Van Horssen Group » 2006

Four cars, three days, and never the same course twice…that’s the essence of Van Horssen Group’s Golf & Drive Tour. 

On September 21st - 24th, four supercars from the Van Horssen Group fleet will be the humble transport from one incredible golf resort to the next.  The tour starts in San Francisco when you are relieved of your baggage burden and eased into the leather seat of your supercar.  The first stop is CordeValle in San Martin, just one hour from San Francisco, which offers a beautiful and challenging course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.  After playing CordeValle there are numerous routes available, from fast to scenic to twisty, experiencing the joy of driving a supercar as we reach our next destination near Carmel.  Our last stop is overlooking the coast of the Pacific Ocean where we will stay and play at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay.

Spending several cool California September mornings on an incredible golf course is a great way to spend the weekend.  Add supercars to the mix and golf takes on a whole new dimension, bringing speed, scenery and the ability to enjoy other great courses on the same weekend.  All arrangements are taken care of and each participant need only worry about the right golf club or whether to downshift before taking the next corner.

One of the most famous tracks in the USA, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, will be the site of our next Performance Driving Experience.  If you have ever been amazed at the sight of a race car screaming through one of motorsports most challenging turns, the corkscrew on turn # 8, this is your chance to try it!

On Monday, August 21st, in conjunction with the Skip Barber Racing School, Laguna Seca will be available to a limited number of Van Horssen Group members and friends.  The experienced, professional drivers from the Skip Barber School will provide the necessary track orientation and driver training to ensure a very safe and fun day.  In addition to the Formula Dodge cars provided by Skip Barber, participants will have the opportunity to drive several supercars from the Van Horssen Group fleet.

This Performance Driving Experience is a rare opportunity to drive on the very same track on which world class races are held every year.  And with access to numerous track oriented supercars from the Van Horssen Group fleet, this is also an opportunity to experience a variety of exceptional cars allowing each participant to feel the different driving dynamics of each car.  With Skip Barber providing their expertise, experience and safety, this is sure to be a day at the track to remember.

Unless you own a fleet of supercars and rent out a track, there is no way to re-create the experience a number of Van Horssen Group members got at our recent Performance Driving Experience.  The supercars were lined up, professional drivers were on hand, and the track was at the disposal of the lucky drivers.

Included in the cars from the Van Horssen Group fleet were an Aston Martin Vanquish S, a Caterham Super 7, a Corvette Z06, a Porsche Cayman S and a Porsche Cayenne Turbo (used mainly for track instruction and a few groceries).  In addition, several members and friends added their own cars to the impressive inventory by showing up in cars like a Ferrari Challenge Stradale, a Ford GT, a Mini Cooper S from Miniworks, and a Porsche Carerra GT. 

Everyone got more than enough tracktime and appreciated the abundance of professional drivers that gave helpful instruction and guidance. 

Van Horssen Group will be regularly organizing Performance Driving Experiences like this one. 

Why should one drive the new Corvette Z06?  Because it is the quickest, best handling car that Van Horssen Group is currently offering to its members.  As odd as it may sound, there is no car in the Private Collection that is quicker around a racetrack than the C6 Corvette Z06.

Members seeking the world’s very finest in power, speed, and performance, should be lining-up to get behind the wheel of the new Z06, right?  Wrong.  Short of the Caterham Super 7 – which is debatably the most impractical sports car ever created – the five hundred and five horsepower Z06 is far from first on every member’s list.

While the sixth-generation C6 Corvette has proven itself to be a substantially refined successor to the formidable C5, the new Z06 is a radical departure in terms of design and performance as compared to the fifth-generation Z06. The car is absolutely astonishing.    

Chevrolet has entered its fastest and most powerful Corvette to date in the ever-expansive, international supercar arena wherein it has sufficiently embarrassed the world’s leading manufacturers.  Here are a few reasons why the Z06 has made such a dent: it outweighs the Carrera GT by one pound, it has a better power-to-weight ratio than the Ford GT, the Z06’s carbon body benefits from a revolutionary construction method called RTM (Resin Transfer Molding) used in the development of just one car – the Mercedes SLR McLaren, and lastly there is only one production car quicker than the Z06 around Nordschleife at the Nürburgring – the Porsche Carrera GT.

What all this means is there is a serious supercar hiding under a Corvette badge that needs to be driven.

The city of angels now has access to cars from the Van Horssen Group fleet.

Van Horssen Group has established a location in West LA that will serve as the first California base for the fleet.  From this location, members in Southern California will have access to all the cars in the Private Collection. 

All cars to be picked up in California will require a minimum of two days notice.  As always, there is no charge for any delivery or pick up of vehicles within a 50 mile radius of either the LA or Phoenix location.  Picking up a car in one facility and dropping at another is also possible and does not involve any shipping fees.  The drive from Phoenix to LA just got a lot better.

Our members have spoken.  It was too close to call between the top picks, so we added them both: a Lamborghini Gallardo and a Ford GT.

The 2006 Nero Noctis (black) Gallardo with black leather interior brings something sinister to the fleet.  However sinister it may look, the Gallardo is hailed as one of the most user friendly Lamborghinis yet.  This Gallardo is equipped with Lamborghini’s famed E-gear style paddle shifters.

The Gallardo’s original rivals in the Ferrari 360 Modena and Porsche’s 911 Turbo fall short of the Lambo’s 492 bhp V10.  The 376 lbs of torque available at 7,800 rpms gives birth to an engine scream unlike any other on this planet.  The power and torque are awesome, but so are the brakes.  The massive ventilated discs, 365 x 34mm in the front and 335 x 32mm in the rear, tucked inside alloy wheels and combined with ABS and EBD systems can slow this monster down in hurry.

Among names like Aston Martin, Ferrari and Rolls-Royce, the name Ford stands out like a blue collar in a sea of white-washed executives.  But when it comes to performing, the racing pedigree resurrected in the Ford GT is equal to, if not better than, most of the European aristocrats. 

The Ford GT is a culmination of Ford’s 100th anniversary goal to put a modern spin on one of the company’s legendary cars, the Ford GT40.  The new Ford’s 550 bhp supercharged 5.4 liter V8, tucked into 3,400 lbs is plenty to beat any Ferrari 360 and gives the F430 a good run for its money.  As Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear said, "You may like the Lamborghini Gallardo and you may love the Ferrari 360.  But the Ford GT is the car you want."

At least with Van Horssen Group, you can drive them all and decide for yourself.  The new cars will be available in June and July.

Unless you are planning to attend the Canadian Grand Prix, the second best place to watch it will be in the Red Room of Scottsdale Hangar One.  

Van Horssen Group is pleased to host a Formula 1 viewing party on June 25th for fans and others interested in watching the exciting race.  Scottsdale Hangar One and the Red Room will be converted into an auto enthusiasts dream, complete with a huge movie screen projection system, supercars and race cars displayed throughout the facility and interactive simulators to test your racing skills.  An appetizing brunch buffet and drinks will be available throughout the race. 

The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving has generously donated a gift certificate to one of their driver training programs for whomever gets closest to picking the finishing order of the race.  The driver with the fastest lap time on the Xbox Forza simulator will get to choose one car from the Van Horssen Group fleet to use for a day.

Putting "Highway Patrol" and "supercars" in the same sentence usually portends a battle between power and authority where the supercar invariably loses.  Not any more.

The Utah Highway Patrol and the new Miller Motorsports Park have teamed up to give owners of supercars (or those who have access to them through Van Horssen Group) the opportunity to experience the beautiful state of Utah and drive the world’s finest automobiles like never before.

The first ever Utah Fast Pass will be held on July 30 - August 2, 2006.  This three-day drive on Utah’s most scenic roads is designed to showcase the rare supercars of yesterday and today, while also giving drivers the chance to sample some of the state’s finest restaurants, resorts and national parks.

The drive begins and ends at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, just 25 minutes from Salt Lake City International Airport.  The route will take you through four national forests, the Uintah Indian Reservation, the Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument, and even into Capitol Reef National Park for a fine dinner under the stars.  The 900-mile trek will feature sharp turns, steep inclines and flat straights.  On day three, Utah Fast Pass will move to a closed section of highway, where you’ll get the chance to speed.  The Utah Highway Patrol will be there to clock you, but don’t worry, your speeding “ticket” goes to charity.

Provided in the package will be first-class accommodations along the way at the highly-regarded Stein Eriksen lodge in Deer Valley, the Green Valley spa near St. George, and in downtown Salt Lake City.

Once back at Miller Motorsports Park, you’ll get lap time on the 4.5-mile road course.  For a super finish, there’s a grand gala dinner and auction where patrons will sport black-tie and denim.  Auction proceeds will benefit the Honoring Heroes Foundation of the Utah Highway Patrol.