[jalsa777]

Some more pictures here:

My first attempts at HDR

[jalsa777]

Some more pics:

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by theragingbull

I choose to drive the F430 always, I'll get only upto 30 days of "weekday" driving and 15 days for "weekend" driving with the Elite membership. Considering most of the members would go driving on weekends, I'm basically paying 15 lakhs for just 15 days with the F430, which I feel is quite a lot of money!!

Thats one way of looking at it (though ofcourse, its at one extreme). But yep, a more realistic way of phrasing the usage time for an Elite membership would be : You get between 15 and 80 days of driving

Originally Posted by gary4gar

Elite - 10000points and 80 days...
Sports - 5000points and 40days..

Comes to 125points/day

Members will run out of points before they run out of days and that is something a member will have to be constantly aware of.

You'll run out of days if you pick the higher-valued cars. The advertised "up to 40/80 days of driving" is the maximum that your points could give you at those membership levels.

Originally Posted by gary4gar

2. Merc becomes one of the TWO options and maybe that is why it is a hit option amongst existing member (and maybe not bcoz it is so awesome)

I think the Merc is a hit because :
1) 4-seater
2) Convertible (and the weather has been awesome for the last few months)
3) Can be used everyday, its not too flashy and its not scary to leave parked on the road
4) Has the benefit of not using up too many points (though this is the most insignificant reason)

Originally Posted by gary4gar

Time Share has always been a matter of regret.

Interesting viewpoint. If time-share is usually a matter of regret, its probably due to under-utilization, or the inability to use it when you want.

I'm not too familiar with the way other time-shares are structured, Club Torque policies will dictate how happy the members will be. Factors influencing this :
1) Car to Member ratio (1:6 is what they plan for)
2) Systems (eg. wild-cards sound cool)
3) Down-time for cars (eg. repairs / servicing etc)
4) Evolution (they need to adapt the club to the most common member requests)

Originally Posted by smartcat

- Did you have some kind of head-mounted camera? How did you get the inside cabin video?

The first few shots and the last shot in the video were on the Canon 60D. Everything else was shot on 3 GoPro cameras : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadget...ntour-etc.html (i have a head-strap mount for it)

Originally Posted by smartcat

- How is the steering feel/feedback from the Audi & Porsche? The steering is supposed to inspire confidence at 300 kph. So how do they feel at 30 kph? Does it feel heavy at low speeds?

All the cars were extremely manageable and drivable. Unfortunately, gone are the days of supercars being heavy, temperamental and vicious. At slow speeds, the Porsche and Audi steerings weigh up just like most other premium sedans. The Ferrari weighs up well too, but the car feels a lot lighter / more nimble.

Originally Posted by smartcat

- Was there a "uh oh!" moment? Did you scrape the bottom or the bumper anywhere?

Not really, and to be extra cautious we were attacking the speed-breakers diagonally - though these days Bombay speed-breakers are much more low-GC friendly. Don't think it would be much of an issue in most places.

Originally Posted by rohi_rao

2. And the video shoot *drool* - I am sure a "How we shot the Club Torque Video" thread should be in place

Thanks man. To be honest, i went with the objective of taking some photos with my new 60D... the video was just an unplanned by-product.

I've just bought a new video microphone, so hopefully the sound should be better the next time we do something like this!

Originally Posted by Sahil

.... those kind of members would get filtered out as if they ever would land up buying a supercar people would still think its rented

cya
R

[bharatbs]

Originally Posted by brraj

Thanks for the info GTO.
Is there any speed limit we need to follow.
Eagerly waiting for them to open in Bangalore.

Hope they introduce F1 cars aswell in buddh circuit.

For those who dont want to shell out 8-15lakhs for annual membership goto thailand enjoy any super car/bike, all under 50k.

In fact I have hired a R1 for a day (only 1,000 Baht during non tourist season) in Phuket. The thrill cannot be described in words, 0-100 in ~3 seconds, even some of these super cars can't acheive that.

The downside is that they are not organized and they keep your passport and some of them are connected to the Mafia and are fraudsters. So when you return the bike they will show a previous accident and claim that you have done it and ask you to pay a lot of money for repairs.

[rahul_sinha]

Many thanks GTO, Rehaan, Jalsa and team. I am drooling post lunch.
In my opinion, this is a super business model, which will benefit lesser mortals and others in totality; apart from helping people attain auto-nirvana

[Unknownsatan]

Why dont they add some typical sports cars as well like Mitsu EVO, Impreza, 370Z or likes? It may dilute the "supercar" concept a bit though.

May be a sister concern/club

[Haroon]

Originally Posted by Leistung

Great write up GTO. Amazing concept and the right timing to launch in India. Supercars are difficult to enjoy on our roads and the Club should have included more details on track events in India and abroad. An association with Buddh Circuit like AMG's academy is needed. I'm sure, they would had several more people signing up for such a program.

I strongly believe as an auto enthusiast, these cars need to be enjoyed on the track and should not be used as a piece of "show" on our congested roads.

Now since we have an international standard racetrack n India, sport car manufacturers should start their driver programs like AMG's. God! Its just getting better for us auto enthusiasts in India.

Infact, when I read about this wonderful initiative, these were the exact thoughts that ran in my mind. Other than for posing I cant imagine truly enjoying these beauties on the idiotic roads of bangalore. Besides, I am one of those who is more careful when using another persons stuff. So another scheme with the track day only option will also be good since you ride these under a controlled environment (without having to worry about looni auto drivers and commuter bikes side swiping you for no fault of yours on our congested roads, not to mention the potholes and car breakers, sorry speedbreakers!) and indeed I would be more happy that the owner of the vehicle actually has the option of being around the track watching me using his vehicle.

[GTO]

Guys,

Club Torque has brought two errors to our notice, in the membership post. Changes in bold below:

Originally Posted by GTO

Club Torque offers 3 levels of membership:

Elite - Rs. 15 lakh annually

• 10,000 membership points
• Upto 80 days of driving per year
• Access to the entire fleet of cars
• One month booking window (you can book cars a maximum of 30 days in advance)
• Two Wild Cards (which allow you to book a car with unlimited advance notification. E.g. Book the Ferrari F430 for your November wedding anniversary as early as January!)
• Track Days in India and abroad
• Factory visits to Mercedes, BMW etc.

Sports - Rs. 8 lakh annually

• 5,000 membership points
• Upto 40 days of driving per year
• Access to the entire fleet of cars, except Potenza level (which currently includes the Ferrari F430). Sports members can use their single wild card only (once) for the Potenza level
• 20 day booking window (you can book cars a maximum of 20 days in advance)
• One Wild Card
• Track Days in India and abroad

Enthusiast - Rs. 5 lakh annually

• 3,000 membership points
• Upto 20 days of driving per year
• Access to all cars except the Potenza level (that currently includes the Ferrari F430)
• 10 day booking window (you can book cars a maximum of 10 days in advance)

[binu balan]

Originally Posted by GTO

Driving any Ferrari is a spiritual experience, and the F430 is definitely on top of the all-time-favourites ladder.

You said it GTO! She just roares..I had the privilege to drive both, the F430 Coupe and Spider.. in Marenello (Italy) where the Ferrari factory is located. She is capable of reaching a top speed 315 km/h of which I could only make it close to 220. Was one hello of an experience.

Binu Balan Ferrari F430 Coupe - YouTube

[bigbadwolf]

I think they need many more supercars/exotics in their stable to justify the membership cost. A Club with 3 Supercars and 2 regular German Cabriolets hardly qualifies as a "Supercar" Club. Also internationally the Merc E-class Cabriolet and Z4 are not really regarded as "Supercars" and are available for rent from regular rental companies like Hertz, Avis, Europcar. I recently rented an Audi A5 Convertible in Melbourne from Europcar for less than AUD 180 per day which is around Rs. 9000/day. I think they need to seriously beef up their car portfolio to attract keen enthusiasts.

[ajain14]

Originally Posted by bigbadwolf

I think they need many more supercars/exotics in their stable to justify the membership cost. A Club with 3 Supercars and 2 regular German Cabriolets hardly qualifies as a "Supercar" Club. Also internationally the Merc E-class Cabriolet and Z4 are not really regarded as "Supercars" and are available for rent from regular rental companies like Hertz, Avis, Europcar. I recently rented an Audi A5 Convertible in Melbourne from Europcar for less than AUD 180 per day which is around Rs. 9000/day. I think they need to seriously beef up their car portfolio to attract keen enthusiasts.

Hey, Thanks for the feedback! I agree we need many more Supercars in the club, and we intend to have them. The current lineup is based on extensive feedback and each of the car is there for a reason. We need to keep two things in mind, one the cost of the cars in India is more than double of similar cars elsewhere and it wont be fair to have a comparison with rental companies, where the transaction is one off vs. a club like Club Torque which is a community of like minded auto enthusiasts, who will participate in the continued selection and evolution of the fleet and also where they can participate in exclusive membership benefits and experiences. Its such constructive feedback from die hard auto enthusiasts like you which will drive it forward.

[TRANSAM]

over the weekend at Haji ali Junction, saw the line-up of the 430, the Cabriolet etc, with garlands.. looks like one of the members were using these cars for a wedding or was it a soft launch kind of parade.

[scooby05]

Originally Posted by ajain14

Hey, Thanks for the feedback! I agree we need many more Supercars in the club, and we intend to have them. The current lineup is based on extensive feedback and each of the car is there for a reason. We need to keep two things in mind, one the cost of the cars in India is more than double of similar cars elsewhere and it wont be fair to have a comparison with rental companies, where the transaction is one off vs. a club like Club Torque which is a community of like minded auto enthusiasts, who will participate in the continued selection and evolution of the fleet and also where they can participate in exclusive membership benefits and experiences. Its such constructive feedback from die hard auto enthusiasts like you which will drive it forward.

Thats a Nice way to Explain, Amit! I am waiting to become a Member, just to a day when some more cars are added. otherwise there would be scramble for the best 2 by every member, and who would like to be told 'Sorry' booked for the dates.
Moreover see my earlier request, IMO, a 2 day minimum is better than a 3 day stretch!
Can you also spell out how can these yearly membership charges be debited to expenses?
Lovely concept and a long way to go, and I know You would achieve it!

[Fireblader85]

Along with the F430 and E Cabriolet, there was a garlanded Aston Rapide as well. Has the Club acquired a Rapide as well? There was a groom sitting in the F430.

[deetjohn]

Thanks for the great pics and report team.

Very nice initiative by Club Torque indeed. The R8 looks superb VFM on the points chart for having fun. And it's a manual as well, too bad the 911 Turbo isn't.

Surprised to hear about the demand for the E-Cabriolet.