So I set about making lists and priorities. As usual it just kept growing as the “nice to haves” became “essential, dear”.

The initial list looked something like this;

1. Master cylinders. Both brake and clutch are sticky and don’t feel right. Overhaul or simply replace ?
2. Surely electronic ignition will work now we're in the 21st Century ? So let’s try one of those Pertronix things that hides inside the distributor.
3. Fuel pump. Will the old pump seals and valves cope with modern unleaded and the ethanol that cars drink these days ? Maybe a modern electronic one would be better, and it could be wired as an anti-theft device as well.
4. Hmm, I suppose we'll need an MoT, which leads us to what Lotus laughingly called a handbrake. Well, time to sort out that awful linkage and try to get it to work for once in it’s 40+yr life.
5. The doughnuts are 1980s vintage and I don’t trust them. Replacements have a poor reputation so maybe it’s time to go for a CV or UJ conversion.
6. Carburettors. After so long inactive, a good clean up and service kit is well overdue.

But of course it didn’t stop there. Once back on the road, what in truth worked perfectly ok became subject to that dreaded affliction of "wouldn't it be better if.......”