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.

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.

The Bentley Continental GT coupe has been a runaway success, but that hasn’t stopped the engineers in Crewe from working on the next phase of the project, the 2007 Continental GT convertible. In the product plan right from the start, our latest spy photos show that the convertible Continental GT is well on its way to showrooms. Disregard the Mercedes grille and Maserati taillights, as the rear-quarter panels are a dead giveaway that this is indeed a Continental GT-based drop top.

It’s expected to keep all the same specs as the coupe, meaning a 552-horsepower W12 under the hood and standard all-wheel drive. The convertible soft top will most likely add a few hundred pounds of additional weight, but as we have seen in the case of the Continental Flying Spur a little extra weight doesn’t hold the big 12-cylinder back much. Expect an official announcement of this Continental GT convertible from Bentley by the end of the year.

I heard Dfw Elite has one of these on order. I can’t wait to rent that one….

Mix five parts Bentley, one part Bugatti, one part Ferrari, and stir. Then dump your $356,000 exotic down the drain. What you see here is a Bentley Continental GT featuring a Bugatti hood and horseshoe grille shoved between Audi Q7 headlights, with Ferrari-like rear end grafted on for good measure. LEW’s 100-horsepower boost for the Conti’s W-12 can’t outrun this car’s ugliness. Unveiled at the Essen motor show, the car-called Big Bang-will cost European buyers 270,000 euro, or approximately $356,000