Rambling...
 

I just finished switching the wheels on my Mini Countryman S All4 to those with the winter tires on. It's cold and snowy in central Indiana, and I was glad to have a garage to work in, but it was a pain anyway. The lug bolts were overtightened by someone who did a brake job last year, and even after I persuaded them to come out, the wheels remained stuck on the hubs and required first my legs, then a rubber mallet, then finally a blacksmith's hammer to finally get them off. Taking the summer tire and wheel combos up to the attic above the garage and carrying the winter tires and wheels down reminded me that I'm 65.
I sat down at the bottom of the attic stairs for a moment and checked the emails on my phone, then I glanced up, and next to the Mini was my 2006 Aston Martin DB9 Volante.
I don't think I've ever looked at my DB9 without having an emotional response. It must be one of the most beautiful shapes ever conceived by human designers, and it represents so much about what is special about human beings.
The vitality and energy that Bamford and Martin took from their emergence from WWI and placed first in motor racing then in commerce was part of my car's heritage. The fortunes that were spent and lost by the Charnwood family, Bertelli and Renwick, Brune, Sutherland, and David Brown are in my car's DNA. The refusal to give up that so many owners, designers, engineers, craftsmen, and racers stubbornly maintained with stiff upper lips is part of my car's soul.
So my DB9 is the second most-produced model of Aston Martin's history. At about 16,500 cars over more than a decade, that's not exactly most people's idea of mass production, and I suppose that's why it's easy for us to find things to complain about when it comes to our cars. Mass production reveals patterns that can be addressed, shaped, and resolved. My car, however, is probably different from yours because someone had either a new idea or a headache on the day it was built.
The fact that the inherent craziness of a few passionate people who decided to build some remarkable cars actually resulted in power, beauty, soul, and reasonably competent transportation is a miracle. And I wish it weren't snowy and icy out right now, because looking at my car is just the beginning.

After reading your post, two things come to mind. One I am glad I live at the beach on the west cost. And That I don't have storage above my garage. My extra rims are ground level. I do get your point by the way (I just turned 60).
Ron

I am 58 and you guys gave me a great outlook for things to come :)
Never the less I start to feel my age and there are some things I have to take on slower then years before, guess I am starting to acept the loss of stamina.
Sometimes I stand next to my V8V and admire the timeless Power Beauty and Soul this great car radiates, no mass production car will ever be able to to.

wheel change not so hard for me these days
an old German friend of mine used to say ,"let da young vons do it"
so for me, its a call to my son in law, "i gotta job for you buddy" lol

A tip for getting wheels that are stuck to the hub off (be very careful):

1) Jack up the car using a floor jack

2) Take off all lug nuts, less one. Make sure the one remaining is very loosely tighten (by hand, using your fingers)

3) Slowly lower your car until the wheel touches the ground, keep lowering it very slowly.

4) You will hear the wheel break lose from the hub as the car rest more and more on the wheel

5) If that doesn't work, jack the car up and spin the wheel a bit and try again, repeat

i sometimes just go out to the garage and stare at my V8V...it's a great way to turn a frown upside down...

it's nice to visit snow... every few years...

yeah looks like its going to be a crappy snowy winter unlike last year, so I might not be able to drive my baby for 30-60 days :(

Always check the weather when you fly, you never know what you may come home to.


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