Well, today (Yesterday!?) was the cars’ last day out on the road as a 2ltr TR7. The road tax expired today, and with the MOT also due in a couple of weeks, I decided it wasn’t worth retaxing it. If I’d been confident that she could have sailed through the next MOT without too much work, then I’d have kept her on the road for another couple of months. But as it is, I’m pretty sure she’ll need a fair bit of work doing, so it’s time to take her off the road. 🙁
So by way of a send-off, I decided to use up the petrol left in the tank (about half a tank) with a good solid blast around the Cotswolds. The weather could have been better, but I still had a great afternoon out – perversely, the car seemed on top form, not missing a beat, and seeming to love every minute! It almost gave me second thoughts about doing this rebuild, but no – the car is getting worn out and is desperately in need of some major work.
This was confirmed when, on the way to the garage, I looked in the mirror to see a great cloud of smoke billowing out behind me! 😮 It cleared up after a few seconds, so I have no idea what it was. The engine still runs fine (A little lumpy, but that’s normal…), so it’s still good enough to sell on again, albeit as one in need of a rebuild. Should be worth a few quid on fleabay. At least, I hope so – if it comes to it, I’ll give the engine away, rather than taking it to the scrapyard. I hate seeing things like this get thrown away – it’s not like they’re being made anymore!
So that’s it – the car is now in her garage, the SORN declaration has been sent, and work can now begin.
All in all, a great day out, but it still seems sad. It’s the end of an era in a lot of ways. I’m just looking forward to the day when she hits the road once again, V8 powered and better than ever! 🙂
