"A four cylinder British sports car running on three cylinders has a distinctive sound...Rather like a Spad going down over Flanders."
-P. Egan

A four cylinder Italian sports car with the same liability makes much the same noise, albeit it makes it with much greater style and expense. I've had a Spider for so long I've actually developed the ability to massage its engine to life with just one firing cylinder and a judicious use of the accelerator pedal. Sounds like an old WWII bomber starting up.