Ruzz has been busy. Very, very busy.

I think it’s safe to say that Pepper has been one of the quickest-evolving cars in the group, and Ruzz is doing nothing but continuing that trend with the visual makeover that the RS has received in the last few months; let’s take a look at what he’s been up to!

As a point of reference, above is a photo of the car from last year’s Sunday School with the up-to-date picture beneath it – you can start to see some of the new additions.

First up, you’ll note the new pieces peeking out from beneath the car. Ruzz picked up a complete Triple R Composites lip kit, consisting of the front lip, side splitters, and add-ons for the rear diffuser. An interesting detail to note is the curvature of the diffuser’s middle add-on; overseas, the RS features a fog light integrated into the rear diffuser whereas our version doesn’t, since it’s not a requirement. You can see how the TRC piece is designed for the fog light variant as it curves out for the larger middle fin, but our North American diffuser’s fins are all the same size. If anyone reading this has access to these fog light diffusers please let us know! Owners here are seeking them.

The TRC kit is ready to mount out of the box but Ruzz decided to go one step further, and actually had it colour matched to the car! It’s a very subtle change given that the car is black, but now the lip kit is the exact same shade. Given he was getting a hood painted anyway it was the perfect time to add more parts to the pile. More on that in a minute though…

..because I want to highlight those wheels first! Ruzz joined the #52family with Mario’s old set of Integrales, but just like the lip kit he had them refinished first. Originally silver, they were recoated in Ink Black with chameleon flakes! It’s a shame that the sun wasn’t out in full force this day because the finish is truly insane in person. Following the refinish they were then wrapped in new Federal Super Steel 595s, a tire that is quickly becoming a common choice in our group.

You’ll have no doubt noticed the side stripes the car now wears too, and Ruzz had the wing’s RS logos picked out with the same colour of vinyl.

Now what about that hood, you say? This is easily my favourite part of the car and will no doubt be the topic of many questions from fellow owners, wanting to know what company makes it. The answer is: no one. This is a custom, one-off hood just for Ruzz!

Over the winter months Ruzz sourced a brand new OEM hood as well as a set of vents, before sending everything off to a friend of his for the bodywork. He cut into the hood, bonded the vents in place, and smoothed everything out to have them seamlessly integrated into the factory sheetmetal. He even went and added a custom rain tray to the driver’s side vent to direct water away from the electronics and filter that are positioned underneath it. After the panel was sprayed body colour, as the final touch the slats were painted matte black so that they’d contrast a bit against the rest of the hood. With the quality of work and the details, this hood is an outstanding addition to the car.

All together, these parts have really transformed the car and made Pepper something truly distinctive in the RS world. I also especially like the contrast that is forming between it and Selsun; Mario started with an RS in the brightest available colour and has been working to make it more low-key visually, whereas Ruzz started with the stealthy black paint but has gone wilder with his visual modifications, adding more aggression. Mario debadged, Ruzz added stripes and inlays. Mario took off the RS wing, Ruzz added the vented hood. Mario’s wheels have all been silver, black, or both, and Ruzz’s now have the chameleon flake. I wonder what’s to come next?

-Bill