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SINGAPORE : If the Singapore Night Race fuelled your love of fast cars but you can't afford to buy one, then there is an alternative - 'supercar rental', which is taking off in Singapore as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Imagine getting a Porsche as a wedding gift - that's what Timothy Wimala gave his friends for a day.
Wimala and Leonard Pang have shared a love of cars since studying together at university. So best man Wimala wanted to find his friend a special set of wheels for his wedding day.
"I told him don't worry about the car, I'm going to settle it for you. And he kept asking me... but I didn't tell him until the very last moment. Then I brought him here (Luxe Car Rental) and he got the shock of his life," said Wimala.
Pang was thrilled to sweep his wife, Irene, away in style.
"It was the best wedding gift I could ever get. We definitely got a lot of stares and I saw some people gave us the thumbs-up approval for doing something different," said Pang.
The Porsche was hired from Luxe Car Rental. The company opened in November last year and currently has seven cars in its stable, with plans to increase the number to 15.
"In the US and the UK, supercar rental has been around for 15 years. And we think there is a very strong market, especially in Singapore, because there is a large number of affluent people in Singapore," said Denny Koh, business development manager at Luxe Car Rental.
The Ferrari F430 and Lamborghini Gallardo top the company's range and are the most popular models and are hired out most weekends for corporate events and as birthday presents.
These cars are usually rented by male customers aged 30 to 35.
So are supercars worth the hype?
Some drivers said the fun comes when you hit the open road - lightning acceleration and the roar of the 4.3-litre V8 engine all added up to an exhilarating experience.
This is probably why someone would pay nearly S$4,000 to rent a supercar for just 24 hours. - CNA /ls
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