Classic Motorsports Road Tours Make the Ultimate "Experience" Gift

Classic Motorsports Road Tours Make the Ultimate "Experience" Gift

Maybe you’ve already been on one or more of these tours and have dreamt of trying a different one? The holiday gifting season is the perfect excuse to take the leap and surprise your cruising partner. These road tours are designed with couples in mind and provide a high-end, unique experience for everyone, whether you’re in it for the cars, the resorts, the scenery or the food.

Inaugural Golden State Tour takes in Napa Valley | Beautiful scenery, thrilling roads and special attractions

Despite the challenge of organizing Classic Motorsports’ inaugural Golden State Tour during a pandemic, it came together without a hitch: Nearly 20 couples enjoyed breathtaking roads, delightful weather and some truly unique attractions.

Those special stops ranged from personalized tours of the Point Arena lighthouse and the Mission San Francisco Solano to a viewing of a private, world-class car collection. (We’d tell you more about it, but then it wouldn’t be private.)

Participants came from places as varied as Ponte Vedra, Florida, Seattle and Los Angeles. Their cars ranged from a surprisingly quick Bugeye Sprite to the newest Ford GT. The Bugeye, by the way, was driven from Los Angeles to the event’s home base in Calistoga, California, a trip of more than 600 miles.

The long-distance award, however, went to Tim and Teri Murray, who were looping the entire country in their Rad-era BMW wagon. Their journey started in North Florida and would end there, too.

The tour spent the first two days in northern California’s Napa Valley. Then the group took in the scenic Lake Berryessa before heading down to Sonoma for the final day. The journey, supported by Porsche Classic and Hagerty, ended with a farewell dinner in the wine cellar at the Hans Fahden Vineyards, a seriously cool place to visit.

Next year’s tour will take on Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe. Expect exciting new venues, roads and attractions but a similar itinerary. Find details at classicmotorsportsroadtours.com.

Breathtaking views, thrilling roads and iconic cars | 2021 Smoky Mountain Tour recap

Bright skies and cool, comfortable temperatures awaited this year’s Smoky Mountain Tour participants as they arrived on May 30 for our annual exploration of the Southeast.

This classic sports car tour, presented by Hagerty, Porsche Classic and Battery Saver, was sold out and saw record entry levels.

In addition to the great weather that held for most of the five-day event, highlights included a stop at Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia, some track time at Atlanta Motorsports Park, and dinner overlooking Crane Creek Vineyards.

Cars on the tour ranged from a beautifully restored Mercedes-Benz 230SL to a stunningly fast late-model Ferrari. Porsche was the predominant marque on this year’s tour and was represented by everything from a '60s 912 to a 2015 GT3 911.

With such excellent weather, it was easy for participants to enjoy a bevy of fabulous roads, ranging from the super-intense Tail of the Dragon to the easy cruising of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Other highlights included private tours of facilities like the eclectic Wheels Through Time museum in Maggie Valley and the impressive private Porsche collection at the Wolf Mountain winery near Dahlonega, Georgia.

The tour's social nature and number of repeat participants made making new friends and renewing old connections an almost instant proposition. And by the wrap-up dinner at the beautiful Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa in Young Harris, Georgia, (right near the North Carolina border)—which served as a hub for this year’s tour—there was some trepidation about leaving so many friends behind.

But we will see them next year, as more than half the participants signed up for one of our three 2022 tours to be held in Florida, North Carolina and California .

For information, dates and to reserve a spot for next year, visit classicmotorsportsroadtours.com.

Stunning cars and beautiful weather | 2021 Orange Blossom Tour is one for the books

The Classic Motorsports Orange Blossom Tour, our annual exploration of the Sunshine State’s back roads and beauty, went off without a hitch. While Florida can be hot and humid in mid-May, tour participants were blessed with cool mornings, warm afternoons, and only a sprinkle of rain.

This all-inclusive classic sports car tour is part of the Hagerty Touring Series and is presented by Porsche Classic with help from Battery Saver.

For the first time ever, this hub tour was based at the oceanfront Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Palm Coast. From there, tour guests branched out to explore old Florida destinations like Silver Springs, Stetson University and St. Augustine.

Other than the stunning cars and incredible weather, the highlights of this year’s tour were riding on the famed glass-bottom boats at Silver Springs and visiting the all-new Brumos Collection near Jacksonville..

Among other surprises, tour guests were treated to a private tour of the Brumos Collection. Leading the tour was legendary driver Hurley Haywood, the man who made so many of the cars on display so iconic.

On the last day of the tour, a rally stage kicked off with a look at the incredible private collection of scooters and microcars owned by Patty Schwarze of DeLeon Springs.

The 2022 running of the Orange Blossom Tour will begin on Sunday, February 27, and will again coordinate with the Amelia Island Concours starting March 4.

Next year’s route will be completely different, and the tour will be based at the Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills in hilly Central Florida.

For more details about upcoming Classic Motorsports Road Tours, visit classicmotorsportsroadtours.com.

*Itineraries subject to change.

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