First up was the Porsche 911 Carrera 2. Everyone on our "team" was disappointed with this car, but I thought it was pretty good. We drove it first, and it might have been nice to have another go at the end, after learning the track a bit better. The engine sounds so mechanical and engineered, and I thought it felt very fast (but nowhere near as quick as the Ferrari). And it was quite comfy :) At this point I was still a bit nervous of spinning of the track and ending the day early (that would have been a rather expensive mistake) so was taking it easy.
Then the Lotus Elise. Powered by the 1.8 K Series, with a measly sounding 120bhp. It may not sound much, but in the tiny lightweight car it is plenty. I thought it awesome to drive, the grip was great and it was lots of fun just chucking it into the corners. I managed to overtake an Aston Vanquish and a Ferrari in this :) The instructor in this car was an ex F1 driver. He said I was doing well! It felt a bit like a large go kart, but with infitely more grip and oomph. This is definitely a car I could see myself buying next year (once we have a garage to keep it in) as a weekend car. I think I'd like the one with carpets though...
Then the Ferrari 355. It was a bit awe inspiring, and phenominally quick. The power from way down the rev range was just staggering, and the balance through the corners was quite disconcerting. Unfortunately, I'd say it was the least involving to drive, partially because of the constant feeling that the engine wanted to blast through from behind and take you on a spin. The main problem with this car is the reputation that a Ferrari brings with it. I wanted to floor the accelerator coming out of the corner, get the back kicking out and powerslide my way to glory round the corner. But I don't how to do that, and I didn't want to crash. It was still very quick - on one of the small straights in the Porsche there was time to come off the corner, accelerate to the next cone, then brake and turn. In the Ferrari, the speed coming off the first corner was so much greater you were at the end of the small straight and having to brake and turn before getting a chance to accelerate again. Still slightly disappoiting though.
And finally the Subaru Impreza Turbo. Wow. Sliding it through a chicane at 65mph, then flooring it again before gentle braking then powering *through* a hairpin (only in this and the Lotus did I feel able to accelerate through the sharp hairpin corner - maybe this was the confidence boost from the Ex-F1 and Rally driver instructors, maybe it was the confidence in the fantastic cars) before undertaking the Aston (again) and then floating through the other chicane at 65mph again. Endless grip, great feedback from the controls, awesome power... and a decent boot, backseats, air con and a CD player. Is this the ultimate car? Maybe.
Here are some photos:
Subaru Impreza Turbo. Shame it's red.
Dad in the Ferrari 355. It was a bit old, and a bit scruffy. Nothing wrong with the engine though.
Lotus Elise. Raw.
Me in the Porsche.
The Porsche 911 Carrera 2. Orange Lambo in the background, whcih sounded awesome, but instilled even more fear in the drivers than the Ferrari
