Well the car arrived... I've run it for 2 weeks now, only the one problem so far:

 

Half way up my favorite B-road hill climb (on christmas day no less!), the car started to sound like it was misfiring and gradually getting worse. The noise was so bad that initially I thought I'd lose the exhaust, or part of it, but then petrol started spurting out of the carburettor hole in the bonnet. Eventually this torrent emptied a quarter of the fuel tank, but I couldn't stop because of the narrow, blind road that I was on. I slowed down as much as possible, but was worried that the stray petrol could catch the exhaust manifold and burn. By the time I got to the point where the road opened out and I could stop, the rear two cylinders weren't firing, so the car was effectively running on an 800cc 2 cylinder engine!

 

Pulling over revealed that the problem was a bolt on the fuel supply pipe to the rear of the carbs had come loose, meaning that the fuel pump was pumping petrol straight out through the gap! A helpful stranger lent me a spanner, I tightened the bolt and all was well again!

 

Aside from this the car has been faultless over our time together. The passenger seat is in, so I've given plenty of passenger rides! It amazes me how easy it is to drift the car on the cold, damp December road surfaces. Power down in second or third gear results in a slow, sage breakaway by the back end, and either suitable opposite lock or simply backing off the gas brings it back into line. Around long, flowing bends the car is exquisitely balanced, meaning that you can hold it in a slight oversteer drift for as long as you want to. You really do steer as much with the accelerator as you do with the wheel, even in tight corners, with plenty of power in 2nd or 3rd, there's no need for any more than a quarter turn of the wheel.

 

I've also timed the car from 0-60mph at 5.9 seconds. Superb.

 

Now the time has come for a service, most of which I'm doing myself. Over the next two days, I'm going to drain and replace the oil, water and brake fluid, replace the oil filter and install a fuel filter before the carbs. At some point I need to get the cam belt changed too, but I think thats more of a job for a proper mechanic.

 

There's a bit of superficial damage to the car (pictures elsewhere) which I hope to get sorted before easter(ish) time, then paint the car all yellow with a black noseband and centre stripe. I love the car dearly but when I'm at trackdays I'll put a for sale sign at £9000, which would be a £2200 profit. I won't let it go for any less than that at the moment.