For the love of the drive

There’s something special about supercars. Driving something beautiful and powerful lives at the heart of that, but it’s not just that. It’s the effect they have on people beyond the driver, says Robert Crosthwaite Eyre, 20-year customer and now Managing Partner of Club GT.

“For example, in some locations we park up and local kids will come running out to see the cars,” explains Robert. “I’ll let the kids sit in the driving seat and say, ‘Go on, turn it on’ and let them rev the throttle. They just can’t believe it’s happening.”

This deep-rooted love of beautiful, powerful cars is the driving force behind Club GT.

A club by drivers, for drivers

The Club is a high-end, boutique touring company that takes drivers, along with their own cars or hire cars, on curated multi-day journeys across Europe and beyond.

Groups are kept small – no more than 12 cars – and every route is planned around the driving and the roads rather than simply the destinations it links together.

“The driving has always got to be the hero,” says Robert. “The best roads will determine the route. Everything else – the hotels, dining and experiences – is built around them.”

Rather than linking one five-star hotel to another, Club GT seeks out places with genuine character – private wine estates, local restaurants and memorable stays that reflect each destination. “The hotels matter, but the journey has to feel alive.”

Anyone can buy a tour, but Club GT members get preferential rates, priority booking, partner benefits and access to private club experiences.

The extra mile as standard

Tours attract enthusiasts from across the world, people who crave power, performance and cutting-edge engineering prowess. Club GT’s members also tend to be time-poor, making a seamless experience as valuable as the driving itself. Every detail is carefully planned, from the route and accommodation to exclusive dining experiences and concierge-style support throughout the tour.

Through its partnership with ACS, that experience extends beyond the road, with tailored private jet and helicopter charters that make every stage of the journey feel effortless and every arrival part of the occasion.

The partnership has grown from a shared commitment to delivering an exceptional end-to-end experience for Club GT members, perhaps best illustrated by an early tour when one client’s transport arrangements fell through overnight while travelling in Romania. With little time to spare, ACS sourced an aircraft by four in the morning, ensuring the client reached Italy in time for a track session the following day.

“That’s really the job,” says William Hobbs, Assistant Director – Private Jets at ACS. “Robert creates an unforgettable driving experience; we make sure the journey to and from it feels just as seamless. Whether it’s meticulous planning months in advance or responding at short notice, our job is to remove the complexity so clients can simply enjoy the experience.”

ACS works closely with Club GT to tailor every client’s travel arrangements, whether that’s coordinating private jet charters, arranging helicopter transfers or finding the most efficient routing to fit around the tour itinerary. Hobbs describes one such request from a member who was due to attend the Club GT Silverstone track day.

“Robert called and said that someone wanted to be flown down from Cheshire to Silverstone. Instead of the usual routine of landing miles out and being driven in, as the exclusive private charter supplier to Silverstone, we managed to get him helicopter access straight to the track, landing at the ACS private terminal. It’s great to be able to add that sort of ‘extra mile’ because the tours are already a special occasion for the people who do them.”

Together, Club GT and ACS deliver an experience where the planning is almost invisible, leaving guests free to enjoy every moment of the journey.

The power to switch off

Many of Club GT’s members run companies, sit on boards and rarely stop. But on tours, something changes.

“These successful, strong-willed people suddenly become people who ask what time breakfast is,” Robert says with a smile. “I say, ‘well, when do you normally have breakfast? I might go at 8am, but you can go whenever you want’. They can just turn off everyday life, come into our journey and be told where to go, what to do, how fast to go. And they love that – everything has been orchestrated to a T.”

By the time guests arrive, the route has been recce’d, the cars transported, cleaned and waiting, with support crews in place. As Robert puts it, all that’s left is to “hit the throttle and go.”

Beyond the same old roads

While Club GT still runs classic European tours through destinations such as Spain, Portugal and the Alps, members are increasingly looking for something more adventurous.

“Anything we do that’s new is full straight away,” says Robert. “Our Bulgaria tour filled in two weeks. Namibia off-roading adventure in Safari Porsches sold out in two days.”

Future tours to Norway and Morocco reflect that growing appetite for journeys that combine exceptional driving with genuine exploration. “Lots of companies are staying within their comfort zone,” Robert says. “We’re not.”

The classic European driving tours still have their place, but the real excitement now lies in journeys that combine exceptional roads with greater complexity, rarity and a sense of discovery: deserts, snow and ice.

Common ground

For all the planning, logistics and rare access involved, some of Club GT’s most powerful moments are also the simplest – especially first times.

“Two old school friends joined us for the first time on a Yorkshire tour. After the first day they said, ‘So we can actually do this?’. I sometimes forget that being part of a convoy of Ferraris or Lamborghinis is an extraordinary experience in itself.”

Perhaps that’s what Club GT and ACS deliver best: not simply the routes, the hotels, the aircraft or the perfectly managed details, but the feeling that started it all – the sound, the road, the machine and the simple, unforgettable thrill of being part of something extraordinary.