Slowly coming together

[bb4re]

I hear ya Jim. And we are supposed to get another winter weather event this coming Tuesday. This was an odd snowstorm. I have never before seen the snow sticking to the trees like this. All of the trees and bushes have six or more inches sticking to the tops of the limbs. Even after two days. Very pretty, but it's all certain to fall off of them onto the traffic at some point!

[jp]

I used to drive my black Zagato (15 years ago) in the winter very carefully in CT. The power and weight always made me nervous, kind of like the Jag does now

[davidb]

Yeah they can feel skittish on snow JP. I guess my point
was my greatest fear was getting stuck in the middle of
nowhere out in the country. 2ND gear in a Beta is ideal
[ratio-wise], playing the clutch, from a dead start on a
snowy road to get going. Plus hydrophillic snow tires, +
FWD. No worries mate.

[1,6 HF]

My experience is that the Beta Coupé/Zagato is very capable in the snow. Back in the day, I used my '75 Coupé to commute 3 days a week between Ithaca, NY and Syracuse, fall, spring, and winter--a 110-mile R/T, half of which was on rural 2-lanes and half on I-81. And I ran on Pirelli P6 (the original version) in all weather, including snow. You can easily get wheelspin from rest, but that's no big deal. In the dead of winter, I used to start in 2nd initially, but that was because the car was parked outside and I couldn't easily get 1st until the gearbox warmed up a bit. But the car was very stable in the snow, with very predictable handling, and enough grip to inspire as much confidence as you can ever expect short of AWD.

[davidb]

Thanks for the confirmation Ed [traction, etc.]. I know my
LBZ & Scorp can handle lousy, snowing roads but they stay
in my garage [after yrs. of restore] when the wet, snowy
roads here in St. Louis are saturated w/salt. I count on my
4WD Explorer [w/new Pirelli's!] to get me around in this crap.

[1,6 HF]

Back then, my '75 Coupé was my daily driver, with no winter 'beater' to relieve it. And in the two years it made that commute, it only crapped out once, and that only involved the battery failing from the cold--the car itself never let me down. I once slid 2 wheels into a roadside drainage ditch at a T intersection with black ice, but even then I just drove it out (that was a 2nd gear start), angling it gradually out just before a driveway culvert.

In any case, I'm glad you're saving yours from winter duties. The fact that they can handle it doesn't mean they ought to be subjected to it.

[Jim Keller]

I'm with what Ed said, I drove my 81 Coupe as a daily for almost two years, thru two winters and I drove my good Zagato thru the first winter I had it, they are excellent snow cars and 2nd for starting out is the way to go on snow and ice.

We are expecting another 8 to 10" of snow and 40 MPH winds starting tomorrow around 4AM thru Wed around 6PM Woo! Hoo! I love Ohio in the winter!.....NOT! LOL

[bb4re]

Yeah...another 8 to 10 inches on top of the foot we just received. I can hardly wait to drive the 30 miles to work in the morning! Driving the 2000 Impala my Mother gave me, so at least I don't have to worry about wrecking it!

No progress on my LBZ over the weekend. I will post updates as they come.