CONCOURS D'FOLIAGE.(Revs)

Byline: DON KLEIN

A vintage Ferrari. New England's fall colors. Can it get any better than this?

Turns out, Mother Nature is a car guy. And to prove it, all you need to do is take a drive up New England's Route 7 during fall foliage season. The road itself is built for performance driving. Great stretches hug the serpentine Housatonic River like an asphalt shadow, providing a heaping ration of tight esses and long, diving sweepers. But it's the natural beauty of the trip that will take your breath away, especially on a crisp autumn weekend when a billion chroma-drenched leaves are vying for Best of Show.

Route 7 starts in Norwalk, Connecticut, and ends 308 miles later in Highgate Springs, Vermont (or vice versa, if you're driving south). The section we're recommending is arguably Best in Class. Zero out your trip indicator in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, where N.Y. Route 55 intersects 7 from the west. When it reads 139, you'll be in Dorset, Vermont, where our journey ends. Unless you run into any slowdowns, you usually can run it in about three hours. But if you do, you'll miss a whole sidebar full of good things along the way.

TRIP TIPS

Bring the most fun-to-drive vehicle you can get your hands on. The asphalt is mostly good to excellent, and there's little, if any, congestion (especially if you take 7-A when given the option), so even high-strung classics like our '65 Ferrari 275 GTB are well suited for this trip. Leave early, and don't forget your camera and room for the pumpkins and maple syrup you'll probably buy.

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