February 2017, 1000 miles (at last...)
The 403 is going quite well after Gordini fit new plugs, a hot-air channeling pipe to the carburettors and so on. She drives well now so today I drove her to Faenza and back, during the return leg of the journey we reached the magical '1000 miles' on the odometer. The instrument was reset at the end of the three-years-long restoration: it took more than one year to make the 403 cover one thousand miles, though I got both to Villa d'Este in May and Firenze (500 miles for those two trips only...)
'403-1404' is going much better now, thanks to the modifications applied by Marco and Andrea Gordini. They were very good at it, and shared my frustration with the seemingly endless complications of this extremely sophisticated, but sometimes uncooperative, motor car. Marco succeeded, and if I have decided not to sell it, it's because he made her work
Friday 3 February 2017 was a splendid sunny day, so it was fitting to drive her to Faenza and back and enjoy how nice a 2-litre Bristol is to drive, when everything's working
I only wear two badges on the 403: one is the GRRC emblem, as I am a (proud) early member of the Goodwood Road Racing Club and I like very much what Charles March does for the classic cars movement. We are Members of the Jury of the 'Concorso Villa d'Este' and he's a really spendid gentleman (you would expect that from a fellow with his lineage, wouldn't you?). The St George's Cross is there, as on all my cars and bikes, not just a tribute to England, but because I am a Knight of the Sacred Costantinian Order of St. George
You only need to see the elegance of this sun blind to fall in love with an Aerodyne and its superb build quality
Aerodynes look nice against a blue-sky background....It is like their aeronautical ancestry is enlightened by placing them in this scenario
The only glitch in this pleasant short trip was that the overdrive was not working very well and it took a longer time than usual to work. When I reached Bologna, Marco injected a huge syringe of fluid in its innards (above, left) It worked perfectly afterwards. Topping the windscreen washer bottle (above, right) is best done with a funnel
The pedal box. Not tidy, but everything works, even the pedal-actuated ENOTS front-axle lubricating system. I'll have to improve on the cosmetics.... A welcome bonus is that the heater really heats and the huge 'Anemostats' do their job
