Anyone who knows me well knows I am a speed demon. From roller coasters and airplane take offs as a kid, to motorcycle rides and racing my car on the streets of Fairfax as a teen, speed has always been in my blood and, as scared of things as I am, I hardly remember a time that going fast did anything but exhilarate me. There is a high about it that nothing compares to.
My birthday just passed and I asked Ryan, my to-be step son, to take me out in his uber-fast BMW as a birthday gift. Yesterday I got way more than I could have hoped for.
Seems Porsche had a patriotic moment here in the US and brought several of its newest, fastest cars, the 911 Carrera 4S, (a bargain at just $129,740) to Mayport Naval Station here in Jacksonville where both Mark and Ryan work. Porche set up a course on the air field and brought professional drivers (just like all the TV commercials that say "do not try this at home, professional driver on closed course") and offered free rides to the sailors. One course was more of a long straight away with several bone jarring turns, the other was a slalom, where you could ride along or actually drive it yourself. Looked like Ryan was going to surpass my request for a speedy ride.
The cars were attractive and sounded fierce, which I hate to admit considering I always thought of the Porsche as a fancy Volkswagon with a lawn mower for an engine (listen to it, it sounds like a tractor!)but these cars were far from your usual 911. Sleek and attractive, the engines not so much roared as hummed, with an undercurrent of power you could feel in your bones. The day was overcast, cool but a bit breezy, so top speeds of over 180mph were impossible.
I signed my life away and all the rights for my kin to sue if I died a fiery death, got my hand stamped, grabbed a helmet and was off. I happened to get the best driver in the fastest car...yea! He asked if I was a screamer like the girl before me and I laughed my best Dorothy Parker laugh. Never could he scare me. The challenge was deliberate. I wanted FAST.
We hit 120MPH before I took my 3rd breath, which was a bit hard to do since the G-force was pretty impressive. As we picked up speed I could feel that exhilaration mixed with an odd feeling of calm that I always get when going stupid-fast. Then he hit the bakes to turn around and I dscovered the human eyeballs could simply shoot out of the head when you go from 167MPH to 30MPH in a nanosecond. Around the cones we went, the slalom looking impossible as we neared each cone, yet the car handled it with grace and class, not to mention the driver. Then it was back to the straightaway and it was over.
I thanked my driver, who seemed a little disappointed that he did not scare me (Ha! He has never been on the back of a motorcycle with Mark obviously!) and I met up with Ryan, grinning ear to ear the whole way but trying hard to look cool about it.
We then walked to the other end where the slalom was and where you could drive one of these beasts yourself. Ryan is under 21 so he could not drive but did take the ride. I watched his car, an insanely fast bright yellow machine, as it twisted and turned at break-neck speeds around the cones. I felt like I was in a a Porche commercial. Unfortunately, when it came to my turn (I was going to drive one myself) they were closing so I did not get the chance.
The whole experience was amazing. The car, even over 165mph, didn't shimmy or shake or act like any of this was a big deal. It was comfortable and smooth and had remarkable brakes that must have been reverse engineered UFO technology. I have seen NASCAR drivers take random fans around the course pre-race and have always wanted to do that, knowing I would not be scared, I would be electrified, and yesterday I was.
So thanks Ryan, for the best birthday gift ever (along with the Fire of course) and the next $120,000 I come across I am getting a red one and you can drive it anytime you like.
