...and I saw an old geezer driving a pristine '65 Malibu convertible with the top down.
I hope both he and the back window survived the trip. At least it was sunny out.
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Jan. 16, 2012 1:11 p.m. Duke SuperDork
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Jan. 16, 2012 1:52 p.m. pilotbraden Dork
In the mid 1960's My paternal grandpa and his brother in law decided to go to the family hunting camp for a weekend in January. The final 2-3 miles were an unplowed seasonal road, so they would have to hike in. Gramps had a new Buick convertible. To load his freight hauling toboggan in the car he put the top down. They fit everything in and the top will not go up completely due to the cold. They said the hell with the top, put on their winter camping clothes and set out. Myth has it that they stopped at everyother bar on the right side of the road to "warm up". When they got to the end of the plowed road there was a light on in the cottage there. Even though it was approaching midnight they decided that they should let the people that live there why a new car with the top down was parked there. They knocked and told their tale. The old gentleman asked them in for a "nip to keep the cold off". A couple of hours later they finally set out on snowshoes dragging the toboggan. They did not leave straight tracks and fell several times. By the time they got to the cabin and started a fire it was about 4am. At 8am they were awakened by pounding on the door. A man on a snowmobile had seen the car and then these horrible tracks. He was worried that someone was hurt and wanted to help.
I think of that story everytime that I see or hear of a convertible being driven top down in winter weather. Thanks for putting a smile on my face today.
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Jan. 16, 2012 2:58 p.m. jrw1621 SuperDork
Alzheimer's is a bitch!
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Jan. 16, 2012 3:53 p.m. Graefin10 HalfDork
jrw1621 wrote:
Alzheimer's is a bitch!
Ain't it the truth!
A buddy of mine never put his top up until it was around 30 degrees or raining really hard. Of course he was 6'6" and drove a Bugeye.
I wasn't much different but my cut off point was in the mid 50s.
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Jan. 16, 2012 6:51 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork
I did the same with my Fiat Spider. Unless it was raining or below freezing.. the top was down.
I did the top down thing once in a snow storm. It was pretty cool... and VERY messy
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Jan. 16, 2012 7:21 p.m. Curmudgeon SuperDork
Drove a Spitfire and an MGB topless in the snow. Got nailed with snowballs. Put top up.
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Jan. 16, 2012 8:16 p.m. stuart in mn SuperDork
I used to have a '61 Bonneville convertible. When I first got it the top was kind of shredded so I left it down all the time. I drove it to my sister's house 100 miles away one late fall day when it was in the mid 30s. Fortunately, that car had a great heater, and with the windows up it wasn't bad at all.
Saw a woman driving an Audi R8 today - not the sort of car you normally see in Minnesota in January.
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Jan. 16, 2012 8:56 p.m. Racer1ab Reader
mad_machine wrote:
I did the same with my Fiat Spider. Unless it was raining or below freezing.. the top was down.
I did the top down thing once in a snow storm. It was pretty cool... and VERY messy
One of my fondest memories with my old supercharged Miata involved showing up at an old girlfriend's place on a snowy day, and packing hot chocolate and a blanket for her.
Top down with the windows up and the heater cranked, the cockpit was a pretty cozy place to be. The Nokian Hakkas allowed a lot of fun to be had on unplowed back roads.
I miss that car.
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Jan. 16, 2012 11:06 p.m. mtn SuperDork
I still drive my Miata in almost any sunny weather until the hardtop goes on. I had at least 2 below freezing days this (fall-winter 2011) year.
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Jan. 16, 2012 11:22 p.m. MCarp22 HalfDork
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Jan. 17, 2012 7:23 a.m. Gearheadotaku SuperDork
^ now that's the way to go 'sledding'
