Automobiliac Reviews Gotham Dream Car Sprint

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)

Alfa Century Autocross Gallery

Because I was driving, I didn't get any nice photos of myself at the autocross. But thankfully, an enterprising photographer was on the scene, and for a reasonable fee mailed me a CD of all the shots he took of me driving. I think you'll agree he got some great photos!  I love all the body roll, even though that really means I need a thicker sway bar. But then the photos would be boring, right? Click the photo below to see the whole gallery. That's my friend Rob - a former champion Autocrosser himself - in the passenger seat giving me pointers.

Alfa Century Rally and Swap meet Gallery

In additon to the concours below, the previous day began with an autocross. I participated, and below you can see my cleanest run.  I didn't do that great, to be honest, but it was my first autocross and I had a good time. The biggest shock was how well the Spiders did.  I figured that the GTV6 should wipe the floor with the Spiders, but their lighter weight and lower center of gravity made up for their lack of power and chassis stiffness.  Autocross is sort of like a dog agility course for cars, and though it is a lot of fun to drive in, it looks so lame when you are watching it. I think Karting is more enjoyable as a beginner's form of motorsport, but then again, here you at least get to feel the handling limits of your road car in a safe environment. Thanks to my friend Rob for filming this!

After the autocross was over, my friend Rob and I sat for an hour in the sweltering heat waiting for the TSD (time speed distance) rally to begin. There was a huge line of cars, and each of them was seen off exactly one minute apart.  Most of them were Spiders, and one of them was a multi-million dollar prewar 8C 2300! The rally was also open to non-Alfas, so there were also some rental cars in there, and also a 1950's era De Soto, which drove off a minute before my car was sent on its way.  We ended up playing an absurd game of tortoise and hare with this gray, lumbering behemoth of a car! We caught him almost immediately, and passed him. But a wrong turn saw us backtrack for a mile or so and there we were behind him again!  After following him through miles of twisting roads where there was no passing, we managed to get ahead and disappeared off into the hills.  But when we stopped for a sanctioned 15 minute fuel and food break, he caught back up and started early so he was now ahead of us again!  After a few more miles of twisty roads, we got by again, and then proceeded to drive like mad to make up lost time.  We passed 3 or 4 other Spiders and a few rental cars, and I have absolutely no idea how we did in the end.  But Rob was a great co-driver and we had a blast on some truly breathtaking and fun Maryland roads.

Finally, it was time to kick back and relax at the Convention Hotel parking lot, and there was dinner served while people milled around and looked at the cars and commiserated.  My buddy Glenn, who originally sold me my car, was there with his two GTV6 track cars (including the infamous "Blue Meanie") as well as a customer car he was delivering for a new buyer and his wife. It was great to see him again, though he had some bad luck and broke both cars at the track so he never got to compete in the autocross.  Such is life with racing and Alfas I suppose. Click HERE for the full gallery of the whole day! And make sure not to miss gallery page 2!