An Ecstatic Overdose of Wealth and Taste

As the sleek, powerful Mercedes SLR Roadster nosed its way through bumper-to-bumper traffic on Sunset Boulevard like a tuxedoed commando at a cocktail party, a small but telling incident provided a crystal-clear demonstration of what this car is really all about.

As the 617-horsepower, 202-mph, carbon-fiber supercar with gull-wing doors and a price tag only slightly south of $500,000 idled down the road at 20 mph past a sidewalk café in front of which were parked, nose-to-tail, a silver Bentley Continental, a red Ferrari F430 and an orange Lamborghini Murcielago, every head in the place turned and three young men – presumably the owners of the aforementioned parked cars – stood. A plaintive voice, presumably belonging to the owner of the Lamborghini, cut through the din of traffic – “Aw, man….”

Which pretty much says it about the SLR. Mechanical, performance, styling and heritage credentials aside – and it has plenty -- anywhere it goes, it’s the coolest ride, the magically potent silver arrow that makes the owners of other megabuck supercars instantly green with envy, the vanishingly rare kinetic commodity that proclaims (with all due Sympathy for the Devil)… “I’m a man of wealth and taste.”

It was actually that kind of month, rare even in the life of an automotive journalist, with event after event adding up to an ecstatic if not necessarily high-velocity overdose of wealth and taste. Included was time at the wheel of an original mid-50’s 300 SL Gullwing, the inspiration for today’s SLR, and now worth about the same. This one, owned by Mercedes and restored by the Mercedes Classic Center in Irvine (www.mbusa.com), is used by the company for shows, vintage racing events and fulfilling journalistic fantasies. It takes a bit of acrobatics to get in and out over the wide door sills, and once behind the wheel it feels like driving jewelry with wheels, the gestalt of German craftsmanship flooding the tactile channels -- but also an eloquent testimonial to just how far cars have come since then.

The mechanical equivalent of Hooter's girls lined up and ready for action.

Two days later, it was an afternoon spent driving, along Pacific Coast Highway and its immediate environs, in a Ferrari F430 coupe, Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, Lamborghini Gallardo Spider, Aston Martin Vantage and Mercedes McLaren SLR Coupe. The opportunity came courtesy of a company called World Class Driving (www.worldclassdriving.com) which conducts a traveling road show that provides this sort of automotive adventure in picturesque locations around the country on a retail basis for corporate team-building events and enthusiasts with $1,295 to spare.

Ah, how to characterize these machines in a few words? The Ferrari 599 (620 hp/3.7 0 to 60/205 mph/$275,000) is both supremely civilized and instantly ferocious; if you were going to own only one car for the rest of your life, this would be it. The Ferrari 430 (490 hp/4.0 0 to 60/196 mph/$185,000) is a racing car with license plates, a mechanical fantasy generator that lives in your garage waiting for a twist of the ignition key to thrust you, wide awake, into a dream world.

The Lamborghini Gallardo (520 hp/4.0 0 to 60/196 mph/$206,000) is rolling sculpture with a personality as volatile as a slap in the face. Creature comforts are scarce, but the 10-cylinder mechanical symphony going on right behind your back is nothing short of glorious. The Aston Martin Vantage (380 hp/5.0 0 to 60/175 mph/$115,000) is what you’ve come to expect from the James Bond movies; fast, smooth and elegant, the type of car in which a A sulptural masterpiece - with uncomfortable seats... but the glow of onlooker approval does tend to obscure the pain. tuxedo for the driver may not be required, but would certainly not be out of place. And the finally the Mercedes-McLaren SLR (617 hp/3.8 0 to 60/205 mph/$475,000), in motion at least a match for any car in the group, but with a style and presence that make it the undeniable star of this estimable company.

If trundling around in urban environments with only the occasional three-second opportunity to goose the throttle sounds a bit… passionless, there are other opportunities to get behind the wheel at higher rates of speed short of writing the really big check. For $5,000 Super Car Life (www.supercarlife.com) lets you drive a comparable assortment of cars on various racetracks around country. And, right here in Los Angeles, O’Gara Coach Company has established a rental division (www.ogaracoachrentals.com) that offers you per-day (or week) access to a fleet that includes Lamborghini, Ferrari, Aston-Martin, Bentley and Rolls-Royce.

With opportunities like this available, ownership may remain the province of those with wealth and taste, but access to the experience is simply a matter of a credit card and the willingness to use it.