Great Smoky Mountains

It is said that anyone looking for an exciting route for a Sports Car anywhere in the world will sooner or later end up on a small country road between North Carolina and Tennessee. Or to be more precise - on the US 129 at Deals Gap. To be even more precise: on the Tail of the Dragon. This course has everything that a motor sports enthusiast could ever want. Legendary combinations of bends, sweeping curves and tight corners. For this reason, there are times during which traffic on the road between "The Slide" and "The Whip" is extremely heavy - mostly Sports Cars and motorcycles. But in April and May - before the summer holidays - the weather is generally ideal and there are fewer vehicles on the road.So-to-speak the perfect complement to the Tail of the Dragon on our tour through the Great Smoky Mountains: the Cherohala Skyway. It is known in motor sports circles for its long, sweeping bends and spectacular views. The name, the Skyway, wasn't just plucked from the air: this road, which was built entirely for leisure traffic, reaches a maximum altitude of over 1,600 m (5249 ft.).There aren't many routes in the USA nearly as challenging and demanding as these two. Making it an even better feeling to successfully negotiate both. You can also do something that many experienced drivers like to do in this area: simply turn around when they reach the end to enjoy a completely new route on the way back. As this region of the USA is almost unpopulated and largely untouched, there are hardly any intersections along its entire length. And that's more than extraordinary.One more brief comment on the Tail of the Dragon: 318 bends over 11 miles, or just under 18 kilometres, speak a language of their own. A language in which the Boxster GTS is particularly fluent: start your engine, drive, enjoy.