Perfect Tennessee
The Great Smoky Mountains are home to some of America’s most beautiful roads. Total 911 explores ten routes through the Tennessee side of these southern hills in a 997
Tennessee. Famous for its bourbon whisky and a rich musical heritage including Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton and Justin Timberlake. But the people of this part of America have more than roadside bars to look forward to once they’ve finished their ‘9 to 5’. Deep in this part of the Bible Belt lies the Great Smoky Mountains, the most visited of all the US national parks. 12 million people visit every year. Disneyland in Orlando gets more footfall at 20 million, but hidden in the tree-covered hills of the Smokies are roads to rival any theme park ride.
Myself, my wife Renée (and our dog!) have spent a lot of time just outside Knoxville this year. We’re no strangers to Tennessee, and have previous experience driving our 993 Carrera S on the mountain roads we are talking about. Fast forward to 2021 and it’s an ’09 997 Carrera S we are driving currently. There is no temptation to compare them; they are different, and they are the same. What we are interested in is what driving these roads feels like from the more modern car’s perspective, and to impart where the best roads can be found as part of this magazine’s special section dedicated to all things Porsche and the USA. Maybe they will inspire you to come visit, or if you are local to these fine sections of asphalt, you can either grimace as I uncover your secrets or shake your head in disbelief that I’ve missed your own personal favourite. It must also be pointed out that the
Smokies crisscross the border of North Carolina, and some of these routes pass over the state line. With that said (a sort of disclaimer, if you will), hopefully nobody will get upset.
All 911s are good. Each variant has something special, but the nuances specific to them are not always known when a model is launched. The 997 was pretty when it broke cover, and time has been kind to it, much like it was to the 993, however it is the car’s size and steering feel which set it apart today, qualities that may have been overlooked while production continued. This car is a mid-life facelift – the 997.2. The differences are some interior and exterior cosmetic tweaks, a significantly redesigned engine, and the optional PDK gearbox – the first time the double clutch shifter appeared in a 911. The car you see here is our own Carrera and the gearbox the primary reason for choosing it. The ongoing debate between manual and automatic (or automated manual as the PDK isn’t strictly an auto) is a divisive subject for some and since we got this car I’ve began to notice just how passionate people can be towards their personal preference if they are a manual fan. I like both, but PDK was what we needed from this particular 911; a daily driver that can cover huge distances, and palatable to both me who enjoys an analogue car and Renée who prefers automatic (she is an American, and as far as I can tell there are many like this). It has been a great decision; we have been using the car to navigate the length of America from our home in Florida where the car is registered, to Tennessee and Minnesota, adding 10,000 miles in six months. It has passed the test of being a 12-hour-aday distance muncher, but would I be missing some involvement up in the mountains as the purpose of this car changed to driving purely for the hell of it? There really is no better place to find out.
When it comes to naming roads, nobody does it better than the Tennesseans; The Devil’s Triangle, Murder Mountain Run, The Snake, Copperhead, and the infamous Tail of the Dragon. These names are not just hyperbole, they genuinely are dangerous places. The worst being the Dragon, which has claimed up to five lives a year since 1996. For perspective, the Dakar Rally, one of the most extreme motorsport events on Earth, averages just one a year. You must take these roads seriously or risk paying a deadly price. Like the Nordschleife in Germany, another petrolhead mecca known for high risk, motorcyclists are most likely to meet their maker here. Harleys
“These roads are rarely closed, leaving you to fill in your own risk assessment”
“Correctly balancing a 911 through the bends is one of the joys of owning one”
are the saddle of choice in these parts, a machine not best known for cornering. The Dragon has 318 curves in 11 miles, steep drops off the edge of the blacktop, and trees everywhere. Not all of the roads through the Smokies are this treacherous but nearly all are subject to another hazard: fast-changing weather. Thunderstorms and flash floods hit all year round, as can high winds and hurricanes, and obviously winter brings snow and ice. Regardless, these roads are rarely closed, leaving you to fill in your own risk assessment. During the week we penned and photographed these pages, we had to cancel runs twice due to tropical storm Fred, and abandon one run as an almighty thunderstorm unfolded before our eyes. Sadly as I type, another storm called Henri is causing devastation not too far from here. It can be genuinely frightening.
Eventually we caught a break, and an immaculately clean LB9A Carrara white 997 emerged from the garage and set off from Knoxville to some of our favourite roads. The National Weather Service promised us a good day. We reached the foot of the hills and pulled over to photograph a twisty road with a babbling brook running alongside. Renée was driving this stint so I jumped out and scrambled up a grassy bank where a church had placed a sign reminding those who pass that ‘Jesus loves you’. He also has a sense of humour; just after the car set off to do fly-bys, the heavens opened. I had a tripod but no umbrella. Isn’t it always the way that something is forgotten! I was hoping my co-driver would find a turn around quickly and return before I got drenched.
Swapping seats, we pushed onwards to the Cherohala Skyway, and eventually the rain disappeared. The Cherohala is a fabulous road, rising to 5,390ft with sections that allowed us to begin to push this 911. Decent sight lines and fast, sweeping curves are a great combination for powerful cars. Listening to the engine open up as we accelerated through curves helped us appreciate the Cherohala isn’t just one of the best roads in Tennessee, it’s one of the best roads in the country.
Overlooks are peppered along the way, as they are on most of these roads. Because the Smokies are tree-covered mountains, you’re deep in a forest for much of it. This makes it important to stop and get out to take it all in. For almost all the roads featured here, perhaps the best bit of advice that can be given is to make the time to trek up to a viewpoint, or take a detour down a dirt road. Just be careful, go slowly and avoid rocks because chances are you and the car will make it – you don’t always need four-wheel drive. Two more top tips: download the area maps onto your phone so you have them even when you have no reception (don’t be fooled into thinking they work without), and take a picnic as food options are in short supply. Oh, maybe an umbrella, too.
By the end of the Cherohala, we were a couple of miles into North Carolina, a brief excursion as we joined our connecting roads past the Fontana
Dam and back over the state line again. We were now traversing the Tail of the Dragon and Deals
Gap. The sun finally came out and our run was one of the clearest we have ever enjoyed on this world famous pass. The 997 is wonderfully well-suited to this road. Switchbacks are plentiful, and with the gearbox cocked to the left in ‘manual’ mode, and
Sport Plus engaged, it is a lot of fun paddling up and down through the lower gears. Recently I swapped the steering wheel out on this car and replaced it with the Porsche Sport Design version with shifting paddles. Try as I did with the standard factory wheel, I just couldn’t get my brain to remember which way to push/pull the toggle buttons. I’m glad I did because it’s now simple to operate; pull left to change down, pull right to change up. I’ve yet to fluff a gear change since doing it.
Trucks have been banned from this route, but you still need to watch for bikers and cars making mistakes, causing them to stray onto the wrong side of the road. This is one highly technical road. Some of the corners are rewarding to execute trail braking, or left foot braking. Correctly balancing a
911 through the bends is one of the joys of owning one, and the grip and traction this 997 has from its 305 rear section Michelins is immense. It’s sweaty palm stuff. I’d be astonished if anyone other than those who practise the dark art of heel and toe could claim a 911 is missing any kind of ‘involvement’ by having PDK along a road like this. Concentration is simply off the charts. This road is a challenge, it is truly exciting, a constantly twisting mountain pass. As we pushed the car harder, we could feel ourselves being held by its folding carbon bucket seats.
They are worthy of praise in that they have proven surprisingly comfortable after long periods, but have one drawback for a distance road trip car in that you can’t recline them for a snooze in a rest area. They made up for that today on hundreds of corners, some of them banked to perfection. The 997 is an awesome tool for this place. Maybe it is a little overpowered for this particular road but certainly not on the faster routes we have selected – on those it is metered just right. My one criticism is that the exhaust is too quiet – nothing some dollars can’t fix. I love this car.
From our start early in the day, to returning at dusk, we covered around 175 miles. Google Maps suggested timings of around four hours. However with stops, exploring, lunch, and gas fill ups we had been out several hours. As we passed through Vonore en route back, the madness of some roadside skeletons reinforced the quirky, southern personality of this special place.
On our visits to this Appalachian Mountain area we’ve met fellow car and bike enthusiasts from as far as Canada who have pilgrimaged to this unique part of America. No matter who they are, hairy bikers listening to ‘love me tender’ on their Harleys, day-trippers on their way to Parton’s Dollywood theme park (yes, such a place actually exists), or Porsche geeks debating the merits of air and water, manual or auto – Tennessee is a place that makes everyone happy.