Behind the Wheel with Phil Lebeau

Supercar Life: Start Your Engines For $5,000

Source: Supercarlife.com

One of the great things about covering the auto beat is seeing the passion people have for cars, trucks, going fast, customizing their rides, etc. I always tell people, "if you wanna see passion in motion, spend a few days tracking people who love their cars."

Take the people who sign up for Supercar Life. This is a program where average Joes with the need for speed can pay $4,990 for two days of driving the 'hell' out of super sports cars. Now before you say, "Whoa! Five grand to drive fast is a rip off", look at it from the perspective of those who are ponying up the money to do this.

Last month we sent a crew to the Fontana Speedway in Southern California to see just who is driving these super cars and whether they think it's worth it. Guess what? Every driver said they would gladly pay that money again to climb into Lamborghini's, Ferrari's, Porsche's, Aston Martins, etc.

Keep in mind, their two days at the track was not just a case of grabbing the keys and racing laps like madmen. The drivers were with driving professionals to guide them. Drivers did slalom runs, 0-60 timing, and yes plenty of laps where they pushed these cars at very high speeds.

Supercar Life is done for this year. But when it starts up again next year at various speedways around the country, don't be surprised if there's a group of speed lovers ready to spend two days on the track. Sure $5,000 is a lot of money. But in those two days, sports car fans are getting the thrill others might get spending $5,000 on a scuba diving vacation or trip to a remote part of the world.

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