[RKDinOKC]

Was driving my 914 from Atlanta to Oklahoma City when speed limit was 55. It was the first weekend I had the 914. My alternator belt had broke as I passed Clarksville AR and nobody in Clarkville had one. It was 30 minutes till sunset and I decided to try to make it 60 miles to Fort Smith AR before I had to turn on the 100w/300w Halogen headlights and kill the battery in about 5 minutes.

So the speed limit is 55 and I am doing 110. Notice all the traffic is conveniently in the right lane so I just keep going. The 4th car from the front is a Arkansas State Trooper. As we blast by at 110 my nephew in the passenger seat waves at the trooper. Keep my foot planted cause if I stop I am stranded.

Keep an eye on the mirror and notice it takes time for the trooper to turn on his lights, pull into the right lane and persue. In fact, I am about 2 miles ahead and I loosing sight before he even clears the 3 cars ahead of him. Quickly do some math in my head. I'm about 15 minutes from Ft Smith, The fastest a Trooper is going to go in a cruiser is 135. It will probably take him 3 minutes to get to 135 and in that time I will be about 6 miles ahead of him. JF he does go 135 his closing speed is 25 mph which means it would take him 15 minutes to catch me and by then I would be in FT Smith.

So...I keep the pedal down. About that time I realize I just missed the exit for Ft Smith. Slow down and take the next exit. It's one of those where you have to go a few hundred yards down the side road, cross over the highway, and go back to get back on to get back to the Ft Worth junction. It was getting close to dusk and as I crossed over the bridge I could see the lights of the trooper a couple of miles back as he topped a hill. Pulled the 914 up against the guard rail where it was solid at the end of the bridge. The 914 was well hidden, but we could peek over the guard rail.

In a couple of minutes the troop comes blowing by lights on, but no siren. As soon as he goes by, I head back and take the turn to go into Ft Smith. The first exit I see with a motel, exit, pull around to the back of the motel and get a room and lay low. Tried to call family and work in OKC to let them know we were stranded, but it was during the Ma Bell operator strike and we couldn't make a long distance call.

It was a Sunday evening and there were no restaurants open. Across the street from the motel was a grocery store and an AMMCO station. Decided we would walk over to the grocery store and get some beer. The grocery store refused to sell use beer or cigarettes because it was Sunday. Walking back to the motel notice a cigarette machine in the AMMCO station. Go in and while getting smokes complained about not being able to get a belt in Clarksville. The attendant says he knows 914s, has a belt, and you just put it in 5th, hook the belt on the pulley, roll the car and it's done.

Went and got the car, got a belt put on, begged of the room we didn't really even use, and headed home. It had been well over 2 hours since the incident, but still drove very warily until across the State Line.