Can you imagine sitting in the driver's seat of a luxurious car with that kind of power? That's the purr of a Lamborghini Aventador engine and it's one of the many cars available to rent from AutoXotic- the new luxury car rental company in Sarasota.
AutoXotic's director of operations Fabio Ruiz says the owners of the company are already a part of a resort vacation business and offering a luxury vehicle segment just made sense. Ruiz says Sarasota is centrally located between Naples and Tampa.
"It's pretty much the center point between both places", Ruiz explained. "We have lots of fortune 500 retirees around here and it has become the new hot destination- vacation destination in Florida, not so much as it used to be Palm Beach and Miami but more of the new upcoming Riviera if you will."
The demand for luxury vehicles is climbing. Sharon Faulker- executive director of the American Car Rental Association, says there are more luxury rental companies joining the association.
"You'll find that especially in the vacation areas like Florida, like Las Vegas, and like California", Faulker said.
It's not just the affluent who rent these exotic beauties. Ruiz says they attract a diverse range of people.
"It goes all across the board. We'll cater to weddings and 50th anniversaries and graduations, stuff like that", Ruiz said. "It's pretty wide out there because it's not so much for the quote on quote rich guy, it's pretty much the dreamer, or the car enthusiast, period."
And in Miami, it's no different. Roc Collado is the business development manager of Prestige Luxury Rentals and he says the client type varies.
"You have the business type that come to Miami and they want to show up to a meeting in a nice car. You have the birthday, people who want to get something nice for their husband or wife or valentine", said Collado. "We also have celebrities who are accustomed to driving these types of vehicles."
Collado says that some of his clients already own these types of lavish vehicles.
"It's funny because these guys most times do own these cars they just own them at home and they might fly in to do business and they're not gonna wanna drive up in a budget car that's maybe not what represents them or who they are", Collado said. "It's really just who they are and they want to represent that and the best way to do is in a luxury car."
AutoXotic owner Larry Starr says sometimes it's beneficial to rent an opulent car even if you already own one. That's because many owners don't drive as much to keep from adding mileage onto the engine which leads to depreciation.
"Under the innovative ownership program there is some irony that's baked into it", said Starr. "So while our programs have mileage limits they tend to be far more generous than the owner of a car would give him or herself due to the fact that they're more of a garage art than they are to be driven on the road."
So the next time you're looking to take a step from your usual mundane ride, maybe getting behind the wheel of a Lamborghini Gallardo can rev up your day.