Ross in Moss

[IamScotticus]

A nice suprise.

An S3 owner, Rosss Robbins, has a story in Moss Motors'  magazine,  Moss Motoring issue #2 of 2023.

And a pic of aforementioned. 

Intrepid Ross ventures out onto a 100 mile stretch of wasteland,  and his Lotus doesn't dissapoint.  Something breaks, of course. 

 

the takeaway,  have spares of things that may break or fly off like clutch cables and fan belts.  Check all fasteners holding engine ancillaries and safely wire what can work loose.  Like alternator bracket fixings.

 

Thanks for sharing Ross, if you're out there.

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by IamScotticus

[CBuff]

I just happen to be reading a couple of Ross”s books. I find them quite entertaining.  Just quick stories of his adventures in a variety of Lotus (Loti?). 
Since he is a Colorado guy I didn’t know if there was a Josh Robbins connection. 
 

Cross Country with Elan: An Old Small Car, an Old Tall Man and a Trip of a Lifetime https://a.co/d/5FADLkK

 

Road Trip!: Chasing blue skies on roads that go forever. https://a.co/d/i43oZ63
 

Highways, Byways and Racetracks (Road Trip) https://a.co/d/cyjKPiR
 

He certainly has inspired confidence in my plan to pick up my 420 up state and drive it home when completed. Although a newly built seven may be “cheating” a bit vs his original lotus fleet pickups across the country.  

[JohnCh]

Ross's stories are always a great read.  He has an account on the forum but hasn't visited here in a bit.  Calling @I B Sevener to greet some fans and encourage more road trips  

 

-John

[I B Sevener]

Gosh, I'm blushing While I do take a lot of road trips (just got back from LOG 42 and head out tomorrow in my Elan for this: http://www.drivingforkids.com/route.html) I don't own the Seven anymore. My son Josh, (Yes CBuff, there is definitely a connection!) is her steward now as I content myself with the more luxurious Elan. I do miss her though and the trips I took with her are the reason I have my screen name IBSevener which stands for Iron Butt. That little 84 horsepower workhorse has been with me from coast to coast and border to border with seven (yes!) trips of over a thousand miles each. By the way I hope you are enjoying my books...everything in them actually happened!

 

And, with all due respect Scotticus, I had hoped the takeaway from my little piece was to just GO. There I was in the remotest place imaginable with a car most folks have never even seen, and I did fine. Just GO! Besides, the reason I don’t take any other spares is simple…it is never the part you have with you that fails. All one does when taking spares is to carry extra weight and I don’t need any extra weight. The corollary to the spares law is that taking spares implies a lack of faith and the car knows this. “Aha,” the fates cry, “this faithless traveler deserves to feel our contempt, and we shall smite him!” The flip side to spare parts is that a breakdown occurs within any part you do NOT have with you, but you can usually limp along to a repair shop. My feeling is, why tempt the fates? So, I go and just carry the two most important tools any Seven driver can have: A cell phone and a credit card with ample limit.

 

Thanks to you for the shout out and compliment John. The reason I haven't been on here for quite a while is that I don't think I have anything to add. It's all in Josh's hands.

 

Cheers,

 

Ross "Iron Butt" Robbins

[IamScotticus]

Hi Ross!

No, the point wasn't lost, I chose to be more pragmatic with the two lines I could muster at midnight, not attempt to convey the essence of the story, which Im not eloquent enough to do. You are a skilled storyteller for sure and the Lotus experience gives you, us, plenty to talk about,  like good fishing stories.

 

I do believe in tempting the fates as well.  I believe if someone who knows nothing about gambling dabbles in it, he will quickly win where the jaded will struggle on for years.  This happens because there are unseen forces at work vying for one's eventual failure.  But a man's own skills at overcoming and converting his perrils and adversities into successes are life experiences to be explored, developed and yes, even envited.  Especially in a Seven, even if everything were buttoned down and one was prepared for all to come,  these cars still manage to tempt the fates. Even the small trips can lead to the unexpected.  Like my first leg covered in petrol, learning how quickly a new clutch cable will stretch out and the feeling of driving into an air temperature drop of thirty degrees at the bottom of an undulating road.

 

There was a time in Anchorage AK I really set off on faith.  I was there on temporary assignment for a few months.  Rental cars were few and very expensive.  I wanted to find a vehicle for sale and offer to rent it.  I set out on foot from my hotel on  Lake Hood walking, looking around.  In a few hours I came across an old Ford PU for sale at a gas station.  I asked and got the deal.  It needed some work around the engine to be reliable, which it got.  That truck served me well for four months.  Except for the  the long mountian pass inclines into the higher altitudes on the Seward Highway, one of the drives everyone should do before they are dead.  You will look down and say, "Damn, I should have done that!".  Years later, I was telling my sister who came up there to visit,and was my passenger on that tour of God's country, of the lack of power at altitude.  She said, "I thought you were slowing down so I could see the scenery".  "No," I said, "I was flooring it".  After 20mph, I was seriously worried about stalling. We didn't.

She's in Alaska now watching the morning moose graze her front yard and Im stuck here in a hot ruthless border town with one hand on on the gas pump and the other on my .38, and my leg out of the way.

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by IamScotticus