CHAPTER 56: A THRILLING EXPERIENCE

Liam slowly drove out of Holmby Hills and he guided the car up the sloped driveway and onto Sunset Boulevard, the streets lined with palm trees and multi-million-dollar homes.

It has been a few minutes since he took the car out and he has really been enjoying the drive so far.

Though he hasn’t pushed the car due to the fact that he’s driving on residential street, he can already see the car living up to the concept behind it. Ultimate speed.

The car has a top speed of 255mph and it’s currently cruising at less than half of quarter of the its top speed.

As for where he will push the car to its limit, he already has an idea and was currently on his way there now.

He slowly drove down Sunset Boulevard with a smile on his face. He made sure he enjoyed the view as coming out for him is something that can be considered rare.

Liam was casually enjoying the drive and he had no idea that the car was already turning heads, and attracting attention.

In the world of cars, there are people called car spotters. They are basically considered the watchdog of car culture.

In other words, they are enthusiasts who dedicate their time to finding, photographing, and filming rare, exotic, or unusual cars on public roads. Some are just purely enthusiasts, while some are semi-pro or community driven.

You can find them hanging around high-end areas like Beverly Hills, Sunset Boulevard, Rodeo Drive, Holmby Hills, London’s Knightsbridge, Monaco, Dubai’s Marina, Tokyo’s Roppongi.

And in L.A, there are tons of car spotters who hang around places like Rodeo Drive, Sunset Boulevard, and Malibu Country Mart, filming every rare hypercar.

And that was the reason why the moment the McLaren P1 LM-X was spotted, their phones and cameras started clicking.

As people very familiar with all sorts of hyper cars, they were very familiar with the McLaren P1 LM and this car shares very uncanny similarities to it, except the paintwork and the near-absense of a rear wing.

"Is that a McLaren P1 LM?" One of the asked, as his camera made a clicking sound, taking a picture of the car.

"It looks familiar but it’s not it. No rear wing and the paintwork is unique. See how it shimmers under the sunlight?" The spotter beside replied, staring at his tab and watching the video footage being fed to it by the drone following behind the car.

"Then it’s probably a secret MSO (McLaren Special Project), an unreleased car or the prototype for a never-released track car. Or it’s a variant," the first spotter said.

The second spotter nodded in agreement and added, "Either way, we can leave it to the forums and outlets like Supercar Blondie, Top Gear, Car Throttle and Robb Report to get the necessary information from McLaren."

"Can you guess who’s driving it?" The first spotter asked, smiling, as he took more pictures of the car.

"Easy. Probably a billionaire, a celebrity or a Saudi prince. It has to be anyone between them."

Meanwhile, Liam had already noticed that he was starting to attract some attention. If he had no idea before, then the group of boys and girlsrunning slowly following behind him, with their phones out, was enough to make him aware.

But he wasn’t worried because the glasses of the car are all tinted and no one can see the person behind the wheel.

Liam was okay with showing off the car but becoming a celebrity, having paparazzis chase after him and his life being put under scrutiny by people who has no idea what he might be going through, wasn’t something he wants.

Of course, Liam was probably overthinking this but he won’t be taking any chances. And that was why he immediately stepped on the gas a little, as he turned toward Rodeo Drive, the car gliding into the palm-lined street.

Immediately, he felt all eyes on him but he didn’t pay attention to them, as he kept his pace slow, letting the car’s low rumble echo off the boutique façades. He could feel the weight of eyes on him from every angle.

He exited Rodeo and turned back toward Sunset Boulevard. Guiding the car east, Liam let Sunset Boulevard carry him through Hollywood, weaving through the slow-moving traffic with ease.

At an open stretch, he flicked his wrist, and the car surged forward effortlessly, the power under his command but never unruly.

By the time he merged onto the freeway and veered north toward Glendale, the horizon opened into brighter morning sky and rising silhouettes of the San Gabriel Mountains.

And then, at last, he reached Angeles Crest Highway.

Liam slowed to a crawl at the first turnout, the car idling like a beast straining against a leash. He toggled a switch on the dash.

With a soft mechanical whine, the rear wing deployed, rising from the tail like a blade being drawn. The aero flaps shifted into position, transforming the McLaren from beautiful to deadly.

Liam took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, and he smiled. His eyes seem to light up the next moment and he pressed the throttle.

Immediately, the world exploded into a blur as the McLaren lunged forward, tires biting hard into the asphalt as the twin-turbo V8 and hybrid system unleashed 1,150 horsepower.

The exhaust screamed, a metallic wail echoing against the rock faces as Liam tore up the incline.

His Pro-level Vehicular Operation skill came alive and it was complimented by his enhanced senses. His hands moved flawlessly, each shift timed to the millisecond, each corner taken at the perfect angle.

He braked late — impossibly late — yet the car obeyed, diving into apexes like it had read his mind.

The G-forces pinned him to the seat comfortably, with the mountains flashing by in a blur of pine, cliff, and sky.

The road twisted and coiled, but it wasn’t a problem for Liam. He was already going at the car’s top speed but thanks of his enhanced senses, time still felt relatively normal for him.

Downshifting into a hairpin, the rear stepped out for a fraction of a second. A lesser driver would have panicked but Liam merely adjusted his steering input, feathered the throttle, and the car snapped back into line, roaring out of the corner with perfect traction.

Liam raced the car throughout the early hours of the morning, through Angeles Crest Highway before finally turning and driving back to the city.

By then, it was already close to noon and Liam has had a ton of fun. It was truly the first time he used his driving skill to its maximum and took advantage of his enhanced senses.

The experience was more than thrilling and he would love to experience it more. But that would for another time as the metal beast needs rest.