Blow the lockdown cobwebs away with a self-drive supercar holiday
Bored with lockdown? Don't want to fly? Why not go on a Grand Tour of Europe at the wheel of a supercar instead?
Successive lockdowns have left a swathe of shattered holiday plans and disappointment in their wake. Not surprisingly, frustrated well-heeled travellers, who have had to swap the airport lounge for their own lounges at home, have sought an alternative outlet for their wealth. That’s been a boon for dealers of second-hand supercars.
“We saw a significant increase in the sale of used cars in the region of not more than £150,000,” Ken Choo, chief executive of HR Owen, Britain’s biggest dealer of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Bentleys, tells the Financial Times. “People said ‘I cannot travel to the Bahamas, so I will buy a used Ferrari or Lambo instead’.” Arguably, the trend was already under way before the pandemic arrived. In the year to the end of 2019, the number of supercars in Britain rose by 12% on the previous year, to 15,700, according to a new study by accountancy group UHY Hacker Young.
Get rubber in all four gears
But while driving around Westminster, Britain’s Maserati Mecca with 532 supercars, has its attractions, it’s no substitute for the Côte d’Azur or the Amalfi coast. So what do you do once the lockdowns have lifted and you are once again free to take your new toy on the open road?
MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
You could drive your own to the continent, perhaps. But if you don’t want the bother of looking after a high-performance machine, why not borrow one? London-based Ultimate Driving Tours offers both options. Its ten-day European Supercar Tour, departing 15 and 21 May, takes in Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France, en route to Monaco. From the smug comfort of your Ferrari or Lamborghini, you can watch the countryside flit by before ending the whole experience in the water – not because you overshot the road and landed in the ditch, but because guests round off their journey by hopping aboard a luxury yacht for trackside views of the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix. Should watching these ultra-high-performance machines buzz around the race course spark feelings of envy, guests can spend an evening with former Aussie F1 driver Mark Webber and get behind the wheel of a real F1 car.
An alternative is the five-day Le Grand Motoring Tour de France package, leaving Maidstone, in Kent, on 21 June for Picardy, Normandy, the Loire Valley and Champagne, where you can take guided tours of the region’s great Champagne houses and be served haute cuisine and fine wine. Ultimate Driving Tours also offers a range of self-guided tours through Tuscany, Provence, Bavaria and the Swiss Alps.
The European Supercar Tour, from £16,190 per person, based on two sharing; Le Grand Motoring Tour de France, from £2,490 per person in your own car; self-drive holidays from £5,250 per person. See ultimatedrivingtours.com for details.
Get the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis from our award-winning MoneyWeek team, to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.
Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.
You can follow Chris on Instagram.
-
Reeves urged to axe stamp duty from UK shares held in an ISAChancellor Rachel Reeves is reportedly considering axing stamp duty from UK shares held in stocks and shares ISAs. What could it mean for your portfolio?
-
Family investment companies explained: how the ultra wealthy shield their money from the taxmanWealthy families are increasingly turning to family investment companies to keep more of their money away from HMRC – but what are these arrangements and how do they work?
-
8 of the best smallholdings for sale nowThe best smallholdings for sale – from a medieval cross-passage farmhouse in Taunton, Somerset, to a former farmhouse with an orchard in the Welsh Marches
-
Review: Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre – explore a city of Arabian delightsTravel The Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre is a great base from which to set out on a foodie adventure of the emirate
-
Albert Einstein's first violin sells for £860,000 at auctionAlbert Einstein left his first violin behind as he escaped Nazi Germany. Last week, it became the most expensive instrument not owned by a concert violinist
-
Last orders: can UK pubs be saved?Pubs in Britain are closing at the rate of one a day, continuing and accelerating a long-term downward trend. Why? And can anything be done to save them?
-
Review: Grove of Narberth – a warm welcome in WalesTravel Grove of Narberth is a rustic and charming country retreat in Pembrokeshire all the year round
-
Review: The Hut, Colwell Bay – a seafood lunch with a holiday feelTravel Getting to The Hut in Colwell Bay on the Isle of Wight is almost as rewarding as actually eating there
-
Pinewood Technologies: a drive for growthPinewood Technologies’ platform is one of the best in the business. Investors should buy in
-
'EV maker Faraday Future will crash'Faraday Future Intelligent Electric is failing dismally to live up to its name, says Matthew Partridge