Grand Tour

Drive Time, Travels

As I mentioned in last week’s post about winning a lottery, there would be travel.  Lots of travel.  And I have to say, this one would feature towards the top of the list.

By the way, you’ll want to hit the above link, because (unusually) the article contains some of the most beautiful travel pics I’ve ever seen.

My route would differ only slightly:

…in that I’d leave off Switzerland –great scenery, but horrible people and fanatically-enforced speed limits — and take a trip instead up the Rhône Valley via Nice.

I’ve been to a couple of the places mentioned, and I’d be very happy to see them again (take a bow, Heidelberg and Innsbruck).  The others (Bruges, Liège, etc.) are all on Ye Olde Bucquette Lyste anyway, but I’d add Como (north of Milan) because reasons.

As for which car I’d take?  My current heartthrob, the BMW Z8 (4.9-liter V8 engine generating about 400hp, you betcha):

Nice and reliable, with looks that rival its spiritual predecessor, the 1958 BMW 507.

Or if shipping it over is too much hassle, I’d just buy something Over There that’s modern and boring but equally reliable, like a Mercedes SL:

A fortnight that trip is supposed to take?  Try four weeks, or even longer.

15 comments

  1. Liege and Reims are just industrial cities, no need to spend time there. Good as a stopover on the way elsewhere but that’s about it.

    Personally I’d limit my exposure to France to Lyon and Strasbourg, start the trip in Amsterdam rather than Folkestone (but can understand why the Brits chose that place, it’s close to home for them).

    1. Reims has the cathedral where French monarchs were crowned and many Champagne vintners with their extensive caves.

  2. I wouldn’t mind seeing Germany again.
    This time I’d pay attention, and have my adult boots on.
    Last time I was there, age 19-23, I mostly wasted it.
    And I was a soldier then.

  3. Post lottery touring. For a vehicle I’d select a New Factory Delivered Panamera 4 E-Hybris Sport Tourismo. Delivery in Stuttgart – not the actual Panamera Factory – In any case Porsche also has a nice Travel service that can provide all sorts of nice touring experiences from organized small groupd driving trips or personalized itineraries including track driving experiences and with enough $ and time a drive in the Mille Maglia in a proper period car can be arranged. ( You’re a Lottery winner remember – Cost is not an issue ) and reservations at all the best Hotels. If you use a high end agency that books a lot of rooms regularly you will get much better results than a random American tourist.

    So — Germany – Austria – Italy – as far south as Naples – France and England. My wife is from the Netherlands – No longer has Family there but still speaks enough languages to help if needed.

    Factory Tours can be arranged ahead of time. I’m thinking a long list of Auto manufactures in Germany – Italy and England. Plus there are some Northern Italy Factories – Barretta and Benelli to sample.

    But why stop at just touring Europe again, when you can partake of trips like these

    https://assets.abercrombiekent.com/pageflip/2024/ATW-GK-PJ-2024-2/index.html

    at $ 200,000 PER PERSON , it’s not unreasonable — But it’s also sold out so you’ll have to get on the list for the next one.

  4. Four weeks sounds about right for that trip.

    My cousin had us on a 6 day trip to Scotland, Wales and London where we spent 36 hours on the train.

    JQ

  5. So long as you’re dreaming, take 8 weeks and see Prague and Budapest with a detour down the Dalmatian coast through Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro. It’s cheap and fun. Nice people, tons of history, great food, spectacular wines down south and with great respect to the Brits and Krauts, the Czechs make better beer.

        1. I travel a lot and never even noticed that you are so very correct about that. On an open ended trip I’m good for 5, maybe 6 weeks than get itchy and disgruntled and just want to go home.

          We tried to spend a winter in Mexico once and cut it short because Important Reasons, which I now realize I contrived.

  6. Instead of Liege go a bit south to Bastogne. There is a lot to see in Bastogne and not much to see in Liege. You are missing a stop in Germany, Trier. It was built by Romans and it is Germany’s oldest city. Plan on a couple of days there. Trier is also in the heart of German wine country.

    BTW: the Z8 is electronically limited to 165 mph.

  7. Lake Como……your reasons are “satisfactory”.
    Along the way:
    You would be derelict if in going to Bastogne, you failed to tour the Spa Circuit @ Francorchamps; or a casual drive on the roads near Reims that comprised the old French GP Circuit – and there’s always NURBURGRING!

  9. My flight surgeon in the Gulf bought a 2002 Z8 with his bonus money and wound up damn near losing his medical license over some BAH fraud. He was desperate to sell it for what he owned on it ($75K) but as a new dad, that was not going to sell itself as a family car to my wife. They’re sneaking up on $250K now, if you can find one. I got to drive it for about 40 minutes on a flat track in Bahrain and I’m not exaggerating when I tell you it was the best single 40 minutes of my existence.

  10. My Grand Tour would involve a Porsche GT3 993 or earlier with sequential shift and Nürburg, Spa, Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Salzburg and Imola.

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