Taking the pain out of supercar ownership

Suzanne Garner, a Silicon Valley software engineer, tends to wait until Northern California’s rainy winters end before exercising her Club Sportiva membership. An “Elite” member, she has access to every car in the club, and uses them. “I love cars and I love driving… I put a lot of miles on the Sportiva cars.” An enthusiastic participant in club events, Garner became the first female amateur to drive a Formula One car on a U.S. track, an opportunity that the club organized. On more ordinary weekends she takes driving trips by herself — it’s “a chance to get completely away,” she says.

Garner admits that without the club taking on the burdens of maintenance, storage and repair, driving such exotic vehicles would be less appealing. “I couldn’t manage all the work,” she says “The cars are always beautifully detailed. You just get in them, drive and have fun.”

Another way exotic car share clubs seek to optimize the enjoyment and minimize the hassles of driving supercars is by arranging tours of Western Europe in sports cars comparable to those in the home stable.

While any Ferrari owner can arrange a tour of the Maranello factory through his or her local dealer, the clubs’ forte is handling all the coordination before and during travel, thus buying time for members while assuring them of peak experiences. Befitting the level of exclusivity of the cars these clubs offer, all hotels are world-class, all meals gourmet and all problems solved, if humanly possible. Clubs will even handle all of the paperwork (purchasing, licensing and shipping) involved with carmakers’ own European delivery programs.

But true enthusiasts will most appreciate the car club staffers’ inside knowledge: On an Alpine route, Sportiva members are instructed to roll down their windows so they can hear the Ferrari’s V8 or V12 engine echo through the canyons. The route twists by the mountaintop fortress that was the villain’s stronghold in the 1969 James Bond movie “On Her Majesty's Secret Service.” Keep driving down the same Alpine road to track the chase scene involving the Aston Martin and Ford Mustang from the 1964 Bond classic “Goldfinger.”

Some Sportiva members spend as long as a month driving through Europe, says founder Torbin Fuller, but the average is a week to 10 days. The club makes route recommendations and handles all arrangements.

Take the winding roads of Italy’s Amalfi Coast or detour off the Strada Chiantigiana as it dips and twists through Tuscany between Florence and Siena. If top speed in a straight line is on your to-do list, then Germany’s Autobahn beacons between Audi, BMW and Porsche factory tours.

In September, Boston’s Otto Club is planning a six-day tour for up to 20 members and guests. The program starts in Stuttgart, with a private tour of the Porsche factory. While the exact itinerary has yet to be finalized, a Porsche factory driver is selecting the route and leading the way. In addition to driving, club members said they wanted to learn more about fine watches while in Switzerland. Private tours and presentations will be held at three houses.

European group tours are in the planning stages for members of Exotic Car Share, located in Palatine, Ill. Until then, founder George Kiebala helps members plan a trip. He also encourages local tours, such as a jaunt to the historic town of Galina, Ill.

While Austria, France, Germany and Italy are top destinations when club members vote, individual drivers also roam through France and occasionally north to Scandinavia. Insurance and red tape keeps the clubs out of scenic spots elsewhere in Europe, like Croatia, Greece and Turkey.

Of course the car share clubs offer stateside trips, too. This May, Classic Car Club will lead 20 of its members on a rally from their Manhattan home base to New Orleans in the club’s elite vehicles, taking southern back roads along the way. Classic Car Club bills the second annual trip as the “Rally to Hell” and “the ride of a lifetime.”

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