The plan was to leave on Tuesday. The car was done and, while still on jack stands, was fired up for the first time. The engine started on the first crank and sounded perfect. The brakes worked, the transmission shifted, its steering turned, and there were no leaks. We brought it up to operating temperature and everything seemed fine. The only problem was a malfunctioning alternator. The soonest we could get one was 7 a.m. Wednesday. We had missed the deadline!
The next morning, with the new alternator installed, we packed up and headed out of the driveway around noon. The temperature was in the 40s and it was spitting snow as we left. I felt sorry for Lee, who wasn't used to near-freezing weather or riding in an open car. (His normal mode of transportation is a Mercedes 600 SL!) We wore four layers of clothing, including hooded outerwear and ski gloves. I couldn't help thinking that we looked like a cross between Obi-Wan Kenobi and a couple of ax murderers!
At first my body was tense as I listened and felt for any irregularity or noise that the Dragon might make. Apprehension gave way to exhilaration as the car drove perfectly. The chassis was rigid, the suspension compliant, the handling impeccable, and the steering precise and light. The engine, transmission, gearing, and brakes worked in perfect harmony as we played sports racer on the blacktop. The more I drove, the more joyous I felt. It is this feeling of being one with the elements and one with the road that building the Dragon was all about. I silently thought, Thank you, God!
From Albany, we took I-88 to Binghamton, New York, then headed south. Our goal was to get as far south as soon as possible -and get to the warm weather as soon as possible. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the temperature dropped significantly. It was then that I realized I had forgotten to put anti-freeze in the cooling system.
Lee took over driving and we continued south. At night, it seems like all of the normal vehicles disappear, and the only remaining ones are the convoys of 18-wheelers desperate to get to their destination in record time. Looking up at them from the passenger seat, it occurred to me that we could drive completely underneath most of them. I was hoping that Lee was a defensive driver!
We had thought about driving through the night, but at about midnight, it was 36 degrees. We were freezing and I was exhausted. Not from the drive, but from the accumulation of the long days of trying to complete the car.
The next morning we left at 6 a.m. and continued south toward Knoxville, Tennessee. It was sunny and cold, but we were ready to go and looking forward to the day. Fortunately, it had not frozen overnight, so the cooling system was fine. We were amazed by how comfortable the car was to drive. One of the unique designs of the car is the long and roomy foot boxes. Even with my 34-inch inseam, my feet do not touch the end of them.
In Knoxville, at the first exit past the 81-40 junction, we had arranged to meet one of Dragon's customers and his son. He had been building his chassis and was anxious to see the final body shape. A little after 1 p.m. we pulled into the agreed-upon meeting point: McDonald's. It had warmed up to about 80 degrees and it was bright and sunny. I stripped down to a T-shirt and applied judicious amounts of sun block to my already frying nose and face.
As I was showing the car to our excited and happy customer, I noticed that we were being swarmed by a large group of Japanese men in business suits. They took lots of pictures and seemed genuinely excited by the car. Lee, in talking to one of them who spoke English, discovered that they were automotive designers in the United States to attend a symposium. As we headed down the road, I wondered if someday I would see a car with lines similar to the Dragon's in a major automotive showroom.