In my personal opinion, this aforementioned desire to belong to certain factions is intensified for anyone worthy of calling themselves a petrol head.

An example that punts my point right across is when I joined the Scooby Nation Subaru Club at the end of last month for a breakfast-run to the ever-so-popular Hartbeespoort Dam.

It was a cool winter’s morning and the meeting point for the run was at a Cashbah roadhouse in Pretoria. The back window of the Subaru WRX (Autodealer’s long-term test car) was still opaque from the early morning dew build-up as I waited for my contact - Tiaan de Klerk, one of the guys calling the shots at the Scooby Nation Club. I dressed to impress – as I imagined the Scooby owner dress code to be rather casual with shorts and T-shirt and cap. 

In true motorsport fashion, de Klerk arrived in a blue and yellow rally liveried Impreza, revving his engine once in good taste before coming to a stop. Climbing out he already managed to make me feel welcome with a friendly handshake and a good bit of chatter. It soon became evident that he is fanatical about the Japanese marque as he talked me through the Subaru 22B. 

I was introduced to the rest of the band before departing to the next meeting point where I was left amazed by the sheer scale of this Subaru love affair. Just short of 30 Subarus in total descended on this meeting place, where fellow aficionados would meet and instantly become friends, thanks to one factor – a shared passion for the Subaru brand. Stories were shared ranging from the underpinnings of a specific model to the different uses of isolation tape under the bonnet.

After meeting most of the guys at this merry gathering I noted that in some strange way, my Fast and Furious fantasy had finally come true. I felt (however briefly) that I belonged somewhere. This observation was not entirely based on the fact that I was there in a furiously fast (on my standards) Subaru WRX and we were about to embark on a short road trip. It is, however, entirely based on the sense of camaraderie.

Finally, on our way to Harties, the exhaust notes of these power wagons reverberated through the streets and rumbled onto the highway where mostly everyone kept to specific groups; those wishing to burn some petrol with the others (myself included) and who were not really gifted with a natural sense of direction, followed somewhere at the back.

On the road, the 197kW of seductive power was quite handy for overtaking purposes and most importantly, having serious fun as the occasional aspiring videographer filmed the horde of Subarus making their way to the journey’s end.

Arriving at the day-camp resort, the Scooby Nation Brotherhood stirred the inner petrol head of nearly everyone. Guests armed themselves with camera phones, while the occasional teenager gawked at the import heroes with massive tailpipes and slightly intimidating motorsport branding – capable of striking fear in the hearts of anyone willing to partake in a good-natured traffic-light contest.

Since this a motoring publication, which focuses primarily on two things: cars and driving, I will conclude this article, since books about the techniques of braaing and the fauna and flora around Hartbeespoort Dam are widely available at local bookstores.

I’ve been to some remarkable motoring events in my life although none can compare to the well-oiled machine that is the Scooby Nation Club. Yes, some events had an abundance of multi-million rand supercars brightening the days of spectators as they were taken around a racetrack designed for maximum thrills.

However, joining an owners’ club – even just for a day, in a car I cannot afford – is something larger than life. Taking part in this run created a feeling most sought after, that money can actually buy, the feeling of belonging to a certain group, as mentioned earlier in the article.

After spending serious time with the WRX and giving it a proper wash at least twice a week, I completely understand the utterly biased preference to this machine. The best way to describe it is using the dog-tired clichéd idiom: It is the best of both worlds. Use this car as you wish. It’s a spacious everyday run-around more than fit for a family of four with more stowaway space in the boot than a garden shed. Even use it as a track-day car when the occasion arises – the Subaru will deliver plenty of confidence and loads of thrill-inducing motion.