Road Trip! Cross-Country Transporting

The ad might as well have read: "Heavily modified 1969 Porsche 911 Targa with a 1974 RSR body. One hundred thousand miles, driven only on Sundays on 2.5-mile loop. Currently located 2500 miles from where you are. Ready to sell for a steal if willing to transport. Contact TRE Motorsports, North Hollywood, California; www.tremotorsports.com."

What do you do when a few states and several hundred miles stand between you and a great deal? Dust off the atlas, inspect your brakes and tires, and calibrate that electric brake controller--it's time to hit the road!

The cross-country adventure revolved around the delivery of a 1969 Porsche 911 race car (purchased from TRE Motorsports) from North Hollywood, California, to Charlotte, North Carolina. The journey involved passing through nine states, burning $800 in gasoline, and covering over 3000 miles.

Over a period of six days, we made stops in Arizona at the Grand Canyon; Grants, New Mexico, at the Uranium Museum; Amarillo, Texas, at the Cadillac Ranch; the Oklahoma City memorial; the Museum of Automobiles in Morrilton, Arkansas; the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee; the 26th Annual Ford F-100 Supernationals Truck and Car Show in Knoxville, Tennessee; and back home to Charlotte, North Carolina.

On The Road
Road maneuvers are a challenge in any large city, even for the most experienced truck driver. On congested multilane highways, large vehicles constantly have to deal with braking distances shortened by lane-cutters.

The best strategy is to stay alert, keeping your eyes active by routinely scanning all vision points. Mirror placement is paramount in heavy traffic, especially when approaching multi-Interstate junctions. Navigating these freeways at the height of rush hour and quickly crossing five lanes of L.A. traffic safely, while towing a 20-foot trailer, was quite an accomplishment. Sadly, we tagged the front-left corner of the Golden Gait trailer on the concrete base of a gasoline pump.