Tag Archives: Driving Roads

Travel & Driving Videos: “Black Forest & Alpine Roads” Of Germany

It is a special, almost festive feeling to travel with CURVES through Southern Germany. And there’s a good reason: The CURVES crew comes from here. Southern Germany is our home turf.

We grew up with the tang of the forests and meadows, with the feeling of sweet lake water in our hair, with slightly uneven legs due to the undulating mountainscape – and our way of thinking, which has its roots in the many generations before us: We are Bavarians, we are Swabians, we are people of the Black Forest. And we have been looking forward to this CURVES edition for a very long time. There was just no way around it.

Perhaps we should have brought our readers on this trip much earlier – it’s beautiful here. But it’s just not done. It would have been impolite, pushy and, we first had to get to know each other, anyway. Hence, it took long detours around half the world until we finally arrived in the Black Forest, in Swabia and Bavaria. Of course, that’s only half the story.

Travel & Driving Videos: A “1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta” In Swiss Alps

Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB 1961

One of the most notable GT racers of its time, the 1959 250 GT Berlinetta SWB used a short (2,400 mm (94.5 in)) wheelbase for better handling. Of the 176 examples built, both steel and aluminum bodies were used in various road (“lusso”) and racing trims. Engine output ranged from 240 PS (177 kW; 237 hp) to 280 PS (206 kW; 276 hp). The “lusso” road car version was originally fitted with 185VR15 Pirelli Cinturato (CA67).

Development of the 250 GT SWB Berlinetta was handled by Giotto BizzarriniCarlo Chiti, and young Mauro Forghieri, the same team that later produced the 250 GTODisc brakes were a first on a Ferrari GT, and the combination of low weight, high power, and well-sorted suspension made it competitive. It was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October and quickly began selling and racing. The SWB Berlinetta won Ferrari the GT class of the 1961 Constructor’s Championship. Also won 1960, 1961 and 1962 Tour de France Automobile before giving ground to the GTO’s.

In 2004, Sports Car International placed the 250 GT SWB seventh on a list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s, and Motor Trend Classic placed it fifth on a list of the ten “Greatest Ferraris of all time”.

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Top New Travel Books: “Drives Of A Lifetime” (National Geographic)

Drives of a Lifetime - National Geographic - 500 of the World's Greatest Roadtrips -The possibilities are endless: Take Colorado’s San Juan Skyway for a 10,000-foot climb over towering mountain passes. Or travel the ancient Silk Road on an expedition across Central Asia and through time. Or why not drive the perimeter of Puerto Rico, a tropical paradise with many beaches along the way? 

Compiled from the favorite trips of National Geographic’s legendary travel writers, Drives of a Lifetime spans the globe to reveal the best celebrated and lesser-known road trips on the planet. Inside this fully updated and revised edition–featuring more than 20 new drives–you’ll find routes through spectacular landscapes, ideas for quick getaways, leisurely journeys of discovery, and revelations of secret worlds beyond Google Maps. Some are legendary long-distance odysseys; others are easy day trips close to home, taking you down charming local byways. All will inspire you to pack up the car and hit the road.

Whatever your taste and budget, you’ll find plenty of routes tailored to your interests. Alongside detailed descriptions, full-color maps guide the way and planning tips help you make the most of your journey; top 10 lists offer quick, easy side trip ideas. Beautiful, informative, and inspiring, this luxurious volume is a lifelong resource that readers will treasure.

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Travel & Touring Video: “Aston Martin DB” Tour Of Scotland (SkyworksWA)

1,000 Miles & 1,000 Smiles
“We make beautiful art that that is meant to be driven and enjoyed” says Aston Martin….
Sadly, many of these works of art are destined for a life locked away in garages and only taken out for shows and events. Luckily we know someone who realises that a DB4, a DB5 and a DB6 love to be driven – enjoyed not only by the driver, but the countless people who stop to look and wave as they pass by. And driven in spectacular locations renowned for the winding roads and jaw dropping scenery. In 5 days, during which it rained every day, these cars covered over 1000 miles through the Scottish highlands, without a single issue (we lie – one electric window issue), and created a thousand smiles.

Aston Martin DB Tour of Scotland SkyworksWA January 15 2020

It was a rare privilege and pleasure to have been invited to film, photograph, and drive these working pieces of art, and enjoy Scotland in a unique way that is in fact priceless, and certainly a very big bucket list tick. The film is quite dark and moody, and almost black and white, but we think suits the occasion… (it’s also what the client wanted!). The brief appearance of the Rapide AMR only added to the convoy. Although it looks quite remote, deserted and desolate it was in fact peak holiday season, so between the traffic, the rain and the distances, every shot in this film was based on one take with no rehearsals… which justified the occasional use of strong language “och aye Jimmy”. However, we hope that this final brief overview of the journey, being a short edit of what was delivered to the client, gives these cars…nay laddie – these Aston Martins… and the location, Bonnie Scotland, the justice they deserve. Enjoy.

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Top Road Trips: Historic Columbia River Highway Was America’s “First Planned Scenic Roadway”

From a National Geographic online article:

Mount Hood OregonLong ago bypassed by an interstate, the skinny, two-lane Historic Columbia River Highway has seen little change since its completion in 1922 as the United States’ first planned scenic roadway. The route winds above Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge, taking in six state parks, seven waterfalls, and—on clear days—views of five mountain peaks, including Mount St. Helens. Breathtaking in any season, the highway is especially picturesque in spring, when endemic wildflowers bloom, and winter, when waterfalls freeze and massive icicles hang from graceful arched bridges.
Travel tip: At Crown Point, drivers stop at the Vista House, an elegant art nouveau observatory 733 feet above the Columbia River.

Top Driving Roads Videos: “Gotthard – The Mountain Is Calling” Directed By Stefan Bogner (2019)

Filmed, Edited and Directed by: Stefan Bogner

Gotthard - The Mountain Is Calling Short Film Directed by Stefan Bogner 2019

Produced by: Curves “Soulful Driving”

Gotthard - The Mountain Is Calling Short Film Directed by Stefan Bogner 2019

The pass road over the Gotthard can only be described as breathtaking. The route from the canton of Uri to Ticino leads through the wild Schöllenen Gorge with its fabled Devil’s Bridge up to the top of the pass at 2,107 metres above sea level and over the cobblestoned Tremola Road with its 24 spine-tingling switchbacks down into Ticino.

Gotthard - The Mountain Is Calling Short Film Directed by Stefan Bogner 2019

Website: http://www.curves-magazin.com/