The five greatest drives, the worst places for a flat tyre, and SVG

Aussie Shane van Gisbergen celebrates his latest NASCAR victory with the traditional burnout after the race. Picture: San Francisco Chronicle

Pacific Coast Highway (California)

Hugging 900km of shoreline between San Francisco and San Diego, California State Route 1 pairs redwood groves, surfing hamlets and the brooding cliffs of Big Sur with the requisite American road-trip vibe.

Prime months: Late April to October for fog-free viewing.

Signature stop: Bixby Creek Bridge, Big Sur then Jack Kerouac and Hunter. S. Thompson’s fave, the Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn for breakfast. I had the famous eggs benedict with home fries with the beyond veggie sausage, sliced turkey, chicken-apple sausage, baker’s bacon but no mushrooms. Washed it down with a few mimosas ($30).

Driving time: Around 10 hours end to end, but six to eight days recommended to linger at 25-plus viewpoints.

Hazards: some of the highway occasionally falls into the sea; wild animals including rattlesnakes, black bears, raccoons, seals, sea lions and criminals; seasonal mudslides.

Check California Dept of Transport update: https://dot.ca.gov/ updates.

Adelaide to Perth cross-continent drive (Nullarbor/Eyre Highway)

Stretching nearly 2700km across southern Australia, the drive from Adelaide to Perth is one of the world’s classic long-haul road journeys. Following the Eyre Highway over the Nullarbor Plain, this drive is super for isolation, big-sky landscapes, dramatic coastal cliffs and outback roadhouse drinks and parmies.

A southern right whale cow and its calf at the Head of The Bight.

Signature stops: Head of Bight whale nursery (caution for kiddies and EV drivers: you can often see the 70-tonne mammals mating); the Nullarbor Roadhouse: two persons stay overnight, fly over The Bight and watch 70-tonne mammals mating from the air, breakfast and wine for $749.

Driving time: 28 hours non-stop but split it into six to 10 days to enjoy the sights like the longest straight stretch of road and the world’s longest golf course.

Hazards: None except camels, 70-tonne mating mammals, dingoes, emus, wombats, echidnas, brown snakes and the Nullarbor Nymph – a half-naked, white-skinned blonde person who lives with kangaroos in the desert.

Iceland Ring Road (Route 1)

Circling the entire island in 1322km, the Ring Road links puffin cliffs (a major breeding site for puffins, not a ciggy stop), glacial lagoons and geothermal fields. Summer (mid-May to mid-September) offers 24 hour daylight.

In winter expect ice and partial closures. Bring budgie smugglers because bathing in the nude is not a big go but showering in the nude is. Beware of hot springs that are in the wild to avoid severe burns to the family jewels. Even ones that feel warm to the touch might have extremely hot spots.

Driving Iceland’s Ring Road is not for the faint hearted.

Signature stop: Seljalandsfoss, where you can walk behind the waterfalls.

Drive time: 30 hours non-stop, but eight to 12 days is the sweet spot.

Hazards: The Icelandic government has a monopoly on booze. So, $30 for a beer or a bottle of Yellowtail. Stock up on duty free before you arrive. Temperature in the aptly named Iceland has got down to minus 38 but is usually a sultry zero degrees.

Amalfi Coast Drive (SS163, Italy)

A 50km ribbon of tarmac clinging to Campania’s cliff face between Sorrento and Vietri-sul-Mare. Despite crowds and hair-raising corners, its pastel villages and lemon-grove terraces justify the hype.

Signature stop: Positano. Franco’s Bar, Via Cristoforo Colombo 30. Suspended over the sea. No reservations. No food. Just drinks from the golden age of fine spirits, cocktails and bubbly, when cultured imbibers knew their old fashioned from their French ’75, and what kind of glass they should be served in.

Drive time: I’ve done it in two hours when a former friend stupidly lent me her Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evo II. Allow at least one full day to drive the Amalfi Coast but two to three days is much better.

Optimum shoulder seasons: March–May and October to early November for lighter traffic.

Hazards: Italian drivers. Like driving in Sicily, motoring on the Amalfi Coast is a combination of F1 and a demolition derby. Younger readers, a demolition derby is where the winner is the last vehicle still moving after all others have been crashed into and disabled.

Garden Route (Western & Eastern Cape, South Africa)

Stretching 300km between Mossel Bay and Storms River, the Garden Route mingles Indian Ocean beaches, fynbos-cloaked mountains and adventure sports from canopy zip-lines to bungee jumps.

Signature stop: Knysna: beaches, views, the oyster festival, but it’s a super petrolhead town with the Simola Hillclimb and (separately) the motor show.

Drive time: Minimum: Two to three hours.

Visit: Take three to four days for highlights such as Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Wilderness, and Tsitsikamma. For a leisurely trip, five to seven days or more for hiking (if you must), more wine tasting (a must), beaches, adventure sports, and wildlife

Best visit: September to April for warm seas and whale sightings.

Hazards: None except baboons, elephants, puff adders, Cape cobra, monkeys, antelope, opportunistic crime, carjacking/robbery and fake police.

Is SVG the new BP?

Forget Brad Pitt. If there’s one bloke who deserves a starring role, it’s Shane van Gisbergen. SVG took a dominant win in the NASCAR Cup Series at Sonoma – his third consecutive road/street course victory.

He led 97 laps, shattered Jeff Gordon’s record, and left rivals like Chase Briscoe speechless.

SVG now has four wins from 34 starts and is shaping up as the greatest road-course racer in NASCAR history. Not bad for a bloke from our easternmost state with a Supercars passport.

Auction action on Pebble Beach

Christie’s has once again pulled out the big guns for Pebble Beach, with Ferraris, Jags, Bentleys and Mercs you’ll never see on a suburban street.

Highlights include: a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France Berlinetta (ex-William Harrah, est. $4.5m-$6m); a 1952 Jaguar C-Type ($5.6m-$6.75m); two Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadsters book-ending production (57 and 63); and a 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 that starred with Elvis.

And then there’s a RM Sotheby’s Daytona SP3 “Tailor Made” Ferrari, expected to crack $5.25m. This special car is paired with the Maranello Clutch – a one-of-a-kind carbon clutch bag inspired by Ferrari silhouettes, featuring Giallo Modena ultra-suede lining and an adjustable chain strap. Additionally, an official Ferrari window sticker, owner’s manual and warranty book, tool kit, battery conditioner, and cover kit are all included with this SP3 for only $6m.

Meanwhile, over at Bonhams, the crown jewel was a 2023 Mercedes-AMG ONE Coupé with only 100 miles on the clock which sold for $3.6m. With F1-derived tech and 1049hp, it’s not just a car – it’s a rolling science experiment.

Also smashing records: A VeilSide RX-7 from Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift just fetched $1.75m, proving nostalgia is a hell of a drug. And a 1972 Ferrari Dino 246 GT from the late MCC president, David Jones AO’s estate, brought $760,000 at Donington Auctions in Melbourne.

EV reality check: The Xpeng G6 trip from hell

Back home, the EV dream isn’t quite road-trip ready – at least not in regional Australia.

The newest (casual) member of our motoring team, Jared Lynch, road-tested the $54,800 Xpeng G6 on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road and found himself envying a 60-year-old Kombi.

Why?

Six hours to charge to full on a home plug. Half an hour for 18 per cent on a public fast charger. No spare tyre, just a repair kit. Flat tyre? EV-specific foam made it unrepairable. Range anxiety? Off the charts.

He summed it up best: “Until EVs can recharge as fast as you can fill a tank, they’re still enthusiast cars for inner-city drivers.”

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