Kaas supercar drive: Come rain or shine

Sportscars are no longer the temperamental beasts they once were. Almost every mainstream performance car is built to be as comfortable carving up a mountain pass as it is sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Porsches epitomise this philosophy – almost every kind of 911, Boxster or Cayman offers a decent-sized boot, a spacious cabin, and robust engineering. But in India, despite this, owners rarely venture beyond familiar city roads. In Mumbai, that usually means the Atal Setu or the coastal road. Road conditions, fuel and service availability, traffic, and prying eyes often keep these cars garage-bound. Which begs the question: is it worth owning a supercar if you can’t use it?

For a dozen-odd sportscar and supercar owners from Mumbai, the answer came in the form of the Supercar Route, a three-day, 690km drive into the monsoon-soaked hills of Satara and Mahabaleshwar. Organised by Porsche Club Mumbai, it proved these cars aren’t just for admiration, they’re meant to be driven – and driven hard.

The concerns of ownership are real. “The biggest challenges are the roads, safety, what if my car breaks down, who will help me, and will I get my fuel?” explained organiser Zain Rais, who led the drive in his 991.2 Carrera S. “So, when we go out as a group, we make sure there are three things – security, a flatbed that follows us, and a mechanic team with tools and spares. These are the basics of any Supercar Route drive.” It may sound excessive, but for hesitant owners, that safety net makes the difference between leaving their car under a cover and stretching its legs on open roads.

At dawn, the convoy gathered in Mumbai – fuelled up, and headed south in formation; security at the rear and mechanics on standby. After a lunch halt in Satara, they ascended to the Kaas Plateau, where wildflowers had just begun to bloom. Though only partial, the mist, monsoon rain and flawless ribbons of tarmac stirred comparisons to Switzerland.

The next day brought the highlight: Medha Ghat, one of Maharashtra’s best driving roads. “The road from Satara to Mahabaleshwar is probably the best I’ve driven on in India, period,” said Sahil Dalal, who brought his 991.1 Carrera S. “Low traffic, endless corners, and patches of clear skies – it felt like the perfect place to enjoy the car.” That evening, the group checked into a luxury hotel, their cars guarded like a celebrity entourage.

The challenging Medha Ghat road tests your nerves, especially in the wet.

For many, it was the first time their cars had gone beyond a quick Sunday spin. “The max I ever did was Atal Setu,” admitted Avinash Pahuja, who drove down in his 992 Carrera. “This is the first time I got on the expressway to Pune. At Kaas, it was unbelievable – the flowers, the plateau, the roads. But more than that, I grew closer to my car and with this gang.” That camaraderie – finding a tribe of like-minded owners – proved the biggest draw. Despite being organised by the Porsche Club, the drive wasn’t entirely Porsche-exclusive, with a BMW M2, Jaguar F-Type R, Lamborghini Huracán and Nissan GT-R joining in.

This was only the third outing under the Supercar Route banner, following drives up Dubai’s Jebel Jais mountains and through Himachal. More are planned, both in India and abroad. And with every kilometre covered, the confidence of owners grows. It’s easy to dismiss sportscars in India as fragile garage queens, but Kaas Valley showed otherwise. On tight, rain-slicked mountain roads, they revealed themselves as the versatile machines they are – capable of devouring distances, carving corners and forging friendships.

As participant Mohit Chuganee put it: “The whole idea is to use your car, not park it in the garage. People often say there are no roads in India. But the reality is these cars can be driven here quite comfortably and enjoyably.” For sportscar owners in India, that may be the most important lesson of all.