mario laguna
Day 6
From Aiken we left in a southerly direction on highway No. 19 and, a few kilometers in the direction of travel, we find, on the right, a huge car graveyard. In a forest protected by warnings of No Trespassing, Hundreds and hundreds of discarded machines are discovered in what appears to be a reserve for future archaeologists to discover the motorized ways of life practiced in the mid-XNUMXs and XNUMXs.
Automobiles are left covered by leaf litter and vegetation until they practically integrate into nature gradually over the years.
The weather, which had already become frankly sunny and hot from North Carolina, continued to delight those who preferred to use convertibles for the trip. If before they had a difficult life going through the storms of Annapolis and Washington, particularly cars without a top - like a race-ready Austin Healey 3000 whose only protection above their heads was a steel safety arch - now they were delightful. of its occupants.
The Porsche 356 cabriolets, whose hoods sported tape-based reinforcements around the window frames, and the Lotus 7s, as well as the Bentley replicas from the XNUMXs, did not fare well out of the squalls either, but could now come off of all protection against the elements and enjoy the sun.
In the south, the old looks of pity turned into feelings of envy towards those who could accumulate the kilometers with their hair in the wind.
A sharp turn to the east would take us to Savannah, a very interesting historical city, not only for its strategic role in the American Civil War, but also for having preserved its old cotton port, where the production of the extensive plantations came for both domestic trade and export.
In that port, which has preserved the streets with the original cobblestone pavement, the old cotton warehouses adjoining the exchange house and a step away from the customs office stand out; all of them converted into hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops. The mighty Savannah River, which is the border between South Carolina and Georgia, is perfectly navigable near its mouth in the Atlantic.
Day 7
A new day and a new stage in which we would stop in a very automobile and very elegant place, before discovering the adventure of space.
Bordering the Atlantic coast, which we would not abandon until the end of our trip, we crossed the border with La Florida -I prefer the old Spanish name, which recalls its discovery during Easter Florida- we stopped at Amelia Island, a place of international resonance for its famous contest of elegance.
Unfortunately we do not coincide with the celebration of the latter, which takes place during the month of March, but we passed through the prestigious setting where it is organized and stopped at Fernandina Beach, a small town whose inhabitants admired our cars as an aperitif for the next contest.
The local authorities had planned to receive us in a central square, where traffic had been cut off and tourists were shooting their mobile phones at will, collecting photos that were immediately circulated on social networks such as Facebook.
South of Amelia Island you have to cross the St. Johns River by ferry, in a short trip of less than five minutes that costs six dollars.
The road is thus expedited for us to Daytona Beach, the historic site of the American speed records that took place precisely on that beach, as well as all kinds of races, until the construction of the permanent 500-mile circuit and its subsequent opening in 1959 -when the Isabella was barely one year old.
In Daytona Beach we would live another of the great experiences of the tour, as we are allowed to roll with our classics on the great banked track whose grandstands are capable of accommodating 125.000 seated spectators.
With a Roman amphitheater plan and certainly inspired by chariot and gladiator shows, the colossal dimensions of Daytona International Speedway, with its four-kilometer ring of development implanted on a plot of more than 180 hectares, amaze the spectator or the simple visitor. Let's not tell the novice to start the first few laps of the track at the wheel of his utility vehicle, fearing to fall off the steep thirty-two degree camber upon entering each curve.
In the center of the original ring, new circuits have been built that can be combined in different categories of competition, thus lengthening the total length of the track.
It was in one of those configurations, with a banked outer ring and a flat inner circuit, that we were able to make several laps with the cars of the trip. Naturally the speed was limited by the presence of two pace cars sandwiched in the caravan. On board the Isabella, with its sharp positive drop on the rear wheels and its drum brakes, these had the opposite effect as desired, as following them would have meant increasing speed rather than slowing it down.
The seats of our saddle are comfortable and generously sized, like those of a true luxury car, in the Rover or Jaguar category of its time. However, as they are upholstered in rather slippery leather and absolutely lack the slightest lateral support, in fast left-hand corners the driver has to defend himself by holding on to the steering wheel, while the passenger is thrown against the door praying that it does not slip. open and be rushed to the asphalt.
The gear lever on the steering column does not allow for sporty use -Fortunately-, although the gearbox is already four-speed. As far as this example is concerned, the first gear is laborious to engage, and the gearbox tends to spit it out, being preferable to go out in second gear except when the car is stopped uphill. Reverse gear must be used tactfully, and yet it always scratches loudly.
All of this didn't stop us from enjoying the Daytona banks as if it were a NASCAR race (throwing some imagination into it, of course).
