Team NiceDrivz joins media from around the world for Audis Mileage Marathons, an epic, 23-vehicle cross-country event designed to highlight the amazing benefits of clean diesel technology to America. To see it in High Definition, click the ‘HD’ button once the video starts. WATCH THE VIDEO TO READ THE FULL STORY, GO TO: http://nicedrivz.com/?p=463

It was a simple plan: reconnect with what made America so dynamically vibrant and culturally significant, all while luxuriating amidst the scenery of the some of the places where it all began: the Cape area of Massachusetts and the birthplace of our Union, Boston. We chose our transport with a sense of the irony: what better way to examine the modern Western society birthed here than ensconced in the cosseting cockpit of a $200,000 Bentley convertible. Our first stop was Provincetown, where—I was surprised to learn—the Pilgrims first arrived before tagging that well-known rock on a beach some miles across the bay. Though it didn’t proffer the hospitality the Englishmen required for settlement, Provincetown more than took care of us, as we enjoyed the pampering comfort of the Crowne Pointe Inn, a historic, sybaritic bit of paradise built of a whaling captain’s residence. This in itself was a vivid reminder of the irony endemic in P-town itself—a place that first made its reputation from the exploitation of the natural resources within our cetacean brethren. Yet here was an essential part of our journey—that the very certitude for which we seem to be nostalgic encompasses its own limitations; those folk of the 17th ...

“From the sublime to the ridiculous…” If one place ever covered the spectrum, it’s Southern California, where awesome natural splendor shares an uneasy existence with man-made hell. I conducted my journey by car: that internally-combusting—and infernal, some would say—device that has come to define the California existence. Golf wasn’t on the menu; I didn’t think either vehicle I drove—the Porsche Carrera 4 or the Mercedes SLK280—could accommodate two golf bags. I’d have to confine my drives to the road. Good thing, too, because I needed every bit of concentration to deal with drivers who lack lane discipline and familiarity with the left-hand stalk projecting from their steering columns. After a few near misses, I pull the Porsche into Santa Monica’s astonishingly swank Casa Del Mar. A bastion of roaring twenties high society, the grand dame underwent a $65 million dollar renovation six years ago, resulting in an elegant and refined edifice of soaring pillars and vaulted ceilings, beautifully chosen décor and richly textured rooms. The green-white marbled bath in my sumptuous suite refreshes me. The bed’s wonderful; I seem to float above the Pacific, and have little desire to rejoin the living the next morn. But I do, and my ...

INTRO: Many of the auto manufacturers unveil new vehicles to the press in and around Borrego Springs National Park. The twisty, rollercoaster roads are lightly trafficked, the weather is excellent year round, and the scenary is spectacular. It’s also easily accessible from San Diego. Armed with the 198mph-capable Corvette Z06, it seemed an ideal playground for a romp. San Diego reminds one of Denver with an ocean; the classic Gaslamp Quarter’s revitalized storefronts, bars and restaurants stand cheek-to-jowl with brand new—and distinctly modern—condos and lofts. A slightly stodgy image (in comparison to the rest of SoCal) trying hard to become hip. Brutal traffic, peaking with total gridlock during sporting events, and a temperate, pleasant climate year-round. Flying in and out of San Diego airport you have direct access to the interstate, and since our steed—a 505hp Corvette Z06 impatiently paces in a nearby stable, we waste no time in feeding it full of high-octane oats and heading for the hills. There are several interstates which offer access to our preferred state routes, Highways 78 and 79. Now the fun can begin. Swooping and cresting through the outlying foothills, which bask in warm ...

Istanbul was Constantinople, Baghdad was Babylon (and one wonders if it might be worth going back to a name with a little less baggage), and Durango was Animas City. We went in search of quintessential Colorado, and here it was, all seemingly tied to the romantic railways of yore. Over a century ago most activity in the southwest corner of the state was limited to ranching and mining. The train was essential to economic growth, and when the Denver & Rio Grande decided to build a spur line up to the mines in Silverton, they planned to run it through the small community of Animas City. Depending on whose version of history you believe, the city fathers got greedy, or the railroad people were obstinate. Either way, the result was the establishment of a new town by the rail company, named by a D. & R.G. executive after Durango, Mexico, whence he had just returned. Today, most of the mining is gone, and ranching has few practitioners. What drives the wheels of progress in Durango is sports and tourism. This makes it an ideal weekend drive from just about anywhere on the Front Range. ...

That snowbank is approaching fast. The Toyota 4Runner is sliding right for it at an obtuse angle to its intended trajectory. Despite the excellence of the Blizzak snowtires, the icy surface has too low a coefficient of friction to allow a recovery. Poof! As if in a slow-motion dream, the left front fender buries itself in the bank, and then the truck slowly rebounds out onto the track. The good news: no damage done as the we were only doing about 10mph and the banks are soft and fluffy, being intended for this. The better news: I was supposed to push the 4Runner past the point of no return, in order to better learn just how long weight transfer can take to affect a vehicle’s course in conditions like these. That’s the beauty of the Bridgestone Winter Driving School: it is expressly structured to teach folk of all experience level—novices to racers—how to better handle the unique and fast changing conditions we experience here as a matter of course every year. A dedicated track and facility managed by some of the best instructors extant combine to provide students with the opportunity to learn more ...

My palms are getting quite sweaty about now. I’m rocketing up the road to the top of Pikes Peak, which was built in 1915 to promote tourism in the area and bring the wealthy to Spenser Penrose’s new hotel, the Broadmoor. Doesn’t matter that I started racing cars at twenty, and used to rockclimb. At the moment, the pucker-factor is almost as high as I am. The surface is loose gravel, and though the Mitsubishi Evolution MR is doing its level best to keep me from plummeting off into space, I can’t keep the glands from doing their thing. For a few days a year, this road serves as the course for America’s second oldest car race. Today, the 2000ft drops that accompany many of its 156 corners are keeping me completely focused. The road continuously changes: asphalt, hardpack dirt, deep and loose ruts, snow and ice. Site lines range from open to non-existent. Just where you’d think there’s room to give it the gun, your (or mine, at least) guts run out, as you note there’s nothing but blue sky beyond the jagged edge. The competitors for the Pikes Peak trophies are required to ...