So its been a year. There are now more than 8000 miles on the clock (that’s the most the insurance company would allow). And its been great.
Driving the car
I still love driving the car. It never seems boring – even a long drive on a motorway is somehow more interesting. That might be in part because I am acutely aware of my vulnerability so there is never any ‘autopilot’ happening.
I have driven the car in all weathers and, with the right clothing it is actually pretty comfortable. Of course, it is at its best with the roof off but even when that is not possible, with the heater on and the full roof, it is fine at temperatures below zero.
The half hood is a brilliant compromise for the less extreme conditions, trapping enough warmth to keep you cosy whilst still giving a feeling of being connected to the surroundings. It is also so much easier to put on compared with the full hood, and easier to pack away.
Niggles
If I do have a niggle, I have found that the heated front screen takes some time to start to clear the screen and for some reason, the bit in front of my face seems to be the last bit to get cleared. I have recently brought a bottle of anti-mist treatment which I have applied to the inside face of the screen. I haven’t had to use it yet so I don’t know how well it will work.
The instrument lights are not dimmable. The instruments themselves are fine with the standard lighting but the tiny lights on the switches do seem to glow unnecessarily bright. I have tried to deal with it by putting a bit of masking tape over the light which reduces the emission to a faint glow, but it doesn’t look great. Without this, the reflections of the switches off the nearside door do make it difficult to work out what you are seeing.
The headlights work well – my investment in the LED lights in the original spec was well worth it. Driving at night is not much fun in traffic as being so low, you are often caught in the beam patterns of cars behind and in front of you.
Trips
The highlight of this last year has got to be the Wild Atlantic Way. It was the first big trip I had done in the car and was an absolute joy from start to finish. I had booked B&Bs for the trip but apart from needing to be in a certain place each night, the freedom to go where I wanted, and to stop where I wanted was exhilarating.
There have been many other shorter trips which I have to admit were often a bit of an excuse to go out in the car.
The club has organised various gatherings which I have been to. This has included trips to the Morgan factory in Malvern, the Shuttleworth Collection (old aircraft), the Battle of Britain Bunker as well as a Concours and an Eco Blat – both of which I won.
How is it standing up
The car is doing pretty well from the looks point of view. The paint is a bit scratched in places – normal wear and tear. I have had to also buy a small bottle of touch up paint which I have tried to use to cover up the scratches on the aluminium and the front wings.
My homemade draft excluder has needed upgrading as I had rather under-estimated the wind loads on it and the fixings were pulling out.
The seats look fine but there is a bit of wear on the steering wheel suede finish (not that this is an issue).
Admirers
I have spoken to so many people about the car. Everywhere I go, people stop to ask me about it. Motorcylists wave at me and I find people clustered around the car if it’s in a public carpark.
I was out for a drive on recently and a oldish guy came up to me to chat whilst I was parked up briefly. He was saying how much he loved these cars and then lifted up his shirt (slightly worrying, I must admit) to proudly show me his Tee Shirt which featured a quote from The Prisoner TV series. The show was a classic 1960 spy drama in which the hero drove around in a Lotus 7. Amazing that he just happened to be wearing the Tee Shirt on the day that I just happened to be passing through.
Accessories and consumables
The main additions I have made since buying the half-hood, the ‘Eccles’ mirrors and the rear high-level brake light. All of which I think are very sensible additions and well worth getting.
I had got through quite a lot of polish over the year (well you gotta polish it to make it look good after a wash) and about ¼ bottle of Rain-X for the front windscreen. The Rain-X really works well and means that I don’t need to have the windscreen wipers running when I am moving at a reasonable speed.
I have been experimenting with the Rain-X for plastic to see if it helps with the side windows and the also if it does anything to reduce how much muck sticks to the sides of the doors after a trip with wet roads.
My 170S Build 