https://youtu.be/8eSZwKldB7k
I figure there's only a week or two left -- at the very most -- of the 2015 driving season. If they salt the roads in the next few days then that spells the end.
Two days ago it was just above freezing at around noon when I was driving the Spider on an errand downtown. There was an unmarked cop car parked at an angle with its lights flashing as a pair of officers were directing traffic around some rushed construction that required tearing up the road. It was a really wide four lane one-way road; it was quiet and there were only a couple of cars around.
I go past the cop who was all bundled up in a fut-trapper type hat (like mine!) and then stopped for the red light that was just past him. As I'm waiting I hear his voice from behind me: "Five points belts, wow!" I wait. I've always wondered if a cop would wonder whether or not they are legal; I keep an old original and badly frayed lap belt in the trunk in case I need to show the original equipment. I figure I would argue that my setup is much safer and still uses the original mounting points...
He walks up and then admires the racing seats, too. We have a brief chat about the car and then the weather. He's clearly getting cold having to stand on the street all morning. "Wow," he says, "It's cold out. How do you drive like that?" he asks. The light changes and then he exclaims, "You've got balls, buddy!" and laughs. I smile and pull away as his female partner catches wind of the conversation and laughs too. I'm not sure if driving with the top down when it's cold qualifies as having balls (and if it does, they had probably retreated to somewhere around my chest level to get warm) but it's nice to know that my seat-belt setup has a seal of approval from Ottawa's finest.
Cheers,
phaetn
