NXG

Sounds like he needs to have a word with his engine builder....

HankScorpio

When he was driving, the rev counter wasn't even moving. 300k on a rebuild, 200 miles on it and the rev counter doesn't work?

Deserves to fail if you ask me.

Ray_li

made all that money from cooking?

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

What a let down that prog was! Ignoring that Martin came across as more of a **** than a cook, I seriously wondered why they carried on filming or even bothering to show the program once the car had died.

Maser with a duff valve; erm nope, I know a knocking rod where I hear one, and that certainly had one. Interesting to note his 4500rpm limit (with a duff tachometer)...the A6GCM should be good for well above 6000+rpm, having quite a short stroke; Unlike a TR6 engine (for example), which even though its the same capacity and alot more modern (erm, maybe not!?!?! ), would tear itself apart above 5000rpm because it has such a huge stroke - Thank British Leyland for saving the pennies by squeezing every last bit of capacity out a block intended to be no larger than 2000cc in capacity (they did it with the K-series too - it was only meant to be 1400cc )

Anyway; Stuck in Italy, with a broken Maser, tries to get parts from the UK...erm WTF? Are you trying to tell me that there is not one vintage Maserati specialist that knows about A6Gxx in the whole of Italy that couldn't have sorted it or offered machine shop services to aid the mechanic to strip and replace the damaged rod(s) and bearing shells? Unless the shells had to be manually re-tinned and machined true again (doubt it- its a post war car). Ok, time scale would have been an issue here; depends how easy that engine goes in and out and goes together; For example I can get a RV8 in/out the car and totally stripped and put back together within 12hours sparing time a few hours in between for beer/tea and bacon butties, and that has more parts than a DOHC 12v 6pot.

Either way, I suspect the car hadn't been test ran significantly enough beforehand; If so, what a numpty!

skoobidude

I didn't think he came across as a *** at all. He is seriously passionate about cars and spent a huge amount of his own money on that vehicle. That explains some of his emotions and moods.
I thought he was a great bloke and really felt for him when he had to pull out.

Was much better viewing than the Top Gear lads dicking about 1hr before..

Hope he enters again and finishes next year

Prasius

iTrader: (1)

Whilst I felt for him not finishing, I have to agree he came across as a bit of a dick.

To enter the Mille Miglia, to be in a position to buy such a beautiful car to take on it; and then allow it to descend into a question of profit/loss, I actually find quite offensive. For a car dealer to enter the event with a vehicle and hired drivers I can accept it - but, to me, for someone who claims to have a passion for the event and the cars to do it makes them come across as little more than a fraud who's pretending in order to make a fast buck.

If I was in a position to do that, it would be for the experience of competing in the event, and to experience the joy (or maybe not!) of owning such a stunning classic car - they'd have to wait til I died to have sold that again!!

Spooky Mulder

He may be passionate however he did not come across as very knowledgeable. He outsourced the sourcing of car and co-driver to his agent, he 'merely' provided the £1m to pay for the whole thing. A question of money over ability.

The car seemed to be ill prepared, it was not obvious what his co-driver added other than a cute pair of legs and writing on brushed aluminium with a Sharpie!!!!

scoobynutta555

I can't remember to be honest. All I remember towards the end was him maoning about wanting to go home. Mentally switched off when he was on at the end. Regarding the whole co-driver thing, I find it a bit odd he wanted a young, pretty female driver as his wife would have gone mental. I'd have brought a male mate along. Not the sort of thing you bring a woman along for, even if it is your partner.

bugeyeandy

He openly admitted during the program that despite loving cars he had absolutely no mechanical know how and didn't know one end of a spanner from the other. I guess that meant he relied on everything his mechanic told him.
Cars like this weren't reliable when they were new let alone 50 years later and to be honest it looked to me like he drove it extremely carefully as you would if you'd spunked that much money on it.
I quite enjoyed the program other than the co-driver who appeared to add nothing other than graffiti to the experience
I hope he tries again next year and they use a different script writer who doesn't go on about danger and money all the time

Ali , I take it you've never tried to get anything done in Italy. Ask for something simple today you might get it next month. Ask for something out of the ordinary and you might see it next decade. I should know with the number of Italian cars i've owned in the past

bugeyeandy

I bet thats a quality job too, can never understand why people boast about how quickly they can do things like engine rebuilds.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Depends if your fixing the problem (a dodgy rod/shell) or going for a complete recon; In my case thats a proper job on a competition engine (already clean so no need for the chemical bath that you normally need to put the average filthy old road engine with 50,000miles worth of coke baked onto the castings i.e 90% of road engines).

If it was just a emergency bottom end refresh on an already recently built engine, I reckon I could get it done and running again in under 5 hours, any faster and I would be cutting corners. Mainly measurements; and thats asking for trouble with any build.

Fact is, your not going to completely recondition an already reconditioned engine; you strip it to find source of problem, investigate the root cause and fix it (if possible). Engines are not rocket science, just very basic mechanical devices that just need a close eye on tolerances. For that nothing a good torque wrench, micrometer, bore gauge, decent dial gauge+fixings, some experience, intuition and a very keen eye is all thats needed in the reciepe.

Plus its a race engine, knowing engines of this era it "should" be made to be easily stripped and put back together, the task should be straight forward as regular routine rebuilds to these are part and parcel of what a full service is to a modern engine.

paul w

Think half of you must have been watching something else as he never came across as a ****,he was so passionate about his cars and pair play to him for following his dream at all costs,not many people would have the ***** to do that.

Never seen him cook though so dont know what he comes across like on that programme.

scoobynutta555

No, I was watching the correct programme, he acted like a *** IMHO.

Matteeboy

Came across as an utter **** to me.

Pain in the **** to his co-driver, very "me me me" bought an expensive car without seeming to really care about it, thought money solved everything.
And he's he was the only fat b4stard in the race - if he loved it so much, why didn't he prepare a bit by doing some exercise?

However the rest of the program was fascinating.

Borat_Drives_A_Scooby

In my opinion he came across as a 22 carrat plonker that was up his own backside and never stopped referring to money, by the sounds of it the car had no testing before the event after an engine rebuild and some have pointed out that it didn`t have a working rev counter either.

I feel for him that he didn`t fulfil his dream but thats as far as it goes, he isn`t my cuppa tea when it comes to likeable people.

yoza

I didnt like him, but I liked his Black Sub.

He was a bit up himself.....the sort of person who sells bespoke kitchens.

s20pe

His co driver only got the job coz she was a looker I could Have found 10 guys in our motor club who could read tulip diagrams and maps she didn't have a clue call me cinical but it was all about the money nice car good looking co driver take photo's ,sell a book,sell a tv program ,and sell the car for a proifit but it dont all go to plan , no wonder he was crying

Fantom

I can't quite understand why you would spend all that money on the car and rebuild and then not run the engine in before going?
Would anyone here use a 1000 mile road race as a run in procedure? Bit daft if you ask me.
He should have done a couple of thousand miles before heading off to Italy.

scoobynutta555

Didn't he have a qualifying car in his collection anyway? I'm sure that's what they said near the end when he watched a similar car finish.

Yes people can be applauded at having a go at realising a dream, but it's the way you go about it that garners respect.

Prasius

iTrader: (1)

Yip, and even if he didn't, he didn't need to spend £900,000 on a car to compete. There are plenty of qualifying cars which would have been far more affordable, and I dare say reliable, he could have completed the rally in.

He wasn't realising a dream, he was trying to make a quick buck on something that, in my idealised little world, is better than that. Both the car, and the event. The fact he totally ignored the advice from Sir Stirling Moss, as pointed out by his co-driver - says everything about his attitude to me.

He is probably more suited to a Gumball event than the Mille Miglia. Some pimped out Ferrari, a bint in the passenger seat, a bit of publicity; and it wouldn't effect the class of the event in the slightest.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

I was paying more attention to his wall mounted rotisserie; Imagine how much kebab meat you could get on that!

TelBoy

Ali, you are = you're.


I enjoyed the programme, but WHY was that Maserati worth £600k of anybody's money, apart from the fact it was old and one of only three? Just a nuts valuation in my opinion.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Tel, whilst you refuse to capitalise "I" mid-sentence, I will refuse to take grammatical advice from you. Regardless of me knowing that I made a faux pas or not.

TelBoy

Whilst you refuse to capitalise you, me, them, us or any other personal pronoun apart from "i" for whatever arbitrary reason you've decided upon, i'll choose to believe you've never really learned the difference between your and you're, regardless of your assertation that it was some sort of "faux pas"

falkster

My thoughts exactly. He and his girlfriend blubbing cos he's always wanted to do this and now his dreams are shattered!!! Ive dreamt of rattling Cheryl Cole but I cant see it happening....not gonna blub though.

Leslie

Seemed a bit immature to me, full of "look at me" and did not even have the sense to take care of a new engine. As Not Rev said-a bit of a prize ***!

Les

falkster

'I wanted to be head chef by 30, own my own restaurant by 35 and a ferrari by 40.....I did it all by 23'

little-ginge

Are you psychic??? I've just been reading the daily rag, and they've split up