THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

We woke up in California, happy not to be in a hotel for the first time in what seemed like ages, relieved we had managed to get this far in a car burdened by a flammable leak, temporarily patched up en route and pushed, sometimes to the extreme, across five states. Dropping the 993 at Porsche Palm Springs, we swapped for a Panamera 4S while it was fixed. Sports exhaust permanently on, suspension set low and stiff, and PSM off, we took it everywhere. It was no 911, but for a big car they’ve an impressive chassis, plenty of power and are a lot of fun. Coffee every morning, a range of eateries, old roadside attractions, a cable car ride up a mountain, Idyllwild… we built time here into our itinerary as rest and recuperation, unaware it would be the car most in need. A week later the call came: our car was ready, and to my surprise it also had cold air-conditioning – so cold that even in the Californian desert it could make us shiver a little.

With just one full day left in California, we eagerly hit the world-famous Palms to Pines Highway. It’s a perfect road, fast in places and breathtakingly beautiful almost everywhere. Some stretches are twisty with hairpin switchbacks, and some of it is straight enough to pass anything in your way. Stopping halfway up for an ice cream and a chance to thaw out in the hot sun, we parked next to another Porsche