Hello all,

I inherited a FF Roadster build by my father and grandfather. I posted here once before when I had an issue and the help I got was overwhelming. In the end, I was able to fix that problem and have been enjoying the car very much ever since. Thought I would try again with the latest issue I am having. As I mentioned in my last post, I am a bit of an automotive novice. However I am committed to getting to know this car, and so I enjoy the opportunity to work on it myself and learn in the process.

I was driving the car few days ago. I was on the road for maybe 10 minutes before I stopped to fill her up, and to that point in the trip (and the day before), she was running great. I fill her up with 91 octane (I have the receipt, so I certain that is what I put in) and started to drive out of the gas station. Not 20 seconds out of the parking lot, the car begins to run very rough. Several seconds after that I notice black smoke coming from the exhaust. I took my foot off the accelerator and the engine shut of and I coasted into a parking lot. I attempted to restart it once, but the engine would not turn. I had the car towed home.

My first guess was that I had somehow put diesel in the tank, but like I said, the receipt confirms that I put in premium. Moreover, the filler nozzle smells like gas, not diesel. With the car home, I disconnected the cables from the spark plugs (plugs were still in) and tried to turn the engine with the key - no luck. I took the spark plugs out to examine them and the look fine. Then I tried to turn the engine manually with a breaker bar - it does turn. I took the bowls off the carb to check and see if there was a busted float, but everything looked normal (although, granted, I am only really guessing about what "normal" looks like). I put the carb back together, put the spark plugs back in, and then tried to start the car again. This time in turned for maybe 2 seconds before stopping. When I tried a second time it wouldn't turn at all. They battery reads at 12 - 13 volts.

If anyone has any theories about what could cause the issue described above, I would love to hear them. If you need more info please let me know. Thanks in advance for your help!

-Nick