(Ecns.cn) -- As demand for luxury cars continues to grow in China, a frenzy of exotic car purchases has gripped the market, leading to a bitter fight between global brands for the massive Chinese auto market. Not surprisingly, elite sports car clubs have begun to proliferate in major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, where well-heeled members come together to compare their fancy foreign wheels.
Held in May, the 2011 SIC Club Challenge hosted by Unique Motorsport in Shanghai was reported to be the largest-scale sports car competition of its kind in China, with the number of participants and supercar brands hitting a record high.
Tickets were not available to the general public, of course, most of which will never sit behind the wheel of a car expensive enough to qualify them for club membership.
High-end requirements
Unlike car clubs in Western countries, clubs in China are formed according to location rather than brand. The Beijing Sports Car Club (SCC), for example, is the country's first such group.
"Currently there are about 300 members in our club in Beijing, with a registered number of more than 300 luxury cars. Many members have more than one high-end car," said Liu Yuchen, manager of the Beijing SCC.
Among the 500 competing cars in the 2011 SIC Club Challenge, the Beijing SCC represented one fifth of them. The club has since deepened its cooperation with the ACM car club of Monaco, making it the most influential sports car club in China.
And like any elite community, there are some conditions that must be met before acquiring membership.
First, a $220,000 Porsche 911 is considered an entry-level model. "Members must own a car better than a Porsche 911, but there are some special models that are exceptions, including the Nissan GTR and BMW M3," said one of the founders of the Beijing SCC.
Other models such as the Ford Mustang GT V8, the Chevrolet Camaro V8, the Cadillac CTSC and the Audi R8 are all entry-level. However, Porsche's Cayman and Boxster models, the Mercedes Benz SLK/SL, the Chevrolet Camaro V6, the BMW Z4/Z3 and the Nissan 370Z are all on the refusal list.
"We do not want to define a sports car club as a top-ranking clubhouse for social connections. What we focus on is the car itself. Fondness for car culture is a prerequisite," said Liu Yuchen.
Controversy
Last year a video clip spread rapidly on the Internet, in which 12 Lamborghini's were seen decorated and cruising in a wedding procession along Chang'an Avenue on their way to the China World Hotel in Beijing. One of the bride's relatives belonged to a sports car club, so she had gathered club members to put on a Lamborghini motorcade as a wedding gift to the new couple.
In April 2010, that same club organized an activity which caught public attention again. On the day of the Beijing Auto Show, 60 club members assembled at the Beijing Workers' Gymnasium and drove their sports cars to the site of the auto show together. Detractors said the club had completely stolen the show.
According to a staff member from Unique Motorsport, the total number of top sports cars worth more than 10 million yuan (about $1.55 million) is already more than 50 in China.
When luxury cars such as Ferraris and Lamborghinis are parked along the street they tend to attract attention. They also incur complaints of an affluent second generation flaunting its wealth.
"There is no need to see sports cars racing on the street, because this is not an affordable thing for everyone," said Horacio Pagani, founder and designer of Pagani Automobili S.p.A., a world-class sports car manufacturer, at the press conference of the SIC Club Challenge in May.
In China, the majority of sports car owners are from the young and passionate post-70s and post-80s generations, who have more fashionable taste and a keen awareness of luxury brands. Sports cars are a particularly conspicuous example.
Although sports car clubs are triggering controversy in society, labels such as "wild racers" and "wealth flaunters" are not only for the Chinese, but a common phenomenon all over the world.
On June 18, 2011, a racing competition took place in Seoul, South Korea, where 13 rich men drove their supercars with dangerous abandon. Four people were arrested for disruption of public order, and the case became a hot topic globally. The public blamed the rich for their irresponsibility.
"Innocent enthusiasts of sports cars should not be blamed, because they are also victims," said Zhang Kuanzeng, founder of the Beijing SCC.
