Car Club Blog

A new list in Business Week, entitled the “25 Most Iconic Cars of the Past 20 Years” singles out the Bentley Continental.  The list of 25 vehicles also includes the Hummer H2, the Lamborghini Gallardo, and the Porsche 911.  It’s easy for auto enthusiasts to experience the thrill of driving these exotic cars with exotic car rental in Dallas Fort Worth from DFW Elite Auto Rental.

The full list of exotic vehicles is available at Business Week and includes the following:

1. Mazda Miata:  The Miata is noted for reinventing the roadster and stirring up interest in small sports coupes.
2. Lotus Elise:  The Elise has been singled out as faster than other sports cars due to its light fiberglass body.
3. Toyota Prius:  Famous for bringing hybrid cars to the commercial forefront, the Prius is a favorite of many celebrities.
4. Audi TT:  The Audi TT is noted for its design features and stylish appearance.
5. New Volkswagen Beetle:  The New Beetle was a huge success at reintroducing fans to the popular Beetle.
6. Pagani Zonda:  With a price tag of $1.2 million and the appearance and performance stats to go with it, the Zonda is the ultimate exotic car.
7. BMW Z8:  Although it wasn’t around for very long, this two-seated roadster is noted for its performance and design innovations.
8. Mini Cooper:  From its stylish retro design to its impressive performance in its class, the Mini Cooper has been a huge success.
9. Hummer H2:  When you drive a Hummer H2, you can see why it’s the ultimate power SUV.
10. Bentley Continental GT:  For auto enthusiasts, the chance to drive a Bentley Continental GT is the chance of a lifetime; nothing turns heads quite like a Bentley.
11. Ford GT:  Even though it was discontinued three years ago, the GT still gets a nod for being a “classic super car.”
12. Lamborghini Gallardo:  When you drive a Lamborghini Gallardo, you understand the true nature of the modern sports car.
13. Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren:  Arguably the loveliest Mercedes ever built, the SLR McLaren is famous for its stylish racing design.
14. Jaguar XJ:  The 2003 redesign of the classic 1960s Jaguar style preserved some of the iconic features most prized by auto enthusiasts, including the hood ornament and headlights.
15. Aston Martin DB9:  The DB9 makes the list because it looks beautiful from the rear as well as the front.
16. Maserati Quattroporte:  The Quattroporte is reported to have created a “new niche for high-end, four-door supercars.”
17. BMW 3-Series:  The 2005 redesign of the 1970’s 3-Series was a successful update of a popular exotic vehicle.
18. Bugatti Veyron:  This beauty is sometimes considered the most expensive and fastest car in the world.
19. Chrysler 300:  The 300 is considered one of the only successful joint endeavors between Chrysler and Daimler.
20. Ford Mustang:  The 2005 Mustang redesign was a huge success, mixing retro styling with futuristic design themes.
21. Porsche 911:  For exotic car fans who get a chance to drive a Porsche 911, the appeal is easy to see.
22. Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano:  This exotic sports car is considered the most powerful Ferrari, and its stylish beauty is a sure head-turner.
23. Jeep Wrangler:  The 2007 redesign of the classic Jeep Wrangler preserved much of the popular stylistic items while successfully updating the vehicle.
24. Nissan GT-R:  This car was apparently inspired by Japanese anime featuring giant robots.
25. Tata Nano:  This Indian vehicle will be remember for being one of the world’s cheapest cars, and it may see future release in the US.

Which ones did they miss? I suppose iconic does not necessarily mean exotic, but the Nano?

Article by freelance writer Kate Miller Wilson. Learn more about Kate’s SEO writing services at http://www.kateMillerWilson.com.

Amid unprecedented financial difficulties, General Motors has had to make some tough choices.  As the company struggles to survive, it has been forced to sell off subsidiaries to make ends meet.  However, unable to find a buyer for its line medium-duty trucks, the automaker has decided to cease production of the GMC Topkick and Chevy Kodiak.

GM has sought for four years to unload the medium duty trucks, and in 2007, it seemed likely that Navistar, a manufacturer of truck and engine parts, would purchase the line.  Negotiations were also held with Isuzu, but neither deal panned out.  Exotic car enthusiasts are closely watching the struggles of GM.

Once noted for its production of impressive sports cars and large SUVs like the Hummer H2, GM is now fighting for its life.  If things don’t look up soon, the only way to drive a Hummer may be through exotic car rental.

The cease in production of the GMC Topkick and Chevrolet Kodiak means more plant closings for the already desperate auto industry.  One plant in Flint, Michigan, employs 398 people on the assembly line for medium duty trucks.  GM and the United Auto Workers union are still discussing the fate of these workers.

The Chevy Kodiak and GMC Topkick are the only medium duty trucks made by GM.  Medium duty trucks are designed for commercial use, mainly as tow trucks and dump trucks.  This sector of the market has been especially hard hit by the economic downturn, with sales slumping 30 to 40 percent 2007 to 2008 and an additional 30 to 40 percent so far this year.

Several GM dealers will be significantly affected by the change.  470 dealers sell the medium duty trucks, and of those, 129 deal exclusively in GM products.  Dealers now have 18 months to unload their existing inventory of medium duty trucks.

For fans of American automobiles, the last couple of years have been hard to watch.  GM, Chrysler, and Ford have all struggled to remain competitive amid a perfect storm of high gas prices, a credit crunch, and other factors of the economic downturn.  GM’s decision to cease production of the Chevy Kodiak and GMC Topkick is only the latest installment in a sad story.

If you are interested in the fate of Hummer, it sounds like that brand may be purchased by a Chinese company.  Right now, you can drive a Hummer with exotic car rental or an exotic car sharing club.  Exotic car rental also makes it possible to experience the thrill of other great American cars like the Dodge Viper.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a professional freelance writer living in the Twin Cities. Visit her website or email her for information about her freelance writing services.

Spring is finally here for good, and Dallas weather is gorgeous as usual.  With highs in the upper 70s and lower 80s and sunny skies, it’s the perfect time of year for a spring drive on Dallas area roads.  And nothing makes a drive more exciting than renting a convertible sports car like the Porsche 911 at DFW Elite Auto Rental in Fort Worth, TX.

If you dream of driving a Porsche, exotic car rental might be the perfect option for you.  Rather than shelling out over $80,000 to buy a Porsche, you can rent an exotic car for the weekend.

When you own a Porsche, you get an awesome car but a lot of hassle.  You need to find a mechanic certified to work on Porsches, pay for insurance, and find a safe, climate-controlled place to store your exotic car in Dallas.

When you factor in the most sports cars are only driven a few thousand miles a year, renting a sports car like the Porsche deserves a hard second look.

If you find that you frequently rent a Porsche or other exotic car, a good option might be joining an exotic car club.  As a member of an exotic car sharing club, you get access to an entire garage of exotic vehicles.

Porsche currently has five models that it sells in the US.  These include the Porsche Boxster, the Porsche Cayman, the Porsche 911, the Porsche Panamera, and the Porsche Cayenne.  Buing a basic Porsche 911 Cabriolet will run about $87,000.

If you are interested in buying a Porsche in the Dallas area, there are three dealerships nearby:  Autobahn Motorcar Group in Fort Worth, Boardwalk Porsche in Plano, and Park Place Porsche in Dallas.  This may be a great time to buy an exotic car, but exotic car owners are also take a big hit because of depreciation in the first year of ownership.

Test driving an exotic vehicle is a great way to experience a car, but most test drives from dealers don’t last long enough to give prospective buyers a chance to really know a vehicle.  Exotic car rental can be a great way to learn whether a car is for you.  You can rent a Porsche 911 for a day or weekend, rather than just driving it around the block.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a professional freelance web copywriter living in the Twin Cities. Visit her website or email her for information about her freelance writing services.

Fans of the 3000 mile coast-to-coast Gumball Rally in Dallas clustered around the W to catch a peak of some of the exotic cars driven by participants of this year’s rolling party serious road race.

Skateboarder Tony Hawk, ex-Bull Dennis Rodman and his playmate teammate are just a few of the celebs that put foot to accelerator in the 2009 Gumball Rally.

Hat tip to Terry Box from the Dallas Morning News for a good column on the Gumballers visit to the W. I hope they didn’t throw any of the lobby furniture into the pool. Crazy kids.

If you catch the Gumball fever, you can follow the race at the Gumball 3000 offical website. There are also some good exotic car pics on my favorite photo sharing website. The vehicle wraps and graphics for race are done by a UK firm called Raccoon. If you’ve ever wondered what a Buggati Veyron in chrome looks like, the Raccoon guys are your kind of people.

(Donkey Frog decked out to participate in the Gumball Rally.)

Puma is a major sponsor of the race so their Puma Motorsports also has some great images of the Gumballers in action. The race has a good page on Facebook with a huge Gumball 3000 photos from fans of the race. Tony Hawk bailed out before the race got to Dallas and a few of the Gumballers have run into smokey when they were traveling well in excess of the posted limits.

(Photo of Ferrari F430 interior by Josh Davis of Josh Davis Photography.)

I’m sorry that I missed the chance to see them at the W in Dallas, but maybe next year. Would love to have some pictures of the Dallas event to link to. If you’ve ever wished you could drive exotic cars like the ones in the Gumball, why not stop by Dallas TX exotic car rental company DFW Elite Auto Rental.com!

(photo of Dallas Ferrari rental by Josh Davis.)

We can put you behind the wheel of a Dallas Ferrari F430 rental or a delicious Lamborghini Gallardo rental for a day, a weekend, or a week.

Patrick Dempsey, known to fans of the TV show Grey’s Anatomy as “Dr. McDreamy,” will be reprising his real-life role as a racecar driver.  On Sunday, Dempsey is expected to race in the Verizon Wireless 250 Grand-Am Rolex at the New Jersey Motorsports Park.

For fans of exotic cars and Grey’s Anatomy, this is exciting news.  Dempsey’s hobby of auto racing has often made headlines and provided extra entertainment for fans.  The actor has participated in several auto races in recent years, including driving the pace car for the Indianapolis 500.

“I feel like a kid in the candy store,” Dempsey told the Grey’s Anatomy Insider before driving the pace car.

In addition to the Indianapolis 500, Dempsey has been involved in several other exotic car races.  He was a competitor in five out of the 12 Rolex Sports Car Series races in 2008.  Dempsey plans to compete in the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans GT2 class race, where he will drive a Ferrari F430 GT.  That race will be held the weekend of June 13 in France.

(Ferrari F430GT at 2007 Le Mans. Photo taken by photographer Dave Merrett. See more of Dave’s photos in his Flickr photostream.  Photo licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Only.)

If you want to drive a Ferrari, you don’t need to be a famous movie and television star or a racecar driver.  Exotic car rental, exotic car sharing clubs, and automotive dream tours are all great options for regular people who want to drive an exotic car.

Owning an exotic car can be expensive.  There’s the high purchase price of the vehicle, often six figures.  Then there’s the cost of insuring an exotic car, the hassle of finding secure storage for exotic vehicles, and the expense of maintenance and repairs.

The race this Sunday will be the third out of 12 in this year’s Gramd-Am series.  Dempsey will be co-driving with Joe Foster, the leader of the Dempsey Racing team.

“W e only have five guys, but we work hard and laugh a lot,” the Gossip Girls blog report Dempsey saying. “Joe Foster leads the team and is my co-driver and without him and his ability to lead people, we couldn’t get it done.”

The team will be racing a Mazda RX-8 on Sunday.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a professional freelance SEO content writer living in the Twin Cities. Visit her website or email her for information about her freelance writing services.

The current hot movie is a Mathew Perry Zac Efron collaboration that features Perry’s middle-aged character transported back to be 17 again.

Yeah, I know. I’m only going to see 17 Again if the Frau makes me.

For most of the readers of this blog, the wishes to be 17 again may center upon the wish to drive some of the glorious American hot rods of the 1960s. Maybe you were lucky enough to be piloting a Mustang or tricked out Camaro in high school and long to drive something with a mean V-8….

You can’t go back, but you can still indulge you passion to drive a 500HP beast on the the most scenic roads in and around Dallas Fort Worth. Thanks to small business strategic planning consultant and DFW exotic car rental company owner Ron Sturgeon, you can drive five exotic high performance cars back to back.

If Car and Driver magazine had centerfolds, these babies would qualify.

• Ferrari 360 Spyder….drop the top and listen to the sweet engine note as you head for the redline…
• Lamborghini Gallardo…..ever wonder what it would be like to drive a 520 HP go cart. Work out your road rage in a car that devours the asphalt….
• Porsche 911…. As the current Porsche tag line says… “It gives. You take. It’s the perfect relationship.”
• Dodge Viper SRT-10 Convertible…. Drive one before they drive like Fiats…
• 2009 Audi R8….You know you want to.

Full and half day supercar driving experiences available in cities throughout Texas. Supercar driving in DFW, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. Want to impress your most important customers or most valuable source of referrals? Why not use DFW Drive Your Dream’s supercars to put on an unforgettable signature corporate event.

Call DFW Drive Your Dream General Manager Tom Warren for complete details at 817.838.7368.

Post written by Tampa English Tutor Eric Anderson. Eric’s recent web writing projects have include content for a Tampa FL mortgage broker and content for a Dallas TX car storage company.

As WWII ground to an end and Soviet troops moved westward toward Berlin, they took much of what fell into their grasp as a part of war reparations for a conflict that cost the Soviets the lives of 14,000,000 soldiers. Among the loot for the Soviets were 13 D-Type racers, including one driven by Hans Stuck, one of the Hitler’s and the Nazi Party’s favorite race car drivers.

In the intervening years, most of these V-12 Grand Prix cars were cannibalized, but not chassis #19, according to a story in the UK Telegraph.

Fortunately for fans of the open racers of the period, chassis #19 was found and rescued and has been in the hands of car collector Paul Karrasik since the mid 1980s. The car was fully restored to its previous glory by Croiswaite and Gardiner.

Photo Courtesy of Bonhams.

The D type was to be auctioned once before at a Cristie’s sale in 2007 but was withdrawn before it could be hammered down because it was inadvertently misrepresented as chassis #21, the winner of the French GP at Reims-Gueux in 1939. This car actually finished sixth in that race. The car was designed by Ferdinand Porsche and is an important forerunner of modern racers because it was the first to place the engine behind the driver.

According to an excellent article on the background of the vintage Grand Prix car by David Lillywhite, part of the problem in identifying the car came from the team’s practice of tearing down and rebuilding the cars after each race. Little care was taken to ensure that parts from the same car were used in the rebuilding. David’s article about the recovered Auto Union Racer.

The vintage racer driven by Hans Struck will be auctioned by Bonhams & Butterfields in California at their prestigious Palm Beach auction on August 14. The 485 bhp racer was capable of 200MPH.

The orginal Telegraph story has some an excellent image of the restored car. The recovery of what almost certainly is the only D type left behind in the former Soviet Union has created quite a sensation. An excellent background article on the barn find appears in the Detriot Free Press. What a thrilling Barn Find!

This article written by Tampa English Tutor and freelance blogger Eric Anderson.

It’s pretty cool to see Marcus Jordan, Micheal’s Jordan’s son, leading his high school team to a state championship. For the record, he had 19 points and five rebounds in the title game — according to the Chicago Tribune. (Monster dunk photo by Dave Hogg. See more of Dave’s photos on Flickr. Photo licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Only.)

Catch a little of Marcus Jordan on YouTube.

I’m not a huge fan of professional basketball, but I have seen some of Michael’s highlights and watched plenty of championship games where he was the main attraction.

I knew he was an excellent golfer. What I didn’t know about Michael Jordan was that he is an avid car collector and owns about 40 European cars.

It must be pretty sweet for Marcus Jordan to be able to ask Dad for the keys to a garage that has more exotic cars than most exotic car clubs.

As the parent of a teenager, I think I might keep most of my prized car collection safely in car storage and just get the kid a good starter car like an Audi R8 or maybe a Porsche 911. The kid might like to drive a Ferrari F430.

DFW Elite Auto Rental’s Ferrari F430 F1 courtesy of Entrepreneur Gift Guide

Autoblog ran a story about Michael Jordan’s first American car being an Cadillac XLR-V. I used Google to search variations on Micheal Jordan car collection and couldn’t find out much about which exotic cars he owns.

Are there any Jordan fans out there who know which cars Michael drives the most? Which cars are in his collection? I find it hard to believe that he has never owned a Corvette or Ford GT before getting the Caddy in ‘06.

Just curious. He’s an athlete I have always admired.

Assets seem to be depreciating at an alarming rate, and the exotic car collections of many celebrities are no exception.  According to a survey taken by City Car Club, a British car sharing business, many celebrities are seeing dramatic declines in the worth of their exotic car collections.

Reportedly, the hardest hit is soccer star David Beckham, whose collection of exotic cars has dropped in value by $254,500 in the last year.  There’s no denying Beckham has great taste, but unfortunately, his Lamborghini has lost $46,500, his Hummer H2 has dropped by $77,000, and his two Bentleys have depreciated by more than $168,000.

(Photo by David Heasley, courtesy of Columbus Camera Op on Flickr. Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution Only.)

There are several other celebrities who have lost significant money to depreciation, including other British soccer players like Steven Gerrard, whose collection is down $225,500, and Rio Ferdinand, who saw his automobile investments drop by $222,600.

(Audi R8 at DFW Elite Car Club in Dallas, TX. Photo by Josh Davis Photography, Fort Worth, TX)

According to City Car Club, the significant drop in car values is related to the automobile market in general.  The credit crunch has made it difficult for buyers to obtain financing, and fewer people are buying new cars.  This may have caused new exotic cars to depreciate by as much as 40 percent in the first year.

Depreciation of exotic vehicles is one reason many exotic car fans are choosing to rent exotic cars, rather than buy their dream vehicles.  Buying an exotic car costs more than just the high initial purchase price.

On top of the six figures you usually have to plunk down to buy an exotic vehicle, there are financing costs, high-priced insurance payments, and expensive maintenance expenses.  There’s also the added hassle of trying to find secure, climate-controlled car storage in Dallas and other major cities.

For those who want to drive their dream car but don’t want to invest in something that is likely to lose money, there are several great options.  Exotic car sharing clubs provide members with access to an entire garage of exotic vehicles without the associated ownership hassles and expenses.

Another great option is an automotive dream tour.  Dream tour participants get to drive several amazing cars in a single day.  These tours make a fabulous bachelor party activity or a great way to celebrate another special occasion.

Basically, options like these make it possible for regular people to drive cars like David Beckham without losing hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.  Options like exotic car rental let you have the celebrity lifestyle without the celebrity bankroll.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a professional freelance web content writer living in the Twin Cities. Visit her website or email her for information about her freelance writing services.

Anyway, precocious means possessing faculties beyond the norm. Basically someone who is precocious is smart. As many of us who grew up with fantasies of a Lamborghini Countach lumber toward middle age, the precocious among us have found a new way to drive exotic cars without the six figure expense.

I’m talking about exotic car sharing clubs. They’ve been big in Europe since the late 1970s and have made the jump to this side of the pond in the last few years. Anyone with the exotic car driving itch, ought to consider joining a car sharing club.

There are several reputable car sharing clubs across the nation. There is Curvy Road in Chicago, the Van Horssen group in Phoenix, and DFW Elite Car Club in Dallas Fort Worth. The idea behind these clubs is to let members drive a variety of the world’s most desirable cars without the costs that usually come with being an exotic car owner.

With so may great six figure cars–cars like the Bentley GTC, Ferrari F430, Lamborghini Gallardo–even those with substantial means can’t really afford to own them all. Car sharing brings like minded car aficionados together to share driving cars that they are passionate about.

DFW Elite Car Club is not a fractional ownership club, so no large outlays are required to join. For as little as $750 a month, you can put a dream garage with a dozen top-tier sports cars, luxury cars, and SUVs at your disposal.

The club even offers climate controlled secure car storage in Dallas for your ride while you are out enjoying any of the club’s cars. Why not be a little precocious and take advantage of the latest way to drive a Ferrari or other exotic dream car? To find a car sharing club near you, visit http://www.exoticcarclubs.com, an online directory devoted to car sharing clubs.

This blog post written by freelance web writer Eric Anderson. The opinions expressed are his own. Eric’s recent projects include web copy for a Montana vinyl graphics design company and a Tampa mortgage broker. He’s been feeling a bit precocious.