Ever since you were a little boy, you’ve dreamed of driving a Maserati, Bugatti or Lotus. The fire within your belly enthusing you to unleash the power of one of these supercars around a track or along a country lane still burns as strongly as ever. Now that 2018 is approaching it’s only right that you start to consider your New Year’s resolutions. Whereas other people hanker after losing weight, quitting smoking or heading to the gym a little more often, you need to fulfill the craving of getting behind the wheel of your favorite supercar.
For too long you’ve been dreaming of putting the pedal to the metal, and now you need to turn this dream into a reality. Like all good New Year’s resolutions, you need to make sure that you can keep yours. Don’t venture off on a quest to drive the latest super rare Tesla Roadster as you won’t be able to get your hands on one. Take a look at how you can fulfill your need for speed and get out there to experience the wonderful world of supercars in 2018.
What Makes A Supercar Super?
It can be tricky at times to tell the difference between a supercar and a high-end sports car. The most significant attributes of a supercar are the kudos and status it brings. The mere mention of the Lamborghini Murciélago will have motoring enthusiasts going weak at the knees. The vehicles that fit into the supercar category tend to be limited editions that require an obscene amount of money to purchase one. They may be a concept car of the future released only for a select few to experience. They may be a car from a smaller and more niche firm that you might not have even heard of. Take the Koenigsegg Agera R for example. Not many people have ever heard of it, yet Google this machine and you’ll be able to see from the chassis alone that this would be a four-wheeled beast to be reckoned with.
Choosing Your Supercar
Most people have their favorite motor. It could be a love sparked from the Dinky toys you played with as a kid, the classic car that the neighbour down the road spent hours cleaning and polishing up at the weekend or it could be the vehicle that your dad always adored and kept harping on about over the dinner table. If the car that you wish to drive is accessible and not too niche, make it your mission to experience the thrill of a ride in that vehicle.
If you’re unsure of which supercar to have a go in, take a look at some of these ideas.
Porsche 918 Spyder
This incredible motor is the first hybrid produced by the powerhouse of Porsche. Unlike the more sedate and lacklustre everyday hybrids that we are all used to like the Nissan Leaf and the Toyota Prius, this machine is capable of reaching 60 miles per hour in under two and a half seconds and comes with a ridiculous amount of running modes, meaning that you can opt for a fully electrically powered drive, a hybrid mix or a solely gasoline experience.
Honda NSX
Another sports hybrid is the Honda NSX with its sleek, curvy chassis and ability to reach 60 miles per hour in less than three seconds. This year, numerous publications including ‘Road and Track’ named the Honda NSX as their performance car of the year. The kudos of this sports hybrid has even led to its inclusion into the ridiculous yet fun Gran Turismo 3, so if it’s out of reach for you to drive in real life, at least you get the chance to show off your driving skills behind the controller of an XBox or PlayStation console.
Where To Drive A Supercar?
Unless you’re a multi-millionaire or you have rich friends, you won’t be able to wake up one morning and head out on a whim to pick up the latest supercar for a thrash around your local race track. You need to prepare. This means researching the different ways you can experience the thrill of a supercar.
Experience Days
As Christmas is approaching, you could subtly or not so subtly drop hints for your nearest and dearest that you’d love a supercar driving experience from Father Christmas this year. Nothing would delight you more than waking up on Christmas morning to see a tiny little envelope complete with experience vouchers underneath your tree.
Often driving experiences come with a range of package options. You may be able to select from a number of different high-performance sports cars and select the number of laps you wish to partake in. You’ll receive expert tuition, safety training, and guidance when taking your once in a lifetime driving experience. Depending on the track that you hot foot it to, you might be handling a Ferrari around the tightest of hairpins or careering through the chicanes in the latest Lotus. They’ll be no need to work out how fault works in a car accident as there’s no risk of you injuring any pedestrians when speeding your way around a race track. Insurances are covered so you don’t have to worry about the legalities of your drive.
Book your place early at the race track you want to attend as places will fill up quickly. When you get to the venue, get your name down for the vehicles you want to drive. If you love it, you’ll easily be able to add on a couple more driving experiences in other supercars, or you can find yourself as a passenger as the professionals take you around the track at breakneck speeds.
Hire Your Supercar
If you don’t fancy the race track and you have a little bit more money burning a hole in your pocket, you might want to consider the option of hiring your supercar of choice. There are plenty of prestige car rental firms that will allow you to hire a Lamborghini Huracan, Ferrari 488 or Aston Martin V12 Vantage. The daily rental rate may cost as much as a week’s holiday somewhere nice and exotic, but you’ll at least be experiencing the drive of a supercar on your terms.
You won’t have to take the car around a race track; you’ll be able to venture out onto the open road. This gives a much greater sense of freedom as you drive the car in a more real-life situation. You’ll turn heads as you approach the set of traffic lights in town, cause quite the stir as you roar your engine to complete a hill start and attract the attention of passers-by as you travel through the country lanes.
Unlike a race track experience, you’ll also have much longer with your supercar of choice to really get to grips with the handling, the power and the feel of the vehicle. With an experience day, you may get fifteen minutes driving. When hiring your supercar, you get the entire day and could even experience the thrill of taking your Lamborghini, Audi or Porsche out for a nighttime spin. Ensure that you take good care of the vehicle and take it back to the hiring firm in exactly the same state as when you drove it away. They’ll be looking like hawks for chips, dents, and scratches.
Head Abroad
There’s no greater track for a supercar than the Nurburgring in Germany. Regular tourist rides mean that you can find yourself in a supercar on a 20-kilometer lap of differing elevations alongside mountain scenery. It is the beautiful backdrop that lures people to this ultimate driving location. While speed won’t be at the very essence of the ride, you’ll be venturing into a new environment to enhance your driving credentials. If you fancy a little more guidance, expert racing drivers can take you on a specifically tailored sports car training session as part of the Nurburgring’s Driving Academy. Alongside a ride in a supercar, you’ll get some swanky overnight accommodation, awesome food, and perfect scenery to enhance your driving experience.
The popularity of supercars is becoming more and more pronounced as technological advancements accelerate. The emergence of greener and more sustainable ways of powering the supercar are now no longer to the detriment of speed, handling or driving experience. Soon, environmentally friendly supercars will be the norm and people will be driving at speed without fear of damaging the environment or making the hole in the ozone layer any larger. As concept cars begin to take center stage, other supercars may become more accessible to the masses making now the perfect time to whack on your seatbelt and take a unique and thrilling ride in one of the world’s greatest supercars. Make 2018 the year that you fulfill that lifelong ambition and get behind the wheel of your favorite speed machine.
