There’s nothing like an open sports car. Room for two, the sound of the engine, close to the road.
Convertibles were always available, but they were big. Only when the first MGs came to America right after World War II did we discover what “sports car” meant. We started to stray from main roads onto country roads, twisty and scenic. Nowhere was there a better supply of these than in California.
Soon we were organizing road races for these agile little cars. More exotic cars arrived, beautiful things like the Jaguar XK-120 roadster (the number indicated its top speed, when a new Chevy maxed-out at 81!).
We were a cult. We gave up “Detroit Iron” for these sexy little roadsters, and waved at one another on the road, acknowledging that we were members of a secret club of insiders, who understood the appeal of these little cars.
Now, sixty years later our culture has taken over. Everyone wants a car with quick steering, really good brakes, and secure road holding. Even today’s minivans would outrun those early sports cars.
These thoughts occupied me as I joined a neighbor for a “lunch run” in our new sports cars. His is a Mercedes-Benz SLR, the product of a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz of Germany, and the UK race-car constructors, McLaren. From the opposite end of the size and price scale, I drove a Mazda MX-5 (Miata).
The Mazda easily outclasses those early sports cars. It’s dead reliable, and lasts forever. It’s weather-tight, has power steering and air-conditioning. Those first models offered none of these attributes, but still we loved them. The love affair is less taxing now. The Mazda would even outrun that fabulous 120 mph Jaguar.
The Mercedes-Benz SLR, with over 600 horsepower, will outrun almost anything except sound waves. You could identify this Mercedes-Benz even without its name badges. It’s heavy feeling, very well constructed, powerful sounding, just like its 1957 300SL predecessor. It costs too much, and almost certainly will be a sought-after collectible fifty years from now.
The Mercedes owner criticized the car, saying he felt the two design teams didn’t harmonize the design, and created a flawed car. He predicts the two successor cars, one from McLaren exclusively, and the other from Mercedes-Benz only, will each be better than this SLR. So $500,000 doesn’t necessarily buy perfection. We agreed that the $300,000 Ferrari 599 was more coherent, and most observers feel that Mazda really has it “together” with the $25,000 Miata. Just shows how much fascinating variety is available.
We agreed that smaller, simpler cars are more fun, but it’s hard not to be impressed by the extraordinary abilities of the Mercedes. And we reminded one another that we were a lot younger, perhaps less critical, when we formed those fond recollections of 1950’s and 1960’s cars.
SF to LA – Three Days – No Freeways
Or; What To Do In Your Sportscar
When’s the last time you went to Mt. Hamilton, San Juan Bautista, Soledad Mission, or Morro Bay? How about Bitterwater, McKittrick, or the Angeles Crest Highway? All of those places are on this 825 mile, three day itinerary from San Francisco to Los Angeles. If you think California is crowded, try this drive and you’ll have a new perspective.
Plan a mini-vacation, spending three days reaching the LA area, a day or two there, then a quick drive home up Interstate 5. But first, buy a detailed map of California, one that shows all the little roads. I like the Benchmark brand, which is available in most bookstores. It contains about 135 pages of maps at around four miles to the inch, and is easy to use.
The overnight stops I recommend are, first, Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, then the Inn at Morro Bay, and finally, the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena.
Leave San Francisco on Skyline Blvd. down to Saratoga, then pass through San Jose. Climb Mt. Hamilton, descend the east side, then a few miles south and east to San Juan Bautista, a great lunch stop. An old stage coach road will take you through the Salinas Valley. A county road goes over the coastal mountains to Carmel Valley. You’ll be ready for the comforts of Quail Lodge after this 325 mile leg.
On your second day you’ll go down the coast, then tackle a steep mountain road up to the Mission San Antonio, on through King City to some beautiful deserted country roads to the Paso Robles wine country. A short drive to Cambria and south to Morro Bay completes the second day. You’ll love the Inn at Morro Bay. Day’s mileage – 231.
The last day of the drive goes inland to Atascadero and on to McKittrick and Taft. If you visit the West Kern Oil Museum at the south end of Taft, you’ll have a whole new perspective on that part of California. Following Highway 33 south, you’ll look for Cerro Noroestra Road. It leads to some unfamiliar ski country among 7,000 foot mountains, and on to Frazier Park and Gorman. The rest of the trip takes in Palmdale and a portion of the Angeles Crest Highway, before dropping down to La Canada, only a few miles from the fabulous Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena. Mileage for day three – 270. Total miles – about 825, 95% non-freeway.
To explore this route, I used two of my favorite cars, a Mazda Miata and a Porsche Cayman. Each one is just about perfect for this sort of travel, being quick, agile and comfortable. Perhaps the biggest surprise was my conclusion that I was equally happy in each car, despite the fact that the Mazda costs less than half of the Porsche’s price. For free, detailed route notes, just call me on 415-479-9950. I’ll send you a copy. We’re using this exact route and hotels, south-to-north, on our October 2008 Mille Autunno historic car drive. See events page
