A trio of investment vehicles that are also a lot of fun to drive .

Mr Adam Thorby has what you might call a pretty good job. If you were into understatement, that is. As co-founder of members’ club Supercar Driver, he spends much of his time corralling supercar owners on epic drives through some of the UK’s most beautiful scenery. Thanks to a recent partnership with Michelin, a certain number of these – dubbed “Exceptional Drives” – also involve dining at the world’s best restaurants. As if this wasn’t enough fun, there are other perks: through his friendships with members, he’s had the opportunity to drive some of the most incredible cars ever made. One generous soul even leant him a classic Ferrari to take on his honeymoon. It all seems a little unfair. “In the past four years, it’s never felt like work,” he says. “Members give you the keys to million pound cars and you just travel around. It's awesome. It’s a really unique experience.”

Mr Thorby launched Supercar Driver in late 2009, while working as a property manager for industrial estates. Since 2012, he’s been working on it full-time as part of a small team of five enthusiasts, and the club has expanded to include 600 members. Typical events include early morning Sunday drives on clear, open roads, as well as trips to classic car collections, racing tracks and, he hopes, in future, scenic spots across the globe. The Michelin partnership launched this summer with a journey across South Wales, and continued in October with a trip to the Yorkshire Dales and Ms Frances Atkins’ wonderful restaurant-with-rooms The Yorke Arms. “It’s really nice, once you’ve been out on your drive, to sit down with everyone and have a meal but also to reflect on the day,” he says. “As soon as our members meet people with cars who have similar interests, they’ll probably go off and do their own trips and adventures as well. It’s a great community.”

If this sounds like the kind of club you’d like to be a member of, there is, of course, one small obstacle to ownership: you need to own a supercar. Luckily, Mr Thorby has provided us with a few guidelines on this subject, whether you’re working to a (comparatively) limited budget, looking to make an investment, or on the hunt for something truly unique. Scroll down for his supercar recommendations.

Of course “budget” is not a word that’s hugely compatible with world of supercars. But some are more accessibly priced than others. If you’re looking at the lower end of the price spectrum, one of the several cars Mr Thorby recommends is the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, “the baby Aston Martin”, which he praises for its “timeless modern looks.” With an on-the-road cash price of £96,043,99, it’s also available on finance, making it a good way, says Mr Thorby, to be “Bond on a budget”.

In recent years, says Mr Thorby, the market for classic cars (between five- and 20-years-old) has boomed, which means that, with a considered purchase, a supercar collector can actually make money from their investment over the course of a few years. “Seven years ago, it was about £300,000 for a Ferrari 288 GTO,” says Mr Thorby. “Now they’re going for £3,000,000.” One car that he thinks will appreciate in value in the near future is the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, the first Mercedes car to be designed in-house by AMG, which was produced between 2010 and 2014. “It’s the last of the iconic Gullwing Mercedes and the last naturally aspirated V8,” he says. “There won’t be another car like this.”

If you’re looking for something more out-there (and a little more special), Mr Thorby, is, naturally, brimming with ideas, from the Lexus LFA (“it’s an ‘if you know you know’ car”) to the door- and bodywork-free Ariel Atom (“Ludicrously fast… and extremely raw”). But we at MR PORTER particularly like his recommendation of the Ford GT, a “modern replacement” for the iconic GT40 which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans every year between 1966 and 69. “You don’t get tired of the styling,” says Mr Thorby. “It’s a manual, analogue supercar – left hand drive only and a true event to drive!” This is also not a bad investment – according to Mr Thorby “values are on the up, too!”

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