By Paul Kramer · January 16, 2026

The spreadsheets fade.
The excuses thin out.

What’s left isn’t hypothetical—it’s mechanical.

What car are you driving, on which road, and with who?

This 148-mile stretch of driving nirvana is some of the best twisting road I’ve ever experienced. The pavement feels like sticky glass. Endless turns are hugged by massive tree canopies and the route is generally desolate.

This Ferrari is my dad’s favorite. He only had a ride in one once—back when it was a year old and he was living in Hawaii.  He hasn’t stopped talking about that experience for the past 60 years. I’d love nothing more than to experience this car on that road with my dad.

This 90-mile driving workout is a relentless exercise in countless shifts between 2nd and 4th gears.  It has massive elevation changes with the occasional chance of snow. This road leaves you out of breath, yet craving more—like a junkie.

Your forearms will ache, but you’ll still want a cigarette at the end, even if you don’t smoke. There’s a reason this road’s former name was US-666.

I’ve been fortunate enough to experience this road with friends in their cars, and I can never get enough. I just want to drive it in the holy grail of 911s.

This 118-mile stretch of iconic Highway 1 is the most picturesque part of the Pacific Coast Highway (aka PCH). This is the road and the car my wife and I drove on our honeymoon.

The car is currently blue, but we’ve agreed that someday it will be repainted in one of our favorite vintage VW shades: Pastel Green. We’d take it slow (as you do in a Bug) with overnight stops in Nick’s Cove, Sea Ranch, and Mendocino. Of course, we’d stop in Elk, CA for a Michelin-star meal.

“Honey, my bags are packed—when can we leave?”

This is the famous Oregon coastline, which I’ve traveled before with my daughter after picking her up from college in Portland. If you haven’t taken a road trip with your kid, you’re missing out. You'll learn more about them on a single drive than in the previous decade(s) of raising them.

When I asked my daughter what car she would choose, she said, “If you’re in the car, that’s all that matters!”
Yep—my heart melted.

When I pushed her for specifics, she sent me the photo attached and added, “Convertible not advised!”

I’ve driven one of these before and while they’re mighty beasts off-road, their on-road manners are abysmal. That’s where Jonathan Ward’s magic comes in: an LS swap here, MagneRide suspension there, and voilà—you have the perfect vehicle for what might be the best coastal drive in the country.

Cars are just the mechanism.
The road is the excuse.
The people are the reason.

Choose accordingly.

— Paul Kramer

🏁 The Full Throttle Talk Team

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