Thanks to those who dropped round and showed an interest her and only sorry I didn't get to catch up with MG Mark.
Basically, changing the cylinder head gasket has transformed the beast into a rortin' snortin' machine which will sit comfortably at 55 to 60 mph all day.
So here are the offical statistics from Wisden for you to digest:
Average speed on run from LM to Deauville was 38mph including traffic jams, refuels, piss stops and the big breakdown (see below).
Average fuel consumption for whole trip was 21mpg (compared to 14 mpg last year)
Milage travelled door to door and back again was 423 miles.
Estimated over a 100 fewer gearchanges each direction due to better power compared to last year. Also estimate she had run over 4000 miles with the blown head gasket.
Top speed reached was 70 mph on the Commer speedo but I have to say I never tried to max it this year, there was no need.
Reliability:
Very, very poor. Fine on the way down, the motor was singing a sweet tune in the cool night air. Return journey was a different matter. Due to a combination of heat exhaustion, hangovers and the Astons going out, we took the decision to leave the curcuit an hour before the race finished rather than risk overheating in the traffic. Within half an hour of setting off she was coughing and spluttering as the fuel kept vapourising due to the heat having nowhere to go. Just after leaving Sees there was an almighty pop as the rad cap blew out followed by the loudest hissing I had heard since a drunken trip to the Bluebell Steam Railway. The cab was instantly filled with clouds of noxious steam and smoke and we made the decision not to press on any further without having a quick look to check everything was ok.
On opening the bonnet, I can honestly say things resembled Mount Etna on a bad day. Smoke was pouring off the oil covered engine block, the blackened cork gaskets were on the point of spontaneous combustion and petrol was actually boiling in the glass dome on top of the petrol pump. After leaving her to cool off for twenty minutes, I opened the rad and it was totally dry. I refilled the radiator, the quantity required being 1 and a half gallons of water, which fortunately i had kept in a jerry can in case of such problems. Suitably refreshed, I hit the starter button and she fired up first time of asking; we were on our way again without so much as a further hiccup.
We also discovered what had gone wrong. What I had neglected to do before we set off was to remove the large Union Jack which had been draped over front, totally blocking off the radiator air intake. Apparently it's a bit of a necessity to have air circulating freely through the rad in the mildly warm weather we were experiencing. It's of course entirely the fault of the stupid vehicle for not reminding me the flag was there and I accept no responsibility for the problems caused. I mean, if you are going to run a vehicle with mystic powers, what is the bloody point if it doesn't use them to tell you it's in distress? What a heap of sh it!
Seriously, I cannot imagine any modern engine taking a beating like that in the terrible afternoon heat without having melted the engine block or computer chip or warping the alloy head. But to start first ask on the button was absolutely amazing. We just sat there shaking our heads in utter disbelief. There is, I beleive, an undescribable inner strength and integrity to her, a determination to get you home no matter what the consequences, a sort of British Bulldog never-say-die spirit. She should be awarded a DSO (Distinquished Commer Order) for that one. It's a hell of a citation.
She's is, I think you will agree without fear or favour, a beauty!
