Road Nomination 1
I was reading Greg's column "We're going to compile a list of the best driving roads in America" and I felt compelled to write. I wanted to nominate US Hwy 129 on the Tennessee/North Carolina border because this stretch of road has phenomenal twisties on it. Go to killboy.com and you'll see the photos for yourself. At the top of the main page, click on "Tail of the Dragon". It will open another page and at the top of that one, click on "Cherohala Shyway". You'll see photos of a 13-mile stretch with 113 curves. Awesome trip. I've not yet done it, but plan to.
I'm an avid reader of eurotuner and owner of a '98 Jetta GLX VR6. I plan on an O2A tranny swap after I come back from Iraq in March. Too bad VF Engineering's stage one supercharger is $3,500, otherwise I'd get one. I also plan on some H&R coilovers, etc but the car is currently stock because the wife won't let me touch it until we have another one for her. Patience is a virtue, I guess.
Sgt Jim Lawson
Apache Attack Helicopter Mechanic
Iraq
Road Nomination 2
I would like to nominate the Seward Highway in Anchorage, Alaska for consideration as one of the best driving roads in America. The Seward Highway was recognized in 2000 as one of only 15 "best of the best" scenic byways in the United States when it was designated an All-American Road. The photos of my 2002 Audi TT Roadster were taken along this road.
The Seward Highway is a spectacular, two-lane road with the sheer cliffs of the Chugach mountains on one side and the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet on the other. The Turnagain Arm has the second highest tidal differential in the world, with over 40' between low and high tide. It's not uncommon to see glaciers, eagles, moose, bear, dall sheep and beluga whales while driving this incredible road. It's well maintained, open all year (except for the occasional avalanche in winter), and has lots of nice sweeping curves.
Here is a link to more specific information on the Seward Highway:
www.milebymile.com/main/article_23.html
Tony Izzo
Anchorage, AK
We're glad the Alaskan Tourist Board is able to give its employees such nice cars! Joke. Er, you don't really work for the tourist board, do you?
Bad Day?
I've been a reader for quite some time - at least three years or more - and I usually like all the cars you feature. But I have to take issue with the first story in the 11/05 issue - why do you include a car that somebody didn't build with their own time or money? The kid is 20 years old and owns a 330i sedan he got when he was 16. I assume his credit isn't good enough to swing a $40k loan without mommy and daddy giving him the car. That isn't credit cards buying those parts. I'm a loan officer. I could care less about a kid whose parents bought and built the car for him, just because he asked for the money. In my opinion it doesn't belong in your mag. The kid who worked three jobs to build his car deserves a spot because he put his time and effort into it. The guy with the Scirocco in the same issue deserves the space because he did the work, not mommy and daddy. I respect the work of people who did it on their own.
On a side note, you spell Bser wrong. The O needs to have an umlaut for the proper spelling (). You can also spell it Boeser. It's just a big annoyance as I am in Germany and am tired of seeing German words spelt wrong.
Charles Houseworth
Germany
Having a bad day? Yes, it's nice to see cars built by the owners but you've made huge assumptions about the BMW owner without knowing his circumstances. We select a car on its merit and discover the circumstances after. It will always be that way.
As for boser, we know how to spell it but the simplified version is generally accepted, so that's the one we're using, sorry.