LM Edition FTO in Australia....

RT · Post by RT » Sat Aug 21, 2004 5:52 pm

Hi guys,

This subject was discuss on the wrong Forum. So I would like to start it here.

* Why is it that the LM Edition imported here in Australia doesn't have the optional assesories? ie. Momo steering wheel, LSD & ABS....

- Mine has the Japanese Car of the Year badge
- Akumi doesn't

* Probabilty was the LM Edition was smashed/wrecked in Japan then it was smashed repaired, resprayed and then imported here in Australia?

- To keep the cost down?
- Loose its value?

* Is it true that all LM Edition only comes in TIPTRONIC?

payaya · Post by **payaya** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 8:29 pm

a lot are resprayed. Its probably hard to find a FTO without some form of damage imo.

Good way is to check inside of door panels, under rear seats to see if the original car is yellow.

If guess if all these check out then its an LM.

RT · Post by RT » Sat Aug 21, 2004 9:28 pm

So if it is a genuine LM FTO.....why is it that parts that are optional are not installed?

I think Akumi and I LM FTO are the same......

a lot of the optional are are not installed

payaya · Post by **payaya** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 9:32 pm

"Why is it that the LM Edition imported here in Australia doesn't have the optional assesories? ie. Momo steering wheel, LSD & ABS.... "

So the parts are optional?

are you sure the parts are optional or standard?

Anyway who would bother respraying a FTO yellow just to make it a LM? Its not like the LM is a better car, its just a limited production.

The way i see it, spraying a car yellow to make it an LM is just a waste of time.

RT · Post by RT » Sat Aug 21, 2004 10:49 pm

Hummmmmm

Are they suppose to be standard on LM Edition?

SilentBob · Post by **SilentBob** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 10:55 pm

payaya wrote: The way i see it, spraying a car yellow to make it an LM is just a waste of time.

exactly, the only GOOD thing about these cars was they came with a LSD, found only elsewhere in the similarly rare gpvr

i test drove a geniune ltd edition fto when i was looking for mine 18mths ago...and at the time i had no idea it even had an lsd

but it felt like it had dome some track time with strut bars and stupidly loud exhaust in place, and didnt feel as 'tight' as the gpx i ended up buying(plus it was tip

)

unless you were buying one for the 'limited' factor, and keeping it as a 'collectors' item, or couldnt find a gpvr and wanted lsd, the ltd edition model isnt anything special, nor worth anything considerably more(id take a gpvr over a ltd edition model any day due to its 'race' specific design)

Silentbob

ruchi · Post by **ruchi** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 2:26 am

From what I understand the limited edition model was released in celebration of the FTO being named '94-'95 Japanese car of the year. This was quite an achievement as it had been around 10+ years since a sports car had won it. In particular the reviewers raved about its performance, handling and automatic transmission.

The limited edition model was released in 1995, only around 500 were made. They were yellow in colour, had special badging and a number of special features. No other FTO's were produced in yellow, only the limited edition model. My understanding of the limited edition model was that they were all the same and there was no different options available for them. They were available in both auto and manual.

The FTO owners club in the UK have the following information about the limited edition model and they are generally pretty correct with the stuff they put together:

http://www.ftooc.org/contents/pages/lin ... _year.html

In summary, aside from the yellow colour and the badging the other items which the limited edition model had were:
- LSD
- Air bags
- ABS
- Momo steering wheel
- Rear wiper

All these items, except LSD, were integrated into the series II FTO. The LSD was integrated into the GPvR. So basically the limited edition model was a series I GPX, but with the features of the series II FTOs and with the LSD from the GPvR.

As the limited edition model was made in limited numbers it would be most valuable if kept in its original condition. I would suggest that some FTOs have been resprayed yellow so it pays to check the colour code on the manufacturers plate and also look in some obscure areas to make sure the car originally was dandelion yellow, if it was then it should be the limited edition model.

This information is based on what I have read on the net and in brochures, it is possible that some of it may be incorrect, but the sources are generally very reliable so I would be surprised.

akumi · Post by **akumi** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 3:10 am

i've checked it out as well, unless the guy pulled out everything apart to respray it yellow, the inside of the dash and all the hard to reach places are yellow. and if it's resprayed it wouldn't have Y77 there for colour code.

ruchi · Post by **ruchi** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 12:19 pm

A quick thought...

Some of you with yellow FTOs have suggested that you might be missing some of the features associated with the limited edition model. A reason for this may be that those items were taken off the car before it was imported.

For example, if someone swapped the Momo steering wheel with a stock FTO steering wheel, you would also lose the airbag functionality. From memory, the airbag and ABS systems are linked, so without airbags you'd also lose the ABS functionality too.

The car should still have LSD and rear wiper as it would be pretty hard to take these off.

akumi · Post by **akumi** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 1:32 pm

Woohoo! at least i have a rear wiper! and i'll check the lsd soon. So u mean normal fto doesn't have rear wiper???

ruchi · Post by **ruchi** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 1:42 pm

The rear wiper was an option on other FTOs, it came standard on the limited edition model.

Mine has a wiper and many of the people I've seen at events have wipers too, so it must have been a common option, unlike the roof-racks!

akumi · Post by **akumi** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 1:47 pm

ruchi, u going to the meet? also another thing, my car has a lot of extra switches and buttons which i don't know what they're for, i dont see them in my other friend's fto, i need an electrician to tell me that. Yeah i think u're most prolly right, they changed the steering when the imported it and dats why there's no momo and airbag and abs

ruchi · Post by **ruchi** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 1:55 pm

I'll be coming to Albert Park.

In theory, even if the steering wheel was switched, the control unit for the ABS and airbags should still be in the car somewhere (I don't know where). An easier way to tell may be to take the main dials out and see if there is a light globe in the ABS and airbag light area, as on FTOs without these features there is no light there.

akumi · Post by **akumi** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 11:37 pm

Thanks Ruchi, i will do that and nice meetin ya today! u've been very helpful all the time

RT · Post by RT » Sun Aug 22, 2004 11:41 pm

Its no wonder why I don't have all the features.......

Disappointing though.....

Thanks Ruchi......

ruchi · Post by **ruchi** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 12:07 am

that was just a theory, I could be wrong.

But if I'm right and your cars do still have the ABS and airbag stuff in the car, then getting all the features back could be as simple as getting a momo airbag steering wheel from a wrecked FTO.

The key to all this is whether or not you've got the ABS and airbag controllers in the car. As I said, an easy way should be to remove the main dials and see if there is a globe in the ABS and airbag light area.

scracy · Post by **scracy** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 1:50 pm

If your correct in what youre saying ruchi how come ive got airbag momo steering wheel but no abs?

ruchi · Post by **ruchi** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 1:58 pm

But does your car actually have the airbag controllers in it or just the steering wheel? Because you could put the steering wheel on any FTO even without the airbag system. It would be an airbag steering wheel, but it just wouldn't inflate in a crash.

I could be wrong, but I was always under the impression that the airbag and ABS systems had some sort of link between them and for that reason they are normally offered together (at least I've never seen them offered seperately).

FTO338 · Post by **FTO338** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 2:19 pm

ruchi wrote:But does your car actually have the airbag controllers in it or just the steering wheel? Because you could put the steering wheel on any FTO even without the airbag system. It would be an airbag steering wheel, but it just wouldn't inflate in a crash.

I could be wrong, but I was always under the impression that the airbag and ABS systems had some sort of link between them and for that reason they are normally offered together (at least I've never seen them offered seperately).

From experience, there are lots of cars that offer airbag, but with no ABS, which to me, it doesn't make sense, cause usually the ABS would of activate before the airbag if there an accident, but they are out there. I had one before

All i can say is you can sell a car with just an airbag much easier then one with just ABS. Is all marketing.

ruchi · Post by **ruchi** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 2:22 pm

OK, so I'm wrong