German Car Zone

Exotic car owners need 'therapy'



For us car nuts, driving an exotic car for the first time is a lot like hitting a walk-off home run to win the big game. We're full of adrenaline and all we want to do is slam the accelerator until the tach is bouncing off the rev limiter. For the wealthy, fast cars are the norm, and they treat their 911s and F430s much the way we handle our Focus or Accord. The problem with regard to these supercars is that the very same license we need to drive our Cobalt also applies to a 1000-hp Bugatti Veyron, and the ridiculously high crash rate that follows grabs plenty of headlines.

Over in the UK, lawmakers are kicking around the idea of tying your license to the weight of your car relative to its power. An organization called the Institute of Advanced Motorists' Motoring Trust has come up with a test to better equip owners of exotic cars for the crazy power that's created by their cars. Testing includes positioning their car for cornering, anticipating the unexpected and "flair and panache on an open country road where progress can be gained at maximum safety, using optimum road positioning and excellent observation." OK... Our favorite part of the test prepares exotic owners for how to best handle the mental aspect of owning a powerful car. That's right, therapy to ease the burden of owning exotic. If the burden ever gets too heavy for their minds to handle, I'm sure there are some of us schlubs who would gladly relieve them of it.

What a waste!