It was only ever meant to be a quick engine swap over. It’s ended up being quite a lot more than that.
How did I break Bertie? I think we can safely say the demo run and a sound off against a Roush Mustang didn’t help. However, I suspect it was probably always inevitable. What was broken really depends on who you asked.
And I asked a lot of people because I love a chat. The answers ranged from “it is the turbo that has disintegrated” (the turbo is fine) “the seal lost compression” (talk me through that), “ the head cracked” (the head is not cracked) and the very helpful“ you just blew it up”.
I was having a lovely day at the Supercar event at Beaulieu 2023 with the Sporting Bear crew. It started off with my isolator key going missing, which lead to many kind people from the GT40 owners’ club helping, Colin from Beaulieu giving me a present, a ride in a Alpine and great friends being made. It was the best sort of day.
Even if I got – rightly – told off by a lovely marshall for sending it on the wrong bit.
It ended in the rain with three AA vans three low loaders and a late night long wait in a dodgy lorry park waiting for another low loader. The only place to park was across from the sketchiest truck that could not look more like it was inhabited by a serial killer if it tried.
Erm… No thank you. I’m just fine for dead prostitutes.
The suggestion from the AA that I should just leave ‘the car’ in that lorry park and make my way home was met with short shrift – “no thank you, I’ll take the chance on being murdered. I’m not leaving my car here”.
Whatever ever made Bertie blow enough white smoke to call in a new Pope, it was going to require some money, time and finding some expertise.