Well it's day 7 of the Ultimate Challenger road trip and yes we are at another test track. But this is a test track with a difference where 5 floors above ground on the roof of the old Fiat Lingotto factory here in Turin.
Built in 1923 the Lingotto factory was absolutely unique among auto plants around the world. Raw materials came in through the door on the ground floor and then as the cars were assembled, they travailed up a Spiro path finishing here on the roof whey they were driven around this test track before being shipped off to customers. Fiat moved out of Lingotto in 1982, and the complex is since being converted to a hotel, conference center, shopping mall and theater and those were the long memory, you might recall seeing parts of this bank track use in the ultimate car guide chase film, the Italian Job.
Italy's Motown is more than just cars and factories however. The center of this city boasts some truly elegant architecture. Leaving Turin we head west back towards the mountains on one of the highest, most famous passes in the French Alps, the Col du Galibier. It's picture postcard gorgeous, most famous as a heart breaking stage in the Tour De France cycle race, it's also a great test of the challenger's 420 foot pounds of torque.
Well, here we are at the Col du Galibier, 8600 feet up in the French Alps. Now a few days, I would have told you that the Stelvio pass was one of the best runs over the mountains here in Europe but I'd be wrong. The Col du Galibier road is better. It's slightly wider, slightly more open, way fast up. The big hemi oozed its way up the mountain, it really does see the Dodge challenger.
Well, it's day 8 of the ultimate challenger road trip and we are deep in the heart of France, a place called Clermont Ferrand and we are driving on one of the lost jewels of automotive race tracks. The famous Charade Circuit. Its five mile track is built around a couple of extreme valcanos and hosted 4 French Grand Prix through to about 1972. It's a wonderful circuit, and you can drive about two-third of the original track which were on know the fast down hill essentially with all the turns and this is fantastic.
What's described in the time as a slightly faster, twistier version of the legendary Nürburgring (Nordschleife).. Now I am not sure as it good as the Nordschleife, but this thing is you can drive it for free, it's very little traffic on it. I'll take it.
We leave Clermont Ferrand for a 300 miles run across France to Le Man, the wide smooth French autoroutes are meticulously maintained. They ought to be. The tolls for the trip is total $77. They are also well placed such as 5 mile an hour limit, is all we dare.
There are three great auto races every car guide should try and see at least once in his life. The is the Monaco Grand Prix through the streets of Monte Carlo, there is the Indy 500 at the Indian Atlas motor speed way and there is this the Le Man 24 hour race. We are here at the South Circuit an 8.5 mile blast that's mainly on public roads. There are some sections of the track inside behind the fence here that we can't drive but there is an awful lot that we can.
Here we on the Le Man's legendary Mulsanne straight. This straight is long that before they could do shicanes in here, the race cars were reaching 250 miles an hour. Feels odd running between the Guard rails grumbling over the blue and yellow curbing, scuffing the tire tracks too visible in the turns. While the locals hurry past in their Reno's and Peugeot's on their way home from the super market or the office.
A Chrysler first raced in the famous 24 hour race here in 1925, three years later a pair of Chrysler 72's finished 3rd and 4th overall. Well, recently the Dodge Viper GTS-R coupe was a class winner three years running in 1998,99 and 2000. Clermont Ferrand and Le- Man both home to heroes who tested themselves to the limit, more or though were to replace way heroes of the different kind help change the world.
Well its day 9 of the ultimate challenger road trip and this is a special moment. This beach behind me looks empty, deserted, quiet. There's hardly anyone here. But 64 years ago almost to the day, tens of thousands of men were fighting and dieing on those very sands. That's Omaha beach one of the 5 beaches, the allied forces used to begin the liberation of Europe on the 6th of June 1944. What happened then changed the world and we are the beneficiaries of it. So it's a privilege to be standing here looking at that site and remembering the brave men who fought here.
Chrysler along with other American manufacturers duped the engines that powered the Sherman Tanks that forged through this country side. Thanks to numerous D-Day warmers of these the stone walls and brick buildings in the small town we cruise through look here really familiar. We half expect to see a turning turret and hear the clatter of tank traits as we make our way to Caen to catch the ferry to England.
By now we are seasoned European travelers but at custom's inspection, the Brittany ferry port comes as quite a shock after all the friendliness we've experienced. Passports are scrutinized, the trunk is part, suitcase is emptied out on to the street. The guards don't seem to under stand that we'd have to pretty dumb for smuggling anything in a car that looks like this.
The ferry, the Mont St Michel has 10 decks more of which with garage space for all passengers cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. The 6 hour ferry ride is a welcome break. When we pull off into Portsmouth we are refreshed and ready to hit the wrong side of the road.
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