On a particularly warm weekend in March, we were invited to lunch with a rather select crowd: Minnesota Exotics and Supercars (MN E&S). For those of you who don’t know, MN E&S is, as taken from their website:
One of the most exclusive clubs in Minnesota, hand selecting its members from the state’s exotic car and supercar owners. MNE&S has a wide variety of vehicles in the group, everything from American supercars to the most exclusive exotics Europe has to offer. MNE&S meets bi-monthly, and typically will have 15-30 vehicles of the aforementioned pedigree in attendance. All of the locations and routes for each cruise are carefully planned, and concealed from public knowledge, to prevent any outside intervention, and to ensure the privacy of the member and their vehicle.
I think it goes without saying that we felt pretty damn special to be asked to attend one of their highly prized cruises. Something about wealth and exclusivity does that to a car guy. Sitting down to lunch, lacking expensive watches and fancy cars, we felt slightly out of place. And after a few minutes, a good laugh about demanding fresh coffee from the waitress, and ogling other members’ cars as they drove by the patio seating, we still felt out of place. Mostly because the conversation went something like this, “The seats are so uncomfortable in my McLaren 675LT!” To which Chris replied, “My Volkswagen GTI has very comfortable seats.” However, it was obvious that we were welcome, and the discussion of our cats (yes, cats) was enjoyed.
After lunch, we all gathered to wait for the valet and to ogle some more. Once we had gotten our fill of the cars in front of the valet, we moved, rather loudly and quickly, to the top of a parking garage. Chris had hopped into the $500,000 McLaren 675LT, and I was in a 1000 whp twin-turbo convertible Lamborghini Gallardo (TTG). Once in the garage, we waited for some more members to arrive before leaving for an unknown destination. The leaders, a bright green (read Verde Ithica) Lamborghini Gallardo and a Bentley Continental were incredibly confident in their driving abilities and set a swift pace.
Heading west, the sights and sounds of the cruise were incredible. The whistle of the two turbos in my ears, followed by the scream of another v10 Lamborghini next to me, was intoxicating. Every time the pilot of the TTG let off the throttle, there was an unmistakable whoosh of turbo noises. While we were moving rapidly, and having a hell of a time, at no point did we feel unsafe. The drivers were controlled and quite practiced at the sport of changing lanes. The whole experience was exhilarating.
After about 30-45 minutes, we had no idea where we were. The roads were mostly single lane and, judging by the people flocking to the sidewalks as we drove by, seeing exotic cars was quite a treat. It was at this time we had found the twisty roads and the drivers really opened up their cars.
A short time later, we invaded a small town gas station. The amount of people driving by rubbernecking, taking pictures, and complimenting was innumerable. It was almost as much of an experience as the drive itself. Leaving the gas station, we headed back to civilization.
The MN E&S cruise was pretty much how you would imagine it: fast cars, loud noises, and lots of stares. They have some awesome events planned for this summer including two charity cruises where you can participate in the madness. They are also opening the build of their RWB Porsches up to the public. We will be covering these events and you won’t want to miss it!
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