Renting: Ticket to an Exotic for Supercar Enthusiasts
Even in the midst of the deepest economic recession America
has experienced since the Great Depression, car lovers have
dreams. Most, even in good times, won't see the day when they
can drop $200,000 on a new Ferrari, but a couple of grand to
pretend for a weekend? That's more likely and it's that fantasy
on which the exotic
car rentals
industry counts for its livelihood. Some customers just want to
show up at their class reunions in a luxury car, maybe a nice
Mercedes, but others long to feel the power of one of the
world's elite genre of supercars.
A new, popular service, pioneered by a New York exotic car
rental company, allows drivers to do just that. Participants get
behind the wheel of multiple exotic rentals for a 150-mile,
six-hour fantasy. At an opening price of approximately $600 (up
to $1000 depending on company and event), these passionate car
enthusiasts buy themselves roughly half an hour each piloting
cars like the Ferrari 360 Spyder, Ferrari F430 Spyder, Maserati
Quattroporte, Lamborghini Murcielago, Lamborghini Gallardo, and
Lambroghini Gallardo Spyder.
Often participating drivers have received the experience as a
gift to mark a special occasion. Others save all year just to
feed their lust for cars they will never be able to afford.
Gotham's most expensive car, the Saleen S7 (price tag $400,000)
rents for $2,750 a day ($13,000 a week.) It's most popular
exotic rental, the Lamborghini Gallardo, goes for an affordable
$995 a day ($4,990) a week. DFW Elite Auto Rental near Dallas
averages $620 per day on its rentals with a contract duration of
about 2.25 days. (They did have one person who took out a
Bentley Continental GTC convertible, and drove it to Florida.
Opening rental price $5,500. Charge per mile after the 100 free
miles a day - $3.)
Customers are responsible for all citations or moving violations
as well as any fees and associated costs for towing or
impounding while the car is in their possession. Because
insuring these cars would be cost prohibitive, most drivers take
out liability policies only or rely on the physical liability
clause of their own automotive insurance, meaning that in the
event of an accident, the driver foots the bill. (Expect to be
asked to provide insurance information and to have that coverage
verified via telephone before being allowed to rent an exotic.
Prices for additional liability coverage at the dealership vary
widely by make, model, and driving record.) Additionally, the
DFW operation has the ability to remotely kill their cars'
engines if theft-in-progress is suspected and they get speed
reports to monitor how the vehicle is being operated.
Not surprisingly, participants in "dream car" events prefer to
be out in the countryside away from situations where expensive
damage is likely to occur. While accidents do happen, they are
relatively rare in the exotic rental industry. Even drivers who
love speed are more than aware of the financial consequences of
a wreck or even a minor repair. Fixing a scraped wheels on one
of these beauties can easily run to $2000. Spending upwards to a
thousand dollars a day to indulge a fantasy may seem like
insanity to the normal driver, but the owner of DFW Elite Auto
Rental, Ron Sturgeon, recently told John Austin of the Fort
Worth Star-Telegram that his business was down less than 10
percent for 2009. Maybe in bad times, dreams are more important
than ever.
Rumormill: McLaren planning hybrid supercar
Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Supercars, Rumormill 
McLaren F1 LM - Click above for high-res image gallery
McLaren has put up a job posting for a Senior Engineer for Powertrain Hybrid Technology on its official website, which may offer a few clues as to where the automaker may be heading in the near future for its road cars. As far as rumors go, this one seems pretty solid. According to an unnamed spokesperson quoted by Autocar:
It (hybrid technology) is something we want as a forward-thinking, technology-driven company. We have been considering it for future projects. All the advert means is that we are looking for a senior engineer in powertrain hybrid technology. Read into it what you will.
One possibility is that McLaren will attempt to adapt the KERS system from its Formula 1 race cars for street use. It's widely agreed upon that McLaren's KERS implementation is the best in F1 and both BMW and Ferrari are also thought to be working on KERS for future road cars.
Within the next few years, McLaren is expected to introduce a couple of new supercars, including a replacement for the current SLR, codenamed P11, and a successor to the famed F1 supercar from the mid '90s that's currently known as the P12.
[Source: McLaren via Autocar]Rumormill: McLaren planning hybrid supercar originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments | New pics of production Spyker Aileron hit the interwebs
Filed under: Coupes, Supercars, Spyker 
2010 Spyker C8 Aileron - Click above for image gallery
Boutique Dutch carmaker Spyker unveiled its elongated and streamlined C8 Aileron back in March in Geneva, and we saw its North American debut in New York a month later. Those were show car versions of the upcoming production model based on the concept car we had seen in Geneva and Pebble Beach the year before. We've seen the imposing coupes from every possible angle, inside and out. They are finely crafted, uniquely engineered, rolling works of art, like a plutocrat's timepiece on wheels. What we haven't seen is a production-spec Aileron in red.
A new batch of photos has just begun circulating out onto the 'net, showing a stunning red Aileron driving around Europe. A reliable source tells us this is the first pre-production car to hit the streets, so it is only a matter of time before we see one of these 400 horsepower, Audi 4.2-liter V8-powered rocketships in private hands. Click below to see our full gallery.
[Source: Spyker]New pics of production Spyker Aileron hit the interwebs originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments |
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