Rent Exotic Cars Network Blog

Richland High School’s Brandon Lyman poses for yearbook photos with a 490 horsepower 2005 Ferrari F430 F1.

 DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TX, March 24, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ — Your Sunday best, a plain gray background and a smile so forced it looks like you were threatened into it. If you’re like most parents, that’s what your high school senior picture consisted of. And chances are, it’s the last picture you want anyone to see.

Well, times have changed - thank goodness. Today, graduates expect their photos to express their personality and to be genuine mementos of good times.

To make that happen, seniors and their parents are increasingly calling on services like Dallas/Ft. Worth’s DFW Elite Auto Rental (www.DFWEliteAutoRental.com) for a photo experience that elicits genuine ear-to-ear grins you’ll actually want to hang on your wall.

“It’s simple,” explains DFW Elite Auto Rental general manager Tom Warren, “a generic picture is usually a waste of money. Kids don’t want that, parents don’t want that. And after all, you only get one shot at a senior photo. It should be special.”

And what could be more special than having your picture taken on the fender of a Lamborghini Gallardo, Bentley GTC or Viper? Those are just three of the exotic dream cars available from the Fort Worth exotic car rental agency, which also maintains Porsches, Mercedes and Ferraris in its fleet, just to name a few.

It’s no surprise that personalized photos have become the “new normal” for senior pictures. After all, if you’ve got the chance to flash your pearly whites in front of a Corvette, the old monochrome backdrop just doesn’t measure up. “My son’s picture with the Ferrari was quite a sensation when yearbooks came out,” said CS Publications and Rent Exotic Cars Network owner Cheryl Lyman, parent of a Richland High School graduate whose senior picture included a yellow Ferrari F430 F1.

And it’s not just photos. More and more students are shrugging off the traditional black limo on prom night in favor of something a little more fun to be chauffeured in.

“We do a lot of luxury SUV rentals for proms,” says Warren, confirming the trend. “It just makes sense. If you’re going out for a once-in-a-lifetime event, who wants to show up in the same old thing? You might as well make it special with a stand-out car that expresses who you are.”

And it’s that demand for self-expression that’s transforming senior pictures from an array of interchangeable head-shots to a vibrant community of individuals showing off a school’s true diversity and character.

The times, they are indeed a-changin’. And that’s a good thing.

About DFW Elite Auto Rental.com

DFW Elite Auto Rental.com is headquartered at 5940 Eden in Fort Worth, and serves Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin with a wide selection of exotic car, luxury car, and SUV rentals. DFW Elite Auto Rental.com’s dream car rentals are available for nationwide delivery at http://www.dfweliteautorental.com or by calling 817.838-RENT.

March 25th, 2009
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I have just arrived back in the States after a brief but exciting visit to Germany. Buying a car there, and having it shipped here, has always been one of those things I wanted to try. I was in Stuttgart for the opening of the Porsche museum. I figured that if I wanted a Porsche, and was willing to pay the price for it, I should see the cars in their native environment and surrounded by the engineers who build, what I believe, is the finest motorcar in the world.

I got my first taste of Porsche in Florida a couple of years ago. Visiting South Beach, and wanting to score big with the ladies, I rented a Porsche Carrera 911 4S. Yes, I am talking 385hp, 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds. I had no problems with the ride and the matter of second importance was handled beyond my wildest dreams. The problem arises then about how one can go from renting to owning. These cars are not cheap, but then neither am I.

When my company offered me the opportunity to handle some business in Germany, I knew that was the opportunity I was waiting for. Wendelin Wiedeking is a nice guy. And he has his car company together. Now I happen to know the car he says is his personal favorite and mine is soon to be delivered. Car demand in Germany dropped by 2 per cent to 3.1million vehicles last year, the lowest in Europe’s largest car market in 20 years. I repeat, now may be the best time to buy.

And just in case you’re wondering, I ordered a 911 GT2. 530hp, 0-60 in 3.6 seconds, and top speed of 204mph. It will cost me a year’s pay, but then, as they say, who’s counting. If you ready to consider such a car, drive one first for at least a few week-end (you’ll have to rent, the dealers won’t let them out that long). Maybe your boss will send you to Germany. Of course you could just buy one here, but anyone can do that.

February 3rd, 2009
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I don’t know if life imitates art or art imitates life. What I do know is that my new girlfriend was adamant that I go to Connecticut to meet her family. She wanted to make a big impression about the “rich boy” she had found at Billy Bob’s in Ft. Worth, Texas. As we planned the trip I was reminded of those movies I have seen where someone want to impress someone so they get a car to drive that may make the “impressor” look incredible to the “impressee.”

While I drive a Hummer here in Texas, I thought some high dollar car might be just the trick. So I rented a 2008 Ferrari F430 Spider. Whoa! Now, not only are the future in-laws (maybe) thinking their little girl has got her a super rich Texan, I have found the car of a man’s dreams.

The F430 Spider has one powerful V8 providing an impressive 483 hp at 8500 rpm. The guy at the rental car company told me that ”peak torque is 343 pound-feet at 5200 rpm, 80 percent of which is available below 3500 rpm.” In other words, it’s fast! Very fast! Some testers, I understand, have managed a zero to 60 mph time of just 3.5 seconds. That will get you to second base quicker than anything I know.

Now that I am back home, I started checking out some facts. I found out this mid-engine supercar goes head-to-head with Lamborghini’s Gallardo Spyder, which is more powerful, but generally regarded as less nimble on the road. The F430 uses a 4.3-liter V8, while the Gallardo uses a 5.0-liter V10. Either one is smaller than the powerplant in the Hummer, but nimble and quick are not words associated with my behemoth.

You can get the F430 with either the classic Ferrari open-gate manual gearbox or with the F1 paddle shift (at least the rental car company I used had both) that Ferrari has continuously developed and refined over recent years. The literature says “Ferrari’s F1 gearbox for the F430 has been tuned by engineers on the Gestione Sportiva racing side. It incorporates a new control strategy which improves gear change speed and smoothness under hard use. Changing gear takes just 150 milliseconds.”

I don’t know about all that, but I do know it’s a head turner, a beauty that will impress a girl’s mom and dad, and score big with the girl (or girls, as the case may be). I am kind glad I learned something from all those movies about how to impress someone. Even me!

January 27th, 2009
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Sometimes there is nothing like a personal “first.” You will remember some of them the entirety of your life; it might be your first haircut, or your first woman, or your first steak at Peter Lugar’s. This past week-end I drove my first Ferrari; a red F430 Spider. No, I can’t afford to buy one, but I can afford to rent one, and I did just that.

South out of Newark on 95, I was at my girl’s place (the woman mentioned earlier) in Elizabeth before I could get my heart to slow down. When she saw it, and me in it, I knew I was in for more than just a fast, sweet ride. We rode west to 78 at Watchung and then on to Round Valley State Recreation Area. I drove so fast on 78, if I had seen a Trooper I don’t think he would have seen me. The faster I went the closer she got. Heads were on a swivel for every person we passed around the lake. It was as if they had never seen a Ferrari, and the truth is, many had not, and even those who had, had never touched one before. It doesn’t hurt, by the way, to let everyone you talk to think it is yours. Six different people asked me to take them for a ride. But you know a two-seater, and I wasn’t going to let my trip partner out for anything but hot food and cold beer.

We spent the night in Stanton Station. I’ll let you pick your place to stay, but I can promise you everywhere you park the Spider, folks will come round for a look and an admiring glance at the guy who can afford one.

The following morning we were back on the road. Flying low, riding close, I can assure you I will never forget this “first.” And it won’t be my last, either. This is not cheap fun, but anything worth doing is worth doing well. There are not a lot of places where you can find a Ferrari that is yours for a weekend, but there is such a thing. Check your local exotic car rental company. And hey, if you’re not into firsts, you’re missing the boat. . .or should I say. . .Ferrari!

January 26th, 2009
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It takes me about 6 months and a few hundred dollars to buy a new car. I only get one every five years, so I want the car I buy to be exactly what I am looking for. Long ago I gave up the “test drive” at the dealership. Taking a car out for a spin around the block, or less than 10-12 minutes on the road, doesn’t tell me much. I want to drive a car at least a hundred miles, and take it over some of the real roads around my town.

So I start about 3-6 months before I am ready to buy. I go to my local Rent-A-Car folks and execute a day rental for a model in which I am interested. I may have to go to several (I live in a big city), or I may find one company has everything I am looking for. In 24 hours, more or less, I can put that car on the freeway, in heavy traffic, on curvy roads in the country, and do any number of fast starts and stops or whatever comes to mind. I do that for a couple of week-ends each month and I am ready for the dealer visit.

It had been a long time since I had driven a Chevy. My last two cars, both of which I kept five years, were a Honda Accord and a Lexus. They were great cars. But, when I drove the 2008 Chevy Malibu, I found a car that one can truly llove. It was roomy, quiet, quick, efficient, and frugal. If I needed to zip, fine. If I wanted to make quick lane changes, fine. If I want to lay back and let her run, fine. I even though the body style was attractive, and I felt good buying “American.”

I know some folks are not going to go to that extent. Maybe they have a particular model they like and buy, period. I have a friend who is into Cadillac like that. Some folks just take the short test drive, buy, and wish later they had at least driven another model or brand. It a big decision, this car buying thing. Find one you can love.

At your car rental company you are going to find “new” (less than a few hundred miles many times) cars. You can drive them for a day, or two if you like. No salesman will be whispering in your ear (he likes it rather you will later or not). Drive it fast, drive it slow, put in six CD’s and see if it sounds right, check the brightness of the lights at night, you know, like it was your own car. Sound like a lot of work? Ok! Keep doing what you’ve been doing. Meanwhile, I’ll be lloving my new car for another three years before I visit the rental guy again.

January 9th, 2009
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