Van Horssen Group

Originally posted on the Autoweek website on August 27th 2008

It used to be that you had two choices when it came to mega-powered supercars: you could buy one and try to keep it running better than your marriage, or you could look at pictures of supercars in car magazines. Now things are different–now you can look at pictures of supercars on the Internet!

Ha ha, just kidding.

There are a handful of organizations that put you into supercars for what might be considered, in a bizarre use of the word "reasonable," a reasonable amount of money. Your stock portfolio may be careening toward worthlessness, but you don’t have to give up the best things in life. Here are some suggestions for maintaining the lifestyle to which you are accustomed.

WORLD CLASS DRIVING

Short of renting several exotic cars and driving them over several days–or short of stealing them–this is a reasonably inexpensive way to spend a day behind the wheel of such supercar lust objects as the Ferrari F430, Ford GT, Lamborghini Gallardo, Callaway Corvette, Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Spyker C8. You also get to hang out with sports-car ace Didier Theys, Le Mans pilot and Daytona and Sebring winner, and a cool guy.

"World Class Driving offers auto enthusiasts the rare chance to experience a wide range of the most dynamic new supercars available today in a luxurious driving package that would be almost impossible to personally arrange," said Theys, the chief driving instructor.

WCD has been in business in Europe for more than 10 years, according to Jean Paul Libert, the 13-time Le Mans driver who owns the company with Scotsman Alan Ray and some investors. It has operated in the United States since 2006 and will host its 4,000th customer here sometime this year. There are 38 World Class locations across the country.

"For half a day, you will feel like you own the car," said Libert.

For half a day, we felt like we owned a fleet. Over the course of about four hours, we drove all the cars mentioned above over some of the best roads in southern California. To the supercar luster, this may seem like you’ve died and gone to heaven.

However, heaven likely wouldn’t involve a lead-follow format that had us crawling along sometimes as slow as 20 mph behind the Chrysler 300C driven by Theys. Yes, six of us followed a Chrysler 300C. So don’t look at this as a track day.

Even at such slow speeds, WCD still has to filter out the knuckleheads. Your driving record will be screened and your insurance verified. There is a $5,000 deductible on the insurance, too, which helps drivers keep it all in perspective.

Still, participants did get to drive all the cars listed for half a day, so no one could really complain. And no one did. Everybody posed for pictures long after the supercars were lined up back at the hotel and everyone was very happy to get their hats, certificates and World Class Driving ersatz crystal paperweight.

WCD also offers multiday tours and a unique 200-mph Club. For more information, visit www.wcdriving.com.

You would have to win a couple of lotteries to do this almost any other way.

Except . . .

THE VAN HORSSEN GROUP

You join for $2,000, select your membership level for an additional $8,000 to $40,000, and then drive a fabulous selection of cars available in several cities across the Southwest. A fee for each rental is deducted from your $8,000 to $40,000 balance.

Cars include the Ferrari F430, Porsche GT3 and Turbo, Lamborghini Gallardo and a number of more practical vehicles such as the Maserati Quattroporte and Mercedes-Benz GL 550. There also are track days, driver-development programs, tours, vehicle storage, chauffeur services and other rich-guy things. What’s not to like?

The group has big plans for expansion beyond the L.A./Phoenix/Las Vegas triangle in which it now operates.

"If you look at hotels, there are lots of levels of service available," said chairman and chief executive officer Ronald Van Horssen. "But with cars, there’s nothing there. I think there’s a national market for that, and that’s what we’re doing."

The latest two races of the Volkwagen Jetta TDI Cup Series have been full of drama and triumph and such tight racing that the top position was almost never decided until the final lap.

Several weeks ago the TDI Cup made their first and only west coast stop on the 2008 schedule at Portland International Raceway.Following a solid finish at Mosport, Andy Lee was 10th in overall points and primed to improve his standings. Practice and Qualifying went well with Andyrunning top 10 lap times in both sessions and at some points as high as 3rd fastest. Qualifying was extremely tight with the top 20 drivers within a second. Andy would start 9th only 3 tenthsof a second off the poll time.

At the start of the race, drama wouldensue as Andy had some minor gearbox issues off the start and would lose a few positions. Once he got going things started to work in his favor as nearly every lap he was able to gain positions and soon found himself in 8th place behind the series points leader, David Jurca. Throughout the next few laps Jurca and Lee were able to work together to gain a few more positions and were now running 6th and 7th with the leaders in sight. With two laps to go the 2nd and 3rd place cars would get together and with tire smoke and dirt blinding the drivers behind them. Andy would barely get through the accident without contact and would gain a position putting him in 6th place with a lap to go. On the last lap Andy built a strong run on 5th place Chris Holeman,and as the two headed down the front straight side by side it appeared as though Andy would clinch the position but timing and scoring would show him in 6th position at the finish losing 5th by four thousands of a second. With yet another strong top ten finish Andy would move up to 5th in the points standings.

Two weeks after Portland the series would head back to the east coast to Lime Rock Raceway in Connecticut. During the first round of practice Andy Lee was 6th fastest and was looking forward to a good qualifying session. Unfortunately Andy and several other drivers had serious tire issues that forcedhim to pit and he would miss the rest of the session. Qualifying was once again very tight with the top 21 drivers within a second and because of the tire problem Andy would have to start 13th. Andy was still confident that he could finish well and gain more valuable points. On the start Andy was able to grab two positions right away and on the following lap Andy would break into the top ten with plenty of time to continue forward. Nearly every other lap Andy would gain another position and soon found himself in contention for 6th place. It looked like a top five finish was within grasp until a caution came out with only a handful of laps to go. Because of the caution the field grouped back up andthe last few laps would be very interesting. With two laps to go Andy was hit on the inside in turn one and knocked out of the race putting an end to a otherwise strong showing.

After the DNF Andy will slip down to 13th in points but not out of the championship by any means with four races left anything can happen. The next race will be at Iowa International Raceway on September 19ththru 21st.

For all other information on the series please visit vwmotorsportusa.com and stay tuned to Speed Channel since all races will air on Saturday afternoons starting around Thanksgiving.

I’ve always wanted to drive an Aston Martin but just could never justify the luxury of owning one. When we were planning a trip to the Grand Canyon I heard about Van Horssen Group and knew this was the answer. I could get the car I’ve always wanted, take it on an incredible road trip and not lose sleep over it when I was not using it.

After a couple of days driving it, it’s obvious why James Bond prefers his Aston Martin to other performance cars.

What a great way to travel to, and see the Grand Canyon. Tooling about in the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster (with our 60’s tunes on XM) made the trip way too much fun.

A great car to drive, and what an eye catcher. Everywhere we went people took pictures (not of us) and had lots of questions about the car.

We can’t say enough good things about the Vantage and the service from Van Horssen Group. It made for a great trip, thanks so much!

Tom
Van Horssen Group Member ‘08

Van Horssen Group is proud to be a sponsor of an up and coming driver, Andy Lee. He is among the few to get the chance to race in Volkswagen’s TDI Cup Series. We will be following Andy’s progress throughout the series in this blog.

In April Bondurant Superkart instructor Andy Lee was invited to a try out for the inaugural year of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Series. The Jetta TDI race car features the all new, high-tech 2.0-liter four cylinder TDI Clean Diesel engine mated to a DSG transmission. The fastest shifting transmission in the world. A winning combination for the Jetta TDI Cup drivers. The Jetta TDI Cup is the first and only clean diesel racing series in the world. And the first one to be declared Carbon Free by Carbonfund.org.

A Hundred drivers were invited to Firebird Raceway in Chandler Arizona to compete against one another for a chance to run in the inaugural season for the TDI Cup. Only 30 drivers would make the cut at the end of a grueling 3-days. The drivers were tested in physical fitness, media relations, professionalism, and of course driving skill. At the end of the tryouts Andy Lee had proved to be very fast setting Fast times for most of the tryouts and was selected to run the 8 race series which will air on SPEED CHANNEL later this year.

Race number one took place at Virginia International Raceway and was a super intense race from beginning to end with positions being swapped continuously. During this race Andy Lee struggled with a left rear shock issue which left the car incredibly loose and very tough to drive. Despite the problems Andy would go on to finish 13th out of 30.

Race number two took place at Mosport International Raceway. Several drivers were penalized by the SCCA for ignoring a yellow flag in race one at VIR. As a result of the penalties Andy was forced to start 19th for the race even though he was running well inside the top ten during Qualifying. At the Drop of the green flag Andy immediately started picking drivers off. Setting lap times that were 2 seconds faster than the leader Andy moved up to 7th place by the 11th lap when the race was ended early due to heavy rain.

After two races Andy sits in 10th position in points with six races to go. To keep up on Andy’s progress go to www.vwmotorsportusa.com.

Upcoming races
Aug 15-17 Lime Rock Park NASCAR Camping World Series
Sept. 19-20 Iowa Speedway USAR Hooters Pro Cup
Sept. 27-28 New Jersey Motorsports Park* SPEED World Challenge/ARCA
Oct. 1-3 Road Atlanta ALMS / SPEED World Challenge

From the financial markets to the housing bust, there is not much good economic news out there. Despite the economy, we are pleased to see members continuing to enjoy some of the world’s best cars and more people considering the stable economic advantages of joining a Supercar Club like Van Horssen Group.

The benefits of the car club have always been there, but while things were good it didn’t seem odd to own a highly depreciating asset and let it idle in your garage. Now it does. Consequently, more people are trying to sell their exotic which causes the values to fall even further. The markets will eventually stabilize, but it is times like these that emphasize how difficult, time consuming and expensive ownership can be.

The Van Horssen Group concept takes the buy/sell dilemma totally out of the equation - giving members access to a constantly evolving collection of the latest and greatest cars. ????????Membership is also predictable, members only spend what they want to. Exotic cars are infamous for the unexpected, be it a clutch, tires or windshield, there are numerous ways that make the car much more expensive than assumed. The variety and convenience of having the right car for the right occasion and not having to worry about it afterward goes a long way too.

Changes in the economy don’t have to take away from your passion for cars. Experience the Van Horssen Group way and see how good supercars can be. New members in May will receive up to 5 free days in the cars of their choice!

Experiencing the full potential of cool cars and improving one’s skill as a driver is what Van Horssen Group Trackdays are all about.  We’ve got two exciting events coming up that are sure to thrill.

The Ariel Atom Experience is a rare chance to get behind the wheel of one of the best trackcars out today.  On October 30th, 2008, Van Horssen Group members will have the chance to participate in this exhilarating program.  Members can take advantage of the group discount rate!

If driving cars like the Porsche GT3, Ferrari F430 or Lamborghini Gallardo is more your style, don’t miss Van Horssen Group’s next Trackday on May 3rd.  These are very exclusive one on one training sessions in some of the most exciting sports cars available.

Space is limited in both events.  To learn more call 888.287.6149 or send an email.

Experience America’s greatest gathering of automobiles and enthusiasts and drive a car fit for the occasion!

Van Horssen Group has special packages available for members wanting to attend the events in Monterey.  Whether it is driving the spectacular roads from Santa Barbara to Monterey or just having a cool ride for the events, we’ve got an assortment of packages that include cars, driving tours, VIP access and tickets to Concorso Italiano, Monterey Historics and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. 

To learn more please call 888.287.6149 or send an email.

Two new cars from Audi and Nissan have shaken the establishment and are said to be as good or better than their rivals from Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche.

The first R8s have hit the streets yet they are still a very rare sight.  Not surprising considering there are few who stepped up to pay the $50,000 premium over MSRP to get them.  Luckily, members of Van Horssen Group don’t have to deal with premiums or waiting lists and will have the opportunity to see for themselves how this car really stacks up.  The car will be available in late April.

Another car that according to Road & Track "spanks" the Porsche Turbo and Corvette Z06 will be in the Van Horssen Group collection early this summer.  The Nissan GT-R is bound to be one of the most exciting cars of 2008.  Again, instead of paying premiums or trusting your dealer that you are "number three" on the waiting list, join Van Horssen Group and drive it!

For those of you who have not participated in our Trackdays or Karting Series, you may not have met Andy Lee, one of our best driving instructors. He has secured an incredible opportunity to race in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup!

Out of 100 entrants the top 30 were selected on criteria such as smooth car control, consistent lap times, physical fitness, interview presentation and of course quickness around the track. VW tested the drivers and is forming one of the most competitive groups of drivers in a “spec” sedan series. Andy is setting times that are consistently ½ second faster than the next fastest car. The cars look awesome and Volkswagen is doing a first class job.

Andy has been a key part of Van Horssen Group’s Trackdays and Karting Series, providing much appreciated driving instruction. He has been pursuing a career in racing since ???? and has come a long way for a long time now, doing so with extreme dedication, hard work and very little support. He made the cut with VW and this could be his big break, but now he must raise part of the costs to run in the program.