We Shall Fight On The Beaches

A stern battle awaits any manufacturer who enters supercar-infested waters. It’s Ferrari vs McLaren vs Lamborghini in the war of the spiders... 

- Jack Rix

You don’t see many fluoro supercars at the dodgy end of Streatham in south London. I know this, because moments after opening the 650S’s butterfly door, swinging my leg over the chunky carbon sill and stumbling into the middle of the road, I’m descended upon by at least six of my neighbours, all with bouncing, chocolate-smeared children in tow.

It’s a full-time job being a supercar owner. First-world problems, I know, but it really is exhausting threading it through traffic without clouting the wing mirrors, smiling and waving at every enthused pedestrian and finding a parking space where you can see it from your bedroom window. A fitful night’s sleep follows, ravaged by anxiety dreams and no fewer than five curtain twitches to ensure it’s still there and without a fresh set of racing stripes down the side.

My 6am departure the next morning is sheer joy – just a snoozy city and the length of the M4 between me and the Black Mountain road in the Brecon Beacons. I’m off to meet two more decapitated supercars – the Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4 Spyder and Ferrari 488 Spider – for two ultra-premium-unleaded-fuelled days throwing them at the best roads, and beaches, South Wales and the West Country have to offer. But first, an explanation, because while the 488 and Huracán are both hot off the production line, the 650S has been around for donkey’s years. Well, since 2014.