Not been on the old IP5 death road,is it still possible to get to Oporto the old way,that Guarda hill took many of truck drivers lives,brake fade.It would take a day to do 150 miles at a guess,up and down the box all day,with a heavy load,my heart would sink,as knew time would be lost,Friday nights were groupage loading all night with no sufficient sleep.
I used it shortly after the motorway was opened- Porto to Villar- & it was already overgrown. The branches from the trees kept on whacking the tilt so I gave it a miss after that.
How about Luso? Cherry on the cake when you were well striped on the way down. 
Trailer used to go on two wheels on the hairpins.
Toby
Why would you want to use that road,it was a nightmare ,from the top to the Castello del Branco turn off, I haven’t been down it since before Gorgeous George was found dead asleep in his cab at the resteraunt before Villa Formosa and I hate to think how many years ago that was.
Edit ,spelling
Gawd NNOOOO!
I don’t even wanna think about the IP5 
going down the old IP5 reminds you of what it used to be like
I double manned down to Lisbon with a poster on here,and while negotiating this very road(I just happened to be driving at the time) he opened a conversation with’If you miss a gear,or start cooking your brakes,what would you do-stick with it,or jump.And at what point would you decide?’ Wonderful company 
Sir +:
I double manned down to Lisbon with a poster on here,and while negotiating this very road(I just happened to be driving at the time) he opened a conversation with’If you miss a gear,or start cooking your brakes,what would you do-stick with it,or jump.And at what point would you decide?’ Wonderful company
and what was your answer ?
We eventually concluded that it’s something you can only decide when(if) it happens.
The GNR traffic cops were on the IP5 24 hours a day,plus a helicopter that used to land at the first BP after the border,the crew would partake in a coffee break at the services,with knee high leather boots.It had a high death rate,as frustrated drivers would take high risks as the road was so bad and slow,you had to have your wits about you,if driving tired on it,you may end up dead,as no room for errors due to fast cars overtaking on double white lines,i hated the IP5,and could not wait to hit the flat and safer road after the border.
The Britannia crowd used to own that road.
As much as it was a bad road, if you treated it with the respect it deserved it was no worse than a lot of other roads around Europe, I always thought the IP4 was a lot worse, at least the IP5 was black top all the way
For bad roads I always thought Greece was far worse, that road from the getting off the Rio ferry over to Lamia (N27?) was an ice rink in the dry, when it rained the smart drivers would go to the fish restaurant in Patras until the road had a chance to dry out or go the long way via Athens