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I hassled my Dad to scan pics and write some words about cold climate testing a camouflaged Project XX (Rover 800) prototype in Canada, EMC testing in Detroit and Greenville and a tragic visit to Miami. Over to my Dad (centre): Thread
@thecarfactoids @Keith_Adams___ @BourneDrones
@thecarfactoids @Keith_Adams___ @BourneDrones
Pic of the three of us driving from Timmins to Kapuskasing on ice that was 2” thick with snow on top, and a space-saver on.
Robin & I drove about 2,500m from Kapuskasing via Detroit to use an EMC Lab (run by United Technologies who built part of the Shuttle - they gave us the VIP passes) then to Miami for more EMC tests under high power FM TX to check the car radio was not overloaded (it was).
On the way I realised we would pass Greenville – the biggest Broadcast Transmitters on the planet, so I thought we should try and get in.
Arriving at security we were turned away. The guard said to get in we needed clearance from the Pentagon... so I asked if he had name/number!
Arriving at security we were turned away. The guard said to get in we needed clearance from the Pentagon... so I asked if he had name/number!
With the number we drove to a gas station and I called the Pentagon on its pay phone - amazingly blagged my way in! We go back to the security gate and sure enough we had been authorised!
The guys in the TX were only too happy to help (naturally we took them out in the car on the miles of private road) and said they could set up frequency sweeps with 500kW, anything we wanted.
The Photos show some runs we did under the feeders and in front of the curtain arrays, the only fault was the heater blower (turned off!) was being driven in tune with some broadcast.
The engine management and abs was fine. Then we took the bonnet off completely (no pics that I can find) and did a few high speed runs and emergency stops.
Then onto Miami, we arrived 2 days before the disaster. The take-off was cancelled twice because of bad weather (it was freezing) so the pic of the car is the day before.
On the day of the launch it was even colder, but they were under pressure by the media I guess.
On the day of the launch it was even colder, but they were under pressure by the media I guess.
On the day of the first shuttle cancellation we had a bit of time to kill so we decided to drive to Naples on the Gulf. There was very little traffic, so I was flat out red line in 5th (a rare manual!) that's >140mph... and down a slip road comes the police car...
He was hopping mad, gun out & aggressive – *nobody* does 70mph in my state! Eventually calmed down and I got a fine on the spot. I asked how he had timed us, he points in the sky and it’s a spotter plane, he must have thought the pilot had worked it out wrong and halved it!!!
The pic with the rear camo off was actually late afternoon after the disaster and we didn’t feel like doing much. I wanted to try a different aerial so we bought one locally and fitted it outside the motel.
Over the next days we drove back to NY to get the car air freighted.
Over the next days we drove back to NY to get the car air freighted.
For people that know me, and know what I do for a living you can see my Dad's career may have influenced me slightly. He has set the precedent now, and I suppose @mattfbjones will forgive me, if I share photos and stories of my fairly similar career in about 2056!
Finally to add...
Yes, my second car was a Rover 827 and we worked on it together often!
I have lots of cool pics and great stories for the big 2056 embargo lifting! (Pixelated to protect the innocent.)
Yes, my second car was a Rover 827 and we worked on it together often!
I have lots of cool pics and great stories for the big 2056 embargo lifting! (Pixelated to protect the innocent.)
