Thanks to Mark Basso at the Autobahn Country Club, I've had one of the coolest days I've had in long time. He invited me out to Autobahn to participate in the Executive Drive program, which is a traveling show that gives regular Joes (and Jills) the opportunity to drive smoking hot cars on a race track. Today's lineup: Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Ferrari F430, Porsche 911, Lamborghini Gallardo, Lotus Elise and Noble M400.
I had never heard of the Noble, and luckily that was one of the cars I got to take out on the track. It was light and nimble, and I easily hit 100 mph on my second lap. Unfortunately, I only got two laps in it. The next cars I got to drive were the Gallardo, Elise and F430. All incredibly track worthy cars, but my personal favorite was the F430.
The Gallardo, Elise and Noble were all awesome, but as a driver on the petite side of things, they just weren't comfortable to drive. The seats were very unforgiving, and I couldn't get the seatback in just the right position.
The F430, however, was not only perfectly comfortable, it drove like a dream. Smooth around the corners, fast in the straightaways. And the sound of the engine ... Sublime.
That alone would have been enough to make my day great. But it got better. One of the members at the Autobahn offered to take me for hotlaps in his completely rebuilt Corvette. And we're not talking about a pansy ass rebuild. We're talking everything fancy ripped out, roll bars inserted, five-point harnesses, toggle switches instead of ignition and, get this, no speedometer. I had a blast. Many thanks to Mr. Newlander for his time and a great ride.
Look below for photos from today's Executive Drive event.
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