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The post below from Hood praising his snow-driving happiness in his C900 got me thinking about my favorite snow driving experience. I'd love to hear yours!
Here's a short version of mine:
Chapel Hill, NC, February, 2000
Forecasters the night before had called for 7" of the white stuff. That's a big deal for a state that rarely gets any snow east of the Piedmont. When I woke up for class at UNC (which had closed once since the Civil War before I started school there!), we had 25" of snow on the ground. The shock was palpable. Shortly thereafter, my phone rang. My brother was stuck at RDU airport in Raleigh, NC (about 25 miles from my apartment). Their plane landed at RDU as a connector the night before, but never took off again. They delayed the plane, and then closed the airport before he could get a hotel room. Two months prior, he had completed a full rebuild on my first Saab: an '89 Classic 900 turbo, black on tan leather. Sir Alec Guinness was pristine, with fresh tires, and about to be "broken in." I decided I would give it a shot, since there was likely no one on the road.
It took me two hours to get out of my apartment parking lot. If not for a neighbor with 4WD who was called in to run area doctors to the hospital, and thus left ruts for me to drive in, I never would have made it out. I had to navigate a steep decline to get to the street, and to do so I had to gingerly bounce my C900 off the curb as a brake. Otherwise it was a big black sled capable of inflicting significant damage!
I made it safely out to the highway, where I was among only a few cars on the road. The roads had not been plowed; the snow had been turned to mush by the cars that had tried to pass. I saw dozens of stranded SUVs, bereft of their drivers. 18 wheelers quickly gave up their fight on Interstate 40. Sir Alec never batted an eye, blazing a trail through the blinding white desert of snow. It felt like I was rallye driving but on the highway! It was an incredible feeling as I sailed along at an admittedly dangerous 40 miles per hour, but the rush was unbeatable! The Saab conveyed confidence and sure-fottedness the whole way.
Traversing the exit onto the airport roads proved to be the biggest challenge, but with some careful steering and throttle modulating, I made it safely to the front of thr airport. Normally a bustling hub of air travel, RDU was a ghost town. Stranded travellers littered the terminals, covered in flimsy airline blankets, using metal benches as beds. It was a painful and erie sight. Finding my brother in this mess was my mission, which could only be completed by a successful trip home. After an hour of searching, I finally found him. We made it out to the Saab after fending off offers exceeding $100 to carry other stranded travelers away from the airport. Sir Alec fired right up, and we pulled back onto I-40 with no issues. The trip home was just like the trip out: more rallye time!
We made it home safe and sound, and socked ourselves in for the next 3 days until the snow finally cleared. The airport was still shut down, so my brother had to rent a Neon to make the trip back home to Maryland! Thankfully, he made it home safely. He and I are still amazed at the sled's performance, and we are thankful that we have not needed a repeat performance.
Sir Alec is now in the hands of The Nord, who lives nearby. I still get to see Sir Alec regularly, and The Nord has enjoyed his own exploits in the snow. I have had subsequent Saab snow drives, but none will ever compare to my first.
Mike
88 SPG
95 Aero
00 Aero
posted by 138.88.128...
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