Smitten with a Supercar

I was luckily enough to be on the guest list to Ecurie25’s latest show-and-tell party at their head offices in Railway Street, aptly named due to its closeness to King’s Cross station. Ecurie25 is an exclusive car club; you join, you buy credit, you drive a very nice car for the weekend, or for as long as your schedule and pocket can take.

As I strolled up to the clipboard-wielding, smartly dressed young lady at the entrance, it should have been apparent from the off that this wasn’t ‘quite’ an Arbuturian event; I could tell this by the lack of tweed, pipes and real ale. However, it’s not the done thing to turn tail and leave when the occasion has other merits to offer, in this case the chance to see the first Ferrari 458 Italia in the UK. In all honestly I’m a classic car man, and would dearly like to get my hands on (among other things) a Mercedes 280 SE Cabriolet, an early 70s Morgan and, oddly enough, a Mini Moke. But even with my leanings towards the past I was excited to see the latest offering from the red Italian stable.

The evening started with a slew of drinks, beautiful women latched on to slightly less beautiful men, a selection of other wonderful cars in the Ecurie25 range, promotions aplenty from high-end brands and of course two-a-brace of painfully good looking models prancing around besides the yet to be unveiled car which in turn was behind a suitably think red sash cord. Stay back, the cord said, come and get me, replied one of the models with a pouting glance in my direction (no, I’m certain it was in my direction); one was in a quandary. To the bar, said I, it seemed prudent.

The tension built, the crowd jostled, the drinking gained momentum – in anticipation of the unveiling of the car or the bar running dry – I couldn’t tell which. A few words from Richard Thomas, the club’s membership director, and ta-da! There it was in all its black, carbon fibre beauty. Swept from my mind was the Moke, crashed into a tree halfway along the Devil’s Punch Bowl was the Merc and I’d never even heard of a Morgan at this point – because there, only a couple of feet away from me was a wonderful, wonderful car. The lines, the finish, the engine, it came together like the National Opera and the end of La Bohème – glorious. Luckily the gin and tonic had steeled me and I was able to avoid blubbering out something along the lines of “Get out of my way, this is mine, this is mine!” and opted for a more casual nod and a smile towards her. Her being the 458. I’m sure she winked back at me.

I left the party slightly tipsy and slightly in love, but as soon as I emerged into the cold light of early evening I heard somewhere in the back of my mind a tinny beep that could only come from a BMC Donkey.

In all, Ecurie25 offers an exclusive and high-end service for the supercar-loving fraternity, their range is already magnificent, buoyed considerably by the addition of the 458 Italia.