So the title of this posting gives an indication of my frame of mind. I just spent a weekend with Club Sportiva’s Mercedes Benz SLK350. It wasn’t my first choice for trip up to Occidental, Sebastopol and the Russian River area of Sonoma County – I had a return date in mind with the club’s Porsche Cayman S in mind when my wife and I mapped out this excursion, but it was already spoken for, so I decided to give something new a try.After spending three days behind the wheel of the the silky smooth, sophisticated, SLK, I was impressed. More than adequate power and an excellent exhaust note (its equipped with a tuned exhaust) combined with a responsive chassis made the Benz a wonderful weekend companion (having a few days alone with my wife was fun too). Mild understeer at lower speeds disappears as you push the car and by the third morning I was really into some spirited driving as I took the very long way back to the club’s paddock via Shoreline and Panoramic Highways in western Marin County.

So that leads me back to the theme of this post: that my Club Sportiva membership is really about the driving experience. No doubt. Sure, club poker nights are fun, I go to an occasional member’s dinner and the art shows are a great place to interact with other members. And the ‘field trips’ – such as the visit to Tesla Motors – are very interesting. But when it comes right down to it, why I belong, is that I get to really know and experience a whole slew of sports cars from a stable only the likes of Jay Leno can support. Sports car sharing is an idea that fully realized at Club Sportiva.