Sound effects: Which tunnels offer the best acoustics?
Here’s your chance to share your favorite engine-revving echo chamber
By Larry Edsall - January 30, 2022
The Penmaenbach tunnel in North Wales was judged the best in Britain for amplifying exhaust notes | Alfa Romeo UK photos
It’s a Monterey Car Week tradition. As you drive your exotic or custom car through the thousand-foot-long Lighthouse Avenue tunnel beneath the Custom House Museum in downtown Monterey, you rev your engine and enjoy the sound as it echoes off the walls.
Memories of the Monterey tunnel were kindled by a recent news release from Alfa Romeo’s British branch which worked with Sandy Brown, England’s largest “independent acoustic consultancy,” to determine a “Sound Tunnel Index” of the best roadway tunnels for sharing the sound of your vehicle’s exhaust.
An Alfa Stelvio Quadrifoglio with a 510-horsepower 2.9-liter bi-turbo V6 engine and quad exhaust was used to benchmark the sound quality of each tunnel. There’s even a YouTube link to share those sounds.
Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio in the Hindhead tunnel in Surrey
The best of Britain winner was the Penmaenbach tunnel, a 2,158-foot stretch in North Wales. Second went to the Satlash tunnel in Cornwall and third to the Beaminster tunnel in Dorset. The top-3-rated tunnels each has a cylindrical shape, the experts noted.
“The shape and size of tunnels, their length, the speed of the road, background sounds such as other cars, airflow and tire noise, all have an impact on the sound you hear while driving through it,” Sandy Brown staffer Richard King is quoted.
“This is heightened in a performance SUV like the Stelvio Quadrifoglio, where the combination of the V6 Bi-Turbo engine and exhaust sound add to the excitement, so this index will help petrolheads and car lovers across the UK make the most of their drives.”
The above is all well and good for our visitors from the UK, but we’re wondering what the best tunnels for sharing automotive sounds in the US and Canada might be. If you have a favorite, please let us know in the “Comments” section below.
Article courtesy of Classiccars.com