Okay, confession time. Back in 1978, when the interstate speed was 55 mph
(hey I can almost pull that in just 1st gear with my 69/70 2000), I was bummed
out because of a very lousy winter of business, and driving along at 65 mph
heading south on I-15 between Cedar City and St. George Utah (right on the
Arizona border), when a State Trooper threw a U'ey and hit the lights. I
wasn't in the mood for this action, so like a dummy, I downshifted two gears
in my
'68 2000 and went to the floor. This little high speed chase went for 30
miles at speeds in excess of 120 (that's all his trooper mobile would do). I
came up on a clover leaf exit 3 miles before where I normally get off, and I
went from 5th gear down to 2nd and hit the binders and made the prettiest
little 270 degree loop under the freeway and headed to a side road I know.
Hey
all those years of auto crossing do help with the performance talents.
The trooper tried the same stunt, but ended up in the barrow pit (so I
hear). I blew down the side road, came up on a car stopped in the middle of
no-where, so I went around him. When I got home, I noticed a hole in the
driver's
side right where the door meets the front fender. Discovered that a "local"
PD boy shot at me with his pistol, going around the car. Didn't see him,
but after a long discussion with the local town council a few days later, and
willing not to press charges, they disbanded the local PD as the last straw in
a series of problems.
Anyway, I hopped in my van, drove into town to see if they knew who or what
(I had Idaho plates on at the time), and was standing next to the trooper, who
turned out to live a couple blocks from where I was staying. I overheard
him comment to someone, "He thought he knew how to drive, but who ever was
driving that sports car, really knew how to handle his car".
To make a long story short, they could never prove it was me, but I went
into the HP offices a couple days later and confessed. They issued a ticket,
and when I went to court, could have been handed 12 months in the pokey and
$1200.00 fine, but when the judge heard my story, he was gracious and only
gave
me a $300.00 fine (which I had to pay over 6 months), and suspended sentence.
Guess we all do weird things when we're young and dumb. Now I'm just dumb
(or dumber). I still drive roadsters and love every minute of it, fast or
slow.
Gary Lasater - Parker CO
303 840 7172 ext 1
founding member of _www.WYCROC.org_ (http://www.wycroc.org/)
1963 SPL310-00161C (Earliest production car on the registry)
1963 SPL310-00289B (Single carb)
1964 SPL310-02187
1969 SRL311-12536 (licensed as a '70)
1970 SPL311-28169 (one of the last of the group)
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