Dreamcar drives: how to make a petrolhead jealous
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I am going to make any Top Gear fan, avid petrolhead or regular car-lover insanely jealous by describing a dream day of high speed driving in the world’s greatest cars.
Try to imagine a sunny day where you get to take your pick of over 170 top-of-the-range cars from the greatest car makers – Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Caterham, Ford, Vauxhall, Land Rover, Volkswagen and the rest.
The keys are in the car. You hop in the driving seat and fly around different routes – a high speed race track, a complex hill route, city drive and a challenging off-road circuit.
It is the taste of true freedom and an almost-impossible to imagine experience, but this is what you can enjoy as a motoring journalist. This was the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Test Day at the legendary Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire and as a first-time, I ended the day feeling like a cross between Jeremy Clarkson and Lewis Hamilton.
I drove 15 cars and while I didn’t get to thrash a Ford Mustang or BMW M2 Sports Coupe around, I had the most fun ever. Sorry to make you envious.
Here is the story of my incredible 15 car dream day.
Bentley Continental Convertible GT V8 S
I was attending the annual Society of Motoring Manufacturers and Traders Test Day at Hillbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire where motoring journalists get the chance to try out all the new cars.
There are different routes – a winding hill road, high speed track, city drive and challenging off-road circuit.
I couldn’t quite believe that my first car cost £210,490 and I was allowed to just get in and take her out. I got a bit lost around Millbrook before figuring out where the hill route was, but who cares? Getting lost in a Bentley, no problem. Smooth, the most powerful Bentley ever, as luxurious as you could imagine. It was a gorgeous Ice colour with an Imperial Blue interior. Perfect for a footballer who wants to go 0-60 in 4.5 seconds.
Lexus RX450h Hybrid Sport
An attractive cross-over for someone with £54k to spend. Lovely to drive, smooth, effortless and quiet with plenty of push when you need it up the hills that go to 26% gradient.
Ford Ranger Limited Double Cab 3.2 TDCi 200 PS Manual 6-Speed
The Mustang and Focus RS were fully booked for the day, so it was time for a change in focus: a big beast pick-up truck that is a truly awesome vehicle.
I went off-road for the first time: up and down steep rutted hills and slopes where you can’t see over the bonnet. Fantastic fun.
The 4-wheel drive handled it all impeccably and felt indestructible. It made me want to live on a farm so I could get one.
MG3 3 Style
Sorry for the MG3, but this was probably the least stand-out drive of the day. A neat small superminiar, it seemed to lack power and push up the hills and wasn’t a lot of fun to drive. I guess I expected a bit more for a car with the MG tag. Maybe I had been spoiled by the big powerful cars I had been in.
Rolls-Royce Wraith 6.5l V12, two-door fastback coupe
Me, drive a Roller? Get outta here. Well, yes. Just had to wait a few minutes with a few other equally-excited guys and then I was sitting in the brightly-coloured 624bhp £230,000+ most powerful Rolls ever built. And then they let me take it out on my own!
I swear that I was smiling on the whole two circuits that I did. The most surprising thing is just how punchy it is, it goes to 60mph in 4.4 seconds despite weighing 2435kg, real power, truly a ‘gentleman’s GT’.
Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet
I went out with a Porsche driver for this marvelous ride and so for the first time of the day, I hit the high speed circuit as well as the hill route. A two mile banked bowl that allows you to go up to speeds of 100mph (sometimes a little bit more but don’t tell anyone).
The sun was coming out, so we had the roof down and the radio off – you need to hear the throaty roar of a Porsche engine. Weaving up and down the hills was awesome and the race track was a blast. Everyone should have a Porsche at least once in their lives.
Mercedes GLS-Class 350d 4MATIC AMG Line
A massive Merc SUV with the off-road option built in. Time to leave the tarmac and hit the undergrowth. I went out with a Merc driver who guided me around the course.
One of the funkiest things was a safety setting where the brakes automatically slow you right down as you go almost vertically downhill – it stopped the fun so we switched it off.
It’ll set you back over £60 grand and is definitely not just for the school run, it’s more exciting than that.
Audi RS 7 performance 4.0 TFSI quattro 605 PS tiptronic
The R8 was busy and it was time for a quick whizz-around before lunch, so hopped in an Audi RS 7. I was getting a lot more confident on the hill route now and one of the marshalls at a tight loop now started yellow flagging me for going a bit fast. Well, 0-62 in 3.9 seconds from this amazingly aquatic blue mean-machine makes it hard not to get over-exuberant.
And now I knew where the high speed track was, I smashed that on my own for the first time. Breathless. They really are letting me do this. Stunning, attractive, vey powerful motor, I’ve always loved Audis.
MINI Convertible Cooper S
After lunch (no wine served, of course) and a lot of great car chat, time to ease gently back into the driving. The sun was no really shining, so what better than a MINI Convertible Cooper S.
A great fun car. Sporty, agile, responsive, it is full of power, perfect for hitting the corners and hills.
Caterham Seven 360R 2l
This is Lewis Hamilton time. The closest I have ever come to driving in a ‘proper’ racing car. Strapped in low and tight, a long bonnet and tiny steering wheel and gear stick, it has the growl of a race car and for the first time in the day, I was a little bit scared and very exhilarated.
I guess I didn’t thrash it through the hill route, but went round twice and gained confidence, pushing it harder. You are so low to the tarmac that you can feel the road, feel the engine.
And then the race track: it seemed to take longer to get to higher speeds and isn’t as effortless as a ‘normal’ car, but that’s not the point. A unique drive.
Mercedes E-Class 220d
After the racing excitement, the awesome executive Mercedes saloon, built to be smooth and with an engine that purrs not roars.
A beautiful car in every sense that was smooth up and down the hills and effortlessly moved to 100mph on the bowl.
All you need is a chauffeur.
Range Rover Evoque SD4
So I figured this compact SUV could be one for the school run, so after the hills, took it around the city course.
It is a marvelous piece of kit, Land Rover’s most successful ever model and easy to see why – it handles well, is robust and stylish at the same time.
Audi R8
Not surprisingly there was always a bit of a wait for this supercar and it didn’t disappoint. Truly awesome. And that’s just the noise from the engine which sits just behind your ear.
It seems to roar and splutter and kick, it is like driving a wild horse, it feels just slightly out of control.
Incredible handling on the hill route, the yellow flag guy was waving again as it ripped into corners, while the speed circuit took a bashing. A really exciting and very yellow motor.
Aston Martin Vanquish 6.0l V12 565bhp
I had booked this in the morning and taken out by Aston driver Andy. What I got was my first drive in James Bond’s favourite brand, but also an all-too-short lesson in advanced driving.
We used the gear paddles and no brakes. Andy told me which line to take, when not to brake (pretty much always), how to accelerate through corners. I became better almost immediately. And then on the race track, we revved it up high and screamed around.
A stunning car, from the cut-glass key to the immaculate interior and staggering speed and power. Another great memory.
Mazda MX-5 2.0i Sport Recaro
And finally, to round off the day, a spin around in a motor that is just fun and frivolity, a great drive, one that I have wanted to go in for years and years. It did not disappoint.
Light to the touch, very fast, low and exciting, a two-seater roadster that was as enjoyable as any car of the day. No wonder they are the most popular two-seaters anywhere.