Mid-life Crises Revisted

Been there, done that. Or so I thought.

Napa Valley's Beauty

In my mid-forties, I traded my SUV for a red convertible. Sure, it had a backseat to ferry the carpools, but it was still great fun and felt good to drive. Six months ago, I sold the convertible and started driving an electric car (also red). Beyond the convenience benefits, electric cars respond instantly to accelerations making them fun to drive.

For my upcoming birthday, my wife planned a surprise getaway. I asked no questions and she gave no clues. She set her GPS, turned the screen away from me, and drove north over the Golden Gate Bridge. We appeared headed toward the Sonoma and Napa Valleys. My first thought was we would drive race cars at Sonoma Raceway. As we approached the entrance, the car accelerated and we continued driving. So much for that idea.

We arrived in downtown Napa and had lunch. Our tacit understanding remained, mostly: I asked no questions, and she only asked if I was tired. A massage and mudbath just got ruled out. A few minutes later we arrived at a parking lot just as a Ferrari, Porsche 911, Aston Martin and two Lamborghini's pulled in after us. We were going on a Super Car Driving Adventure (http://www.ltfadventures.com/supercar-driving-adventure)!



For the next two hours, I experienced driving like never before. These cars delivered pure power, roaring engines, and sexy body lines. They ate up the wide open straightaways and hugged the corners through the twisting vineyard roads.

Porsche 911 Turbo - My First Choice for an everyday supercar

The Porsche and the Aston Martin drove great. They were powerful solid cars with comfortable suspension and driving characteristics. They were more powerful than my red convertible, but not so thrilling to drive.

Aston Martin DB9 Convertible - Smooth ride and my favorite choice as the Muscle Mom Car

The Lamborghinis, however, created an endorphin rush like never before. They responded to rapid accelerations, screamed down the highway, and snaked their way through the twisty roads. Driving them required complete concentration with both hands firmly gripped on the steering wheel. I couldn't tell the difference between the 2WD convertible and the 4WD hardtop speedsters. But WOW, these two machines were incredibly exciting cars to drive.

Lamborghini Gallardo 2WD Convertible - My first choice for driving through the Malibu Hills to the beach

As the experience ended and we returned to the meeting spot, I thought more about my mid-life crises and evolution. While I really liked the thrill of driving these muscle cars, I'm going to stick with my electric car, bay swims, and bike rides.

Lamborghini Superleggera 4WD, My First Choice car for thrills and a Mario Kart experience (only 1 life included)