A Petrolhead's Guide To The Perfect Car Hire Hoon Holiday
It's happened. Summer is over and it's wet, cold and miserable outside. But instead of wallowing in this chilly autumnal misery, why not head somewhere warmer, and have a car adventure while you're at it?
It doesn't have to be a long, expensive road trip, either. Our suggestion is simple: get on a cheap, budget airline flight to one of these locations, bag a dinky hire car with a peppy little engine (a Fiesta EcoBoost is perfect) and go for a thrash. And by epic thrash we mean driving in a safe and responsible manner, of course.
1. Sicily - Targa Florio Route
The Targa Florio is one of the greatest road races in history. It ran from 1907 on the tight and twisty roads of Sicily, until sports cars became just too damn fast for the course. With 600bhp monsters thrashing through towns at full pelt, it was an accident waiting to happen, and sure enough a number of horrific fatalities for both drivers and spectators led to the race's eventual demise in 1977.
The good news though is that it's pretty easy to take a trip to Sicily, retrace the course and have some fun at the wheel of your diminutive hire car. Maps of the race's various configurations can be found here; anything from the 45-mile course used up until the race's demise, to the 670 mile epic used in 1948-1950.
Nearest airports: Palermo, Trapani
2. Monaco
Unfortunately, you can't go thrashing around the legendary Monaco Grand Prix track - it's a public road, after all. What you can do, however, is take a petrolhead's pilgrimage to Monte Carlo for a nice relaxing lap of the circuit, and then go off to explore the stupendous, ribbon-like roads of the Cote D'Azur.
One that's definitely worth a look is the route of the old La Turbie. It's a nice road race, which is just a stone's throw away from Monaco. The best part is - as the tourist season is now over - you're much less likely to get stuck behind a dawdling holiday-maker.
Nearest airport: Nice
3. Stelvio Pass
This road in the Italian Alps is one every petrolhead should visit at least once. There are an incredible 60-hairpin bends in this daunting but glorious bit of tarmac, for starters. It's a little far from a major airport, but it's worth it.
You may remember the Top Gear boys visiting the road a few years ago while searching for awesome driving roads. Skip to the eight minute mark in the video below to see the trio tackle this beast.
Nearest airports: Milan, Zurich
4. Mallorca
Mallorca has a lot more going for it than just being a cheap sun destination for package holidays. There are some great twisty bits of tarmac on this mountainous little island, prime for some hire car-based exploration.
Nearest airport: Palma
5. Verdon Gorge
A little further away from Monaco in southern France, there are some amazing roads to devour. Several can be found around the stunning Verdon Gorge. Here, you'll be able to enjoy a challenging and fun drive while soaking up some superb views.
Nearest airports: Marseille, Nice
If you've got more location tips, let us know in the comments.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
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