Had what I thought was a chance of a life time today..get back to that later. San Diego Prestige is having a super car auto X down at Qualcomm today and the weekend. Since me and Marcuz(another supraforums member) had some time to kill, we decided to see what all the hoopla was about. When we got there we were surprised to see no more than a dozen people and six or seven exotic cars. Basically you get to rent cars like a Porsche Carrera S, Boxster S, SL 55 AMG, Mazarati Spyder, and my pick, a red Ferrari F360 Spyder w/F1 tranny. I almost didn't pull the trigger after I saw the prices, but said "what the hell, this chance doesn't come by that often" So I handed my ATM card and plunked down $125 for 10 mins. Yeah I know, it's a little too much, but like I said once in a life time kind of deal...or I thought it was. I noticed the lady charged me $135..double ouch. I inquired why and basically she told me it was to join their "club." She goes on and tells me they will be having this event about 10 times a month including 1,2, and 3 hour tours..so much for the once in a lifetime deal. Too late to get my money back, anyways deep inside I really wanted to drive the car. I hop in the car with a co-pilot, some lady named Mindy or Cindy, hell it could have been Larry, I didn't care I just wanted to drive. I put the key in and the beast starts up......waaaaaaaaaa mmmmm the car doesn't just turn on, it fricken fires up to life with a roar. I always thought Ferrari drivers were just being cocky dicks every time they started up just so everyone can hear it, but here I was and all it took was a turn of the key. The co-pilot briefly explains how the F1 tranny works, all I hear is a Charley Brown teacher-like wa waa wa waa. Let's get on with the flogging!

I slowly click the right paddle, put it in first and we are nervously off. I drive through the course slowly for the first lap and only really get on in on the straits and wide sweeping turns. I love the way this car feels, smells, and better yet sounds. No words to describe the symphony behind my ears..why does this car have a radio? Man oh man, I just loved tapping the throttle just to see what parts of my body goose bumps would appear next. After the first lap was over the real fun started. With nobody else on the course I start to open the flood gates. I guess the co-pilot/instructor didn't know what skill level I was at because I could tell she was nervous when I went through the slalom cones coming within inches of hitting them. I wasn't worried, in this car you just think in your head where you want to go and the car telepathically just does it somehow. The F1 gear box was a joy. Lighting quick shift and downshifts are easy, unless you down shift coming in to a corner too hot, then it cuts the engine for a millisecond or two. Turing this car is like nothing else. The body roll is nil. Like the supra, it tells you when you are getting to the limit giving you time to slowly let off the pedal, only better and much more neutral. I couldn't believe how fast it took me to drive at speed.

To make things short, by the time the last lap rolled around the tires started to lose grip, but still remained very manageable. I guess I was glad I didn't put out the extra $50 for five more minutes, plus some BF/GF couple got on the track and were driving like grandmas. Not sure why? They should have taken a Yugo. It would have been the same for them. All in all I had a great time and plan to be back and would recommend it to anyone. Not all cars cost this much to drive. The Gallardo, which wasn't there but listed(probably broken tranny), cost the same as the Ferrari. The rest of the cars were $20-$50 cheaper. You can also run your own car on the track for a fee if you want. The adrenaline rush lasted for about 30 minutes afterwards, so I guess that $135 I spent was well worth the price of admission. I've been in faster cars, including mine, but this one takes the cake as best car I've piloted to date, now where is that Gallardo?

Sam

PS I saw a S2ki in the parking lot, anyone from here?

 

when you say you've driven a faster car, are yo reffering to your Supra? if so, how fast?


BTW, Its good to see you enjoyed. I drove Mike Tyson's Lamborghini Diablo and was terrified of the power.

 

590 rwhp @28psi...with a boost leak.

Sam

 

Great read, sounds like a blast. We need something like that in the NY area.

 

sammy,

you're not *really* comparing your supra to the 360, are you?

 

Sounds like fun. I'd like to rent a ferrari some day. But 10 min seems like such a short time. But hey it's better than nothing thats for sure.

Is this club in other parts of the country? I'd like to look into it.

What's the deal with insurance? Is that included in the fee or is your insurance expected to cover you?

 

Not a bad idea.....this supercar autocross...

To rent a 360 Spider for a day at an exotic car rental place can cost upwards of $1000+.

So, this is a cheap way to get some seat time.

Good write up, Sam, but do yourself a favor and don't compare your Supra to a 360 Modena Spider.

 

OK fine, it was like the S2ki w/o the twichiness and on roids.

Sam

 

BPU, I'm SD also, do you have any info on other dates or a person to contact. Thanks. Scott

 

Very nice write-up. I'm also interested in driving those cars. Any info on how to get in for the next event?