Westfield Winter Motoring

[gdrosier]

Hi,

Just about to go out and buy my self a tidy early 90's Westfield ( 1700 X-flow) that I have always dreamt about! Got some questions about the upcoming winter:

Is it feasable to run the car through winter and if so what will be the main problems other than getting a bit damp from time to time? I live in London so winter is not all that tough but 99% of people seem to take their pride and joy off the road - anybody use theirs through the dark months?

Cheers!

[HiRich]

I run a fairly similar car, which occasionally gets a run in the winter. If you want to run top down, these will help:
- Something to keep your head warm - flying helmet, or a deerstalker-style hat with earpieces
- Gloves: Sparco race gloves work well - good feel and warm enough
- Consider a Sparco kart wet suit if you risk getting caught in the rain. £60, but comfortable and very useful

Otherwise, be prepared to clean the car regularly. If you have a garage (with power) a dehumidifying CarCoon (or similar - try www.racecar.co.uk/airflow) is very useful. Even after a soaking run you can park in it and forget it (although you might want to wipe it down). My brother swears by it for his Caterham.

[juansolo]

Treat the car like a motorbike and dress accordingly and you should be ok. Waterproof they aint.

[dangerous B]

A blast in a Westy or similar in the midst a winter on a dry, bright dayis an experience not to be missed, akin to breaking the ice to bath in the park Lido on new years day!!! However as a practical propositon it will not be much fun and on a dark December night in rush hour traffic with it p*****g down, indeed it is downright frightening. Your eyeline will be somewhere near halfway up a juggernuats wheels and you will be praying that as you take the roundabout side by side that he has seen you. He probably won't have. I am talking from experience and would seriously advise against it, regardless of how "hard" you percieve yourself to be. The second point is that a westy,or anything else of this ilk, will deteriate rapidly under the ravages of a british winter. You would have to put in a great deal of effort to prevent corrosion getting an immediate foothold. Go out and get the car of your choice now, its usually the best time pricewise to do so, but dont expect it to be a practical commuting solution year round, they're made for fun and that wont be. Don't mean to P**s on your strawberries but I'm offering this as genuine advice. The choice is yours,Brian.