Top 10 Driving Roads

I can honestly say that life’s treated me pretty damn good. I’ve had a run as a high school social studies teacher immediately after graduating college, I owned an automotive electronics specialty store for 15 years and since then have lived the life of an automotive journalist combining my two life’s passions, driving some of the world’s greatest cars on some of this planet’s most challenging roads. This has led me to establish Automotive Traveler, an online-only digital magazine dedicated to the proposition that every trip is an adventure.

Many times I’ve been asked what’s my favorite car and what’s my favorite road and to be honest, I’ve never compiled a top ten list. That is until today when I went back and reviewed hundreds of stories and thousands of photographs I’ve taken over the last 25 years and come up with this list.

1. PCH (CA 1) in the Dodge Challenger Concept
2. The Inca Trail in a Ferrari 599
3. A832 in NW Scotland in a European Ford Focus coupe-cabriolet
4. The Furka Pass in Switzerland in an Aston Martin DB5 and
5. Driving from Tokyo to Sapporo, in a Japanese-spec Subaru WRX
6. Hafeet Mountain Road in the UAE in a basic rental car not available in the US
7. The Nurburgring in a Ford GT
8. Highway 61 in a 1961 Lincoln Continental
9. The Normandy beaches in a WW II-era Jeep
10. Route 66 in a 1968 Chevy Camaro SS/RS

After the jump I’d love to share some impressions of each of these combinations that I’ve cataloged.

1. Dodge Challenger Concept on California 1, the Pacific Coast Highway. The return of Dodge’s muscle car after 35 years on the sidelines was previewed by the 2006 Challenger Concept. Due to a combination of circumstances with the car being in the Bay Area for an event, I asked Chrysler’s Scott Brown if I could take it for a spin. We agreed that the drive from Carmel to the iconic Bixby Creek Bridge would suffice. I can tell you that there’s nothing quite as scary as driving a one-off, multi-million dollar concept out on public roads. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience.

2. In a 12 month run of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, my drive from London to Maranello in a Dodge Viper and Ford GT has to rank right up there with the Challenger/PCH drive. But what made the trip even more memorable was that I took it for six laps at the famed Nurburgring. Previously the closest I got to the ‘ring was Grand Turismo for PlayStation 2 so I can attest to the fact that it in no way will prepare you for your first trip to the Green Hell. Before Ford trusted me with the wheel they had Bridgestone’s top tire tester, Armin Hahne give me several laps of instruction…a good move on their part.

3. In 2006 I also drove from the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit to Chicago to LA on Route 66 with four muscle car owners for a feature produced for the departed Motor Trend Classic. The four cars included a 1967 Dodge White Hat Special, a 1969 AMC SC/Rambler, a 1970 Mustang, and a heavily modified 1969 Chevy Camaro SS/RS whose previous owner was a GM suspension engineer. I’ve driven many vintage muscle cars but never did one drive so much like a brand new car as this one. A simply unforgettable experience on the Mother Road.

4. In 2004, on the 60th anniversary of the D-Day invasions, I visited the beaches in Normandy and toured the French country side in a 1944 Willys Jeep that was restored to War Correspondent specifications. What made this trip so memorable, besides being hit by a car and nearly killed in the German Cemetery at La Combe, was that I stayed in a chateaux near St. Mere Iglese that was home in June 1944 of war correspondent Andy Rooney and famed photographer Robert Capa.

5. I’m a big James Bond buff and have cataloged and visited many of the film series’ actual filming locations in the US and Europe. My favorite location is Switzerland’s Furka Pass west of Andermatt. There, in July 1964 Sean Connery filmed the series best known car-related scene where his DB5 shredded the tires of Tilly Masterson’s 1964 ½ Ford Mustang Convertible. I’ve yet to drive the route in an Aston Martin, new or old, thus far having to be satisfied making the run in a Chrysler Crossfire SRT6. I’m still waiting for the invitation from Aston Martin to make the drive in the new DBS.

6. In another one of 2006’s memorable drives (it was a very good year) I was invited by Ferrari and Shell to take part in the Panamerican 20000 on the Lima, Peru to Quito, Ecuador leg on the Inca Trail in a 599 Fiorano. Unfortunately on the leg’s first day I tripped, fell, and in an effort to protect my Nikon, shattered my wrist in six places. Dumb move; a Nikon D200 body costs about $1600, my wrist required $25,000 worth of surgery upon my return to the US. Oh yes, there was not enough Vikatan in all of Peru to quell the pain over a bumpy 200-mile trip to the hospital to set my wrist. Ouch.

7. Many automotive editors around the world have noted that highway A832 in northwest Scotland is one of the world’s great roads and they were not kidding. This trip, in the spring of 2007, was enhanced by the fact that it was made with my girlfriend and allowed me to see how much better Ford’s European Focus is compared to our dumbed-down version. The fact that it was the retractable hardtop version made the other-worldly scenery that much more impressive.

8. Like Route 66, Highway 61 is an American classic, immortalized by Bob Dylan’s 1965 masterpiece Highway 61 Revisited. But the highway, which runs from Minnesota to Louisiana, is probably best associated with the stretch running through the Mississippi Delta which is also known as the Blues Highway. My choice to drive Highway 61? A classic, black 1961 Lincoln Continental sedan, quite possibly the most beautiful American sedan of all time.

9. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is The Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road, generally acknowledged by driving enthusiasts as the eigth wonder of the world. It’s 7.3 miles long, climbs 6,000 feet in elevation along its 60 corners. In the UAE, where 7-Series BMWs outsell 5- and 3-Series Bimmers, it would be great to be an A-list auto journalist and have Mercedes-Benz hand me the keys to a McLaren SLR but in my case I had to make do with a BMW, which cost about $300 for a 3-day rental (before the collapse of the value of the US Dollar).

10. A drive from Tokyo to Sapporo is on the agenda this spring to take advantage of spring skiing conditions. Because I’ll be driving on the wrong side of the road, in a country where I’ll be unable to read the signs, into a region known for massive snowfalls, a car with outstanding all-weather abilities is on my short list of vehicle requests. Instead of some overweight SUV, I am requesting something small, sporty and capable, thus my request for a 304-horsepower Subaru Impreza WRX STI 2.0. If it’s equipped with an English-language GPS navigation system I’m certain I’ll reach my destination.