, in which we will be attempting to wrap Jet Black as well. The major problem, is that it doesn't seem like we can remove the three lights from the enclosure without sacrificing the wiring harness. That being said, I am going to attempt to fabricate a duplicate wiring harness to replace the spare set with once we cut it. Photos to follow once that project is done. It's time for those tail light surrounds to be modernized, once and for all!
I was absolutely elated to see the outcome of this pipe dream that I'd only rendered in my own brain. To see it in person is just...well I'm still having a tough time forming words and I'm STILL staring at it on a normal basis.
If you're located in DFW and are looking for fantastic pricing & professionalism on vinyl wrap, Adam Lee in Lewisville, TX is the guy. He absolutely exceeded my wildest expectations and is looking forward to helping out more Roadster owners transform their cars (@hsull8915, you're next). He can be found on Facebook or Instagram under "Adam, The Wrapper".
Don't worry - the upgrades aren't anywhere near being done. Next up, the four speakers are being replaced with some JL Audio's to compliment my ridiculous subwoofer enclosure that I've yet to explain on this thread. The interior also has a few odds and ends to be reupholstered to match my previous work, as well as some extensive Dynamat and Roadster 2.5 sound deadening ideas that I'm going to attempt. Stay tuned!
