Happiness is doing, not having

In the psychology course at Yale, scientist Laurie Santos explains to students that over a certain annual income threshold, people’s happiness does not increase. In support of this study, a parallel and very interesting one has emerged. One of the best ways to achieve happiness is not to accumulate things, but to experience them. The luxury market has understood this for years, just think of old-style cruises, the creation of resorts in legendary places, all the way up to unique food experiences with chefs at your home.

This trend was never going to escape the world of automobiles. And in recent years an interesting reality has emerged that allows many of us to choose truly special experiences.

The first of these is the possibility to rent a classic car, which allows you to savour all the sensations and emotions, and to drive a historic car that, whether for price or uniqueness, you cannot put in your garage. So, both manufacturers with official channels, and skilled entrepreneurs have begun exploiting this experiential channel to allow enthusiasts to enjoy driving legendary cars, without having to think about the costs of maintenance, insurance, care and protection of the vehicle. Similar to going to a resort instead of buying a villa…

The second goes even further: in addition to the car there is also a complete and luxurious package of services to discover the region of your choice: Provence and the French Riviera, Bavaria, Tuscany or the Amalfi coast. Packages include transfers to/from the airport, the ability to choose your hotel and restaurant, guided tours to museums and above all a charming roadbook that makes you feel like a true rally participant.

Mercedes, not content with dominating just Formula 1, has sensed an opportunity around the desire to escape in romantically dated cars and has created the Classic Car Travel of Mercedes-Benz featuring its legendary open-top SL or, if you prefer a slightly more epic experience with rough and ready English, German and Italian spiders, you can’t go far wrong with the Italian Slow drive.

In other words, classics are beautiful. Always.