461 miles at 28 degrees
 

It was time.

My practice partner picked me up at 0730 in his drop-top C5. I told him if we went up to the Olthoff's, about 70 miles, with the top up, passerby would think us wimps. Doug said that since it was then 26 degrees, and he had forgot his gloves, we would trip up, top up. C5's are nice, but really really broad cars.

Got to the Olthoffs; Dennis was opening up shop, his yellow lab was with him. The biggest lab i have ever seen, makes Rin Tin Tin look like a Taco dog. Anyway, the Great Stroker was there, the new chrome full-width rollbar looked great, set off by the new yellow hash marks on the driver's front wing. Lots of other tweaks and tunes, it has been up there for a month, being massaged and modified for me.

Doug left in his 'Vette, so i slipped into my long johns, put on the trusty Navy G1, slipped into the Simpson goggles, slapped the Valentine on the windscreen, and swung southeast, heading to the coast. By then the sun was up, but it was still just about freezing at most. I slowly got colder and colder, such that the blood flowing thru my marrow got all viscous, and seemed to want to clot or something. I longed for winter-weight blood. I began to shake and shivver, but i pressed on, down I-77, then to I-26. As always, cruised every interstate rest stop, but this time, i went into each one, and warmed my hands under the mens room hand driers. They were numb. I wanted to thaw out some other parts too, but there were too many other chaps in there for that. At one stop, two older men, noting my license plate NAM VET, asked if the two new fender hash marks meant i had been a corporal. I kindly told them they were just a racing decoration, omitting the fact i retired as a full colonel.

Rolled into Charleston about 1:30, and then idled thru the tiny streets, thronged with tourists and others, helping our SC economy. Dennis tweaked my exhaust so the Stroked Windsor is loud and crisp, each exhaust pulsation reverberating off the historic walls and shops. Parked, and went into a brewery, as i was pretty dehydrated, and sucked down a brown ale, and a pizza. I kept holding each warm slice in my numb hands until the cheese congealed, then wolfed that piece down.

Was fun to see so many people take pictures of my red/white stripe car, so nicely accented with the "rookie stripes". Everytime i saw a police, i let my SPF coast, hoping to escape a noise violation. Shopped a bit, then put on all my layers, and headed home, into the chilling upstate freezing temp.

Evan would have loved meeting the quaint English gent, who told me that if it wasn't made of aluminum, and in Britain, it was not nearly as good as "a real English Cobra."

Got home, jumped into a hot tub, and finally thawed out.

So made it back, hoping that a night under the Down will thin out my viscous blood. Y'all need to get out and drive your replicas.

It really is good to have my car back. Even Abby, my trusty Weimerainer, who guards it in the garage every night, was happy to hear it roll up.

Hal,,,,,looks like you never did grow out of that TR-4. Your still racking up the miles on your sports cars, lol.

Ernie

Hal,

Glad that your car turned out so great and you certainly have more fortutide than I do to drive in that weather. But after Nam I guess it isn't that bad. Now if you had driven 100 miles in Korea in the middle of the Winter I would like to see the ice statue you and the car made.

Ron :LOL: **) :JEKYLHYDE

Hal,

One day we need to get you into a good ole aluminum car...We need someone to do some road-testing for us.

Curiously, what's your flavor?

427 S/C
427 Street
289 Street
289 FIA
289 Hybrid

David:) :) :)

Hal,

You are simply amazing!

How about some pics of the car with the new chrome full roll bar!

David, i was looking at the Friedman book of archive Shelby pictures last evening and again this morning.

I really do think the 289 FIA has the best looking front grill opening of all the cars. The more flat bottom of the opening just looks more mean and sinister somehow.

But i am limited to one toy at a time, it took a year for my kids to wear down my wife so i could get my SPF three years ago. She couldn't take my pouting and whining, and the kids constant nagging, so one night we were eating dinner, and the RipChords came on the radio with "Hey Little Cobra" and Becky, now a Clemson Soph, shouted out "it's a sign that we need to get that car for dad!!!"

Lynne just mumbled "call the Olthoff's and just do it, so i can get my life back."

But you do make beautiful cars, i have seen several, and they are stunning.

In a minuted i am going out to fire the Great Stroker up, and head up to Charlotte, wife is coming in to the airport, we will go somewhere for dinner. A bit chilly, but hey, i am thawed out now, and ready to roll again.

Life is brief and unpredictable, so live accordingly.

Hal - My apologies for my somewhat mis-informed countryman! At least it is better than some old guy coming up and saying " You know - I had one of those Healeys when I was young" (has happened to me, twice now).

I can relate to long distance drives in sub-zero temperatures. It is a fact of life here in the UK. The last 200 mile drive I undertook when it was below freezing taught me a thing or two about staying warm, and no, I have no soft-top for the car.

I wanted a soft top because it gets so HOT here,,,,,,boy do I feel like a whimp.

Ernie

In the North you learn to tolerate the cold. YOu do not want to drive in the winter due to the snow, ice, and salt. It is too hard on the car and can be dangerous. If you get a nice dry day without the snow, ice, and salt, you can tell the serious (crazy?) drives of convertables. They are out there with their top down and cruising along -- even below freezing.

Thanks for the story.

Snoopy Hat
 

Wilf
I have a soft top for my JCF slabside and I tried it on the car one chilly (36 degree) night in sunny California. The top fits the car well- I fit the car well, but not at the same time. I came up with the solution of cutting a large circular hole in the driver's side of the top and sticking my head out but I sobered up and decided against it. I bought a "world war II Snoopy aviator's leather helmet and the appropriate Snoopy-Red Baron goggles. Not only do I look cool but I get a lot of thumbs-up. Kinda hard to hear but I've lost most of my hearing from the exhaust system anyway.
What?

Harris

Harris - I share the same "opportunity" - I don't really fit a CObra too well if it had a roof.

I suspect we share the same taste in headgear tho': :D

Hal
What day was that. It got to 65 here in atlanta Sunday but with that basketball game this weekend atlanta was a real pain traffic wise. Worse than freaknik. They even closed Lenox mall too many people.

I think I saw that same headgear in Dr. Zhivago. Were you there? I didn't notice the car!

TURK

Dr. Hopple,

Once again, you are my hero.




.

Hal,
Did that "head nurse" have anything to do with you taking your car up to the Olthoff's and leaving it for a month? :p Doesn't feel like Spring will ever return to the Carolinas :( 35 degrees and raining this morning.
h dog

David,

I would love to road test a good ole aluminum car for you - anytime.:) :) :)

Regards,

Keith

Hats off, Hal!
 

Loved your analysis of blood, marrow, etc..............Howsofookin'-ever........t'were merely 12 degrees F this morning in the roarin' metropolis of Cataumet, Ma. This would merely be coincedental chat, BUTT Jamo's (now my) BUTTler will arrive before Saturday's warm-up. Looks like I'll be tooling around in sub-20s! Hm-m-m-m-m.:JEKYLHYDE Years of careful adhesion to a special diet (dead cattle in large herds) have added sufficient sub-cutaneous material (ahem) to my god-like, Zeusiform frame---and---this allows me to chum the ladies in the same outfit you see on my Gallery's "Freddie-plus-Jamo's-car" photo in February! Minor sartorial variation is viewable in the "cooking instructions" photo, same Gallery site!
Keep up the stories, PLEASE! A lot of us look forward to frequent "installments"!:D