Flaminia Valve seats

[Flamfan]

Does anyone know if Flaminia's were manufactured with hardened valve seats ?
Plenty of info online, but as usual the more I read the more confused I get.
It has been said that lead replacement additives can cause more problems than they cure ?
I've been adding 1 bottle of octane booster ( without lead replacement ) to Shell V power for a couple of years
and the engine definitely feels a tad more powerful and smoother with the additive.
I'd be interested to know if other Flaminia owners use additives, and if so what are they using ?
Also would like to know if anyone has suffered adverse effects with additives.
Thanks

[Jay]

When i first got my 2.5 3C i ran for a couple of tanks with the well known additive that comes in a small silver bottle. But everyone i spoke to said it wasn't necessary, so i stopped and 8 years later the engine seems as strong as when i first got it. I also read that higher octane fuel gave better MPG, did that a few times, i don't think it made any difference, I do about 2k to 3k a year and not scared to use the full rev range of the engine. I hope that helps.

[Flamfan]

That's interesting jay. I do use an octane booster with every tank of Shell V power and it stops
the occasional 'pinking' experienced without it. It might be my imagination but the engine also feels
slightly smoother.

[Jay]

Never really experience 'pinking' apart from once when the brake servo played up and got stuck on, so had to rev it hard to get home, the after mark of this was a knackered burnt clutch and my half shaft sheared a couple of years later.

Back on topic, i put the cheapest 95 petrol in the tank and it seems absolutely fine, although like most owners the engine does need to warm up (so does the gearbox) and the carbs need to get wet with the correct level of fuel. But after half a mile or so, it settles down and loves to rev.