James Martin's Mille Miglia

Anyone watch his attempt last night. Shame the car died but what a buzz it must have been. Anyone that went on the trip to Maserati 97 would have recognised Ermanno Cozza the Official Historian at Maserati. He arrived on a bike and showed us roundt the old factory. Looks like we have to go visit the new factory to make sure it's up to scratch. Then there's the idea of following the course of the Mille Miglia .......... mmmm

ideas, ideas for 2009 or 2010

Yep watched it. Sad but if I read it right you would have to blame the rebuild not the car itself. Still it'll live another day.

Yep, it has sure stirred my passions for a trip again.
Reckon it would be close on 4500 miles if I did it on the back of le mans. Reckon 14 days would do it including a few days at Le Man.

Lets establish something. I think James Martin is a top bloke and 'big up' to him for giving it a blast. I would love to have a go. Infact I live for such opportunities, but why, oh why, oh why? did he , or who, o who, o who, put the idea in his head that he had to do the race is such a fragile piece of priceless (priceless to us anyway) exotica as the A6, and spend nigh on a million quid :shock: into the bargain, when a car just as unique (and possibly more robust) could be found for a fraction of the cost. There must be around 300 to choose from!! Surley finishing is more important than looking cool on the start line? I cried in my head for hours when I watched the programme . Give it another go fella but give yourself a fighting chance and take a Fiat or Lancia or Cisitalia or OSCA or something else....

Maybe pre event testing might have helped regardless of car. :roll: :roll:

I too like James Martin, but I was really disappointed in this pogram - it was such a non-event. I believe he bought that car because he had always wanted one and he had the money! (recent big success of Saturday Kitchen) - probably egged on by his mate Chris Evans (also not afraid to spend a few quid on a car!)
BUT - he should have run the engine, sure, but what sort of a build was it that catastrophically failed dafter a day of gentle driving? Guy Croft would have fallen on his sword! - I would like to know the story there.

Its always the mechanics fault... If the engine had been built up with new pistons etc, it is basically as new. It should have been run in properly, and the oil changed after a few hundred miles,with torques checked ,rolling roaded,etc. I certainly wouldn't build an engine,then stake all that cash I'd spent on it being OK,even more so when dealing with a car of that price and rarity,never mind the thousands of people watching on live TV. :shock:

Don't know if this was done,but faulty parts do happen, even if the mechanic grew up from a small boy in Maserati overalls, that programme made him out to be incompetent, without the chance to explain or redeem himself.

Not a day goes by in the motor trade without a mechanic hearing things like this. "You fitted brake shoes in my car and now I can't get radio 2.. , You serviced my car 6 months (and 10,000 miles) ago ,why didn't you notice my tyres are worn.... you changed a brake light bulb and now my husband only gets 4 trips to work for £10 of petrol instead of 6......" I could go on.

Sorry for the rant.. but it winds me up!

I personally found the program a big pile of pants and gave up watching at the breakdown point.
Yes let’s see how much money you have and what pointless job you can find for the brainless bimbo “oh I know photographer she’s got a camera”
My dads right northern and only cried once.... blah blah blah

Tiff before Christmas I fitted new tyres and had a full service. I have now found my pants don’t fit very well can you explain this???????

markp38 wrote:
Tiff before Christmas I fitted new tyres and had a full service. I have now found my pants don’t fit very well can you explain this???????

Your spare tyre must have incresed in size over the festive period! :lol:

AAHHH you see that’s why you’re a trained professional and I am a blundering armature who isn’t aloud to hold a spanner within 10feet of a living person plant or animal.

What do you suggest for my spare tyre problem maybe a new large pump?
:shock:

I take your point Tiff, there should have been more of an explanation - Im kind of thinking that he might have avoided any further comment for fear of legal reprisals .. but, to be fair, it was the engine that failed, he wasn't blaming the mechanic for anything other than that


but he should have run it in, no getting away from it, and in not doing so he wrecked his engine and his TV program ...

markp38 wrote: AAHHH you see that’s why you’re a trained professional and I am a blundering armature who isn’t aloud to hold a spanner within 10feet of a living person plant or animal.

What do you suggest for my spare tyre problem maybe a new large pump?
:shock:

A little deflation....!

and real Professionals drive Capri's!

and real Professionals drive Capri's!

or RS2000's

so if you drove a Granada was that just a bit of Upstairs downstairs menship

No, Then you are THE BOSS.... SHUT IT!!!

Bring back the 70's!