This is no ordinary rental car. I just shot my red Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe through a hairpin on Road Atlanta's Grand Prix course with the pedal flat on the floor. At 100 m.p.h., bales of hay lining the road pass like a golden blur, but I keep my eyes on the speedometer and the blacktop.

I've always loved the unfettered freedom of the road. But today I'm not tooling around in a Hertz-mobile; I'm screaming around the blind hills and curves of Road Atlanta at the Porsche Driving Experience. This adventure has only one drawback--it's expensive ($2,495 for the two-day course). Still, to test some of the classiest cars on one of the world's best courses is worth the price to me.

For two days, the instructors--five Porsche team racers--lead a class of 20 through exercises to understand the limits of the 911, the course, and ourselves. About two-thirds of the participants own Porsches; the rest, like me, are simply in love with the $76,000 320-horsepower beauties.

"You're here to get 100% out of the car," British racer Chris Hall tells us. The limits of the Porsche, however, are way above anything I'd driven before. "The 911 is one of the few cars you can take from the showroom to the racetrack," says manager of operations and race driver Jeff Purner.