Elite Auto Rental Blog

Before John Krasinski became famous for playing cute-boy-next-door Jim on The Office, he didn’t always travel in style. In a video, Krasinski details his adventure with a college friend and a very old Honda Accord, complete with a spot-on impersonation of a crazy mechanic.

Now that Krasinski has made it big, he probably drives an exotic sports car or other luxury automobile. Since most of us have a lifestyle more like Krasinski’s character Jim, we can’t afford to own a Mercedes or BMW. Instead, an increasingly popular option is exotic car rental.

When asked what kind of car Jim from The Office would rent, Ron Sturgeon, who owns a Dallas exotic car rental business and exotic car club in DFW, didn’t hesitate.

“Jim would rent a Porsche 911 Cabriolet,” said Sturgeon. “He’s kind of an everyman character, and I think every guy I know dreams of driving a Porsche 911.”

Rental of exotic cars seems to be the alternative of choice these days. Owning an exotic car means not just the expensive up-front price tag of the car, but also costly upkeep, storage, and hefty depreciation.

When you rent a Ferrari, rather than buying one, you get all the joys of driving a supercar and none of the hassles. You get to turn heads at stoplights, impress clients and dates, and experience the thrill of driving one of the most sought after performance cars in the world.

“We do have a number of celebrity clients, but we don’t divulge any names to protect the privacy of those who rent from us,” says Ron Sturgeon when asked if Krasinski has ever rented an exotic car from him.

In the video, Krasinski tells about dropping the transmission in his friend’s old Honda Accord and having to ask for help at a nearby gas station. The story gets even more funny when he begins to describe his encounter with the mechanic at the station.

Proud of his car, which could go 210 miles per hour, the mechanic proceeds to demonstrate the car’s performance to Krasinski and his friend – in the middle of a busy parking lot.

You’ll have to watch the video to get a real feel for the story, but you can be sure that Krasinski or the mechanic won’t be borrowing my Honda anytime soon.

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

Just what I need more power in my SUV!

STUTTGART, Germany — The next-edition Porsche Cayennes will receive a mild face-lift, as well as more powerful direct-gasoline-injection engines when they appear in showrooms starting in February.

Porsche says the powertrain enhancements will result in fuel savings of up to 15 percent under “real” driving conditions.

The base Cayenne gets a 40-horsepower boost and is now driven by a 290-hp 3.6-liter V6. The previous model had been equipped with a 3.2-liter V6. The torque on the base Cayenne has improved from 229 to 284 pound-feet. Acceleration time has improved, too. The previous model went from zero to 62 mph in 9.1 seconds; the new model goes from zero to 62 mph in 8.1 seconds and has a top speed of 141 mph.

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I didn’t know it was possible to tame down a Porsche. It doesn’t look nearly nasty enough for all of the hype and horsepower they are adding to it. Who really wants an understated Porsche?
PRESS RELEASE:
TechArt Customizes the Porsche Models 911 Carrera 4 and 4S (997)

Powerful engine tuning and exclusive accessories that leave nothing to be desired: TechArt Automobildesign also offers an extensive customization program for the new 997-series models Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and 4S.

TechArt also provides engine tuning for both water-cooled six-cylinder engines of the Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S, coupe or cabriolet. The TechArt power kits TA 097/1 for the 3.6-liter version and TA 097/S1 for the Carrera S with 3.8-liter displacement each consist of a sport air filter and newly programmed engine electronics.

After the installation, which can be done directly at TechArt Automobildesign or by any authorized Porsche dealer, maximum power output for each model increases by 15 hp / 11 kW.

Read on.

Bugatti is moving ahead with plans for a new model to succeed the record-shattering, earth-moving, mouth-watering Veyron supercar. That’s what Thomas Bscher, chief of the Volkswagen AG subsidiary, contends, despite reported efforts by Porsche to derail the über-ultra-super-duper-premium-luxury carmaker.

Here we assume Bscher’s not talking about the upcoming targa variant of the Veyron, but a completely new model. We can expect that whether it’s a front-engined touring coupe, a CLS-style four-door coupe or a super-luxury saloon, the next Bugatti will share a great deal of the mechanicals with the Veyron so as to defer further development costs and better utilize the enormous amount of resources that went into the supercar.

Bugatti is moving ahead with plans for a new model to succeed the record-shattering, earth-moving, mouth-watering Veyron supercar. That’s what Thomas Bscher, chief of the Volkswagen AG subsidiary, contends, despite reported efforts by Porsche to derail the über-ultra-super-duper-premium-luxury carmaker.

More from AutoBlog

DFW Elite Auto Rental will be taking delivery of a 2007 Porsche Twin Turbo this Tuesday. The ‘07 Porsche will add serious horsepower to DFW’s already massive fleet. Here’s just a few of the Porsche’s impressive numbers:

• 480 hp
• 505 lb.-ft. of Torque
• 3.6 liters
• 0-60 mph in 3.9 sec
• 192.6 mph Top Speed
• $122,900.00 M.S.R.P.