Tougefest is a bi-annual (Meaning 2 a year, not once every two years) event hosted at the Tail of the Dragon along U.S. Route 129, right on the east Tennessee border spilling into North Carolina.
This 11-mile stretch of mountain road is famous for its 318 curves, but this road has an interesting history prior to its use as an illegal mountian racetrack- It was initially a narrow trail used by Native Americans and early settlers. The trail was paved in the early 1900s and eventually designated as part of U.S. 129.
By the 1990s, motorcycle riders and car drivers from around the country were making the trip to experience the windy road, building the grassroots driving culture the Dragon is known for today.
Because Tougefest centers around the concept of touge racing, it attracts a different crowd than your average Miata meet or Z-themed day. You’ll see more older Japanese cars with tasteful, period-correct mods, built for balance and handling, usually with slighly softer suspension to accomodate for road conditions. It’s a breath of fresh air for people who aren’t as interested in newer cars or full blown track-only cars, but like any event there are still plenty in attendance if that's your thing.
The event draws out high quaility cars and drivers both local and from far away. On the topic of the newer cars, the ZN6 albiet new looks so much like a 2000s car it gets a pass. This particular BRZ was very nice- the driver was pretty competent as well.
Since We all had the misfortune of being too deeply into engine swaps and upgrades as of this post, all of our drift cars weren't up to the trip
The vessel for the journey was Taylor's 06' Nissan Xterra complete with titan shocks and 33s, while it was very comfortable for the drive up- it was not up to the task of keeping up with the S15 or the FD.
It was good for carrying the boatload of camera equipment and cooking supplies we needed for the weekend.
We stayed at possibly my favorite hotel I have ever visted, the Dragon City hotel at the bottom of the dragon.
The place has a ton of personality and so does the owner, Dan.
He also owns the restaurant next door- which had absolutely BANGER food and was B.Y.O.B.
In the parking lot was this super clean AW11 with a 20v and ITB. Its always refreshing to see a good AW11; so many of them are beat.
It was on some enkei 4 spoke wheels I wasn't sure how to identify- they seem similar to the old TOMS wheels.
Toyota's old interiors are some of my favorites- the AW11 has a special place for me because of a late friend from high school, miss those days. RIP Jacob.
Most of the reason for going was to meet our new friend Alex, who flew in from Oregon and had his GP Sports S15 up there for over a week prior to touge fest. We were there to document the car, and as of this posting I am uploading the video to youtube.
The S15 was absolutely incredible to see- it sports a GP Sports iconic D1GP widebody kit, a garret top mounted turbocharger, and extremely rare GP Sports wheels.
I always enjoy more street oriented cars- even those with more dramatic body kits. There is so much to appreciate about this car so I will keep glazing to a minimum.
At Killboy- there were a ton of interesting cars that were stopping in for a drink.
This faded yellow S30 caught my attention- I have always wanted (another) one. I actually once received one for free from a friend but the car was in such bad body condition and I was only 18 with nowhere to store it. My friend Kevin used to always say "I wish I had that years car with this years money"- and that couldnt be more true nowadays
If you had the misfortune of knowing me in High school- I am surprised you made it to this blog- but if you did you'll know this was the car I drove through most of High School. I still have a bit of a soft spot for them...
These guys seemed like they were having fun up there hanging out on the roof on the flamingo float on the corners.
Down at the hotel across from Killboy was another parking area
Lots of cool cars down there- but among the braver of choices was bringing this GS400 out and driving a pretty large bodied sedan!
Speaking of big bodied- I spotted this Toyota Crown Athelete V wagon- which are currently a pretty good deal on 1jzgte equipped cars available for import. Jamiel that worked with Koruworks (RIP Koruworks) imported several that have been floating around the southeast.
... and while we are showcasing wagons- one of my favorite mitsubishi offerings was in attendance, a Mitsubishi Legnum! The VR4 had the same V6 present in the Mitsubishi GTO, but the car is a lot more functional as a car for daily use.
For those of you who have never visited the dragon, it is hard to imagine how treacherous conditions can get while on the road. To put it in perspective, from 2020 to 2021, there were 182 accidents on the road, with nine fatalities (all motorcyclists) on the Tennessee side alone.(Source- THP)
This tree, famously named the "Tree of Shame" is decorated with parts from the wreckages over the past years.
This is a less common (In USA) GTS Skyline R33 Sedan, which I know makes for a pretty miserable Touge car (source- I owned one), but this one looked fun, and I always appreciate sticker tunes- I read most of the stickers I see on windshields.
I have always been a bit of a Corvette fan really subliminally- mostly because they're not really alike many other American cars- after owning one the magic has faded a lot since I still prefer old Japanese cars, but it hasn't soured how much I think yellow C6s are extremely cool.
There weren't as many S2000s as I expect to see at these things, as they're truly the better miata. It's a shame they've gotten so expensive now.
We also met an older gentleman and his teenage son he absolutely could not stop roasting the entire time he was talking to us.
Apparently the kid was a bit of a dipshit but he didn't seem all that bad, he is probably just young.
The guy did have a really nice new A90 supra- the more time I spend around these cars the more I understand the appeal.
Our friend Kylen did show us his FRS which is very tastefully modified. We intended to shoot some onboard and corner videos of it, but his friend was hungry and insisted they leave to go see F1. Bummer.
Special thanks to the homies Taylor and Talon who made the trip possible- they even filmed for me Friday since I was caught up working at the hotel (GOATs).
