Detour #258: Supercar, Super Road, Superbagnères, France
A classic British sports car on a classic French alpine climb makes for a perfect Pyrenean Detour.
There’s something in the air at Bagnères de Luchon.
A strong smell of sulphur from the thermal baths, a lingering scent from the annual Flower Festival, perhaps an odour of the vin chaude that warms skiers in wintertime, a whiff of sweat from past Tour de France cyclists and, most definitely, an aroma of internal combustion from motorcyclists and car enthusiasts who know the secret of the road to Superbagnères.
Surrounded by 15 peaks of the Pyrenees this pretty, pungent spa town is the gateway to a little-known ski resort. In the winter alpinists can take a cable car straight up the mountain, but when the snow thaws it opens up a sensational serpentine drive to 1800m.
With the resort closed the only reason to make the ascent is for driving or riding entertainment.
It’s quite a Detour just to get here, but having spent a couple of days at a wedding in the Dordogne I persuade my better half that it will be worth it and hope that my old Lotus goes the distance.
270 miles of mostly autoroute driving and we arrive surprisingly intact. The Esprit is a pretty good grand tourer, and with an appropriate 1980s playlist cranked up to drown out the wind noise, the miles fly by. In fact the hardest job is for my wife who has to contort herself through the narrow window to collect péage tickets and make payments. Next time I’ll invest in a tag to zip through without stopping.
We overnight at the inexpensive Hotel La Rencluse, which is right at the foot of the Superbangères road, ready for an early start to beat any traffic.
It works, and we don’t encounter a single car on the 11-mile climb. It begins calmly enough, the D125 running parallel with the fast-flowing meltwater of La Pique and gently rising through dense forest. There’s a delightful new stretch of smooth tarmac and sweeping corners that the Lotus loves.
But then, as abruptly as it began this, perfect surface ends, and the rest of the route is not without its imperfections. The Esprit rides ridiculously low to the ground so caution is required to avoid bottoming out in places.
The corners get tighter too, with a dozen or so switchbacks as the incline increases. I’m pleasantly surprised by the old car’s levels of grip, though the combination of unassisted steering, and a heavy gearshift mean that by the time the road rises above the tree line, I’ve developed quite a sweat.
We pause for a breather to look down on the valley below and the mountains that surround us, still snow-capped in June. Pressing on to the summit we pass herds of Milka-spec brown cows grazing in the alpine meadows and pass under dormant ski lifts.
At the very top sits the Grand Hotel de Super Bagnères, currently undergoing some refurbishment to ready itself for the winter season. Shuttered restaurants and ski shops add to the general feeling of abandonment. A few months from now it will, no doubt, be bustling with tourists but for now it is eerily quiet.
With nothing to do but shoot a few photos and take in the mountain air it’s soon time for the descent, which is even more thrilling than the climb. The Esprit only has 160 bhp, and although it’s pretty light, most modern family cars are probably faster in a straight line. But when it comes to corners the old thing can still hustle and it’s only after I begin to smell over-warm brakes that I curtail my enthusiasm – not wishing to add to the already plentiful pongs of the area.
ROADBOOK
CLASS: Mountain Pass
NAME: SUPERBAGNÈRES
ROUTE: BAGNÈres DE Luchon to SUPERBAGNÈRES
COUNTRY: france
Distance: 11 Miles
High in the Pyrenees mountains, on the Col du Portillon, there’s a brief moment where your front wheels will be in Spain, while the rears remain in France.