PROFESSIONAL: Watch and Roll - Auto Clubs
ARTICLES
DRIVE LIKE A MILLION BUCKS
A number of factors were diminishing Gianluca Baldo’s desire to drive the latest luxury car. As the owner of two vintage Alfa Romeo Spiders, Baldo knew he wouldn’t have to shoulder just the cost of the new ride, but also endless repair bills, time spent ferrying the car to the dealership for tune-ups and oil changes, and concerns about where to keep it. In no time, the model would be out of style and he’d be back at the starting line.
SUPERCAR TIMESHARES: HOW TO RATIONALIZE DRIVING A FERRARI
As of early 2007, there are nearly a dozen sports-car clubs in the country that use a fractional or timeshare ownership model popularized with yachts, jets and vacation homes. All offer members the chance to drive some of the world’s most lusted-after automobiles without squelching that passion with the worries of ownership. Many of the people who join the clubs have owned an exotic car in the past. Or, they could afford one if they wanted to allocate resources that way. All understand the downs...
FINE LIVING TOP 5: LUXURY CAR CLUBS
Driving classic and exotic cars is sybaritic. When they are in proper tune, a synergy is created between man and machine. All feels right in the world. Nothing could possibly ruin that feeling of… clunk. Well… except for the dissolution of that synergy vis-a-vis the sudden resignation of essential bits and pieces, punctuated by a cloud of smoke or a trail of fluid. We may hold skilled auto technicians in high regard, but we still don’t enjoy the presentation of the repair bills -- especially whe...
EXPERIENCE VERSUS OWNERSHIP
For the rich, ownership used to be everything. Ten years ago, no self-respecting multi-millionaire or billionaire would have been caught dead in a rented car, rented house or rented boat. What was the point of being rich if you couldn’t own your own status symbols?
Now, a sea change is sweeping through the luxury world in the form of fractional ownership. It started with jets, then moved to plush vacation homes (rented by destination clubs) and automobiles available from exotic-car clubs.