Automobiliac Reviews Gotham Dream Car Sprint
Friday, April 20, 2012 at 3:04PM For those of you who live in New York or New Jersey, you may have seen Groupon and other deal sites advertising a discounted ticket to "Drive a Supercar!" I have been emailed by many friends about this and had been wondering myself if it's worth the money (around 70 bucks with the promotional discount). Thankfully, a very generous friend bought some tickets and invited me along! Since there seems to be a lot of interest and uncertainty about this promotion, I thought I'd let you all know whether I thought it was worthwhile!
What it is:
It's pretty simple. There's an autocross track consisting of a bunch of cones in a vast parking lot at the Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey. You get to choose between a Lamborghini Gallardo or a Ferrari F430. I had two tickets so I got a ride in each.
There is a chaperone in the car with you just to make sure you don't do something stupid, but generally he encourages you to have fun. And yes, you can floor it and drive the car as hard as you want!
What you get:
You get 3 laps of this autocross track, so basically one outlap, one flying lap, and one in lap. There's no timing, but I figured each lap is about 28-40 seconds depending on your skill level and exuberance. So that's roughly 2.5 minutes of driving.
After you get out of the car, you pose for photos inside and standing next to the car. The guy also takes a few action shots while you are driving. All these photos are burned on a CD right on the spot and handed to you, and this is an no extra charge, which I thought was great! (the photos in this article are examples of what you get)
You can also opt to buy a second run at a slight discount if you want more. And they also have a 458 Italia which can be driven for an extra 100 bucks. My friend tried it and said it took him to another planet. He got out of the car and all he said for the first 2 minutes was "Oh my god! It's SO tight! The steering! It's so TIGHT!."
Driving impressions:
In the brief moments I was in the cars, I had a blast. The exhaust notes of both cars are awesome to hear when you drop the hammer. In the end, I recommend readers to select the F430. Even though the Gallardo is a great machine, the all wheel drive and electronic nannies make the car understeer badly at low speed and the car just feels sort of dead on this very twisty, tiny, track. The F430, on the other hand has better handling on the tight course and willingly lets you slide the tail around. I was grinning from ear to ear. Both cars have paddle shifters, so no worries about clutch pedals.
The Verdict:
So, was it worth the money? That is hard to say for sure. I think for the cost of 70 dollars, it would be nice to have more than 3 laps in the cars. I also think some people would find the idea of driving through cones in a parking lot a bit pedestrian. However this is definitely not a scam. You really do get some time in someone else's genuine exotic car and can basically do what you want for 3 laps. Unlike a high priced exotic rental, you don't need to worry about traffic laws and you can just have fun in a safe environment! The fact that they throw in the photographs for free is a very nice touch, and definitely adds to the appeal of the experience.
I don't think Gotham Dream Cars gives a trememdous value for thrill compared to going karting, but I don't think it's a ripoff either. If you are the type who has always wondered what it is like to drive one of these cars and feel the acceleration and cornering they offer, this is the most economical and trouble-free way to have that experience. Let me know what you think!
( Note: This review was in no way paid for or endorsed by Gotham Dream Cars)
Autocross, F430, Ferrari, Gallardo, Gotham Dream Cars, Lamborghini, Supercar in Musings
Reader Comments (9)
For $125 (one car, photos and videos) I left very disappointed. My suggestion to anyone considering this is to look into other deals out there on a real track.
I know how to drive and I drive a 6 speed manual trans sports car. they tell you it's 4 laps and I chose the Lamborghini Gallardo. Okay sounds cool right? well what is not immediately apparent is they sit with an 'instructor' that looks to be about 20 years old that dictates the entire ride exactly to you.
The first lap is a SLOW lap where you get a feel for the course in first gear. then the second lap he TELLS YOU WHEN TO SHIFT INTO SECOND and you stay there for the remainder of the ride. because of the main rule YOU MAY NEVER DOWNSHIFT INTO FIRST when the car is moving. Because this is not a track but a parking lot with tiny cones set up as a course, the laps are so short and the first two laps are totally dictated to you it only feels like two short laps and you are somewhat bogging through the coarse because you can only shift once and there is only one straight of maybe 30 yards so you need to brake shortly and then take the tight corners in 2nd gear or he said he would give a warning and then end the ride. Really, really unsatisfying.
At the end of the trip which lasted about 8 mins I wished I had never done the Gotham Dream Cars - Dream Car Sprint. Over promised and Under delivered! I would happily pay for this if it were unrestricted, or on a real track but within these constraints it was only worth about $25 bucks to me and more of a waste of my time.
The staff seemed young and unknowledgable. The track took about 30 seconds to navigate and is WAY smaller than the "just under a mile long course" described on their website. Expect to wait to get into the car for a while. The entire driving experience is about 5-7 minutes I'd say; 1 cool lap to teach you the track and then 3 hot laps. As where "mean gene" comes off saying he was doing 100 into the first corner is a crock I'd imagine as the seat of my pant speedometer was telling me that I definitely was nowhere close to that speed, EVER. You wouldn't get close to that speed until you were rounding off 3rd gear and most people could barely get into it before having to brake and downshift. Besides, if you happen to hurt the car, that's where that little legal waiver you signed comes into play.
They try to make you feel a little better about spending all that money for nothing and tell you that they have a photographer there and you get free pictures put onto a cd as well. As far as I'm concerned their "photographer" seemed to be nothing more than just some kid they showed how to hit the shutter button and zoom on a dslr while leaving it in automatic mode. Out of all the pictures, every single one of them is cocked at a 45 degree angle and most are blurry or out of focus. Heaven forbid they had a lens on the camera with some better zoom so he didn't have to stand in such precarious parts of the track or that they had more than one photographer to get more shots. I would've gladly waited an extra few minutes if it meant getting double the shots that could have come out better.
Overall, was I satisfied? I guess. I won't be in one of those cars anytime soon on my salary and its always nice to be able to beat on something that isn't yours. Do I feel it was worth the price? Absolutely not. You still won't be able to know the cars full potential by any means. Would I recommend this to anyone? Not at all. If you have money burning a hole in your pocket or you feel that your life will be so much more complete after doing this...well, don't say you weren't warned.