A week in heaven

Imagine a world without climatic changes and CO2-emissions. Without speed limits and strict regulations on personal transportation in general. Throw in the aspect of supercars being readily available for anyone with a slight interest in cars, on the best driving roads - and tracks - in the entire world. Then multiply the sensation of potential happiness by at least a hundred. That´s how a week in April felt like to a bunch of lucky gentlemen who participated on an epic Gran Turismo Events-trip around Europe. Dozens of supercars thundering along the limitless Autobahns of Germany, visiting legendary tracks such as Spa Francorchamps, the Nürburgring Nordschleife and Zandvoort. All three tracks are among the oldest and most enigmatic in the world. So what happens when cars like the Nissan GT-R, Ferrari 458 Italia, 430 Scuderia and 599 GTB, Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, Lamborghini Murciélago and Gallardo, all existing Porsche 911s and a Ferrari Enzo hit these tracks? Well, they go flat out, of course!

Here´s a clip of this Nissan GT-R doing an insane 7-minute lap on the Nordschleife - with traffic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGjZUi1u490

Watching these cars have it out on public roads and knowing it´s fully legal, was more than a bit exhilarating. Trying to keep up in an Alfa Romeo Giulietta, however, proved to be quite a challenge.

But when the traffic got tight, the exotics with their wide bodies had to call it quits. The Giulietta thundered bravely on.

Seeing an Enzo parked by the pits is a rare sight. But the driver never intended it to be a static showpiece.

An Enzo, flat out. On wet tarmac. That says a lot about the driver.

You´re probably thinking this is a collection of rich boys playing it out Gumball style. So did I. But as I got to know the drivers, most of them turned out to be people with more or less the same income as me (not exactly high). Being Norwegian myself, there is always a tax issue when contemplating ownership of exotic cars - they tend to cost two or three times as much as in neighboring countries. The result being that only filthy rich people own the cars we all really want. In Sweden, on the other hand, the picture is quite different. Sure, you get filthy rich people there as well, but when it comes to owning exotic cars it´s not always down to how many zeros showing in your bank balance. For instance, in Norway a Porsche 911 GT3 will easily set you back £150 000 ($250 000). In Sweden, it´s half that. Which means it´s really a question of priorities rather than having a bathtub full of cash. This tends to reflect in the people who own them. They aren´t the posh upperclass twits you'd expect. They´re actually among the best petrolheads in the world: Down to earth, passionate and willing to dispense a large chunk of their income to support their driving habits. It´s more than a hobby to them, it´s a lifestyle. And it´s quite cathing.