So, Friday morning I headed across to Canvey Island to pick up the D for it's first real drive in the UK (discounting the snowstorm mission picking it up from Southampton).
Turned into Charfleets estate and was looking out for Gradys - the sight of those 4 rectangular headlights down the side road tells me where I need to go! I get closer and admire the D in front of the workshop. A nice looking one, I think. Then it occurs to me. Chris knows I'm coming - perhaps this one is mine? It doesn't look much like the one I left at his house a couple of months ago... but still...
Chris is fiddling on the car, a dozen last minute jobs getting sorted out. The absence of any number plates confirms it. Yep, it's 7176. New exhaust on, ticking over sweetly. Well, between 750 and 1000rpm sweetly
There hasn't been quite enough time to get everything done on the car so there are still some things to sort - dent on driver's door, fuel gauge, speedo not working. Headliners, rear shocks still to be fitted. But it looks great. The stainless is SO much better than when I left it with him. And Chrispy's front springs make a big difference too. The absence of fuel gauge means there's a slightly more manual approach to checking the fuel level - pull off the top of the tank and have a look inside!
So I give Chris the rear number plate, he whistles it on, we put all our stuff in the D (fitted with ease) and set off for the long drive up to Wigan. First impressions are that the car goes a lot better than it did when I first got it off the boat. The exhaust makes itself heard, sure, but it actually accelerates now instead of feeling downright sluggish like it did before.
Unfortunately Good Friday isn't the best day to travel - especially when 5 minutes into the journey it starts to rain torrentially, and not let in for the next 6 hours... So the journey up to Wigan was more of a journey to get done than one to savour. When you're in solid jams half the way, the fans don't work (dodgy mode switch), it's fully pissing it down and your left leg gets rather tired on the clutch it's not as much fun as it might be! Still Hannah was happy enough with her knitting...
Most amusing moment (although I confess to getting mildly stressed at the time) was attempting to exit the petrol station above and finding that I couldn't round the pump and clear a transit van parked in front of the shop with the supertanker-esque turning circle of the D. I'd need to reverse. However (and Chris had warned me about this) reverse was tricky to find due to an iffy gear cable. I discovered that it was indeed tricky to find, as car after car built up behind me as I repeatedly found 2nd instead of reverse and edged closer and closer to the transit. I thought I was going to end up ramming the van, with a group of irate petrol getters behind me.
Just as I was about to get out of the car and ask some random people to help me push it backwards, I discovered the knack of finding reverse. Pull
f**king hard towards you and then slot it back. Thank God. Quick manoeuvre and I was out of there.
Next mini drama on the way up was discovering that the brakes were almost as effective sending the car sideways when applied reasonably hard as they were slowing it down. Once I'd found this out it was just a question of expecting it and compensating for it, although it did mean I'd leave a rather hefty safety gap between me and the car in front. New Greenstuff pads and DOT5.1 fluid going on imminently though so this won't be a continuing problem!
Still, reached Wigan at 6pm and all was good.
Next day, a trip across to Dave Howarth to pick up some bits for my car and some bits for Chris. I am now well versed in the histories of Dave's various 3 D's! Had a good nosy at his RHD 3 miler too - he thinks he'll be putting some real miles on it fairly soon. Interesting stuff!