January 2015

By: CAR magazine

By: CAR magazine

We’re professional journalists. Most of the time. For 47 weeks of the year we drive a variety of new cars, scrutinising their abilities and reporting on our findings.

It’s a great way to earn a living, make no mistake, but because testing cars is our job, driving cars can sometimes feel like… well… a job.

With that analytical part of our brains in charge, the focus is on how the vehicle is behaving and comparing that to its competitors we have also driven. Facts and stats are scrupulously researched and gathered, re-checked, and then compiled into the consumer-focused road tests for which this magazine is renowned.

And then there’s the other week.

This other week doesn’t feel like a job at all. It’s the week we take a bunch of performance cars on a five-day road trip to one of South Africa’s racetracks. It’s the week that culminates in the magazine you’re holding in your hand and it’s the week that, for the most part, we embrace our petrolhead personas and drive cars for the pure and simple thrill of it.

Mountain passes are conquered, challenges are laid down, tyres are smoked, rev-limiters nudged and speed limits sometimes, possibly, maybe broken. It’s a reminder and a confirmation of how intoxicating it is to drive a performance-focused motor car… and, man, it’s a helluva lot fun.

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