Picture this: your foot is on the throttle of a GT3, a mountain pass winds ahead of you through the Maritime Alps, and the flat-six sings behind your shoulders. No speed limit. No everyday rush. Just you, the road and the next corner.
Sports car tours bring together what never quite meets on a race track or in daily traffic: the fascination of a high-performance car and the finest roads in Europe.
At European Speed Club this experience is called GrandTouring – multi-day sports car journeys to Le Mans, across Sardinian mountain passes and through the Pyrenees.
→ Get in touch about your GrandTouring experience
What is a sports car tour?
A sports car tour is more than a drive out. You travel in a small group of like-minded drivers along carefully selected routes – with a support vehicle, worked-out navigation and stops in exactly the right places. No stress over planning, no hunting for the next photo spot. You concentrate on what matters: the driving.
The difference from simply hiring a sports car: an organised tour gives you a curated experience. Someone has driven the route, chosen the hotels, planned the fuel stops and put the best mountain passes in the right order. You get in and enjoy it.
ESC GrandTouring: what a sports car journey looks like
At European Speed Club, GrandTouring trips are not anonymous group drives. Every tour is accompanied by ESC instructors who come from motorsport and know each route from their own experience.
The route
You drive dream roads in the Pyrenees – Alpine passes such as the Col de Vence, the Susten or the Col de Turini, coastal stretches along the Côte d'Azur and twisting roads through the mountains of Sardinia. Every route is optimised for driving pleasure: tight hairpins, sweeping panoramic roads and sections where you feel the full character of your sports car.
The format
- Duration: 4–5 days
- Group size: max. 12 cars, sub-groups of roughly 4 cars per instructor
- Support: ESC instructor in the lead car plus a support team
- Accommodation: premium hotels along the route
- Cars: your own sports car or one from the ESC fleet
What is included
You get an all-inclusive package: route planning, navigation, hotel reservations, shared dinners and, if you wish, a sports car from the fully insured ESC fleet. Anything that would distract you from driving, we take care of.
→ All ESC events in the calendar
Who are sports car tours for?
You own a sports car and drive it too rarely
Your GT3, your Cayman GTS or your M4 sits in the garage waiting for the next big drive. A sports car tour gives you the reason to work the engine properly – not on a race track, but on the roads these cars were built for.
You want the sports car experience without owning one
Not everyone has a GT3 in the garage. If you still want to drive a sports car yourself, the ESC fleet is there for you: a Porsche over Alpine passes – with professional support and full cover.
You want more than just sports car hire
Hiring a sports car is one thing. Setting off alone, planning the route, finding hotels – that is quite another. On a GrandTouring trip everything is thought through. You experience the car on roads you would never have found on your own.
The ESC GrandTouring destinations for 2026
Three destinations. Six tours. Every date runs twice – you choose the one that suits you. Your car is transported under insurance and waits for you freshly washed at the destination.
Le Mans: France in the spirit of motorsport
30 June – 4 July & 1–5 July 2026 · from €8,911
Le Mans is more than a circuit – it is motorsport history. The GrandTouring route takes you through the countryside of the Sarthe, past the backdrop of the legendary 24-hour race and along hand-picked country roads in the heart of France. Four days of driving, first-class hotels and the feeling of one of the most iconic motorsport destinations in the world.
Sardinia: coast, mountains and the Costa Smeralda
4–8 October & 5–9 October 2026 · from €8,491
Sardinia offers everything sports cars were built for: twisting coastal roads, a mountainous interior and, at the end, the Costa Smeralda. The route runs from Olbia along the east coast to Capo Boi, on to the west coast and to the grand finale at the 7 Pines Resort – including a professional car photo shoot on the coast.
Pyrenees: passes between France and Spain
11–15 October & 12–16 October 2026 · from €7,911
The Pyrenees are the European mountain range that sports car enthusiasts still underestimate. Steep passes, almost no traffic, perfect tarmac – and scenery between France and Spain that has few equals. Four intense days of driving through one of the most beautiful mountain regions in Europe.
Sports car tour vs. sports car hire: which is worth more?
Sports car hireSports car tour (ESC GrandTouring)CarYou get a carYou get an experienceRoutePlanned by youProfessionally curatedSupportOn your ownESC instructors + groupAccommodationBooked by youPremium hotels includedLike-minded drivers—Small group, a real communityAssistanceThe rental company's hotlineSupport team on siteCostfrom roughly €200 per day depending on providerfrom €7,990 (complete experience)
The price difference is easily explained: a GrandTouring trip gives you the car, hotels, catering, route planning and support in one package. Add up the individual costs of a tour you plan yourself – hire car, hotels, restaurants, navigation, your own time – and you arrive at similar figures. Without the stress.
→ Get in touch for personal advice
What makes ESC GrandTouring special?
Instructors from motorsport
Your tour guide is not a travel rep – he comes from the race track. ESC instructors such as Pierre Kaffer and Marc Basseng know how to drive a sports car. On tour you benefit from their experience: better line choice, safe overtaking sections and advice that lifts your driving to a new level.
More than just driving
In the evening you sit down to dinner with like-minded drivers and swap the stories of the day. The best corners, the most surprising views, the feeling on the Pyrenean passes. GrandTouring combines driving pleasure with genuine company.
Full flexibility over the car
Your own sports car, a car from the ESC fleet or a mix of both – you decide. The ESC fleet is fully insured, so you can concentrate entirely on the road.
Your next step
You can feel it already: the road is calling. GrandTouring combines driving pleasure, adventure and genuine company into an experience you will not find anywhere else.
Secure one of the strictly limited places and drive the finest roads in Europe in a sports car.
→ Get in touch about your GrandTouring experience
→ Find out more about ESC GrandTouring
→ Give a track day as a gift – ESC vouchers
Questions? Contact us directly – we are happy to advise you personally.
Last updated: March 2026
Author: Danny Pfeil, founder & CEO of European Speed Club
Frequently asked questions about sports car tours
Each GrandTouring trip runs over four to five days with four days of driving. The group is limited to a maximum of 12 cars, split into sub-groups of roughly four cars per instructor. Every 2026 date is offered twice so you can pick the week that suits you.
No. You can bring your own car, book one from the fully insured ESC fleet, or combine the two. If you bring your own car it is transported to the start under insurance and waits for you freshly washed at the destination.
Three destinations across six tours: Le Mans and the Sarthe region at the end of June and start of July, Sardinia from the coast to the Costa Smeralda in early October, and the Pyrenees between France and Spain in mid-October. Prices start from €7,911 per trip.
The package covers route planning and navigation, premium hotels along the route, shared dinners, a support team on site and, if you want one, a car from the ESC fleet. Everything that would otherwise distract you from driving is organised for you.
Hiring gives you a car; a tour gives you a curated route that has already been driven and tested, hotels that are booked for you and instructors from professional motorsport in the lead car. You also travel with a small group rather than setting off alone.
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