If American car culture has a capital city, it’s Los Angeles—and within the LA area, Malibu reigns supreme. The combination of perfect weather, winding mountain roads, and well-to-do residents has made the posh enclave a great place for a gearhead joyride. Today, I’m joining the procession in a gentian blue Porsche 718 Spyder.
First, though, I want to size up the competition. The Malibu Village shopping center is home to one of the world’s best Cars and Coffee meetups, an informal gathering of local auto enthusiasts (including Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld). While I don’t spot any celebs this morning, after grabbing coffee at Malibu Kitchen & Gourmet Country Market I stroll through the parking lot and admire Ferraris, Alfa Romeos, and Aston Martins in every color of the rainbow.
Inspired by those magnificent motor vehicles, I’m ready to put the Porsche through its paces. Turning right from the Pacific Coast Highway onto Latigo Canyon Road, I climb into the Santa Monica Mountains. This is a road to nowhere, with no buildings, no traffic, and tons of turns—making it a perfect place to test out a sports car. As I hustle around the switchbacks, the only other car I encounter is… another speeding Porsche. We flash our high beams at each other in salute. Latigo tops out near Mulholland Highway, and as I approach the ridge I find The Malibu Cafe at Calamigos Ranch, where I enjoy the sunshine and the breeze—along with the Brick Chicken, a Jidori half bird served atop green romesco and summer squash panzanella. Less than a mile away is another gustatory delight: Cielo Farms, a gorgeous hilltop winery where I take in panoramic views of the mountains and a glass of estate syrah.
From here, I meander along the ridge to Paramount Ranch, a filming location for everything from American Sniper to Bob Hope’s Caught in the Draft. A 2018 fire destroyed much of the old cinematic Western Town, but the chapel from Westworld survived. I snap a few photos, then make my escape before any murderous androids arrive. A few miles further along Mulholland is Topanga, the bohemian community that has been home to Neil Young, Stephen Stills, and many other boomer rock stars. Getting into the hippie spirit, I stop in at Hidden Treasures, a wildly colorful vintage store, where I pick up a new (for me) pair of shades.
Cranking the volume on After the Gold Rush, I descend to the PCH and complete my loop to Malibu Village, where I stake out a picnic table at Broad Street Oyster Company. Making like Homer Simpson at a seafood buffet, I proceed to work through a dozen raw oysters, a serving of umami-rich uni, and a perfect lobster roll.
The Porsche still has plenty left in the tank, but I’m out of gas. Fortunately, my accommodations for the night are just 10 minutes up the PCH. Hotel June opened in 2021, after Proper Hospitality overhauled an old motor lodge. The new design is impeccably modern California cool, but I’m more interested in the history: While staying in one of the property’s bungalows in 1974, Bob Dylan wrote Blood on the Tracks. Flopping down on my bed, I’m thankful that, for the moment at least, I’m not still on the road, heading for another joint.
The Car
2023 Porsche 718 Spyder
You can’t go wrong with any of the Boxsters, but the Spyder features the most essential combination of elements in the 718 lineup: a naturally aspirated, 4-liter, flat-six motor that sings all the way to the 8,000-RPM redline as it pushes out 414 horsepower; Porsche Active Suspension Management to help with the canyon curves; and classic looks reminiscent of the Stuttgart automaker’s 1950s race cars. For best results, drive through a tunnel with the top down.
From $103,400, porsche.com
