Since the June update the weather hadn’t really been favourable for driving the Corsair with only a couple of local trips achieved. I did get to visit The Old Ford Rally at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon which was a 200 mile round trip. The weather was a bit damp that morning, with the chance of a shower or two for the day so the roof stayed up for the whole trip. It was also nice to be accompanied by my son who had just become the owner of a 2008 Ford Fiesta for his first car. Several Corsairs attended and mine wasn’t the only convertible this time and the weather stayed dry for the duration of the show. At least it wasn’t baking hot like last year and the Corsair ran nicely without any issues.
The next major trip was in late August to see a friend in Devon and made for a 130 mile round trip. I chanced it with the weather to keep the roof down but with a few traffic hold ups on the A303 Ilminster bypass it inevitably rained while at crawling speed. The Corsair took the slow traffic in it’s stride and cruised happily at 65mph on the open stretches of dual carriageways and clear roads. I eventually arrived at my friends place after a missed turning or two down some single track lanes in amongst the Blackdown Hills. The return trip was slow (with another shower) on the single carriageway section leading out of Devon but once on the open road and dual carriageway the Corsair cruised nicely in the late afternoon sunshine. It was a good run and the Corsair coped with the slow traffic without over heating at all.
At the end of August I took the Corsair in for an MOT inspection and unfortunately it failed on a few points this time. Not only that, for the 4th MOT day in a row, it had rained. I will need to save up to necessitate the repair to the body work where the steering box mounts to the chassis. I will also consider more restoration work, hopefully to be done by John Midwood, in this area while its off the road.