FORTE DEI MARMI 2017-2
Marco Gordini fixed a couple of bugs with the starter motor (we had similar trouble in my 1953 Bristol 403 just a few weeks ago....) and replaced the gas struts of the boot lid. I collected the XJR for a quick week-end in Toscana Friday 17 November; parked near it is the venerable Flaminia GT of my great friend Annibale
A short stop on the pass (782 meters) to show that snow hasn't disappeared yet
A splendid setting for a black XJR
This Garmin DriveMart 60 is far from perfect (the screen has too many parasitic reflections, the updates are not quick as promised etc) but it's quite easy to follow and has a great automatic night-time illumination dimmer
A splendid sunset, actually better than it looks in this picture
Winter light, sun low on the horizon: long shadows even at noon
'Pesce Baracca' is not our favourite restaurant in Forte dei Marmi, be bestowe this honor on the nearby 'Fratellinis', but it is owned by the same family and it's actually excellent. When Fratellinis is closed we always have lunch at PB and it's always very good
It's good to have lunch in the open, enjoying a very mild November
Mixed fry fish+vegetables is very good at Pesce Baracca....
...and Anna seems to like it
A choppy sea, but the sky was clear. Versilia in autumn/winter is simply fascinating
Christmas Carolers in Forte dei Marmi. The young lady on the right loved them
Back in Firenze, Saturday afternoon; a good, Jodhpur-based Martini in front of a roaring fireplace is the best way to relax
Sunday afternoon, brilliant sushine on Ponte Santa Trinita with Anna and her mother after a delicious, very 'Tuscan' lunch at nearby 'Cammillo'
The XJR drives splendidly, in a way it's the best modern incarnation of the classic 'Blower' machines of yore. Heavy, elegant, ponderous, confortable, very quick, with a thundering but subdued exhaust noise and the metallic shriek of a large Roots blower on demand, it's all that I want in a great fast 4-door saloon...and more
455 kms, 13,5 litres/km
