Last week we posted about some of the joys of fall driving. The beauty of fall can inspire a weekend road trip, an unforgettable afternoon drive, or a short scenic detour during a regularly scheduled errand run. Which car to drive is the lingering question among enthusiasts. We selected the best automobiles to give you a perfect fall driving experience for a variety of moods you may be in, agendas you might have, and what kind of passengers you might carry with you (or not).
Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider
STYLE
Alfa Romeos sometimes offer the best possible package of style, grace, and performance. Sure, they come with a few bugs, but what’s a classic car experience without a little love/hate relationship tendencies thrown in? After all, it’s about that perfect drive when you know everything is working right and the weather cooperates with your driving agenda. If you plan on hitting local backroads or canyon twisties, you’d be hard pressed to find a better compact performance roadster that oozes Italian style like the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider.
Volkswagen Beetle Oval-Window Ragtop
CULT
Driving a car based around simplicity can be the most thrilling experience on the planet. Take the Beetle—it’s not fast, it’s not equipped with all the bells and whistles, but there is something about its puttering little motor that just begs to be taken for a spin as frequently as possible. The Oval-Window is from a time when the company started to pay attention to design details and consumers simultaneously. Its perky posture happily bounds along the roads while kicking up fresh fall leaves is a joy any motorist can appreciate.
Jaguar E-Type Series-1
BLISS
A straight-six with howling trumpeted carburetors straight from the heritage rich soil of Queen Elizabeth is an experience nobody should miss out on. What better time to throw back the top, give the key a twist (or two, it is a finicky Jaguar), pop it into first, and blast away through the amber light of sunset flickering through the leaves and branches! There isn’t a car on this planet that can still make Enzo Ferrari wish he was still on this earth.
Porsche 911 Targa
SPEED
Many might be up in arms about this selection asking why we didn’t choose a cabriolet rather than a targa. To be quite honest, there are some days during those early-morning fall drives where the option of a more closed cabin feel with the benefits of a convertible when needed just sounds cozy and enticing. The Targa provides the charm of a classic air-cooled Porsche performance hum in a unique greenhouse package.
Ford Bronco
ROMPER
An early-model Bronco projects an image of honest design mixed with adventure. The perched bear-like stance of the Bronco provides the ground clearance needed when you decide to take that worn dirt trail just off a paved state park road. You may not know what’s ahead, but you know you have the right car to fully enjoy the sun, feel the breeze, and lay out a blanket in the back to take in the night stars—assuming you’ve removed the rear shell.
(Lincoln) Continental MK II
CRUISER
Driving during fall’s inviting moderate temperatures might call attention to an innate need to cruise the roads you either speed through on the weekends or become stuck in during a weekday commute. Jumping into an American land yacht might just be the thing you’re looking for when it comes whisking your loved one away to that picturesque B&B. The added benefit of the long and bed-like bench seating helps eliminate the need to switch on the heater, as long as your sweetheart is close by. Lest we forget that lurking under the hood is a thumping V8 that can provide the thump you’re looking for when an open stretch of road presents itself.
Bentley S3 Mulliner Drophead Coupe
LUXURY
“I’m sorry, do you have any Grey Poupon?” This is a questions that stirs up nostalgia and turns you instantly into a well-suited British gentleman ready to take on the politics of the day with your adversaries at “The Club”. So why not whisk yourself away in a car and leave your driver at home? Bentley has always prided itself that their line of luxury cars are to be driven not to chauffeured in. Sure, they’re large and somewhat ostentatious, but at least as a hood ornament you don’t have a half-naked lady attempting to hold her blouse down.
Image Sources: wikipedia.org, petrolicious.com, classiccarstodayonline.com, rmauctions.com, collectorcarpricetracker.com, fantasyjunction.com, boldride.com, autoevolution.com
