It wouldn't be worth taking our long-term 2008 Audi R8 on a 2,300-mile road trip if we didn't find some crazy-good roads to experience along the way.
Route 34 lies just outside of Philomath, OR. It winds gently through the countryside and then forms a clump of cambered switchbacks just before the right turn to Mary's Peak Road. Mary is our kind of woman, judging by the way her 9.3-mile ribbon of joy jags through the Oregon woods, gaining 2600 feet of elevation on its way to a clearing near the summit.
The R8 is scintillating on this road. There is zero indication the front wheels are driven other than the fact that you're accelerating away from apexes in a way that few two-wheel-drive cars can (the 911 excepted).
Altitude saps some of the Audi's power up here, but the fact that you can fearlessly thrash a wide, $130,000 mid-engined supercar on bumpy pavement like this is a testament to the R8's versatility. It's forgiving, fast and totally engaging.
This is a special car. The more I drive it, the more the thought of returning its keys pains me.
Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor @ 12,246 miles
yellowbal says:
01:05 PM, 07/ 9/08
I've been on that road many times. It's awesome on the way down where a mistake may mean you'll hit a boulder or fall off the cliff.
How did you get past the gravel part? Or have they paved that over?
Jason Kavanagh says:
01:22 PM, 07/ 9/08
The gravel's still there; fortunately, a sign provides ample warning. I just crawled over the 100 feet of gravel at 5 mph.
7driver says:
01:39 PM, 07/ 9/08
Since this R8 roadtrip started, Jay's been blogging about rocketing up roads and accelerating away from apexes while Caroline's been blogging about seats and iPod connections. Has somebody been hogging time in the left seat? :-)
Caroline Pardilla says:
02:08 PM, 07/ 9/08
7driver,
Actually, I got to drive a couple times. Which was fine with me cuz I find the R8 intimidating, like how I find our M3 intimidating. Too much car for me. But I was the photographer / navigator / iPod dj / cop lookout anyway. And we got to our destinations a lot faster with Jay as the driver.
rubleytj says:
10:17 PM, 07/ 9/08
My wife spotted the R8 in Corvallis this past weekend. I've lived around the corner from Mary's Peak since I was 7 (27 years) and it's definitely one of the best roads to tackle in this area. I've got some more pics of the Peak on my blog:
http://www.tjrubley.com/2008/07/mrs-rubley-spots-the-edmunds-audi-r8-in-corvallis/
First time, long time. Big fan of the blog!
dc
Jason Kavanagh says:
07:58 PM, 07/10/08
rubleyti, that's a cool coincidence.
She snapped it in front of the house I stayed at for the 4th.