But is there a way you can have your £333,000 supercar cake and eat it? Vijay Pattni went to a low-key industrial estate in Surrey to find out – and uncovered a world of glamour and horsepower…

Dreary streets lined with anonymous Euro-boxes on a drab cloudy morning – the drive to a low-key industrial estate on the outskirts of Surrey is not looking promising.

But tucked away in a corner of the estate under a sheet of corporate veneer lies the glamorous pinnacle of car engineering – and a world of horsepower and handling…

The roller-shutter on the corner building slowly lifts its veil and reveals an Italian masterpiece: a £230,000 Ferrari 599 GTB.

And the Fezza is flanked by two Aston Martin Vantage V8s – with a brand-new V8-powered BMW M3 thrown in to spice things up.

View images of the world’s hottest supercars at the P1 International supercar club

“Take your pick”, says Neil Alexander, operations director at the world-famous P1 International supercar club in Surrey.

Credit-crunching supercars

P1 International is the world’s largest supercar club and in 1999 – together with F1 superstar Damon Hill – opened its doors to the world of supercar hire.

For less than £15,000 per year, members can get unrivalled access to the world’s hottest and most sought-after supercars.

And the P1 garage is littered with a roll-call of dream machines from across the globe – a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti thrums gently as it idles, while a jet-black BMW M3 sits patiently across the room.

Wait for it…

“It all started when I wanted a Ferrari”, explains P1 owner Michael Breen.

The businessman was in the process of purchasing a new Ferrari 360 years ago.

“I asked them how long it would take – and it was a case of ‘you’re not a celebrity, so three years!’

“Luckily I knew someone at Ferrari and managed to jump the queue to get the 360.”

Going down

But despite picking up his dream machine, Michael was still worried about supercar ownership.

“I’d heard a lot of horror stories about supercars depreciating – badly”, Michael explains.

“So we came up with the concept of shared access supercars – we based it on the assumption a supercar costs upwards of £50,000 per year in ownership costs.

“To top it all off you’re stuck with just one car.”

View images of the world’s hottest supercars at the P1 International supercar club

Swiss Army Knife Supercars

The grey roller-doors mask a world of glamour and excitement inside the supercar garage – a fleet of fuelled and fiery supercars line up in a menacing line, jostling for your attention.

“We’ve got cars for every purpose. For example, if you wanted a weekend away in the countryside with the kids and the dog, you can take the BMW M5 Touring.”

The BMW M5 Touring is a German powerhouse with a 507bhp V10 engine and enough space to load the Labrador in the back.

“Or if you wanted to cruise over to the south of France for a holiday, you can take the Ferrari 599.”

The Ferrari – sitting pride of place in the centre of the garage – is clearly the star of the show.

The garage mechanics and stewards coo appreciatively as Michael walks over to the £230,000 super coupe.

“You want a ride?”

Fire up the 599

The world and his neighbour have heard of Ferrari – the most famous supercar maker has popped up in film, music videos, television and even music.

But nothing can ever prepare you for listening to one in the flesh – the 599 fires into life with a bark.

Check out the Ferrari 599 in action:

The 6-litre V12 sitting up front in the Ferrari 599 develops 611bhp – just 20bhp less than the track-inspired Ferrari Enzo – and can sprint from 0-62mph in just 3.7 seconds…

We hit the country lanes surrounding P1’s base in the hardcore 599.

“You can’t get it out of 3rd gear on these roads” Michael explains, roaring up to the speed limit within a heartbeat – and attracting a lot of attention.

And the Ferrari isn’t just a local attraction – it is the most popular car on the P1 fleet.

“That and the Aston Martin DBS”, Michael adds.

View images of the world’s hottest supercars at the P1 International supercar club

But is Michael – who owns the company outright after buying out Damon Hill in 2006 – ever tempted to take one of the supercars home for the weekend?

“Not really.

“I’ve actually got 22 cars myself – I’ve got a Ferrari 360, an Aston Martin Vanquish, a Ferrari 550 and an Aston Martin DB5, to name the best…”

Fancy joining the P1 International supercar club? Membership costs up to £14,500 a year for 6,000 miles of driving.

For more information, visit http://www.p1international.com/.