Cars are our passion. We love talking about them, standing and staring at them and chatting for hours on end about them, but we’re around them so much that being in their presence can become somewhat normal. Not today though.
Hypercars, well, they never become normal. When a hypercar rolls up to an event, silence falls and every head turns in awe before it gets swarmed with people wanting to peek at every last intricate detail.
Even in our line of work, it isn’t every day you see even one hypercar at an event, but at our Caffeine & Machine weekend, we dedicated an entire section of the Sunday to them, and the result was a simply jaw-dropping car park, no matter how desensitised you might be to exotic metal.
First up is a car you might say pioneered the hypercar segment, and it’s one we almost never get to see — the Porsche 959. Less flashy in its styling than more modern machinery, that doesn’t affect the level of attention this unicorn gets as a technical phenomenon which laid the path for modern Porsches.
The 959’s descendants were in attendance too in the form of the Carrera GT, two of which turned up in unison with that definitive screaming V10, and a 918 Spyder in the iconic Martini livery brought along by Carl Hartley and sold to an SCD member on the day!
The Carrera GT was reunited with its original rival, the Ferrari Enzo, and more modern-day hybrid tech was showcased with the 1,000bhp SF90. Another Ferrari in attendance is perhaps not something that springs to mind when you think hypercar but no less deserving of a place — Adrian Newey’s incredible Ferrari 250 TDF driven by his son Harrison.
Car parks like this we do not see every day. Being in the presence of such machinery always brings a special atmosphere, and it was a truly amazing opportunity to soak up the pinnacle of automotive engineering over the years in the company of SCD members, who were every bit as starstruck as we were.
James reflects on a rare chance to join SCD members on a visit to Lanzante, specialists in the most exclusive McLaren road and racing cars in the world.
Since joining the team at Supercar Driver, I have developed a small list of venues to visit one day. Lanzante has always had a firm spot on that list, and thanks to Dean, Charlotte and their welcoming team, we were recently able to organise an open morning exclusively for 50 SCD members.
Naturally, myself and Aimee put ourselves forward for this one to save our Sheffield-based colleagues the trek down to Petersfield and it’s safe to say we were in for a treat. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, we were greeted by two McLaren F1 GTRs in reception and were given a quick tour of the facility by Charlotte. The selection of cars and artefacts tucked away was truly mind-blowing — I counted six McLaren F1s in total along with a couple of very special P1 projects including the newly unveiled P1 Spider.
Joe from Road Race Rally was in attendance as he handed over a bespoke P1 HDK piece for Lanzante, and we had a great turnout from members too. The open day was in aid of FitzRoy, who help those with learning disabilities, autism and mental health problems, and four lucky winners received entry tickets to this year’s SCD Secret Meet! Huge thanks to the team for an incredible morning, hopefully we’ll be back again in 2024.
Whilst I’ve always enjoyed commercial flights, the thought of experiencing a light aircraft has always filled me with nerves! Large planes with hundreds of passengers sound fine, but when Adam first mentioned that the team and I would get to hop on board with Cirrus, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it.
Written by: James Duce
We met Michael Wright, Managing Director of Cirrus UK, and Callum Smith, New Aircraft Sales Manager at Gamston Airport to firstly find out more about the company. Michael explained that Cirrus offers a selection of new and pre-owned aircraft as well as flight training for all experience levels. Essentially, if I had the means, I could purchase one of their SR22s for example and learn to fly it from anywhere in the world!
It was the SR22 that Callum and Michael were taking us out in, and after gaining some knowledge on the history of Cirrus and their visions for the future, we split into a couple of groups and headed towards our plane. Michael actually asked if any of us felt nervous and funnily enough I was the only person to admit that I did. To which he responded, "Well you can fly us then”, which I guess at the time I deemed a joke!
It's safe to say the team were impressed as we had our first look around the SR22. It looked spectacular and having climbed our way in, we were met with an incredibly luxurious interior. Think Rolls Royce comfort but with a vast array of technology, all to be explained and demonstrated by Michael in due course.
Speaking of which, I sat up front, at this point still oblivious to the fact I would actually be trusted to take control. Michael gave us a quick run-through of the start-up procedure with all the necessary checks listed on a screen in front of us. Headsets now on, we requested permission to take off and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel like Tom Cruise now. Edging our way onto the runway was pretty surreal; I politely declined to take the helm for takeoff but began to realise that, somehow, Michael's offer to fly it wasn't in jest.
On the assumption that the lighter the aircraft, the less stable it would be, I was shocked by how smoothly we took off and gradually ascended into the clear blue sky. Michael pointed out the James Bond-esque gadgets automating many aspects of our flight, including the option to click on a point on the map only for the SR22 to take us straight there without any input from the pilot. I got the feeling that this was an incredibly safe way to travel, and if anything were to happen to the plane or pilot, all you need to do is pull a lever for a parachute to bring you straight down to safety.
A few minutes into our flight, I immediately felt at ease, and then Michael asked, "So, are you ready to take over?”. I'm not sure if my colleagues picked up the gulp into the microphone before I replied, "Yes, I think so!”, but sure enough, after holding down a button for a few seconds, I was now flying the plane. I'm not really sure how to put it into words, but it provided an unmatched sense of freedom and fuelled a rather sudden yearning to do it all over again!
Michael pointed out various local landmarks as I guided us over the M1 and towards Belvoir Castle. Considering Jake specified in advance that he was up for anything on this day with Cirrus, "as long as James isn't the bloody pilot!”, he seemed quite comfortable sitting behind me, so I can't have been doing too bad a job! It was considerably less complex than I expected and I was blown away by how effortless it felt throughout. 45 minutes flew by and it was soon time to land. Remarkably, Michael said I could do this and it wasn't an opportunity I was going to turn down anytime soon. "Just aim for the numbers”, he said as we began our descent, and again I was shocked by how smooth it felt, considering its empty weight of just a touch over 1,000kg and the novice trusted to land it on this occasion.
Whilst it's always been on my bucket list to learn to fly, my interest has primarily lied with four wheels, but this experience has hooked me on the world of personal aviation! My early morning nerves very quickly disappeared and I couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the week, looking back at photos and questioning whether or not that actually happened. I was left eager to get back up there and continue with some lessons as there really is no better way to travel.
I'm incredibly grateful to Michael and Callum for the opportunity. Michael was calm, supportive and generous with his time and has even offered me another shot at flying. If you're interested in learning to fly with Cirrus, please do reach out to one of the team as they would be delighted to offer you a similar experience in one of their SR series — trust me, you won't regret it!
There are some of us who eagerly await the launch of each new generation of the latest and greatest supercars, and there are some of us who look more to the past for our thrills. SCD founder Adam is the latter, with a yearning for cars which stir the soul with their character rather than attack the senses with their outright speed. Perhaps as great an appeal as that though, is the excitement and nostalgia of pursuing cars you yearned for but couldn’t afford in years gone by.
One of those cars for Adam was released in 2007, three years before the birth of SCD, the Mercedes CLK AMG Black Series, and with the help of JBR Capital, a stunning white example has joined the SCD fleet after 16 years of yearning!
Only 120 right-hand-drive CLK Black Series were produced from a total production run of 500 cars which were only available in black, white, silver or red. Given their rarity, we feel they are still massively undervalued especially compared to its CLK DTM brother which has doubled in price over the past couple of years.
It’s one of those ‘if you know, you know’ kind of cars we petrolheads love. Most people won't bat an eyelid, but if you cross paths with another car person at the petrol station, you’d better be ready for a rather lengthy chat after they ask, “Is that a Black Series?!”.
It’s a fair bet that even AMG’s current entry-level A45 S would lap a track quicker than the CLK Black Series, and its automatic gearbox takes a bit of patience, 500bhp was a very hefty number for its day which still gives a solid shove in the back, and there is no replacement for the thunderous soundtrack from that legendary 6.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8.
Evo Magazine said that the CLK Black Series is “one of the most thrilling cars to ever wear a Mercedes badge, and is AMG at its purest”. We couldn’t agree more, and we can only see values going one way as it gains the recognition it deserves. In fact, residuals are already so strong that JBR structured an interest-only agreement to take advantage of that, making such an iconic car a surprisingly affordable investment.
Look out for it at events and form an orderly queue for a drive!
When Joe at Road Race Rally said he wanted to host his own event to celebrate his 3rd anniversary of creating bespoke artwork, we were delighted to support and this April the idea finally came into fruition. Tucked away in the heart of the Cotswolds, Henry’s Car Barn made for the perfect venue with a state of the art clubhouse to display some of Joe’s latest and greatest pieces.
We had a great turnout, with a selection of Tailor Made Ferrari specials, an Amethyst McLaren P1 and Verde Pino Daytona Spyder to name a few. Continuing the Ferrari theme, Joe recently created a 458 Speciale print and arranged for the car itself to be positioned alongside it in the clubhouse on the day. Breakfast devoured, we took a wander around the selection of artwork Joe and his team had brought along – ranging from SLS Black Series to Noble M600, it’s safe to say Joe has worked his magic on some pretty incredible cars over the last 3 years. Here’s to the next!
