I counted them out and I ...

So fan heater on the Ferrari by 8:30 and the car on the drive by 9:30 ready for the collection.

It started - just - and spluttered a few times while I was driving it. Finally it died as I drove it up the car ramp - but it was on - and then off.

Got a thumbs up from a young chap as he passed too.

So back to working on the Imp. The plugs were ok - a little brown but fine. There was some oil in the holes on the back two but not much.

Next I looked at the water - fine - and then the oil. It needed about a pint - half the dip stick.

Then I went to the allotment and struggled with another machine - the knackered lawn mower.

In the afternoon I went back to look at the Talbot - the consensus being to add a second fuel pump. Looking at the carb it seemed to have two holes in it - odd.

They were deep too - about an inch - but I don't know if they are 'helping' the fuel evaporate. I also used the handle to primed the pump and it gives up before getting much fuel into the bowl, so I suspect that's a weak link in the chain too.
 

Just as I was walking back from the garage Grimaldi phoned. It was a loose/broken wire that had caused the distributor to fail on that side - not a crank sensor. So glad I did not try to change it. We wizzed off to collect the car there and then.

They were working on a F40 when I got there - Roberto really rated it. A bit more plumbing than mine.

Anyway the run back was fine once I'd got off the slow roads and traffic congestion and the bike and the horse box !

So I counted them all out and I counted them all back - to paraphrase what Brian Hanrahan said in 1982 - all those years ago.