You might soon need a special license to drive a Ferrari

The news will surprise – and presumably annoy – a lot of car people, but it seems you’re soon going to need a special license to drive fast cars in some places.

South Australia is implementing a new law that requires people who want to drive fast cars to take a special test.

And because there’s bureaucracy involved, the definition of ‘fast car’ is unsurprisingly a bit loose.

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The South Australian Department for Transport and Infrastructure is introducing this law to teach drivers how to ‘safely’ operate what they call a UHPV Ultra High-Performance Vehicle.

This is the first thing that will make a lot of people roll their eyes.

The irony is that this new test will not require an additional practical driving test.

Presumably because the government doesn’t know how to go about actually providing the cars for said test.

Why this might soon concern everyone

The new law will come into effect on December 1, 2024 and, for now, it will only be relevant to drivers living in South Australia.

But the thing is, the UK government has already said this law is ‘worthy of consideration’.

From here, it can go one of two ways.

It may turn into a giant nothingburger and remain a one-off, but if the UK decides also to adopt this law, it’s just a matter of time before other legislations do.

These are the vehicles that will require a special license

The goal of the new special license is to prepare drivers for the supercar experience.

Among other things, the test will require drivers to learn how to use things like traction control.

This is because turning off traction control in a car that’s extremely powerful is more dangerous than doing so in a car with less power.

Logically, this actually makes sense, but the problem is, as ever, the government’s idea of what an ‘Ultra High-Performance Vehicle’ might be is a bit…fluid.

According to the new law, a special license is needed for vehicles with 370 hp per ton or more.

It is not an unreasonable limit, but it means the license will also be needed for lightweight vehicles such as the Caterham Seven.

And the Caterham doesn’t even have 370 horsepower, it doesn’t even have 300 or 200 hp.

It has 180+, but because it weighs half a ton, it technically qualifies due to the power-to-weight ratio.

But there’s a silver lining, if we wanted to find one.

If you own a Caterham Seven, which can easily be bought pre-owned for way less than $50,000, you’re technically in the same bracket as the guy who owns, say, a Bugatti Tourbillon.

Because you would both need the exact same ‘special license’.

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