Vanquished - at 175mph

Daniel Lee is used to pootling about in the family Volvo.

Then Aston Martin asked him to play customer and go on its performance driving course

THEY sent me on a driving course.

That's why I was at the wheel of a 160,000 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish hitting 175mph along the one-mile straight at Millbrook car proving ground in Bedfordshire.

"Find out what you can learn from manufacturer motoring courses," said my editor, and this was where it had got me. Everyone from Honda to Bentley offers them, usually for high performance models, and when Aston invited me to play customer and try their gruelling but exhilarating course, I jumped at the chance.

As I thundered round the track, I was acutely aware that a slip of my hand could reduce the total number of handbuilt Vanquishes on the world's roads from five to four.

Racing driver Les Goble, the course instructor, was unperturbed when rain threatened to force us off the track.

"Good news," he said. "The road is greasy. That will give us a chance to show the manoeuvrability of the car."

As someone used to pootling around in the family Volvo, the thought of pushing a 460bhp supercar to the limit caused me some anxiety. This feeling was heightened when it dawned on me that the Vanquish's appearance as James Bond's car in a new 007 movie, out next year, could have meant that there was some stunt driving on this course.

My mind was put at rest by our first move. It took me back to basics, almost the mirror-signal manoeuvre of performance cars. Goble demonstrated the best way to use the car's six-speed gearbox, which has no clutch pedal.

There is an array of driving options, including facilities to deal with sport or winter driving conditions.

We ambled around the city course, designed to demonstrate the best way to maintain a slow speed with lots of stops and starts.

"This is a course to teach you how to handle a car, so that you learn what you do in the cockpit affects the vehicle," said Goble.

Almost every aspect of my driving came in for criticism. Take braking. "You do it at the wrong time, too jerkily and then you accelerate just to brake again unnecessarily," Goble said.

Cornering was not much better. "You kept having to put a tighter and tighter lock on the steering wheel to get round, rather than setting the wheel properly

from the start. If you hit something unexpected on the way round, you would have no room to correct your position.

How did you decide when to turn the car?" Goble asked.

"When I came up to the corner, I turned," I said.

"Why?"

"Don't know."

"You need to see each corner not as a bend, but as something to be analysed," Goble said. "Look at the bend, assess it and decide where to start your turn to get the least acute angle.

"Each car has a handling envelope, that varies depending on conditions," he explained. In rain, for example, it will shrink. "The car will not go beyond the envelope, and if you are driving at the edge of the boundary, fast and on bendy roads, any mistake you make will bite back.

"Most people drive in the middle of the envelope and if something happens that takes them to the edge they do not know how to handle the car. The key is to maintain a smooth technique. Minimise destabilising manoeuvres, such as braking and turning and do not jerk the car around." He said that these rules apply to all cars, not just high performance vehicles.

I had found nothing too unsettling so far and I felt comfortable in the leatherclad driver's seat. Then, after I had made several attempts at the handling circuit, Goble asked me to swap seats. It was his turn to demonstrate the way to do it.

He floored the accelerator and we were up to 60mph in no time - just over 4.5 seconds, according to the specifications.

He talked me through his moves: "Up through the gears smoothly and there's no need to change before you get the revs really going," he said. "Approach the corner, identify your turning point, brake, turn and then accelerate out as the lock comes off."

All the time I was thinking: "Just keep your mind on the road." Terror would be too mild a word to describe how I felt.

Then, horror of horrors, he said that we were going to do it again. But, oddly, I felt calm: it was clear Goble has great control of the vehicle. It would not dare do anything he did not want it to do. When I tried the circuit again, I did much better.

What a tribute to a first-class teacher.

After this, there was a tricky hill circuit, testing my ability not to crash the car through puddles, blind peaks and hairpin bends, followed by the one-mile straight.

"The idea is to feel the car's power at acceleration and stopping," he said.

"It gives owners the chance to get the speed out of their system, so they do not feel frustrated at not being able to go fast on the roads."

Impossible to top that, you would think. But then came the 100mph bit (with no hands). In the high-speed bowl, I drove the car higher and higher up the banking until I reached the correct level to show that Goble was not joking.

The unaided steering wheel remained perfectly still as we sailed round at the magic speed.

After that wizardry, surely I had won the car. Apparently not. You need to buy one first. Perhaps I'll ask my editor to up my pay. Let's see, for 160,000 how many stories would I need to write?

Aston Martin current model DB7 owners and Vanquish order customers call 01908 619604 to arrange courses, which cost 895 (including VAT).

Manufacturers' driving courses

Audi: advanced courses start at 411.

Call 01327 320401.

BMW: free day's course for all new M5 owners.

Daewoo: advanced course for buyers, run with the Institute of Advanced Motorists.

Ferrari/Maserati: owners' courses in Italy, starting at 2,700. Contact dealer for details. UK courses are available from 1,000 for members of Club Fiorano. Call 01784 486 697.

Jaguar: planning courses, but runs none at present.

Mercedes-Benz: buyers of the M-class 4x4 are invited to a free day's course in the countryside.

Porsche: runs an advanced course free to buyers of the 911 turbo or GT2. For other Porsche owners courses start at 299. The company's other courses, including five days in the Arctic, start at around 3,500, including a private jet to the course, cars and accommodation provided. Call 08457 911911 MG Rover: runs courses through fleet operators with DriveTech (call 01344 773144) and is planning to make them available to the public.

Saab: some dealers offer free track days for prospective Saab owners. Ask your local franchise operator.

TVR: track days for owners starting at 350. Call 01253 509013.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists: for runs call 020 8994 4403.

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