ramp #58 Hot Wheels

We love to play. To playfully try things out that make us curious. Whether these things want to be played with or not. Because the challenge is part of the game. Just like in real life. Though we should clarify one thing, as a cognitive aid to help those holding intellectually insecure or stubborn views to better understand the matter at hand: If you take an easy-going perspective, then a playful attitude and serious demeanor never have to exclude each other. On the contrary. In life, you have to improvise. Wikipedia defines “play” as a range of activities done for recreational pleasure and enjoyment. Often seen as frivolous, play can be intently focused on an objective, particularly when it is structured and goal-oriented, as in a game. This is what we call “flow”.

Even before Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, the psychologist noted for his work in the study of happiness and creativity, came up with this term, the concept had already been widely discussed within the field of game studies. In the 1950s, for example, game theorist Hans Scheuerl formulated his famous criteria for the essence of play, emphasizing, among other things, the player’s detachment from the things going on around him, his complete absorption in the activity at hand, dwelling in a timeless, happy state in which one would like to remain forever and come back to time and again.

Adopting this attitude, we can master almost anything that comes our way.

The Ferrari Daytona SP3 and the Play Expert

Armin Krenz is a lecturer in developmental psychology and early childhood education. We asked the seventy-one-year-old what constitutes play and what significance play has for evolution. (Ours, not that of the Ferrari.)

Wladimir Kaminer and a Naked God

A super super super test with a Bentley Continental GTC Speed W12 and a Mercedes-AMG SL63 4MATIC+, with our author thinking about mankind and the significance of play while at the wheel. With the above result.

Ferrari 458 Italia GT2, Porsche 991 RSR, Porsche 996 RSR, Ferrari 333 SP

Imagine you get a call inviting you to come drive the four cars listed above at the Challenge & GT Days at the Red Bull Ring. Which just goes to show: anything’s possible. The important thing now: don’t forget to breathe.

The Last Lotus Wears RAL 2005

Chris Hrabalek is the proud owner of the last Lotus Elise Cup 250 Final Edition ever built – complete with custom paint job and vanity plates. And he’s on a mission . . .

Pininfarina Battista. Trumps All.

With its 1,900 hp, the Pininfarina Battista trumps just about everything there is. Time to rewrite the record books. For now, at least.

The Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica Tears It Up

A pure driving machine for automotive connoisseurs, basic rear-wheel drive, sophisticated aerodynamics and a dry suspension: the Huracán Tecnica. Any questions?

Houston, We Have a Corvette!

There’s a good reason that the Corvette legacy goes back almost seventy years. And that the eighth generation of the car is rolling off the production line these days. It has something to do with astronauts. Among other things.

The Devil Wears Pirelli

Pirelli and Lamborghini. That’s not just a business partnership, it’s a marriage of Italian soul mates that has lasted ever since Automobili Lamborghini was founded back in 1963. An extremely intimate history lesson in a Lamborghini Diablo VT 6.0 SE.

Jenson Button Steps on the Gas

Jenson Button, who won the 2009 World Championship, retired from Formula 1 in 2017 – but that doesn’t mean that speed no longer plays a role in his life. Actually, the opposite is true – as he tells us in our interview with him.