LAND REPORT EDITOR DRIVES VERY EXPENSIVE CARS AND DOESN’T CRASH THEM

Grant Gannon, online editor of The Land Report, did some serious driving this weekend thanks to DFW Elite Auto Rental’s Drive Your Dream event. His story (and awesome pictures) below.

“When I told people that my weekend plans included driving supercharged cars like Ferraris and Lamborghinis most responded with something to the effect of ‘Oh that’s nice, like what, on a track?’

Not so much, think open road. Read more after the jump.

The fine folks over at DFWDriveyourDream.com host a weekend trip called the 2500 HP tour. That’s two-thousand five-hundred horsepower. You spend the entire day cavorting about the Metroplex in cars that value somewhere in the neighborhood of five times what I earn in a year. All told my counterpart (and D Magazine online advertising king) Robb and I drove six cars Saturday including: A Lamborghini Gallardo (orange), Ferrari F430 (red), Ferrari 360 Spider (black, convertible), Ford GT (white), Porsche 911 twin turbo (red) and a Bentley Continental GT (black).

The premise is simple, you pay money and you drive fast on the back roads of Texas on a guided tour.

Now my sometimes legal-minded brain tells me that I shouldn’t divulge exactly what speeds were attained on Saturday but suffice to say had we run into John Law I would have spent the duration of the weekend in the jail of whatever municipality nabbed me. Time that would have been spent undoubtedly dodging advances from a man named ‘Chet.’ Luckily we didn’t run into (or by) the police.

After signing my life away we, along with nine other people, cruised out of Fort Worth and into the area surrounding Granbury, Weatherford, Cleburne, and Stephenville. You drive for about 25-30 minutes per car, pull over, switch drivers then, after 25-30 more minutes, switch cars.

I never successfully mastered a standard transmission so Robb took the wheel of our first two legs which included the F430 and the GT. The glorious and glamorous takeoff that Robb was supposed to enjoy promptly came to a lurching and silent halt as he managed to stall the engine of a $200,000 car. A few frantic moments of trying to turn the key ended with my dry suggestion that he “Press the button that says ‘Start Engine’ on it.”

From there it was sweaty palms and screams the rest of the way as we blasted through secluded roads in a convoy of cars that would net well over a $1,000,000 at the dealership.

The trip is all-inclusive and features a stop for lunch and a nice swag bag at the end of the trip. If you’ve got some money and a Saturday this tops golf every time.

Speaking of golf, we stopped at a rural course to take photos (below) and that’s when the appeal of the car really showed. The 10-minute stop netted some very thirsty golfers as every leggy blond beverage cart girl at the club descended on the cars and stayed there until we left. Overheard: I want to rent this to take to prom! (whoops!)

Wherever we stopped a crowd was quick to form, that’s just the way it is with these cars.

I used to mock the people in these very cars when I saw them, but now I understand. $160,000 for a Bentley would be well-spent considering how quiet and smooth the ride is at [redacted]. Robb and I were engaged in a nice conversation when I first noticed that our speed was nearly twice the posted limit, pure luxury and power.

The tour is a branch of DFW Elite Auto Rental (which is listed at No. 1 of D Magazine’s list of 48 cool things to do this summer). The group offers daily and weekend rentals of the fleet as well as membership options of a newly formed auto club.

http://www.dfweliteautorental.com/