Lost Coastlines

An epic 750-mile journey up the coast of California in a manual-shift Porsche 911

- By Jared Paul Stern, Photography by Jessica Falcone; Inn at Newport Ranch; Porsche

Ninety miles of rugged northern California coastline, thousands of acres of vineyards, 24 state and national parks, sublime cuisine, and some of the most scenic and adrenaline-pumping shoreline drives in the country; it’s easy to see why we’d been planning a road trip to Mendocino County for quite some time. Renowned for both its towering redwoods and world-class wineries—over 100 of them—many people have heard of Mendocino but have never made the trip.

The 911 in manual shift is particularly well suited to cruising the northern California coast.

An error we resolved to correct at the earliest opportunity. Plan the route right (never take the “fastest” one) and getting there is more than half the fun—especially if your means of conveyance is one of the last true European sports cars available with a manual transmission; and the only one with a pedigree going back more than 50 years. We’re talking about the iconic Porsche 911, a car tailor-made for carving up scenic coastal routes and hairpin bends, especially the latest generation (aka 992) in upgraded Carrera S trim.

The cockpit of the new 911 is more advanced than ever, but the technology doesn't get in the way of the visceral thrills of driving a stick shift.