Every automobile enthusiast yearns for that iconic road trip where machine and geography become one in a symphony of engines. From the acceleration of a Ferrari up and down Italian inclines to cruising a Porsche along coastal highways, some drives break the bounds of driving and become truly out-of-this-world experiences.
These iconic road trips have the perfect mixture of sharp turns, breathtaking views, and roads where you can unleash the very best your car has to offer. Whether it’s iconic mountain passes or coastal masterpieces, these trips make the ultimate bucket list for any serious car buff.
European Alpine Adventures
The Italian Stelvio Pass is the ultimate performance car route, with 48 Alpine hairpin turns climbing to 9,045 feet of elevation. This legendary road is challenging even for highly experienced drivers, with breathtaking Alpine scenery making every challenging kilometer well worth it.Â
Norway’s Trollstigen offers cinematic fjord scenery through 11 hairpin bends carved into steep cliff faces. The route’s switchback curves and steep hills create a close kinship between car and driver, complemented by waterfalls cascading along the narrow road.Â
Romania’s Transfagarasan Highway mixes challenging mountain driving and stunning Carpathian vistas. The mountain road is one with sweeping curves perfect for grand tourer cars, and technical bits where advanced handling and high-speed braking pay dividends to drivers.
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Grand Touring Masterpieces on the Coast
California’s Pacific Coast Highway remains the ultimate luxury car driving route, a 655-mile coastal wonderland stretching between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Big Sur part of the route offers unending ocean views and swooping, fluid curves that are ideal for convertibles and grand tourers.Â
Italy’s Amalfi Coast provides the ultimate European coastal road trip. The narrow, winding road hugs sheer cliff faces as it connects charming towns like Positano and Ravello. The drive demands careful car control while providing drivers with Mediterranean views and charming stops for classic Italian cuisine.
Australia’s Great Ocean Road showcases dramatic coastline and famous limestone stacks along 150 miles of Victoria’s southern coast. The combination of high-speed sweepers and challenging coastal sections provides ideal conditions to put modern sports cars to the test against one of the world’s most picturesque backdrops.
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Mountain Passes and Canyon Roads
The Furka Pass in Switzerland was the inspiration for the iconic James Bond chase scene in Goldfinger, giving it a place in driving culture worldwide. This mountain road combines technical driving difficulty with virgin Alpine scenery, ideally suited to precision sports cars and luxurious grand tourers.
California’s Mulholland Drive offers canyon driving within the city, just minutes from downtown Los Angeles. The road’s tight radius and elevation changes create a compact driving setting where car and driver are one.Â
Desert and Wilderness Routes
Utah’s Byway 12 travels through diverse scenery from red rock canyons to alpine forests along 124 miles of unpolluted American terrain. The road consists of long, sweeping curves well-suited for high-performance grand tourers and tight canyon sections that reward delicate driving and precise braking.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469-mile drive through Virginia and North Carolina’s Appalachian Mountains, providing infinite curves and elevation changes ideal for sports car drivers. Fall foliage creates unforgettable scenery that makes the drive even more memorable.
These iconic road trips in dream cars aren’t so much rides as pilgrimages of the driving life. Every trip is an exercise in reward and challenge that can truly be appreciated only behind the wheel of a very special car, with memories that linger far past the final mile.
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