Photo and text: Christer Lundem

In Downtown LA lives a peculiar character: He looks like a hippie – beard and long hair with dreadlocks wearing a knitted hat. However, looks are deceptive, he is a renowned business man and a Porsche persona. Are you just vaguely interested in Porsche you probably know the name: Walker, Magnus Walker. It just happens so that one of my American friends, Dorian Valenzuela, do mechanics for Walker. During a lunch at the trendy sausage restaurant “Wurstkuche”, filled to the brim with hipsters (and us not so much hipsters), Dorian asks us if we want to visit Walker. He pops the question randomly, as if he asked me for some more ketchup. Magnus lives only a few blocks from the restaurant, it is not even necessary to bring the car. Obviously, this is an invitation we cannot decline.

Magnus is originally from Sheffield, England. He is a former fashion designer who now has achieved guru status with his personal Porsche conversions. He has cars in large warehouses which looks like a film set. It turns out that the buildings around the garage is also used by the movie industry to recordings. The garage is a mecca for the Porsche fans. There are also exciting car builds and a big room full of old 911´s from 1964 to 1976. On the roof of the building, with a view of the LA skyline, we get to grips with some of the causes of Magnus' success. He is generous with his time, almost like we were old friends. He has an infectious English humor, a lot like John Cleese. Our kind of guy!

Tomorrow more about our road trip.

Photo and text: Christer Lundem

After a good night's sleep, we take the car for some sightseeing. The sun is shining so obviously the roof stays down. We drive through Beverly Hills, passing the famous HOLLYWOOD sign and test the G-forces on Mulholland Drive. This is the winding road that stars like Gary Cooper, James Dean and Steve McQueen tried their cars and bikes on. In the 50s and 60s, race drivers unauthorizedly tested their cars before races there. Today it is a shadow of itself, the asphalt is full of holes and cracks and clearly lacks maintenance. But if one has one ounce of petrol in ones blood, it is simply irresistible. The famous road stretches from Cahuenga Boulevard to Beverly Glen Boulevard. Along the way you can stop to enjoy the view towards the north San Fernando Valley. You've probably seen this classic row of lights from LA-buildings on both cinema and television before. The experience reminiscent of a Hollywood film from the sixties that you can not remember to have seen, but know by heart. It is truly emotional.

Tomorrow: The legend Magnus Walker

Photo and text: Christer Lundem

It's Monday, 10 August, we've just landed at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport), the sky is dyed in golden yellow colours from the rapidly declining sun. Around us are airplanes scattered inn all directions, taxing, parked and up flying in the air. We feel utterly small and very Norwegian. Here in America everything is big, so also airports. An imaginary wall of warm air greets us as we step out of the plane. Four hours later we relax behind the steering wheel of a 2015 model Ford Mustang convertible. The V8 convertible; an irresistible cliche that simply must be tried. Our iPhone sat nav guides us to 1700 Ocean Avenue at Santa Monica Beach, while our car stereo plays Hotel California by The Eagles. Reality transfixes imagination and everything is simply perfect. We head towards the real Hotel California. This will be our first stop and our only deviation in the trip which otherwise focused on car culture: This night we drink beer and dance on the beach, but who am I to complain?

So what is our goal? We want to experience California's car culture from the driver's seat of a rented Ford Mustang. In advance, we had chosen the acclaimed Monterey Week destination. Even before we planned the trip, we realized that to experience everything that happens during this week in California, will be hopeless. A loose itinerary was printed on a piece of paper, and no hotels were of course booked. The latter would prove to be a fatal mistake. Spontaneous traveling in high season for holiday, involve financial challenges that one could easily have done without. American hotels have namely no concept of the concept fixed price. Without exaggerating the individual overnight stays in hotels would become more than challenging for Norwegian HSE standards. I now know very well why the Americans call places like this "flee motels". One never learns.

Tomorrow you can read about “Racing with James Dean”.

There are only a few parts of Südschleife preserved today. It used to be 7.5 kilometres long. It was built at the same time as Nordschleife, but today is forgotten by most. This track was once even more dangerous than Nordschleife. Trees surrounded it and the drivers claimed that they saw ghostswho crossed path when they were out driving. During 1970 -71 Nordschleife was upgraded, the south loop was more and more forgotten. The death knell came when today's Grand Prixtrack was built in the early eighties, the majority of the track was destroyed and all but forgotten about.

In the fall of 2012, I had a few hours to kill and brought my camera on an expedition. I found a magical serene place. Dark trees around the track oozed untold stories.

The silence was the same as if a race had just ended a few hours ago. I saw no ghosts, but the feeling of someone lurking out there; watching me from the dark was really enough. I really hope that the Germans see the value of this forgotten peace of tarmac. No one needs exactly that space - please let it rest in a dignified manner. If you want to set out on your own and meet the spirits of the past, it is not difficult to find. Drive past the old pits and the new buildings with direction to Barweiler. With the Grand Prix track on your right hand side, turn to Scharferkopf on the left. It is near where the Grand Prix track crosses the road. Be aware you may end up feeling touched and privileged.

Respect the legends, rest in peace Südschleife.