And – new for 2009 – a total of 25 driving sessions are available out of our New Jersey and New York club locations. All tours offer seat time in a selection of five supercars on some of the most thrilling road driving imaginable.

Your day starts at one of our two private clubhouses in Chester, New Jersey and Glen Cove, New York, where you’ll receive an overview of each vehicle from our staff, and a review of the tour route. Then, you’ll pilot each vehicle through some of the most scenic and demanding roads in the region, rotating cars at designated checkpoints. At the end of the tour, you’ll receive commemorative photos of your trip, as well as a chance to review your experience with fellow enthusiasts.

As for the route? It won’t disappoint. You’ll be traveling through some of the most breathtaking regions in New York and New Jersey, on a fantastic mix of river-hugging back-country roads, small towns, and some high(er) speed, wide-open interstate driving.

Reserve your seat now; when they’re gone, they’re gone!

When you visit, you’ll enjoy a luxurious and tastefully appointed lounge area, private conference room, high end detailing services, and complimentary beverage service. Downstairs, you’ll find a highly qualified service center, with on-site Ferrari and Maserati certified master technicians hard at work.

As a club member, you’ll now be able to select a Vulcan vehicle from this new location in person. Stop by for a personal tour, or call Kyle for an appointment at 516-684-9400.

(Fortune Magazine, October 10, 2008) — I have been accused of many biases in my car-critiquing life. My supposed German addiction usually tops the list, but lately a British prejudice is showing, some readers tell me. And now, it seems, I’m besotted by the Italians. Their cars have always been sinful and sexy – but now they’re on a quality and performance roll. Specifically, Maserati has giant-stepped up with the limited-edition 2009 GranTurismo S.

When a blindingly red model appeared in my driveway, I noted the normal kit: side skirts, rear spoiler, blacked-out grille. But then I looked again, intrigued by the powerful, hunkered-down stance and the audacious 20-inch wheels, on which seven massive tridents (Maserati’s symbol) bulge outward as if barely able to contain the massive brakes.

Inside was pretty fine too. Alcantara seat inserts, silver-tinted carbon-fiber trim, and the melodic sound of an Italian V-8. And then it happened. I innocently hit two more buttons: auto, to turn automatic mode off, and sport, to give me a stiffer ride and quicker shifts.

Before my hand was back on the sport wheel, an automotive snarl unlike any other I’ve heard reverberated through the exhaust. Technically, I had disengaged the pneumatic valve that controls a bypass on the exhaust system allowing unrestricted airflow – and another eight horsepower. Emotionally, I had awakened the beast – and it’s a screamer.

With that kind of siren song calling to my right foot, I ate up some deserted twisties around Camp Pendleton, a massive military base north of San Diego. The GT S took hard corners with grace and skill. I discovered the existence of yet another gem: The sublime new electro-actuated Graziano gearbox (the same hardware as in the Ferrari 599 GTB) can change gears in a blurring 40 milliseconds. Plus, the unit sits just ahead of the rear axle, giving the car a unique-in-its-class rear weight bias of 47% front, 53% rear – hence the extra touch of oversteer. Yum.

Yet nothing was tastier than the raging symphony pouring from under the hood and out the exhaust. My addiction grew. I wouldn’t move an inch until I was in full-volume setup. I burbled up and down the streets in my hilly neighborhood, the car’s ferocious growls echoing against the canyon walls.

“We wanted a very male sound, the deepest voice, at low rpms,” says Benedetto Orvietani, Maserati’s head of vehicle integration. “At higher rpms, we wanted a lion’s roar.” Can you nominate automotive engineers for a Grammy?

Just how far did my aural infatuation take me? To the curb, twice in one day, to meet and greet the local authorities, for starters. Oh, and I made the howls of the GranTurismo S my new ringtone.

Just as I seriously began to question my own health, I read about a study recently conducted by Hiscox, a British-based luxury-car insurer. Experts found that 100% of female participants showed a “significant increase in testosterone secretion” while listening to a Maserati engine revving – in fact, measurably more so than for any other sports-car sound.

I’m not sure I want to know what the marketing minds in Italy will do with that information, but it did at least explain my condition – I had been chemically altered! – and my newfound fondness for receiving phone calls. Instantaneously sparking a woman’s arousal hormones? Now, that makes $135,000 start to seem like a bargain.  

The owners and staff at Vulcan Motor Club are all too familiar with the finer things – and the lifestyles they accompany. That’s why they celebrated these things – these epicurean amenities – in an evening dedicated to those who indulge in life’s lavish pleasures. Occupying the luxurious Trump National Golf Club, Vulcan invited a select 250 bon vivants to revel in the splendor of those things that aren’t so easily attained. The cars for instance…

Vulcan is a privately-owned, membership-based automotive club whose constituents are impassioned motorists. Not satisfied with what can be had at just any dealer, Vulcan’s members are in constant pursuit of evocative driving experiences.  Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley and so on. But not just one car; members experience all of them. Such is the kind of benefit associated with Vulcan Motor Club Membership.

They commandeered the most extravagant venue that suited their needs, decorated the lush rolling greens with their fleet of exotics, and partnered with Jacob the Jeweler and the David David Gallery of Philadelphia, to offer attendees a broad arrange of art on which their senses could feast. Not to leave out the sense of taste, the soiree was catered by the Trump National Golf Club. And lest they neglect auditory yearnings, the air was rich with the soulful decadence of live jazz.

The jewelry and paintings were a splendid compliment to the automotive bliss that was already in session. The five-star food filled the parts of us that weren’t already full of elation from being around such amazing cars. By the evening’s end, we were compelled to sign up for membership with the Vulcan Motor Club. And why not? More than anyone else, they understand our obsession with the finer things in life.

courtesy of Universal Autosports, Glen Cove NY

Admission to view the lineup is free.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cggVCGmM9qA 500 405]

Learn More >>

Can’t decide between the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder and the Audi R8? No need. With membership in the Vulcan Motor Club, you can slip behind the wheel of one today and the other next Tuesday. Then there’s the Ford GT, Ferrari F430, Bentley Flying Spur – they’re all part of the club’s exotic fleet, available for members for up to a week at a time.

“We have the perfect car for every occasion,” asserts president Tom Mizzone, who founded the Chester, N.J.-based club last year. “Members can make a phone call and have an Aston Martin delivered to their office in pristine condition, drive it for five days, then make another phone call and have it disappear.”

Vulcan offers three levels of membership to sate any automotive appetite: True connoisseurs may choose the Platinum option ($25,000 annually), which provides 40 days of use and up to 4,000 miles. Gold ($14,500) offers 20 days, up to 2,000 miles. For enthusiasts in the making, Silver ($9,500) provides 10 days, up to 1,000 miles. And don’t worry about exhausting your options.

New luxury cars are added frequently, and Mizzone promises the ratio of members to vehicles will never exceed seven to one.”We’re really committed to keeping the fleet new for our members,” he says.”

Mr. Rebhorn has appeared in over one hundred feature films and television shows, including “Meet the Parents”, “Independence Day”,”Seinfeld”,”Scent of a Woman”, and “My Cousin Vinny.”

James Rebhorn, “The Book of Daniel”

James Rebhorn, “Head Of State”

The Ferrari California is a modern interpretation of a treasured classic, the Ferrari 250 GT California. The 2009 Ferrari California channels the appeal of the original, and caps it off with the convenience of retractable hard top. The official unveiling will happen at the Paris Auto Show in September.

The California carries with it three notable items. Notable item one is a retractable convertible hard top. If you’ve ever seen a Ferrari 360 Modena Spider with its cloth top up, it just doesn’t feel right. With the California, it looks just as good with the top up or down. Notable item two is roominess, for example, its ability to transport multiple snowboards…and that’s according to Ferrari. Notable item three is Ferrari’s placement of the engine in front of the vehicle, which is significant because it enables notable items one and two.

More photos below.

If you’ve ever heard a Ferrari at full throttle, then you know it’s powered by one-hundred screaming demon spawn pedaling miniature stationary bikes. That, or one of Ferrari’s famed V-8 engines, like the 460 horsepower 4.3 liter version that will be found in the California. Ferrari claims the California does 60 mph in less than 4 seconds. Ferrari also once claimed that its Enzo in fourth gear can actually move faster than time itself, so who knows.

Some cars, like the Toyota Corolla, are designed by mortals; others, like the Ferrari F430 are sculpted by angels. Take note of small details such as the shark gill side vents, the use of LEDs in the headlamps, and the vertical tailpipe stack.

The California’s interior (or cockpit in Ferrari-speak) is as sculpted as the exterior, with particular attention paid to the center divider between pilot and co-pilot. It has all the comforts of a luxury car, such as navigation and Bluetooth integration. Finally, it has a relatively large trunk with room for two sets of golf clubs with the second row of seats folded flat.

This is the first time, too, that the new 7-speed dual clutch has been used on a Ferrari. This technology is the fruit of in-depth gear shifting systems research by the Scuderia Ferrari. The system utilized on the Ferrari California cuts the gear shifting time to zero.

Ferrari says that “the Ferrari California joins the Prancing Horse’s 8-cylinder family which has always been defined by power and performance. The new Ferrari California will satisfy even the most demanding of owners in terms of its superb vehicle dynamics and driving pleasure. The Ferrari California is aimed at owners who desire a car which embodies everything the Prancing Horse represents in terms of sporty design and innovation, but also seek a car with greater versatility than ever.”

(We didn’t realize Ferrari actually refers to itself as “the Prancing Horse”. That is like Lamborghini saying “We at the Stomping Bull” or Porsche saying “We at the Colorful Shield.”)

The pragmatists in the Vulcan Motor Club will be impressed. The lustful group of club members will be impressed with the California’s performance potential. And for the rest of us? A month of club days in the vehicle and an unlimited mileage cap should be enough time for us to thoughtfully develop an opinion.

By Elliot Darvick

This event – available to members and non-members – is a rare way to pilot these vehicles through some of the most scenic and demanding roads in the region.

In this post, we’ll give you a photo tour of what to expect when you book a Wind & Fire Tour.

After arriving at the Vulcan clubhouse in Chester, New Jersey, we begin with a briefing and instruction. Since you’ll be getting the keys to a collection of high performance vehicles, we’ll go over some basic road rules. We also familiarize you with the specific route and order of vehicles.

We’ll talk about what you can to ensure that everyone has a great time and that you don’t endanger the safety of others on the roads.

Then, a member of our staff will walk you through the operation of each vehicle in the tour, including the specifics of paddle-shifting, adjusting seat restraints, and the location of individual controls.

After that, each driver gets in their first car and we’re off!

During the course of the event, you’ll drive on a mix of back country roads, interstate highways, and through quaint towns. The route is comprised of six legs; each leg of the route is approximately 20 miles long.

At each of the six checkpoints, you’ll get out of your supercar and rotate to the next car.

At each checkpoint, you’ll have the chance to share your comments with other drivers, and engage in heated debate about which supercar is superior.

(There’s no right answer, but don’t let that stop you.)

After the second checkpoint, you’ll head through an endless maze of back roads, featuring blind drops, breathtaking panoramas, and sharp corners.

After approximately 120 miles, you’ll end up back at the clubhouse, where you’ll re-live your experience with the other participants (and get back in your now not nearly as thrilling daily driver. Sorry.)

Here is what a few recent participants have had to say about the Wind & Fire Tour:

“The event was the highlight of my wife’s year! The only ways in which I can conceive you could possibly improve it are not legal. Others offer track time in exotic cars, but actual road time is much, much more enjoyable. The people representing the club were courteous, helpful and made the trip for us both. I am recommending it to our friends as one thing they must do.”

I have to tell you that was the most exhilarating day of my driving career! Everything was managed so well from the coffee in the morning to the route that we took and the lunch was a nice surprise. Words can’t begin to describe what it feels like to drive such world class cars. I am looking forward to doing it again.

Just wanted to drop you a line and tell you I thoroughly enjoyed the experience on Saturday. It was probably the most fun I have ever had with my clothes on. The guides, the cars, the route and the entire experience were absolutely great. I have been telling everyone who will listen about the wonderful experience.

Everything about the Wind & Fire Tour was fantastic! I don’t know how you could improve on it.

Ready to go? Book online now to reserve your date.