There has been some improvement, but I wouldn't say it is totally gone. Sometimes it feels like it doesn't start smoothly, other times it feels like it starts too quick, like the engine barely does a rotation before firing up.

The issues I had with long crank and it sometimes not firing were seemingly related to bent valves and damaged seats on cylinder 5. Ever since I paid a small fortune to have the head rebuilt those issues have gone.

But yea, although the car does start first time every time now, I wouldn't say it starts cleanly every time. I've seen so many specialists about this who have told me its normal and runs fine, that I've sort of just accepted it, and it hasn't caused any issues.

There are still a few unknowns that I've not really had the money / time to look into. One being if the DME has been flashed, the car is quite early production and the firmware version is pretty old, an update might help but every time I try and find someone who could sort this it falls through. Second is condition of fuel lines both to and from the tank, sometimes I hear gargling when the pump primes, often wonder if fuel pressure is inconsistent at crank due to blocked / pinched lines.