Question: half a foot of snow falls on New York City. My car is an air-cooled Baja Bug. Can I drive my car even when the engine is covered in powder? Answer: yes. Very much yes.
Just when I'm thinking winter is over, temperatures drop into the single digits and about half a foot of snow drops on NYC. The snow's stopped falling by about 10:30 at night and I sit up from my computer, put my canvas shoes and peacoat on and say to myself,
"It's a balmy 12 degrees out and my car is surely covered in snow. Time for a drive!"
So I set out for Harlem, and amazingly the snow hasn't all turned to salty mush yet. I get up to my parking garage and see this:
Hm. Seems like I need a closer look.
Ah.
Looks fine! Barely any snow.
And what about the back?
That shit'll brush right off! Let's get her started.
Starting the car is, I should say, a bit easier said than done. I dust the snow off the air filter, hop inside, and turn the key.
Whirring, no staring.
Whirring, no starting.
Whirring, no starting.
I, however, am strengthened by the knowledge that I just swapped in a new starter motor a few days prior, so cranking and whirring isn't a problem.
But the first cough of life isn't enough.
No, that just begins about ten minutes of re-starting and throttling the engine myself as it won't hold an idle for even a moment. The engine is ice cold, perhaps because it is physically covered in snow that it has to melt off. Here's me getting it warmed up:
And here's the car a little while later, eventually idling:
That's when it's time to see what a completely unpaved snow-covered parking lot is like. Turns out, it's very slidey.
There's a few inches on the ground and under that is slush and ice, so getting the car sideways isn't hard. Getting the car to slide sideways through a snow bank left by a now-departed parked car isn't hard either. Scandinavian flicking around a shopping cart is also not hard.
I figured I'd try and record some snow donuts for posterity. Here they are:
Man, does the Baja look good out there. The wind whipping snow into my face? Less good.
Hey, my wheels look like turbofans! That makes me Ken Block, right?
I get bored after a while, kick all the snow out of my parking spot and put the Baja to bed for the night.
I don't know why exactly, but I walk home feeling a lot better than I did when I left to go see my car.
There's something to be said for just getting out for a drive. When it's early. When it's late. When you think you should probably stay in bed. When your car is covered in snow. When you have to bring a full set of tools in case your car breaks down on uplowed streets. There's something deeply, wonderfully satisfying about it all.
Photo Credits: Raphael Orlove
The best part about Ken Block's turbofan wheels is they make fluffy tire blankets whenever he does donuts. And that they're throwbacks to… Read…
Why Yes You Can Drive A Baja Bug Covered In Snow