Lifestyle Feature: David Parkin gets a taste of a supercar club

AS Paul Brown steps out of the white Lamborghini Gallardo that has growled to a halt in our office car park, I realise I’ve forgotten that essential piece of kit that every aspiring supercar driver needs – sunglasses.

As the man behind Ècurie25 , the Yorkshire-based supercar club, Brown is never going to make such an elementary mistake. Tanned and full of good humour, he opens the door to the latest £180,000 Italian sports car to be crafted on the Lamborghini production line and I tentatively ease myself behind the wheel.

This sleek white machine looks like an angel but its 5 litre V10 engine with 512 brake horsepower means that it has the devil in it.

I almost wish Paul hadn’t revealed the price tag as I deftly push down on the accelerator and come to terms with the paddle gears on the steering column.

The only way you can get closer to the road is probably by lying down on it.

Certainly I’m a driver that prefers more of a view when I’m behind the wheel.

The great thing about Ècurie25 is that its fleet of supercars cover the whole range of motors – from a Bentley to an Aston Martin, to a luxurious Audi A8 saloon to a chunky 4×4 Porsche Cayenne or Range Rover Overfinch if you’re heading for the hills or the golf course for the weekend.

And you only take them when you want them, so as a club member you get the benefits of access to a fleet of supercars without the nagging worry of the cost of depreciation.

Because Ècurie25 is a genuine club then it offers its members plenty of opportunities to take part in events such as driving a clutch of cars to Germany’s famous Nurburgring and an upcoming Scottish road rally taking in some fantastic hotels and whisky tasting.

And with the Yorkshire club due to take delivery of a Ferrari 458 Italia and the gullwing Mercedes SLS in the next few weeks, Ècurie25 certainly knows how to keep its petrol-heads happy.

As my test drive comes to an end and I guide the Lamborghini back in front of our office building, a chap walking past nods and says: “Blimey, your business must be doing well!”

I smile, wish I had my shades with me, and wander back to the office, mentally putting together my dream car wishlist.