bad air

[azruss]

Went for an early morning sorte to Wickenburg via Lake Pleasant hiway. I have settled in to a good "uniform" for Arizona furnace conditions. White cotton slacks, white linen or silk long sleeve button down, wide brimmed gardener's hat and white batting gloves (old school steering wheel). 6-pack cooler in the back. slip on the polaroids and good to go. The Lake Pleasant road has some long straight stretches, free of traffic, so it was pedal to the medal to see what it could do. pulled strong to 95 and hit the wall at 98. I was going slightly up hill and the traffic was too heavy on the way back to do a pass the other way. The lack of more top end is due to not fine tuning the motor and a very aggressive air dam. With optimum conditions, i might get a few more MPHs. I am running an early rear end, so was running about 6200 rpms. The air dam was definitely doing the job as the car stayed pinned to the road. Smooth as silk at that speed. Virtually no wind buffeting as well. I did notice when I got on the major hiway, i pull behind a Jeep and got all sorts of buffeting. Was a stark contrast between dirty and clean air.

[Exit98]

Oh Russ, you've got to post a picture of your self in that uniform!

We all need a chuckle.

I'm with you on the long sleeve white shirt when the sun is blazing down. What a difference it makes and offers a lot of protection. I don't think I'll need those white gloves here in NJ though.

I think your top speed is very respectable, you are pushing a lot of air with your dam. In the end what difference does a few mph make as long as you have a sweet spot through the 65 - 85 range. You've got some great roads out there.

[azruss]

the uniform is very "fantasy island"ish so i guess that makes it period correct. The batting gloves really help with gripping the narrow steering wheel. They are surprisingly cool if not a bit gawdish. Golf gloves might be a better esthetic look. Now, the hat would definitely earn me a ticket from the fashion police. The wifey refuses to wear her matching one, but she still has a head of hair that covers her ears. I guess I could get myself an Elvis wig.

[carl]

At the risk of sounding like a poop head, why not just put the top up? Much cooler and possibly a bit more aerodynamic. It can get very hot here in the DC area and on summer club drives I have been known to be the only spider driver with the top up. That way I can dress in a grubby T shirt and shorts and still be more comfortable than all you fantasy islanders!

Also, use a GPS to verify your speed as Fiat speedos can be notoriously off.

[4uall]

WELCOME

[azruss]

carl, to me the beauty of the spider experience is all associated with top down. View above the windshield line, the smells from the environment, the rush of air across your head and shoulders. It is an imprint on the psyche much like playing in the surf. Most of this is lost with the top up. Eventho the shirt and hat do distract from the experience, it is a minimum compromise. I did check my speed with a GPS. It turns out my speedo is pretty darn accurate (about 1 mph at 90)...figure that one out!
4uall, it looks like I need to get some white shoes and a bow tie to complete the look. Now, if i could just get the wifey to dress up like the native girls.

[RRoller123]

Well said, I don't think I have ever driven the car with the top up, except maybe in a snow storm to move it to storage.

[johndemar]

Ugh...Russ...you have a top for your ride? I mean somewhere actually attached to the car.

[azruss]

You'r right, john. The closest my car get to the top is when its parked in the garage. I guess that says alot about where i put the priority of having the top actually on the car.
For the rest of you, here's the getup

[narfire]

Off to the cricket match and tea......

[azruss]

Off to the cricket match and tea......

. My one and only introduction to cricket was an extended stay in London for business. The only thing on the Tele was a high stakes cricket match between England and South Africa. the game lasted 3 days. So i spent a couple of days, trying to figure out how this goofy game is played, with my only reference being baseball. Oh yes, no tea, just dark chocolate and cab......lots of cab.

[Funcar]

Love the look...but shouldn't you have racing gloves. Up here in Canada we need a top so we can enjoy a ride for our short season and weather conditions. If I lived in AZ I would also go topless and ride with the top down!