Which supercar experience ?
Discussion
It's my birthday in a couple weeks and i've asked the misses for one of those "supercar driving experiences".
I have got a fast-ish car (550 BHP, vmax 180 mp/h) but it's a 15 year old mitsubishi so what i'm after is a real thrill, both in speed as in soundtrack.
I've done several passenger rides on events like the dads day out from here, and wasn't really impressed with the aston martin (driver was probably not really pushing it) and the ferrari 308 (my car is faster) but absolutely loved my passenger ride in a challenge stradale. And that's the sort of thrill i'm after.
Though there are so many different companies out there, so i was just wondering what experiences people have here with the different companies, as a collegue done a Ariel Atom experience the other day and he was told he couldn't push it, wasn't allowed to go above a certain speed, wasn't allowed to overtake etc, so i'm looking at one where you can actually enjoy your drive about, without too many restrictions.
I want to drive either a ferrari or a lambo, and i'm in the south of the country (Essex/London way) so would prefer a track down this end of the country (dunsfolds, brands hatch, goodwood etc)
I've been looking at this one :
Ferrari 458 Thrill http://www.driversdreamdays.co.uk/drivers-supercar... and this one 2 Car Gold http://www.driversdreamdays.co.uk/drivers-supercar... but i was just wondering if people have any recommandations on which company/experience to go for, or which ones to avoid.
Cheers folks
I have got a fast-ish car (550 BHP, vmax 180 mp/h) but it's a 15 year old mitsubishi so what i'm after is a real thrill, both in speed as in soundtrack.
I've done several passenger rides on events like the dads day out from here, and wasn't really impressed with the aston martin (driver was probably not really pushing it) and the ferrari 308 (my car is faster) but absolutely loved my passenger ride in a challenge stradale. And that's the sort of thrill i'm after.
Though there are so many different companies out there, so i was just wondering what experiences people have here with the different companies, as a collegue done a Ariel Atom experience the other day and he was told he couldn't push it, wasn't allowed to go above a certain speed, wasn't allowed to overtake etc, so i'm looking at one where you can actually enjoy your drive about, without too many restrictions.
I want to drive either a ferrari or a lambo, and i'm in the south of the country (Essex/London way) so would prefer a track down this end of the country (dunsfolds, brands hatch, goodwood etc)
I've been looking at this one :
Ferrari 458 Thrill http://www.driversdreamdays.co.uk/drivers-supercar... and this one 2 Car Gold http://www.driversdreamdays.co.uk/drivers-supercar... but i was just wondering if people have any recommandations on which company/experience to go for, or which ones to avoid.
Cheers folks
JDMDrifter said:
6th Gear get my vote , I drove a murcielago at prodrive and thoroughly enjoyed it , I'd only passed my test a few weeks before and I was still allowed to push the car.
I was just about to book the 6th gear one when i saw this little undertitle at the track (Longross) near me :"Please note that Longcross Proving Ground is a test track with little or no 'run off', and as such may be subject to speed restrictions imposed by the venue providers for safety reasons. Thank you".
I think i'll be going for this one :
http://www.driversdreamdays.co.uk/drivers-supercar...
Lamborghini Vs Ferrari experience
• Welcome, Introduction and Safety Briefing
• 2 laps demonstration with instructor driving performance training car
• 4 laps driving a Lamborghini Gallardo or Murcielago
• 4 laps driving a Ferrari
• Individual Driving Experience Certificate to finish
And the nearest location to me is Dunsfold park, which i'm familiar with from obviously Top Gear and the Dads day out events. Even driven my own GT over it a few years back after being part of the convoy up there.
Should be fun
I'm already trained in high speed car control. I work on rapid response cars and fly through traffic at high speed (on blue lights) on a daily basis so that's not really what i'm after.
I want the sound and the thrill of acceleration of proper supercar.
Though i must admit that palmersport looks fun as well, specially that formula 1 type thing singleseater, it's like a big go kart!
Little update, got this gift for my birthday last year, but only just used it.
In the end we've gone for this two car platinum package ( http://www.driversdreamdays.co.uk/drivers-supercar... ) driving a Ferrari 458 and a Lamborghini Gallardo. And we paid extra to do it over a weekend, and for "double the distance" giving you roughly six miles in each car.
In this topic ( http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... ) on here i'd asked for to stay near Dunsfold and someone recommended the Richard Onslow B&B which is what we gone for, and as said in that topic by Charlie, the food there was indeed exceptional.
The room was also very nice, and breakfast the next morning started with fresh juices and warm crossoints, before a lovely full english.
So if anyone ever needs to stay near Dunsfold Park, i'd really recommend staying here.
view from our room
Dunsfold park itself was a 10 minute drive away so that was handy.
We parked up in a big carpark towards the end, and a minibus drove us to the other side (near the Top Gear hangar) where we signed in, had a little briefing outside, and were then taking round in the track in groups of 3 in the Vauxhall VXR8 before we had to que by your red/yellow/blue/green flag, depending on which car you'd booked to drive.
several supercars, waiting to be enjoyed
part of the package is a passenger "hot lap" in this, with some tips/advice on the corners etc
My dreamcar was waiting for me :
And a few shots taken before my experience :
Then it was my turn to get behind the wheel of the lambo :
I enjoyed the lambo, but wasn't blown away. My own car is quite fast, and last time i was on a track i was a passenger in a scudderia which was really going for it, so i guess maybe i was just expecting more of that car. It was my first time with a flappy paddle gearbox, which took getting used to for the first lap, but i did enjoy it.
The instructor was alright and let me enjoy it, even overtook a few cars, but it was braking and accelerating when he said so, and he would let you hear it if he didn't agree.
And then it was my turn in the Ferrari, and after a 10 minute wait i could finally get behind the wheel.
And OH MY GOD, what a car!! The instructor was much nicer, and after leaving the pit he asked me what i do for a living, just as we're coming past this ambulance car parked up on the side of the track, so i said i normally drive those, to which he replied "ahh so you're advanced driver then, well, show me what you've got".
And i did, i really enjoyed the 458, it's such a magnificent machine. We kept overtaking all the other cars, and even when i thought i was going too fast and looked at him, he just told me to keep going. He didn't tell me to slow down or anything, he actually let me enjoy myself which i was really impressed with.
It was such a thrill. And even the instructor said he thoroughly enjoyed himself.
And now i really really want a 458!
I think for the money we paid (just under £ 200, for the experience, and then a bit extra for the photo's) it was defenately well worth it.
It wasn't too busy on the track so there was plenty of "foot down" time, and after getting to know the track in the lambo i could really enjoy it in the 458.
I went home feeling well chuffed, and got some nice photo's, video's and little bits (including a score card, scoring 35/40 on my lambo drive, and 38/40 on my 458) to remember the day by.
Now.... who wants to buy me a 458 for my next birthday....
In the end we've gone for this two car platinum package ( http://www.driversdreamdays.co.uk/drivers-supercar... ) driving a Ferrari 458 and a Lamborghini Gallardo. And we paid extra to do it over a weekend, and for "double the distance" giving you roughly six miles in each car.
In this topic ( http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... ) on here i'd asked for to stay near Dunsfold and someone recommended the Richard Onslow B&B which is what we gone for, and as said in that topic by Charlie, the food there was indeed exceptional.
The room was also very nice, and breakfast the next morning started with fresh juices and warm crossoints, before a lovely full english.
So if anyone ever needs to stay near Dunsfold Park, i'd really recommend staying here.
view from our room
Dunsfold park itself was a 10 minute drive away so that was handy.
We parked up in a big carpark towards the end, and a minibus drove us to the other side (near the Top Gear hangar) where we signed in, had a little briefing outside, and were then taking round in the track in groups of 3 in the Vauxhall VXR8 before we had to que by your red/yellow/blue/green flag, depending on which car you'd booked to drive.
several supercars, waiting to be enjoyed
part of the package is a passenger "hot lap" in this, with some tips/advice on the corners etc
My dreamcar was waiting for me :
And a few shots taken before my experience :
Then it was my turn to get behind the wheel of the lambo :
I enjoyed the lambo, but wasn't blown away. My own car is quite fast, and last time i was on a track i was a passenger in a scudderia which was really going for it, so i guess maybe i was just expecting more of that car. It was my first time with a flappy paddle gearbox, which took getting used to for the first lap, but i did enjoy it.
The instructor was alright and let me enjoy it, even overtook a few cars, but it was braking and accelerating when he said so, and he would let you hear it if he didn't agree.
And then it was my turn in the Ferrari, and after a 10 minute wait i could finally get behind the wheel.
And OH MY GOD, what a car!! The instructor was much nicer, and after leaving the pit he asked me what i do for a living, just as we're coming past this ambulance car parked up on the side of the track, so i said i normally drive those, to which he replied "ahh so you're advanced driver then, well, show me what you've got".
And i did, i really enjoyed the 458, it's such a magnificent machine. We kept overtaking all the other cars, and even when i thought i was going too fast and looked at him, he just told me to keep going. He didn't tell me to slow down or anything, he actually let me enjoy myself which i was really impressed with.
It was such a thrill. And even the instructor said he thoroughly enjoyed himself.
And now i really really want a 458!
I think for the money we paid (just under £ 200, for the experience, and then a bit extra for the photo's) it was defenately well worth it.
It wasn't too busy on the track so there was plenty of "foot down" time, and after getting to know the track in the lambo i could really enjoy it in the 458.
I went home feeling well chuffed, and got some nice photo's, video's and little bits (including a score card, scoring 35/40 on my lambo drive, and 38/40 on my 458) to remember the day by.
Now.... who wants to buy me a 458 for my next birthday....
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