Winter outing and the pitfalls of technology
01/17/2011
Now that we've had almost a week of warmer weather and the roads have been "washed" several times to remove the salt, the Sunday weather with almost spring-like temperatures tempted us out for a ride. Wonderful!
So, let's get into the garage. The car is covered and open in no time at all, and I put the key in the ignition to be on the safe side. Then I open the hood to reconnect the battery. Out of the car, to the front of the engine compartment, reconnect the negative to earth, but what do I hear? The central locking system on the R107 hisses. I suspect the worst. Sure enough, all the doors are locked and the key is in the ignition. So even classic cars have automatic mechanisms that don't always work in the driver's favor. This time, however, the problem can be solved again with a short jog to the house and a search for the spare key. But it's not always so easy to find.
In any case, the trip was still possible, the engine hummed contentedly and the battery was happy about the charging cycle. And a whole host of other classic car owners obviously thought the same as me, as I came across various Triumphs, Jaguars, Mercedes-Benzes, Ford Mustangs, Chevrolet Corvettes, Fiat 124 Coupés and even a Cobra. Oh, if only spring would really come soon!
