My annual trip up to my buddy Andy Cook’s house to store the Eclipse for winter, while a sad day, also brings one of the best driving weekends of the year. The roads in northwestern Wisconsin are some of the best in the state. The driftless region along the Mississippi river is beautiful, and the roads wind through the hills from small town to small town. As Andy drives all over the area for work, he has the opportunity to explore and map routes. For years he has been talking about putting together a route to explore.
After years of talking about doing a trip, the fall of 2020 brought me up to store my Eclipse for the first time. Having just swapped in a 4g63 after buying the car as a shell, we decided to spend an October Saturday driving around. That drive was the first real big experience with my new Eclipse, and although that motor did not last, those memories did.
Unfortunately fall of 2021 did not allow for a cruise as the suspension on the Eclipse needed some attention. The car was stored, and during the summer of 2022 I spent the majority of summer doing a complete rebuild of the suspension. I also took the time to clean and undercoat the wheel wells, fix small interior rattles, and just overall improve the car and its reliability.
Fall of 2022 came around, and the car was ready to be driven. The weather, while slightly cold, turned out to be rather dry. We attended a local car show, and then decided to spend the rest of the day doing a 100+mile loop around the countryside.
While my expectations were high, the day was perfect. I pushed the car hard and it performed flawlessly. Although Andy’s “street car” 240sx wasn’t finished, the drift car did make an appearance. It was tough to keep up in some of the twisties compared to his Turbo-KA, but the experience of being able to drive the car at 100% and still maintain complete control made up for the lack of power. “Slow car fast” is starting to make a lot more sense. 18yr old Andrew would hate me.
The color was technically 2 weeks past peak, but I couldn’t be convinced. The trees were ablaze, and selfishly, the red of the Eclipse just pops against this background. The Origin Lab kit on the 240 does look good though, I will admit.
Overall, this weekend was one of my favorite car moments of the year. Hanging with a good buddy does something to calm to soul, and a good drive clears the mind. Add that to a weekend that you have been looking forward to for months, and you have the recipe for something truly special. Cheers to the fall 2022 cruise, and cant already can’t wait for fall 2023.
– Andrew
