Young Driver Exclusive Collection offers under-17s 1:1 tuition in high-end 6-, 8- and 12-cylinder sports and luxury cars
YD’s ADI-certified instructors allow kids to experience cars in absolute safety
Develops young drivers’ skills further after mastering techniques in Corsas
Balsall Common – Young Driver, the UK’s leading under-17s driving company, has launched Young Driver Exclusive Collection, an all-new programme designed to enthuse 10-17 year-olds about the joy of driving, while honing their car-control skills still further after initial training in Vauxhall Corsas.
Young Driver Exclusive Collection offers kids the choice of piloting one of three very special sports and luxury cars: a Porsche 911 Carrera 4, a Mercedes-Benz SL 500, or a Bentley Continental Flying Spur.
But with power comes responsibility. All the cars are equipped with dual controls, and during a 30-minute, one-to-one driving session with one of YD’s ADIs (Approved Driving Instructors), young people will be able to experience what it feels like to take control of one of the world’s top performance cars.
“We really want young people to get excited about driving again,” said Ian Mulingani, Young Driver’s MD. “Our normal Corsa drives are a popular way to engage kids with driving before they take to the road, and the Young Driver Exclusive Collection cars will take that experience to another level.
“But this is all about normalising driving at a young age, reinforcing its importance as a key life skill, and – most importantly – reducing accident rates in the first months and years after a young person has passed their test.”
While Young Driver has already trialled the Bentley at its events, which take place at 70 locations around the UK, the Porsche and Mercedes are new additions.
The Porsche 911 is a Carrera 4 model, its 3.6-litre six-cylinder engine producing 320bhp and driving all four wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox. Arguably, the world’s most recognisable sports car, the 911’s low-set driving position, slick gearshift and responsive throttle will add up to a thrilling drive for any youngster.
As will Mercedes’ SL. No ordinary model, Young Driver Exclusive’s car is an SL 500, powered by a 429bhp V8 engine operating through a seven-speed automatic gearbox. It offers a real slice of sporting luxury, with the added benefit of roof-down motoring (if the weather allows!) thanks to the SL’s retractable ‘vario-roof’.
Nothing says ‘luxury’ like a Bentley, though, and Young Driver Exclusive Collection’s Continental Flying Spur gives kids a real flavour of the ultimate in motoring opulence. Fitted with a mighty 552bhp, 12-cylinder engine, the Spur sends its power to all four wheels though a six-speed automatic gearbox. Despite its size, the Bentley’s speed-sensitive steering and parking sensors also make it deceptively easy to drive.
Young Driver Exclusive Collection joins the company’s other special programmes, including Drive a Classic Car and Fire Engine Driving, also available at selected sites around the UK.
However, Young Driver’s fleet of 170 Vauxhall Corsas is where all 10-17 year-olds start their driver training, sitting behind the wheel with an instructor for either 30 minutes or one hour. Here, they learn to navigate around specially-designed courses, with their growing experience recorded after every session in a free Drive Diary.
Young Driver caters for under-10s, too. Its fleet of British-built, exclusively-designed Firefly Sport electric cars gives children from the age of four the chance to get behind the wheel for the first time and pave their way to driving the Corsas – and even the Exclusive Collection cars - when they’re old enough.
The Young Driver Exclusive Collection is available at selected locations and costs £69.99 for a limited period (normal cost: £74.99). For further information about all Young Driver programmes, please go to youngdriver.com
