At the same time, the unfiltered 6.5-liter V-12 assaults your hearing organs. Full throttle through the gears is an incredibly physical experience: 4,000RPM sounds deafening, 6,000RPM hurts, and 8,000RPM threatens a momentary coma.

When you join the Vulcan Motor Club, you’ll get private access to this supercar (as well as access to a $2.5mm fleet of a dozen supercars from Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Bentley, and Mercedes), exclusive access to Monticello Motor Club, and more.

Your garage is waiting. Are you ready?

Here’s some advice from a racing pro: “Think of driving like dancing with a good-looking girl: Be nice, be gentle, and she’s going to reward you. If not, she’ll kick you.”

It may sound smarmy coming from anyone else, but when Roland Linder offered that advice to drivers at a recent World Class Driving (WCD) U.S. Supercar Tour, it made perfect sense. (The fact that he’s a dashing 60-year-old Frenchman didn’t hurt, either.)

It certainly paid to take the tip to heart as I jumped into (what I like to think of as) my Ferrari F430 Spider, a $220,000, 503-horsepower Lipizzano of a car. World Class Driving hosts 125 drive events nationwide each year, and at mine, a 140-mile meander by the banks of the Delaware River, the convertible supercar was just the first of six cars slotted for the day’s drive.

It turns out the scarlet stunner was the least of my worries. Afterward came a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, Maybach 62 and Audi R8 V10–each of which packs more than 520 horsepower and (excepting the Maybach) can hit 60 miles per hour in 4.1 seconds or less.

The day began at the headquarters of Chester, N.J.-based car club Vulcan Motor Club with a safety and driving briefing from Linder, a two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans champion who drove professionally for Porsche and Ferrari. He told us how to brake and corner (“you must respect the car or it’s going to bite you”) and explained the cars’ manual paddle-shift transmissions. Vulcan acquired World Class Driving several months ago; they operate one combined fleet of 18 vehicles. Prices start at $1,695 for the day, not including a $5,000 insurance deductible carried by Vulcan.

My fellow drivers–a husband and wife celebrating his birthday, an older British gentleman, a father/son duo–looked to be typical participants for the half-day drive. Vulcan’s club memberships cost from $12,000 to $40,000 annually, but nonmember activities account for 60% of business, according to CEO Aaron Fessler. He says revenue has remained relatively steady through the economic downturn.

Many Dream Tour participants already have a Porsches or BMWs in their garages, Fessler says, but Vulcan provides a cost-effective way to actively indulge their short attention spans: “They like the club because it provides the cars they always wanted to drive and always dreamed about being close to, but out of practicality or cost they had never bought–a car with swinging doors or a lime green exterior that you couldn’t get your wife excited about.”

The day was a lesson in extremes. At one point, I found myself lounging on a cloud–er, in the back of the Maybach–fully reclined beside the champagne fridge pondering life under a 12-square-foot windowed roof. The next minute I was barreling down on the R8 in front of me, driving an achingly stylish Ferrrari 599 GTB–a car that seeps elegance and grace through every touch of the brake, every turn of the wheel.

Still, the GTB seemed downright domesticated, having just jumped out of the Gallardo Spyder (the aforementioned F430 was also undoubtedly more aggressive than its Ferrari brother). Gallardo’s combination neon paint job and roaring 520-horsepower, V12 engine created such a cacophony it was impossible to forget even for a second the beast struggling within–and I mean that in the very best of ways.

With the Gallardo, corners became opportunities to accelerate, and straightaways became ab-strengthening exercises. I may have also developed an addiction to the attention we drew blowing through small towns and bright farmer’s markets.

Tamer by a tad was the $146,000 Audi R8–out of all the cars in the group, this is the one I’d actually buy, a still-super-cool-but-practical daily driver. But let’s not go crazy here: In this case, “practical” means it has a 3-inch ledge behind the driver’s seat for a handbag or jacket, and that it doesn’t leave your ears ringing when you finally wrench yourself away from the wheel.

The R8 is a brilliant offering from Audi, expertly combining pluck (zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds) and plush (leather-shod sport seats, alcantara-wrapped wheel, carbon-fiber inlays galore) with supple handling and an exciting hum from the back upon acceleration. I can’t wait to drive the R8 Spyder when it comes out this fall.

Its distinctive tone was indeed reassuring–different from the fearsome growl of the McLaren, certainly, but welcome and fitting: The last words I heard from Linder before wrangling a cumulative 2,785 horses in one day? “Forget about the radio. Your radio is the engine in the front and in the back of the car.”

He didn’t have to tell me twice.

Reposted from Forbes.com

The Canadian Grand Prix is one of the favorites. The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is a favorite for Canadians as they cheer their local driver Jacques Villeneuve, son of the famous Ferrari driver.

In addition to enjoying one of the most thrilling open wheel races, BBQ, and beverages on five large screen TVs (including a 20′ monster) – all while surrounded by a collection of the world’s most exclusive and exotic supercars, you’ll get an up close and personal look at a F1 Grand Prix car. Festivities start at 11:00am for the pre-race show – prior to the 12:00 noon EST live race start.

Cristiano da Matta – Toyota Formula One driver – will be hosting the event.

Tickets are available and space is limited. Reserve online now, or call Susan at (908) 879-7777.

And, when automotive enthusiasts get serious about supercars, they join Vulcan Motor Club.

The team will be available to answer questions about the club and give complimentary rides in the vehicle of your choice.

When you join the Vulcan Motor Club, you’ll get private access to this supercar, as well as personal access to a $2.5mm fleet of a dozen supercars from Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Bentley, Mercedes, and more.

Your garage is waiting. Are you ready?

Cristiano da Matta – Toyota Formula One driver – will be hosting the event, and you’ll have a chance to see a F1 race car at the event.

Tickets are available online now and space is limited. Reserve online now, or call us at (908) 879-7777.

Monticello Motor Club boasts one of the longest road courses available anywhere in the world, with more than 4.1 miles of twists and turns and one of the fastest straights in the United States. In fact, the back straight at MMC is a true test of one’s own comfort zone. Speeds, vehicle dependent of course, typically reach 160mph!

Historically, access to this exclusive resort was limited to a select few enthusiasts. Once in the club though, you’re ushered into an entirely new world. Whether its simply to listen to Jerry Seinfeld crack a few jokes in the members lounge or watch NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon turn in blistering laps on the captivating road course, Monticello Motor Club is a place to enjoy your car and your driving. Until now the barrier for entry was out of reach for all but a very few.

Now, when you join or renew at the 2010 Gold or 2010 Platinum membership level, you will receive member access to MMC for the 2010 driving season. This is a great opportunity, exclusive to Vulcan Gold and Platinum members, to try Monticello Motor Club for the driving season. You don’t need to be an expert driver, or own a racecar to enjoy the track or club facilities. The majority of MMC members are guys like us, people who want a place to enjoy their car to the fullest in a safe and controlled environment.

For more coverage, review the New York Times article “Behind the Wheel at a Club With a $125,000 Entry Fee but No Speeding Tickets.”

Learn More >>

Ezra reports:

“We spend the morning getting a feel for the cars, and after lunch the main event begins. Since my personal record -- an indicated 206 mph, in a country that I should probably avoid from now on -- occurred in an SLR McLaren 722, I choose the SLR for my first run. With an instructor riding alongside, I hit 198 mph. Almost there.”

Watch the two-part story here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJuTEqmdTJw

“Anecdotally, most people’s high speeds seem to be about 125 mph. Unless you go to Bonneville or enter the Silver State Classic, there’s no way to explore the potential of a powerful car without risking jail time. That’s where World Class Driving‘s 200-mph Club comes in. WCD gives you the tools to hit 200 -- fast cars and a long runway -- and it’s up to you to do it.”

“I hit the corner onto the runway tidily enough, keeping the car below the threshold of stability-control intervention. By 195 mph, the braking zone is blurring toward us but the speedometer is approaching 200 like a nerd asking the prom queen for a dance. But I’m not settling for 199, which is what we’re at when I reach the braking zone. Phillippe yells encouragement to keep my foot down for a split-second more, and the speedometer kisses 200 just before I stand on the brakes and pour a furnace kiln of kinetic energy into the Gallardo’s rotors. I’m a member of WCD’s 200-mph Club.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTCF4Ca3Acs