It works! No crashes, no monkey business ... just nice reflections, and opacities, texture handling, the works. And the computer is far, far faster than it was pre-restore. Right now, a render that would have taken 15 minutes takes about three -- it's not just "faster," it's amazingly faster.
Also, this gave me the chance to play with a new toy -- the car. This was a model I bought from a site called VanishingPoint.org, which specializes in machines, and their cars are fantastic.
And this also gave me the chance to load up an old favorite character, who's been seen only rarely since he starred in the somewhat abortive Abraxas project (you remember that one ... web comic project. I'm 60pp in, and it gets judged to be porn! Good grief. No full-on nudity and no sex ... one kiss. Porn?!)
Here he is, at 1:1 size, with me playing around with textures:
Suffice to say, I'm very happy, and playing contentedly!
Jade, 1 May (May Day; also Pagan Pride Day)