The 90-mile stretch from Cambria to Big Sur is what made Highway 1 famous and we headed out early the next morning to explore this part of the coast. Here Bixby Bridge, with its spectacular "rainbow arch" of concrete and steel, spans the canyon, while stately redwoods provide shade at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. The cliffs are impossibly steep and in places giant nets hold rocks on the hillside from crashing down onto the highway. This is where the weather changes from brilliantly sunny to a wet blanket of thick fog in minutes---bringing as much as a 20-degree Fahrenheit temperature difference within a matter of a few miles and certainly making it an interesting drive with the top down. While the automatic climate control got a workout on this stretch, so did the BMW's powertrain, which performed marvelously through the countless twists and turns of the asphalt. The 325 horsepower, 4.4-liter engine provided more than enough power, while rack-and-pinion steering with Servotronic power assist, active steering and active roll stabilization made for an effortless drive.