ENTREPRENEUR K. Foo, 50, says one of the things he dreads about owning a supercar is people staring.

"After the first few Ferraris, the attention is really not welcome," says the man who is now in between models from the House of the Prancing Horse.

He sold his 360 Challenge Stradale four months ago, and is waiting for a new model to come along - possibly the F439 Pista, which could arrive by the end of the year.

Mr Foo's first sportscar was a Porsche 911 Targa. It was the last of the air-cooled Porsches. He bought his first Ferrari at 40.

He says when you buy such cars, "you're buying emotion".

"When you take delivery of it, you laugh. When you sell it, you cry," he quips, adding that "the $200,000 you lose each time you dispose of a car adds up".

But his love of driving, especially on the circuit, keeps him hooked.

It was on Germany's infamous Nurburgring track that property developer Darren Cheong, 46, fell in love with the exotic Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG, a two-seater based on the car used in the German Touring Car Masters.

He bought one two years ago, and is still enamoured of it. "It's one of the most special cars I've had," he says.

Despite having a stable of other cars, he has put over 4,000km on the CLK DTM.

But it is not always the power and the glory that convince men (and a few women) to part with huge sums of money to own such cars.

For Dr Chan Kok Weng, 37, an aesthetic physician, it was "jaw-dropping good looks" that drew him to the Lamborghini Gallardo.

The doctor, who recalls his younger days in England sprinting down country roads in hot hatchbacks, also has a Porsche 911 C4 Cabriolet in his garage.

Another Lambo owner, businessman Tan Ian Mao, 36, doesn't pay as much attention to the aesthetics as he does to the driving experience.

"Just drive it," he coaxes. "Over B-roads and mountain roads, nothing with four doors can handle like one of them. These machines are far more focused."

Few can claim to be as focused in this pursuit as Mr Tan. He is taking part in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia in a 911 GT3 Cup race car. He is also driving a Porsche GT3 RSR, a purpose-built racer, in this year's Merdeka Millennium Endurance race.

His street-legal cars include a Porsche 911 C4, 911 Turbo and 911 GT3. He also has a Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale, as well as a Lamborghini Gallardo (which will be making way for the Gallardo Superleggera).