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The Cars that Dreams Are Made Of
Why do specialty automakers keep diving into a high-stakes, low-production market? To save the world, beat the racing field or something in between?
Paul A. Eisenstein
From the Print Edition:
Sopranos, Mar/Apr 2007
(continued from page 4)
If stones were money, Morocco would be a rich country. We wend our way past ancient huts of mud and dun-colored stone, past farmers working the unforgiving fields with mules pulling primitive plows that are little more than sharpened sticks.
With a thud, the Land Rover crests a large boulder, suddenly affording us a dramatic view of the sea several miles ahead. The land undulates like the water itself, as awe-inspiring as any coastline we've seen outside California's Big Sur. As we descend, sand begins to sweep over the path until rocks and dirt are swallowed up and the trail vanishes entirely.
Another twist of the knob and the Terrain Response system switches to desert mode. With the beachfront to our left, we ride the dunes like a motorized caravan. But as we approach Essaouira, the sand levels off and packs down, the incoming tide giving it an almost mirrored shine. It's been a long day; the sun is beginning to set behind us as we park the LR2 for a momentary diversion.
Mounting a camel is the easy part. Staying on is the challenge, as it lurches to its feet with a groan, swaying wildly with each step. The animal eyes our SUVs knowingly. And we gratefully dismount. The LR2s are a much more graceful—and comfortable—way to complete our journey into the old market town.
The arching gate is as far as we can go, but our grand hotel is only a few dozen yards inside the ancient city. The Heure Bleue is something of an urban mirage. Its outer walls blend in with the timeworn market district that surrounds it, where hawkers show off their silks and spices and argan oil to the flow of tourists and townsmen. But inside, the restored palace would rival even the most lavish, big-city hotel. Better yet, a table of freshly made juices—pear, apple and banana among them—awaits parched travelers. It will be good to take a long bath and grab an even longer night's rest. In the morning, we'll be heading back out in the LR2, perhaps this time for Marrakesh.
—P.A.E.
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