The Perfect Porsche Experience

Around the Cones

Member Submission by Adam Weiss

The long-awaited day was almost upon me after an agonizing waiting period for my new Boxster T. As I pulled up to the Kimpton Hotel in Atlanta I knew I was in for a treat. Besides being right next to PEC Atlanta the hotel was decorated with old vintage Porsche pictures in the lobby as well as in your room. From the room window you could look down on the beautiful Porsche building, see various Porsches outside and see the track from a distance. Planes flying right by your window only enhanced the excitement to come.

Before I headed to Atlanta for delivery I talked with fellow Porsche enthusiast Mark Johnson at a recent Porsche event. I was interested in heading north to North Carolina after my Porsche delivery to drive the Tail of the Dragon, the Cherohala Skyway, and some other roads that I heard so much about. Mark gave me awesome ideas, helped me plot out my route to and from Atlanta and even gave me some restaurant suggestions. Also, he went out of his way and conferred with Josh Vandergriff who runs the Rennsport Dragon Rally.

Day 1. My 9:00am delivery appointment could not come soon enough. I walked over to PEC at 8:30 and eagerly waited for my best friend Jarrod Kaufman to meet me in Atlanta to take delivery of the car. Jarrod was flying in from Newark that morning to share in the excitement and most of all I promised him the track experience of a lifetime. I had been to PEC one year earlier and enjoyed the track experience with my son so I felt it would be special to let my best friend have the pleasure. PEC wasted no time. By 9:15am Jarrod was on the track in a Boxster S with a professional instructor. Besides the oval, he drove an autocross course, spun out on the wet circle, drove hard, and braked harder on all the sections the course had to offer.

An hour and a half went by fast and soon it was my turn to unveil the car. After a short tour of the building, it was show time. The PEC representative brought me down to the New Delivery Lounge and there were two cars covered in a black canvas tarp. I had to sign a couple of electronic documents, show them my registration and insurance. Everything was in good order and ready to go. PEC made the experience so easy. I then proceeded to uncover my car and glance at it for the first time. I was amazed at how good it looked. Also, I want to mention that PEC handled having the car PPF and ceramic coated prior to me picking up the car. Lots of pictures were taken and any detail I wanted to know about my new Boxster T was explained in a very nice and professional way. After finishing with the car details, Jarrod and I were escorted up to have lunch at Restaurant 356—all complimentary of PEC. While we were at lunch, my temporary tag was placed on the car and the vehicle was moved to another special spot in their garage.

Finally, I was handed the keys and a few parting gifts, and I was on my way. Such an amazing experience. First class all the way. I would definitely recommend PEC Atlanta to anyone looking for a remarkable delivery experience, an awesome track to drive, and the chance to see great Porsche history there with some spectacular cars in the museum. My total time at PEC was around four hours, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Then I was off for my four-hour drive to the Fontana Village Resort just a few miles from the Tail of the Dragon. I set the navigation through Franklin, NC where I would pick up my first challenging road to drive. There was no letdown on the Moonshiner 28 Highway. It was such an incredible drive with lots of curves and beautiful scenery and this really gave me a sampling of my next couple of days of cruising the Great Smoky Mountains. The Moonshiner 28 led all the way to Fontana; dinner, rest and breakfast followed at Fontana Village.

Day 2. I woke up early to some nice cool weather and could not wait to drive the infamous Tail of The Dragon Highway (Highway 129). First, I made a stop at Killboy Store, which is at the beginning of the Tail. I picked up some souvenirs and most importantly a map of the area. The map is crucial since cell service is spotty at best in the mountains. Killboy takes photos while you are out on the Dragon and are viewable for purchase the next day on their website. I intended to follow the course Mark plotted out for me and I was ready for take-off.

I hit the Dragon and it was the ride of my life driving 318 Curves in 11 miles. I made the transit successfully in around 45 minutes. I was lucky to be driving on a weekday when the traffic was not bad. I still encountered lots of motorcycles and other cars. The Dragon was just the beginning of my 150 miles travelled on my venture that day.

I continued on past Dragon Harley Davidson and turned left onto Route 72 to Highway 411 South for a very short way to Vonore, TN. In Vonore, I made a left onto Highway 360 South at the advice of the kind women at Killboy Store, who said this was an amazing road along the Lake. I followed Hwy 360 South into Tellico Plains, and then turned left onto the Cherohala Skyway. The Skyway was breathtaking, and I followed it into Robbinsville, NC for lunch and then back to Fontana Village. My new Boxster T performed beautifully. Jarrod Kaufman and Adam Weissat PEC, Pre Unveiling

Day 3. As I woke up feeling more confident in my driving on these roads, I followed Mark’s advice and drove my previous day’s route in the opposite direction. Also, I added in the Foothills Parkway before heading back down the Dragon. The Foothills Parkway was another amazing ride. The road had just been repaved and was a pleasure to drive. The parkway leads you much higher into the mountains and the views are simply fantastic. There are nice points along the way to stop and take pictures or just relax a little. Today I drove a little over 200 miles. Dinner this night was at Topoco Lodge. The Topoco Lodge offers a very nice place for dining outside along the Cheoah River.

Day 4. It was time to start my drive home. I wanted to get in one more awesome highway before heading back to Florida. Instead of taking the Moonshiner 28 back towards Franklin, NC, I set the navigation to Wayah Road. Wayah has more residential homes on it but in no way was it less technical to drive. So much fun twisting and turning and enjoying these roads! Friday was a long day, and I chose to stop in Gainesville, FL for the night after almost 10 hours on the road. That left an easy 4 hours the next day from Gainesville to Boca Raton.

This was an incredible trip. I am always up for an adventure ride, but It is going to be very hard topping these roads in NC and TN. Thankfully all went smooth, and I made it home safe and sound. What a great bonus to break-in by putting a total of 1500 miles on my new Porsche on the best roads in the eastern USA.