EXPERIENCES

Hot Wheels From the sunbaked switchbacks of Provence to the seaside highways of the Cote d’Azur, Nicole Trilivas takes the scenic route in some of the world’s fastest supercars.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I am not exactly a car person. But as a teen growing up in the suburban U.S., I learned quickly that cars equal freedom. The stomach-flipping thrill and heart-fluttering romance of the open road or even the not-so-open, traffic-choked Long Island Expressway-has never quite left me.

So when I arrived in the drowsy Provençal village of Tourrettes last May and locked eyes with a fleet of supercars, as brightly colored and alluringly dangerous as exotic fish, I could feel my heart beat in my throat-one part elation and one part nerves.

There were seven cars in total. The head-turning, V12-powered 812 GTS (one of two Ferraris) was the first to catch my eye with its definitively Italian, almost insultingly cool air; the over engineered matte-black McLaren 720S gave me goose bumps and Batman vibes, and the French-blue Aston Martin DB11 drop-top gleamed with Bond-style sophistication.

The plan was to take each for a spin over the next two days as part of the new Le Grand Tour Provence, a hedonistic super car "tasting menu" of sorts culminating in the crown jewel of the growing Formula 1 racing empire, the Monaco Grand Prix.

The itinerary was created by Australia based Ultimate Driving Tours-15-year veterans of luxury driving experiences. Before buckling in, founder and CEO Anthony Moss collected our group of 14 die-hard motor heads (and their good-natured, I'm-just-happy-to-be-in France plus-ones) for a briefing. French driving customs were explained ("the gendarmerie is more likely to pose with the cars than ticket them," he joked), and a healthy dose of fear instilled to ward off any recklessness ("blow a tire and all four will need replacing, which costs around $8,000"). Then there was the final benediction, delivered with an implied wink: "Some of the best movie car chases take place in this part of the world."