Well, another holiday overseas has come and gone. My annual pilgrimage to visit family in Italy was interesting to say the least. As I mentioned in my previous posts, the issue with a post ignition backfire... on shut down was corrected. Vic had removed the head to find # 4 valve seat to be the culprit. What caused this is still unclear, however a call to QED for replacement steel seats did the trick.
3522R ran flawlessly, our morning road trips were the order of the day, as the temperature soared in the afternoon to over 100+ on several occasions. We decided to forgo the busy Autostrada, and keep to the local back roads and highways during our adventures. Vic was gracious enough to let me drive each day, with the trips getting longer as we toured the countryside. All told, I figure we amassed close to 800 kilometers during my stay.
During one trip, to see some antique motorcycles at a club event, we were curiously followed for many miles by this one car... we could not shake off. I wondered why this fellow kept on my tail...finally he flashed his lights and I decided to stop, to see what was up. An older gentleman walked over and introduced himself, and invited us for coffee in the next town. Seems he had owned an S2 in his younger years and wanted a closer look at the Europa. We obliged, and after chatting Lotus for about an hour, I was again reminded how distinct and eye-catching these little cars are. Everywhere we went, heads turned as we passed, every stop was like bees to honey, as strangers gathered to admire and ask questions.
The Italians truly love their cars, and seem to know they don't all have to be blood red, to be appreciated.
