Now a 10-year-old can get behind the wheel of a Ferrari or Lamborghini at a Top Gear test track.
While a driver's license is usually required to get behind the wheel of a car, TrackDays in the UK is letting kids aged 10 to 17 get behind the wheel of a Ferrari 458 Italia or Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Spyder Performante.
Kids get a six-mile circuit ride supervised by a professional passenger; prices for what TrackDays calls the Junior Platinum Supercar Experience start at 79 British pounds (about $104).
The experience is available at 10 circuits, including the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold Airfield, about 90 minutes south of London, and the Anglesey circuit in North Wales, which was featured in Fifth Gear.
These cars may not be the latest and greatest from their respective manufacturers, but they are still plenty capable. The Ferrari is powered by a 562-horsepower 4.5-liter V-8 engine with a claimed 0-62 mph time of 3.4 seconds. The convertible Lamborghini's 5.2-liter V-10 engine has the same maximum power output but requires 3.9 seconds for a 0-62 mph run.
For reference, the 458 Italia set a 1:19.1 lap time on the Top Gear test track when new. While the Performante Spyder was not tested at Top Gear, the Gallardo LP560-4 Coupe set a lap time of 1 minute 19.5 seconds. The current record holder is the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, which set an impressive lap time of 1 minute 11.3 seconds in season 29.
The record will probably never be broken by a kid driver. But it is hard to imagine a better gift for a young car enthusiast. For even if whatever they drive next may disappoint them a little.
