Porsche 911 Turbo – First Drive: The new 2007 Porsche 911 Turbo sat within yards of the Mediterranean’s crashing surf, pinging and humming as it settled down after miles of hard driving. It was tough to pry myself out of the body-hugging leather sport seats and take a rest (not least because they’re actually lower than in the previous model), but a few minutes of repose seemed prudent and the scenery was compelling. Just eight miles away, across the Straight of Gibraltar, lay the coast of Africa. The Rif Mountains of Morocco seemed close enough to touch. They looked dusky-purple, mysterious and exotic.

But the schedule wouldn’t allow a visit to Africa; Porsche lent me the new 911 Turbo for the day to drive around southern Spain and it was overdue back at the hotel in Benalup, a small town about 30 miles inland. Not that we would have visited Morocco anyway. The U.S. Department of State recommends that Americans visiting Morocco keep a low profile and cruising around a poor country in a $122,900 sports car is hardly traveling incognito. Besides, I’ve seen Casablanca, and you can’t be guaranteed that when you enter Morocco you’ll be able to leave Morocco.

So, I left the beach and turned inland, resuming my joyride on the winding roads of Andalusia, pressing the 2007 Porsche 911 Turbo hard, reveling in the song of its 480-horsepower, twin-turbo 3.6-liter flat-six, and taking full advantage of the tenacious grip provided by the new Porsche Traction Management (PTM) all-wheel drive system. It’s a ride I’ll never forget.