Craig’s Friday Countdown - No Passing

The Laureles Grade (youtube here) packs two thousand feet of elevation change and forty corners into its four miles between Laguna Seca and the Fortress of Solitude.  Traversing it twice a day, there’s an informal protocol for pulling over and letting faster cars pass.  In the car heaven that is the Monterey Peninsula, you might think that means the Jeep pulls over quite a bit.  However, Jeeps are America’s longest running and most authentic sports cars … so, not so much.  Alphabetically by make, here’s the cars I have and / or would pull over for: 

Ariel - All

Alfa – 4c

AMC* - 401 powered mirthmobiles

Aston Martin – Only the ones with yellow lipstick.

Audi – Only full spec rally Audis

Bentley – Any coupe.

BMW – Never give an inch to any BMW driver.  Not a single inch. 

Brunette – Attractive brunettes in the Jackie Bisset - Marcia Malin spectrum (unless BMW).  

Bugatti & Buick – None (which is not to say I don’t revere 63 – 65 Rivs, they just look good in the rearview mirror).

Chevy* – 1LE Camaros and C2 / C3 Vettes up to 1972.  Rubber bumper Vettes are a no-go and Z/28s, Z06s, Z1s etc. have to earn their own pass.

Datsun – 240 - 260zs.  (Nissans can pound sand)

DeTomaso – All

Divco – They’d already be pulled over. (Divco humor … not as easy as it looks)

Dodge* - Vipers

Duesenberg – Slow down.  Then, all. 

Factory Five – No interest in running over parts falling off them.  Good luck, back there. 

Fiat – They’d already be pulled over, with their hoods up. 

Ferrari – Gated manual-transmission coupes only.

Ford* - GTs, GT350s, Boss 302s

Hudson – All

Infinity – See: Nissan

Jag – E type verts, F type coupes.  Oh, so pretty. 

Koenigsegg – No real need to pull over.  They just go right by.    

Lancia – All in rally spec and of course any Stratos, while bowing to its greatness.

Lambo – Miuras, only.  Let’s dance, LM002.

Lincoln – Love the old ones.  But they’re not exactly canyon-carvers. 

Lexus – Only LFA, and only if re-sprayed in Autumn Shimmer

Lotus – Elise (downslope only, unless Aubergine Purple at sunset) / Exige (up or down).

Mazda – None.  No grudge.  Just none. 

McLaren – See: Koenigsegg

Mercedes – See: BMW

Mercury*

Meyers Manx – Smiling. 

Oldsmobile – I can’t fathom one ever getting close enough to pass.

Packard – See: Duesenberg

Plymouth – Cudas

Pontiac – 1976 and prior Trans Ams and any Can Am (rare and ridiculous). 

Porsche – Real Speedsters and GT3s or above.

Redhead – Amy Adams, etc. 

Rolls Royce – See: Oldsmobile

Saturn – That’s funny. 

Subaru – No.

Tesla – None, yet.

Toyota – 2000GTs, Celica GT-Fours and AE86s only, and then try to re-pass them.

Triumph – TR6

Volkswagon – Only Meyers Manx.

Volvo – This one (here)?  Sure.   WARNING ! - If you play the video on the bottom of the linked page for more than four hours in a row, seek immediate medical attention. 

Yugo – Headed to Lemons Rally?

Zolfe – All (both?).

* - any 66 – 72 muscle car in SCCA Trans Am livery