Entrepeneurs Find Ways to Enjoy the Horsepower Without the Burden of Ownership

   Not everyone wants to own a Ferrari F430 or an Aston Martin DB9–even if they could. The costs of maintenance and insurance, the fret of parking them on public streets and the sheer impracticality of driving them on crowded highways blunts the most ardent car lust. Ownership is becoming so 20th century. But almost any car buff wants to know what 500 horses feels like, especially unfettered on a race track. A slew of entrepreneurs are finding ways of delivering the experience without the hassles of ownership. Car clubs, which typically charge $35,000 to $50,000 a year, give you 6,000 miles a year to divide up any way you please among the club’s fleet of superexotic cars, which are paid for and maintained by the club. Private race tracks, which are essentially country clubs built on a track rather than a golf green, are popping up everywhere. You have to provide your own wheels and membership dues are steep, but you can drive fast. Skip Barber, who owns the very public and famous Lime Rock race track, now sells $100,000 memberships, which give you 20 days on the track a year for 50 years. And now comes Supercar Life, a traveling one-day race track experience that puts you behind a Ferrari F430, a Lamborghini Gallardo, an Aston Martin DB9, a Mercedes AMG CLK 63 Black Series and a Porsche Turbo 997.   

Is it worth the money? Read after the jump.

It costs just under $5,000–but you get lunch. You also get copious amounts of driving instruction. In fact, instructors lead you through a series of drills. You have to follow them around the track–no passing is allowed–and you learn to drive within your comfort zone. The club travels around the country from race track to race track. Without question, Supercar Life makes for a memorable experience. But is one day of rootin’ tootin’ thrills worth a down payment on an Camry?   

Too spendy for your pocket book?  Try DFW Drive Your Dream out for a portion of the cost.  With Drive Your Dream, you still get to spend the day driving a Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche and more, but you are not driving on a track.  They have a route mapped out for you to drive including both city life and wide open roads so you can see what the cars have to offer.  And they have three different tours for you to choose from.  Check them out at www.dfwdriveyourdream.com.

If you find you enjoy driving the vehicles and want more, DFW Elite Car Club lets you enjoy luxury and exotic vehicles any time you want.  They have 5 levels of membership to choose from.  The only question now is which car are you going to drive today.