Smoky Mountain Tour

My wife and I just got back from the Smoky Mtn Tour sponsored by Classic Motorsports Magazine. In short it was fantastic. Towed the Healey to Greenville, SC. Then did 1200 miles of Healey driving thur the Smoky Mountains and also the Tail of the Dragon and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The places we stayed were fantastic, the food was to die for and the roads nothing but awesome. There were about 20 other cars from a 140 Jag, a 71 365 Ferrari, Lotus 7, 3 Morgans, one an Aero 8, etc. Great company and good times. My Healey performed flawlessly. From the low country of Greenville to the tops of the Smoky Mountains I could not have had a better trip. I highly recommend it. Some pics attached, or see Classic Motorsports facebook page or their website.

Looks like a great trip, congrats. Did a double take on the lights on your shroud until I remembered it was a German-delivery car.

Rick, watching your car go around that slalom tells me you would love the roads in the Smoky Mountains.

Last fall when I first saw CM's ads for that tour, I thought it would be a great trip, glad you got to take advantage of it! Maybe we'll another year...?

That is indeed beautiful country up there! I've never been there with the Healey, but back when the Z3/Z4s were made at the Spartanburg plant, we'd go back every Labor Day weekend for their Roadster Homecoming.

Coming from Ohio, we'd detour through Hwy 129, often spending a night or two at Tapoco Lodge, taking several passes up and down the ToD.

Good times!

Sue @ Deal's Gap.

I wish I had a picture of the Z3 that followed me thru the Tail of the Dragon. I finally got a chance to pull over to let him and the 2 Morgans, 1 Ferrari and a Vette go by. Later that evening I said to them that I wanted to pull over because I didn't want to hold them up. They all said, 'you were doing just fine, we wouldn't have been going much faster'. Part of the tour was to visit the BMW factory, the BMW Performance Center where we got hot laps in an M3 or M4. I couldn't believe the acceleration of those things. There were 3 back-up cars for the tour if your car broke and couldn't be repaired by the traveling mechanics. The 3 back-ups were all brand new M6s. They really are awesome but I still wouldn't give up a new Corvette for one. The XK 140 Jag owner got to use an M6 before the week was out. My Healey soldiered on excellently and I never got near an M6.

Nice pictures! That white Coupe was The Last 2002 (S-54 engined) M Coupe built (I have its VIN here somewhere).

That plant is pretty impressive, compared to touring the Big 3 plants as a kid growing up in Detroit (class outings, I'd been to several); bright and well lit__even the food in the cafeteria is good! The Zentrum (museum) is always changing up exhibits__no telling what the "back room" holds!

On our first trip to the Performance Delivery Center, we took home what I still consider to be the ultimate Homecoming souvenir!



I don't know__a brand new/fleet M6?__would've been tempting to sabotage the Healey for a day...

Are you aware of https://www.killboy.com/ Look up the day you were on ToD and he may have your car posted.

Thanks Randy, I did get a pic from killboy. It is digitally so dense that I can't print it. I'll have to find someone who I can send it to to see if they can print it. My e-mail almost can't handle it. But I did make a copy of it and shrink it alittle it is similar to one I have above. I think I can put the copy here. But I am also having trouble with my printer. All my printed photos are coming out all redish orange.

I have heard of this region from reading Peter Egan's Road & Track article some years ago.

Time to do it Pan. A terrific place to stay is at the Half Mile Farm in Highlands, N.C. Right in the middle of the mountains with terrific roads getting there and going away in any direction.

vette said:

Thanks Randy, I did get a pic from killboy. It is digitally so dense that I can't print it. I'll have to find someone who I can send it to to see if they can print it. My e-mail almost can't handle it. But I did make a copy of it and shrink it alittle it is similar to one I have above. I think I can put the copy here. But I am also having trouble with my printer. All my printed photos are coming out all redish orange.

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That IS a GREAT SHOT! Have to hand it to him, reinventing himself, and has definitely made a brand-name in the process. Last time we were in the area was 2008, and even then, there wasn't too many ways to make a legitimate living around there. Go on his site alone, and there are a lot more lodges, tours and attractions than we'd ever seen; in 2001, it was still a bit like Deliverance.

pan said:

I have heard of this region from reading Peter Egan's Road & Track article some years ago.

Click to expand...

ALL the roads in the area are beautiful, and challenging, but the Tail of the Dragon is an 11 mile stretch with 318 turns; many of them are a tight radius 180*.

Because of the increased traffic__AND DAREDEVILS__the speed limit has been decreased since the early 2000s; used to be 45 MPH on the Tennessee side, and 55 MPH as soon as you crossed the North Carolina border. Attempting to maintain 45 MPH was challenging enough, and being able to hit 55 between turns was, well, like having a get out of jail free card! You'd have to have been crazy to even qualify for a speeding ticket! Weekends were almost bumper to bumper, so we'd go for Tu-Th, staying at Tapoco, just a few miles from Deal's Gap, the foot of the dragon.

In an effort to make a nice run without any traffic, we once set out about 11:00 PM, but partway up, we hit fog and rain. Thick fog and light rain, but nonetheless, enough to make my wife want me to turn around. Okay, where? Can't see a thing past 7' in front of the car, so I wanted to at least go to the overlook. Eventually I did find an area clear enough to turn around and headed back down to the lodge. I don't think we went outside after dark there again__lots of other critters out then too...