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All About the Drive: Just Another Sunday

IMG_7818_header A huge advantage to any car enthusiast living in Southern California (besides the weather) is the quality of roads and their ready accessibility to us gear heads. Whether you want to cruise along the coast or hit some curves in the canyons, there are a bevy of choices within an hour of most local cities. Growing up in the “OC”, I’m definitely one of fortunate ones. I grew up closest to the 22 and 405 freeways, the lifelines to LA in the North or San Diego in the South. When I first started driving, besides meeting up with friends at the mall or at the beach for bonfires, I’d often hop onto the 91 and gather with friends off Maria Street. If you’re an old schooler, you’ll probably recognize Maria Street as one of the hotspots for street racing back in the early 90’s. Some of my best memories driving come from summer cruising with the windows down, in my 92’ Civic hatchback with no AC, slammed with cut springs and HKS exhaust. These days, I've transitioned to South OC, close to the 405/5 intersection. I no longer meet my buddies at the mall, and the closest I come to Maria Street are pictures friends text me recalling the past. If I’m cruising down PCH, I’m leaving work or heading to see family, no bonfires. It’s all part of growing up I guess – but every so often I take the time to go for a nice drive, either a cruise or even sometimes hitting the canyons with some buddies. This past Sunday was a casual cruise to grab some coffee and a croissant at my local preferred “Lee’s Sandwiches”  (where you can normally find me and a few pals after Cars & Coffee on Saturdays) then down Newport Coast Drive to PCH and back. Audi_R8_SoCal_Car_Drive_06 Getting the car out of the garage is sometimes a process in its own. Although my neighbors are used to my friends coming by the house with loud exhausts on weekends, I try to disturb them as little as possible - getting my Audi R8 started and out of the garage quickly. I still need time to warm it up, so I usually let it idle around the corner. I became particularly sensitive about this after my wife mentioned that the kitchen walls shook when I started up the car and left it running inside the garage. While the car is warming up, I’ll turn off the park distance sensors, pick a radio station and set my suspension. Even though it’s a casual cruise today, my body is telling me to select the “Sport” setting. I find that the magnetic suspension in comfort mode, coupled with my lower H&R springs, is a little too “bouncy” at times (particularly on bad roads). Ironically though, it’s that combination which reminds me most of my Civic with cut springs! Audi_R8_SoCal_Car_Drive_12 I’m off! The amount of lights between me and Lee’s is amazing – but today, considering it’s early and cool, I think I’m in luck. I've learned that by keeping a consistent speed that matches the speed limit (50!) I can actually time the light changes perfectly to grab all the greens. I've never made the 8 mile trek without hitting a light – will this be the day? Apparently I should buy a lotto ticket, the first light I got stopped at was the left turn into my destination. After a chat with my buddy and finishing Lee's fabulous coffee and croissant, I hop back in the car and head towards Newport Center Drive. This is the same long stretch of road that I used to drive to get to the Crystal Cove car show back in '03/04. There are portions where it’s almost too easy to speed, but again – I’m not in a hurry today. I always revel at the size of the houses on this street, they’re just crazy big. In the distance I see the beginnings of what looks to be a huge mansion on a very expansive lot. I wonder how many cars the garage will hold? This is the stuff us car freaks always wonder, and in this instance, I dream about. On a clear day at the crest of Newport Coast Drive, you can see the Pacific Ocean past PCH, along with portions of Corona Del Mar and Laguna Beach - but today it's all early-morning haze. Audi_R8_SoCal_Car_Drive_07 I stop off at the same Crystal Cove parking lot that used to host the car show, hoping to get a glance of something cool. No crazy cars to be seen today, just a bunch of Mercedes SUV’s with “Real Housewives’” eating breakfast alongside their families. It’s drizzling a bit, so I don’t stop for long. Upon heading back, I immediately notice how loud my exhaust sounds as I slowly crawl out of the parking lot - no wonder neighbors complained about the car show, it’s surprisingly quiet here considering PCH is within a hundred feet or so. Audi_R8_SoCal_Car_Drive_08 Driving down the Newport Coast, I see a “crew” of Porsche 991’s and get a high beam flash from one of 'em – it’s always nice to see fellow enthusiasts enjoying their vehicles. Behind me, I notice I’m getting tailgated by an S8. Even though I’m doing the speed limit, uphill, this guy seems to be in a hurry. I move over and notice the "guy" is actually a 50+ year old lady with a radar detector on the windshield! Pretty cool that people of all ages and genders enjoy a good, fast drive! Audi_R8_SoCal_Car_Drive_10 Allowing the “Golden Girl” in the S8 to pass was a good move as it allowed me to get stopped at the next light, facing a black Bugatti Veyron. I've seen my fair share of Veyrons (even on the road) – but something was particularly menacing about this one with tinted windows.  Snapping a quick pic of it, I wonder if my paparazzi action seemed odd to the owner, or were they used to it? I try to listen for his exhaust, but the traffic is slow rolling as we take off in opposite directions. Audi_R8_SoCal_Car_Drive_11 A few more miles of straight open roads, and I’m back in Irvine. It’s almost 10AM now - traffic has picked up and the clouds are starting to break. Pulling into the garage, I turn off the sport suspension and cut the ignition. I've arrived just in time to get started on my weekend obligations, but am glad I spent the time out on the road. I’m definitely going to have to get the car more exercise and hit a canyon run shortly. When you have the gift of roads that we do, it's a shame not to take advantage of them. -Albert Roxas Check out last weeks "All About the Drive" feature, The Runabout. Where's your favorite spot to take a Sunday drive? Leave a comment and let us know!
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