What would it take to build the world’s greatest private racetrack? In the mountains of Japan, The Magarigawa Club offers an astonishing answer: a spectacular driving circuit carved through forested hills, a resort-style clubhouse overlooking Tokyo Bay, and a private community where owners of some of the world’s most remarkable cars can share their passion.
That extraordinary setting caught the attention of Top Gear, which introduced its February 2024 video tour with the provocative headline “The Greatest Private Race Track In The World?!”
Presenter Tom Ford explored the facilities and drove the mountain course in a Porsche 911 GT3 RS. The question was Top Gear’s—not an official worldwide ranking—but one look at the winding circuit helps explain why it was asked.
Top Gear is calling attention to The Magarigawa Club’s spectacular Hermann Tilke-designed circuit in Japan, asking whether it is:
“The Greatest Private Racetrack in the World?!”
And then there is the money. The Magarigawa Club has been described as a $200 million luxury motorsport club, but the most recent published figure is actually approximately €200 million invested in the development, according to Porsche’s 2026 coverage.
That is a reported euro-denominated project cost, not a verified US-dollar construction total. The result is much more than an expensive racetrack: it is an exclusive automotive retreat where engineering, Japanese hospitality, and collector community meet.
Located in Minamiboso, Chiba Prefecture, The Magarigawa Club opened on July 29, 2023. Its secluded mountain landscape, views toward Mount Fuji, and member-focused atmosphere make it one of the most unusual private driving destinations in the world.
Top Gear Takes on Japan’s Extraordinary Private Racetrack
Top Gear’s tour begins with an almost unbelievable contrast. Beyond the landscaped entrance gates lies a fully equipped motorsport complex: a private helipad, a fuel station, professional workshops, temperature-controlled collector-car storage, and an indoor pit lane that feels more like a luxury automobile showroom than a conventional racing paddock.
Then the mountain circuit comes into view. Its turns disappear over crests and into green valleys, challenging drivers to balance speed, confidence, and precision. Top Gear’s visit highlighted the appeal of the course and the luxury facilities surrounding it, helping introduce Magarigawa to a much wider international audience.
Watch Top Gear’s video tour of The Magarigawa Club:
Video: Top Gear, published February 28, 2024. The program examines whether Magarigawa deserves to be called the world’s greatest private racetrack.
The club itself subsequently featured the Top Gear visit in its news coverage. For collectors, the video is an unusually revealing look at a venue that is normally experienced through private membership and special invitations.
Hermann Tilke Designed a Mountain Circuit Unlike Any Ordinary Track
The driving experience is the heart of Magarigawa. The 3.5-kilometer (2.17-mile) private circuit was designed by Tilke Engineers & Architects, the German motorsport-design firm associated with numerous Formula 1 circuits. Its layout follows the mountains rather than fighting them, with a succession of bends, steep grades, and dramatic changes in perspective.
According to the club’s published specifications, the course includes 22 corners, an 800-meter straight, a maximum 20% uphill gradient, and a 16% downhill gradient. The club’s current course page lists a 189-meter cumulative elevation difference; Porsche’s 2026 feature describes approximately 250 meters of elevation change. Because those figures are reported differently, the club’s 189-meter specification is used here rather than treating the larger number as settled.
The Magarigawa Club’s Tilke-designed private circuit follows the mountains of Chiba Prefecture, with 22 turns and a long straight that give collectors a demanding and scenic place to drive.
It is a purpose-built driving course, not a conventional public racing venue. That distinction matters. Members can spend time learning the behavior of their own cars, improving braking and cornering technique, or simply enjoying a carefully managed driving session without the atmosphere of a major professional race weekend.
Professional instruction and on-site vehicle support help make the circuit accessible to experienced track drivers and enthusiasts who want to develop their skills. The attraction is as much about mastering a machine as chasing a lap time.
The Magarigawa Club’s road course was designed by Tilke Engineers & Architects, known internationally for major motorsport circuits.
The visual impact is just as significant. Unlike flat circuits built on open land, this layout flows through green hills and shifting elevations. From a high viewpoint, the track appears to wind through the countryside like a river—an apt image for a club whose name evokes a winding waterway.
What Does a €200 Million Luxury Motorsport Club Include?
Magarigawa occupies an approximately one-square-kilometer landscape and required roughly two and a half years of construction before opening. Porsche’s 2026 account places the development investment at around €200 million. That published estimate gives some sense of the project’s enormous scale, though it should not be confused with an exact US-dollar expenditure or the value of an individual membership.
Rather than investing only in the asphalt, the developers created a fully integrated private motorsport resort. Members have access to sophisticated automotive facilities, landscaped grounds, dining and recreation, and places to spend time with family and friends before or after a driving session.
The clubhouse includes an indoor, climate-controlled pit lane, while specialist facilities provide temperature-controlled vehicle storage, automotive workshops, and an on-site fueling station. Top Gear reported storage capacity for several hundred cars, making the property as relevant to collectors with extensive garages as it is to performance drivers.
Private owners’ paddocks and villa-style accommodations bring another dimension to the experience. The club’s earlier official materials described nine accommodation units, while Porsche’s 2026 reporting refers to ten guest villas. The exact current inventory should be confirmed with management when making reservations.
Japanese Hospitality Turns a Track Day Into a Luxury Retreat
At many racetracks, the day ends when the engines go quiet. At Magarigawa, that is when another part of the experience begins. Members can leave the paddock for fine dining, a quiet lounge, or a swim overlooking the surrounding countryside.
The 25-meter infinity pool is one of the club’s signature features. Other amenities include a natural Japanese hot spring sourced from approximately 918 meters underground, spa services, a fitness facility, a family lounge, and recreational spaces that include driving simulators and karaoke.
The Magarigawa Club combines climate-controlled motorsport facilities with hospitality amenities such as an infinity pool, natural hot spring, dining, and relaxing spaces for members and their families.
Dining looks toward Mount Fuji and Tokyo Bay, with the club describing meals prepared with locally sourced ingredients. The effect is closer to a carefully designed Japanese retreat than a conventional racing facility. A member can spend the morning refining a racing line and the afternoon enjoying a meal with friends who may never have taken a car onto the circuit.
An International Car Collector Community, Not Just a Racetrack
The most convincing measure of Magarigawa’s appeal may be the community forming around it. Porsche reported in 2026 that the club had more than 400 members, with approximately 80% based in Japan and the remaining 20% coming from abroad. Its clubhouse operation was supported by approximately 70 staff members, according to the same report.
That international character is visible at special gatherings. In 2026, the Porsche GT Circle brought 20 drivers from nine countries to experience Magarigawa. Porsche described an event in which serious driving was accompanied by hospitality and friendships among collectors who had traveled from different parts of the world.
Magarigawa also hosted a Porsche 911 gathering in September 2025, with driving, displays, and other activities celebrating the model. These gatherings demonstrate that the club’s role extends beyond offering private laps: it is also a destination for automotive heritage, enthusiast culture, and shared experiences.
Families and non-driving guests are part of the broader club concept, too. The children’s facilities, wellness areas, restaurants, and guest accommodations give members reasons to linger long after the cars have returned to storage.
How Much Does Membership at The Magarigawa Club Cost?
Membership is an essential part of what makes this private motorsport community exclusive. The club’s official website currently identifies full membership and associate membership. As of this October 2026 review, its membership page advertises reservations or inquiries for full membership and welcomes applications for associate membership, but it does not publish a current initiation-fee or annual-dues schedule.
There are, however, published historical figures that illustrate the original positioning. A pre-opening feature in T JAPAN reported the following pricing, explicitly describing the amounts as pre-opening rates:
- Full membership: ¥36 million initiation fee and ¥220,000 annual membership fee; the published original membership category was limited to 500.
- Associate membership: ¥4 million initiation fee and approximately ¥1.05 million in annual associated charges; the published original category was limited to 750.
These are historical figures, not confirmed 2026 prices. They should not be used as a current quotation, and the different types of annual charges may reflect different membership benefits. Prospective members should ask the club directly about current initiation costs, ongoing dues, privileges, family access, vehicle-storage charges, and any required agreements or waivers.
Likewise, access to the circuit is governed by the club’s own procedures, driving sessions, safety standards, and membership conditions. Publicly available sources do not establish a universal waiver or one fixed driving-access fee applicable to every member.
For updated information, see the official Magarigawa membership page or contact the club through its website.
Magarigawa Private Car Club and Circuit Race Track
The Vision Behind Magarigawa and Its Automotive Heritage
Magarigawa was developed through the Japanese luxury automotive business associated with Cornes & Company, a company whose history dates to 1861. Its luxury-car activities have longstanding connections with prestigious European marques, giving the project a natural relationship with buyers and collectors who already value exceptional automobiles.
The ambition was not simply to create another test track. It was to design an environment where the ownership experience continues beyond the garage door: from the first morning drive to a relaxed dinner, a family visit, or an evening spent discussing cars with other enthusiasts.
The track engineering comes from Hermann Tilke’s design practice, while its landscaped setting reflects a distinctly Japanese approach to architecture and nature. Porsche’s 2026 feature highlighted landscape architect Hachiro Sakakibara, whose arrangement of stone, trees, and open views helps give the property its unusually calm character.
The blend is deliberate. Loud, powerful cars are only one part of the experience. Away from the circuit, the club favors privacy, understated design, and an atmosphere in which visitors can appreciate the surrounding landscape.
Is Magarigawa Really the World’s Greatest Private Racetrack?
There is no universally accepted ranking that identifies one private circuit as the greatest in the world. Top Gear raised the question, and its memorable video title became a fitting way to introduce this extraordinary destination.
What is clear is that very few private clubs combine a Tilke-designed mountain circuit, specialist collector-car facilities, a reported €200 million development investment, resort-style Japanese hospitality, and a multinational collector community on this scale.
For members, the experience extends far beyond the stopwatch. It’s about learning to drive better, enjoying extraordinary machinery in a remarkable setting, and spending time with people who understand why automobiles matter. Whether Magarigawa is the world’s greatest is ultimately a matter of opinion—but it has made a compelling case for being among the most remarkable private motorsport clubs anywhere.
Visiting and Contacting The Magarigawa Club
The Magarigawa Club
Minamiboso, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
Official website: www.magarigawa.com
Membership inquiries: Official membership informationThe club is a private member-focused facility rather than a public racetrack with unrestricted daily admission. Contact management for the latest membership availability, permitted visits, guest access, driving-session requirements, and accommodation arrangements.
Further reading: Top Gear’s visit to Magarigawa; Porsche’s 2026 GT Circle feature; official course specifications.
