Sportscar roads

[jambo101]

Must be a few of us that have discovered the joys of top down driving on twisty roads in your sportscar. Have Miata and my favorite ride is the Gaspe penninsula. gaspe - Google Image Search
Anyone familiar with the Dragon?

[RunningBum]

My favorite is the Blue Ridge Parkway. While it's inconvenient that the nearest real grocery store is 1/2 hour away, I can take 13 miles of it on the BRP so at least it's a great drive. I also have a Miata, 1st gen (97). 50 or warmer is top down weather, though at 50 I have to blast the heater and bundle up.

Never been to the Gaspe peninsula.

[Gumby]

'01 BMW Z3 here. My two favorite drives are the Pacific Coast Highway and the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

[kb56]

Late 70’s 69 XKE through the Blue Ridge Parkway
Mid 80’s 67 Healy 3000 along Lake Shore Drive (LSD)
Today 98 Z3 through the Laurel Highlands (PA)

It is still nice enough to have the top down, and the leafs are just starting – Good Times

[jambo101]

RunningBum i envy your proximity to the Blue ridge and all the great surrounding twisty roads,i usually try to do some part of the BRP on my annual pilgrimage to Florida,As we have similar cars you may see me posting over at the forums at Miata.net MX-5 Miata Forum
Gumby i remember in my old hippie days hitch hiking the Pacific coast highway from Vancouver to San Diego back in the late sixties,i've always wanted to return and do it again in a sports car but just dont have the time to do the trip right while i'm still working.Next time you are in Nova Scotia dont forget the southern half of the province although not as mountainous as Cape Breton its just as beautiful..
kb56 XKE's and Healeys are the epitome of sports cars you are lucky to have had the experience of owning them.

[Gumby]

We actually took the ferry from Portland, Maine to Yarmouth and circumnavigated the entire province in 11 days, staying at B&B's the whole time. You're right, it is all beautiful.

Highlights were the Cabot Trail, of course; visiting a whisky distillery; Louisbourg; going down in a coal mine that stretched out under the Atlantic; a birdwatching boat trip out to some small unihabited islets; catching a glimpse of the Newfoundland mountains from a tiny fishing village on the rockbound northeastern tip of Cape Breton; a sailing excursion in Halifax on that schooner that is on the dime (the Bluenose, I think); and rafting the Shubenacadie River at the tip of the Bay of Fundy, riding the incoming tide 12 miles upriver.

[tightasadrum]

All this curving road talk is inspiring me to tear into my old 1970 911T that I couldn't afford to fix, or to part with, when it decided to quit running decades ago. Now let's see, what can I do with all that time on my hands after I retire...

[Khan]

Pacific Coast Highway in an MG back in mid '70s.

[TargaDave]

Once you've run a few autocross courses at 9/10ths, cruising down a twisty back road at 4/10ths just isn't quite the same.

[HFWR]

Not PCH or BRP, but if you're ever unfortunate enough to be in southern Indiana, here are two scenic and/or curvy/hilly routes you can take:

Henryville to Salem on SR160;

Salem to Bargersville in SR135

[HFWR]

Another nice ride in the same area is SR56 from Scottsburg to Aurora.

[Gumby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kb56 Late 70’s 69 XKE through the Blue Ridge Parkway Mid 80’s 67 Healy 3000 along Lake Shore Drive (LSD) Today 98 Z3 through the Laurel Highlands (PA) It is still nice enough to have the top down, and the leafs are just starting – Good Times

kb56:

How do you like the Z3 compared to the Big Healey? I had a '72 TR-6 back in the early 80's and, I must say, I prefer the Z3 (if for no other reason than I don't have to balance the airflows on the dual Stromberg carbs).

[jambo101]

Previous to the Miata were a Healey (bug eye) Sprite and a classic style Mini Cooper, Much as i liked the British sportscars they tended to be totally unreliable,the Mini ending up totally rusted out even though i never drove it in winter and the Healey had terminal electrical gremlins that i just got tired of dealing with.I've had the Miata 5yrs now and other than regular maintenance has given me 200,000 trouble free miles so far..

[DRiP Guy]

I've spent some quality time on the Tail (Deal's Gap) in my '06 Corvette. I chose to go during the week, when the weather was expected to be too cold and too wet/possibly freezing to enjoy. I figured I would see the area anyway. It ended up chilly but dry so I had the whole place to myself, including the Cherohala skyway, as a tune-up. I have never had such a good time in the car, and was able to carefully explore the car's capabilities, BUT beware the whole scene when it gets rolling -- lots of police, gawkers, nuts, truckers, squids, etc. A very bad mix. Here are a couple of links to get the flavor:

killboy.com - Your High Quality Photos from the Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap
Cherohala Skyway Robbinsville NC - Tellico Plains TN

Have a great time, but for Goodness' sake:

STAY IN YOUR LANE!!!!! WATCH THE DOUBLE YELLOW!!!!!

I'm thinking you did not come all that way meaning to cut corners and endanger people.


Right...


Wrong...

Typical hazard...

[Clips from Killboy.com]

[lazygood4nothinbum]

Blue Ridge Parkway (U.S. National Park Service) with the top down is excellent driving. but in peek leaf peeping season you have to slow the cars behind you for a bit so you can get some distance ahead if you want to have fun & take the curves a little fast.

i did autumn 2006 in the t-bird from ashville to boone. summer 2007 i did the smoky mountains in the stang gt vertible and then attempted the blue ridge parkway from cherokee to ashville but after only a few miles i had to come back down.

it was pretty wild driving through clouds but after a while it wasn't any fun. couldn't see much past the hood and that's a pretty steep drop off to the right. i'm going to try that stretch again this year or next and later go from north carolina through virginia on the parkway.

here are some sites drivers might enjoy:

America's 100 Best Scenic Drives

America's Byways®: National Scenic Byways Online

GORP - Top 10 Scenic Mountain Drives - Introduction

Great Drives

ROAD TRIP USA

[jambo101]

Here's a few of my favorites.

Great Roads

MotorcycleRoads.US - Your One-stop Resource for Great Motorcycle Roads in the US

To really appreciate most of these roads a motorbike or sportscar is the way to go.

I'll agree with the fact that the Blue Ridge Parkway is a total waste of time if its cloudy as you end up driving through some of the thickest fog you;ve ever encountered !

[DesertRat]

Yeah I love to drive my 97 Miata (top down of course) especially along HWY 1 in California.

[jambo101]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DesertRat Yeah I love to drive my 97 Miata (top down of course) especially along HWY 1 in California.

Sounds like we have the same model year,Mine's Montego Blue. I envy your location for twisty roads

[DesertRat]

Yeah mine's Montego Blue. Took it on a 3600 mile trip last year through Utah, Arizona,Nevada etc. Top down all the way. Driving through Monument Valley Utah in the moonlight was a highlight of the trip

[jambo101]

If you ever need any advice for that Miata,The Miata.net forums are very helpful.I use the same username over there.