Drive Exotics for a Day - Pictures

Well, they'll be back in July and September:

http://www.wcdriving.com

Apart from that they're based out of Miami where you can rent any of these cars for an entire day.

 

Bentley
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Lambo
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F430
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Hey your pics look a lot like all the ones I took, but a few more shots of you in the driver seat. Talk about a ham for the camera (Ha Ha)

 

Its different from car to car and with each in its own driving mode. For example, I am certain that throughout the 575M's production new ECUs came out almost every other year to quicken the klunkyness you talk about. Sport vs regular mode makes a huge difference in that dead period between shifts. One of the perks of ownership, Ferrari or Maser, if you car is still under warranty and in some cases not, if new upgrades come along Ferrari installs them for free after alerting you via mail. The first Masers actually underwent entire clutch replacements under Maranello's tab I think one year after introduction. Try an early 360 F1 compared to later model, you will feel much more responsiveness between shifts. Supposedly Conti head tech Randy Rodgers said they (Masers in particular) were designed to have that klunky, kick in the pants response. However I do agree that in the Gallardos, AMGs, and the Bentleys' I have driven, the shifting feels more crisp. For the most part, cruisers vs sport I guess.

RocketBoy

 

I switched between sports and race mode and it wasn't much of an improvement. The pedal shifting in the Gallardo was a lot smoother. In the Maser it was so smooth it felt like an automatic (which is also annoying). In the Bentley the automatic actually took over once you tried to delay shifts (very annoying, but then again that's the kinda car that is). So in essence I was disappointed about the F430 paddle shift. Same car with a stick however would be heaven.

 

That's a real interesting business idea.

 

Totally agree and I would love to have seen their budget/balance sheet. I still have a hard time believing they can survive with this given the immense insurance, maintenance and depreciation costs.

That's one of the reasons I jumped on this: I'm not sure they'll survive in the long run. Hopefully I'm wrong.

 

How many drivers/cars did they have at your outing? Judging by their calendar, they'll run probably 100 dates this year, if not more. They've got 12 cars on their list, but I think Andreas said he drove 6? But if it's $800, and 6 drivers attend, that's a half million for the year. I'm guessing it's probably double that, or at least 50% more. Yeah, I don't know how long it would take to make any money doing that with all the expenses mentioned.

 

We had four sets of six drivers, plus shotgun riders. They did Chicago for a three day run. So 24 drivers per day for three days at $950 per comes to $68k for the three days Shotgunners pad $270 each so add maybe another $10-15k. However the insruance must be a killer. The guy that destroyed the GT went not even two blocks in first gear and caused $90k worth of damage to it. The AM blew an engine already so insurance and maintenance , plus transporting the cars across the country. But either way we had fun.

 

From the various threads on different boards that I've seen on this event, nobody mentions top speeds attained. I'm curious if this was a 65 mph Sunday drive with grandma or did you the wring the phuckers out?

 

How did the cars get damaged?

 

They tell you not to speed and the streets were country roads and we followed each other. So no, no high speeds were attained, but I'm sure everybody went past the 65 mph limit for a brief time.

But as far as tasting a car and feel the differences etc you don't really need the top speed (unless that's all you care about). The differences within the cars and the plus and minuses became utterly apparent at the speeds we drove. And for the life of me I would never buy a C6. Nor a F430 with paddles.

The Ford GT got totaled about 3 weeks ago as a driver in NY lost control in 1st gear and crashed it against a guard rail. Broke the chassis. The Aston Martin doesn't have a rev limiter on downshifts and the engine wore out from the folks downshifting too early. Hey, it's an English car, what can I say?

 

I was under the impression that this event was held at a place like the Autobahn Country Club or something. Not on the street. None the less, looks like fun.

But, personally, If I paid a considerable amount of dough to drive these new Exotics. I would have liked a chance to open them up a little. I understand that they don't want people racing them, or trying to see what the top speed is. As to perevent injury or severe damage to the cars. But being somewhat limited to the speed limits on the roads is...well...limiting....

 

When was it the last time you drove your Ferrari on a track?

Obviously some folks from Chicago don't appreciate this fine program, but let me tell you this: There were participants from Arkansas, Texas and even Canada who flew in to Chicago for the weekend to get a chance at driving these cars.

 

LOL! Yes, true. But....the ONLY reason that I don't drive my own Ferrari on the track is that it is 25 years old! And I'm afraid of breaking something (expensive, probably...) simply to go fast. And IMO, it's really not worth it. But that is the ONLY reason! But, I'll tell you. If I had a new one, I'd be at every track day that I could!

You're kidding! That's nuts! Then, for all of that expense, I'd REALLY want to be able to open one up on a racetrack with no other public traffic around!

No, I wasn't knocking this program by all means. I was just surprised when I saw the pictures and the cars were out on the road, that's all. But, if I had a chance to drive some "Brand New Exotic Cars", (especially that I didn't own... ) I'd like to see what they can do. At least a little bit, anyway. And, without having to worry about being out on the Public Road....I.E.: Police. Other Trafffic. Getting T-Boned by somebody running a red light. Etc...

If I really just wanted to drive one to see how it feels like. I suppose I could always take one for a test drive from a dealer.

 

Sorry, but when I wrote top speeds I meant for you personally, what were the tops for each of the cars, not necessarily VMAX. Quick blast to 112 in the Lambo, 98 in the Z06, etc.

Either way, what was wrong with the C6? Which of the cars had the best steering, handling? Which car was the most sporty? Conversely, which one was the best/true GT?

 

Well, I know that, personally, if I could drive only one special car. It would be the Ford GT.

 

Lambo #1- unbelieveable
Porsche - Great for the price
Ferrari - a little jerky
Mas Grand Sport - mild version
Z06 - didn't notice much difference from my friend's 97 stock Vette, honestly, the most dissapointing ride in the group
Bentley - for old wealthly folks

 

Sadly it wasn't around as somebody crashed it. They did say however that it was the most difficult of the cars to handle. Would have loved to find out for myself.

 

Rick already gave a nice summary. Here some of my comments:

What was right with the C6? The ultra cool and very helpful HUD.

What was wrong? Everything else.
- Cheap plastic interior with a hatchback that gives you the feel of sitting in a Honda Civic.
- Shifting was a nightmare: 1st I rarely found. 3rd I never found. Shifting was a total guessing game, I could never say with confidence what gear I was getting into (which is really dangerous if you accidentally downshift at 5k rpm).
- Engine had no torque below about 4k. So off the standing start nothing happened. Then all of a sudden everything exploded. It felt like one of the early turbo cars from the eighties. Lots of lag.
- Steering was power assisted with all the negative that implies.
- Looks out the window gave you the impression of a huge car. I know it isn't, but it felt like it was. No confidence building there.

I have driven a C5 fast and liked that a LOT more. I love "Top Gear" and Clarkson is a God to me. And I remember him saying that "America has never built a good sports car ever until there was the C6". And I couldn't disagree with him more.

Best steering and handling? Porsche Carrera S
Most sporty? F430
Best true GT? Of this group it was the Porsche. The Ferrari would have won if it had had a real shifter.