As the temperature blissfully begins to rise (albeit ever so slowly) and the snow melts away, so too do our layers of winter clothes, grimy salt stains on paint jobs, and winter wheels and even rides.
This time of year, everyone walks a bit taller (no need to hunch over from the cold anymore), smiles a bit more, and drivers are a bit happier (save for when they’re avoiding smart-car sized potholes, but that’s a topic for another story). It’s a blissful time for all.
Spring means no more winter rubber. No more winter mags. And sometimes it means no more winter beater . It’s time to break out The Summer Ride.
Personally, I’ve never had the pleasure of owning two separate cars to drive during different seasons. The most I do is change out my rubber and wheels for the colder months. However, I do know of individuals who store their Summer Rides while the white stuff sits on the streets, and they wait for spring to arrive more eagerly than children do for Christmas morning. As they should.
The Summer Ride isn’t always a thing of beauty to everyone who sees it, but it is a thing of absolute allure to the owner -- few things can beat it. Decked out in pretty shoes (read: summer rubber and shiny wheels), blemish-free paint that’s (hopefully) rust-free, and an interior that’s also escaped the ravages of salt stains and winter dirtiness, The Summer Ride is built for warm-night cruises, open-road adventures and (more often than not) going fast.
The Summer Ride is what every teen boy dreams of when he thinks of his first car. He doesn’t imagine plowing through deep snow (unless he’s St-Pierre dreaming about Big Bird), he dreams of driving with the wind in his face (windows down) and a burbling exhaust note that matches the drone of the cicadas as the temperature rises.
I love this time of year because The Summer Rides start to emerge throughout the city. I hear growling exhaust notes, turbo tweets and over-exaggerated sound systems already and it makes me smile. We’re breaking out of our winter shells and embracing the warmer days ahead, and we’re doing so through automotive obsessions -- the very best way possible.
I often bitch about our temperamental weather and the fact that we even have winter at all, but when spring finally does arrive and I get to experience the emerging of The Summer Ride again, I’m thankful for the roller coaster ride. Why? Because it’s an experience in and of itself to see these rides emerge from hibernation, often after having been toiled over and worked on throughout the long, cold months by dedicated owners who are oh-so happy to show them off and have them appreciated. They are labours of love, these Summer Rides, kept hidden for so many months because they are so dear to the owner.
From less-than-perfect R32 Skylines to brand new Porsches and BMWs (whose owners prefer to keep them warm and clean in the winter), they can be perfectly quaffed or in need of some serious TLC (project car in the making). The Summer Ride can be old or new and that’s what makes it so great, and so entertaining to see them emerge.
So, welcome Summer Ride. May the warm months bring you many miles of winding, traffic-free tarmac.
This time of year, everyone walks a bit taller (no need to hunch over from the cold anymore), smiles a bit more, and drivers are a bit happier (save for when they’re avoiding smart-car sized potholes, but that’s a topic for another story). It’s a blissful time for all.
Spring means no more winter rubber. No more winter mags. And sometimes it means no more winter beater . It’s time to break out The Summer Ride.
Personally, I’ve never had the pleasure of owning two separate cars to drive during different seasons. The most I do is change out my rubber and wheels for the colder months. However, I do know of individuals who store their Summer Rides while the white stuff sits on the streets, and they wait for spring to arrive more eagerly than children do for Christmas morning. As they should.
The Summer Ride isn’t always a thing of beauty to everyone who sees it, but it is a thing of absolute allure to the owner -- few things can beat it. Decked out in pretty shoes (read: summer rubber and shiny wheels), blemish-free paint that’s (hopefully) rust-free, and an interior that’s also escaped the ravages of salt stains and winter dirtiness, The Summer Ride is built for warm-night cruises, open-road adventures and (more often than not) going fast.
The Summer Ride is what every teen boy dreams of when he thinks of his first car. He doesn’t imagine plowing through deep snow (unless he’s St-Pierre dreaming about Big Bird), he dreams of driving with the wind in his face (windows down) and a burbling exhaust note that matches the drone of the cicadas as the temperature rises.
I love this time of year because The Summer Rides start to emerge throughout the city. I hear growling exhaust notes, turbo tweets and over-exaggerated sound systems already and it makes me smile. We’re breaking out of our winter shells and embracing the warmer days ahead, and we’re doing so through automotive obsessions -- the very best way possible.
I often bitch about our temperamental weather and the fact that we even have winter at all, but when spring finally does arrive and I get to experience the emerging of The Summer Ride again, I’m thankful for the roller coaster ride. Why? Because it’s an experience in and of itself to see these rides emerge from hibernation, often after having been toiled over and worked on throughout the long, cold months by dedicated owners who are oh-so happy to show them off and have them appreciated. They are labours of love, these Summer Rides, kept hidden for so many months because they are so dear to the owner.
From less-than-perfect R32 Skylines to brand new Porsches and BMWs (whose owners prefer to keep them warm and clean in the winter), they can be perfectly quaffed or in need of some serious TLC (project car in the making). The Summer Ride can be old or new and that’s what makes it so great, and so entertaining to see them emerge.
So, welcome Summer Ride. May the warm months bring you many miles of winding, traffic-free tarmac.
 |