Sons and daughters, it’s time to go beyond the typical Father’s Day gifts. Forgo those striped ties, ignore those trite coffee mugs and resist the urge to purchase a T-shirt that refers to Bar-B-Q, mowing the yard or the game of golf. If you want to make Dad smile this year on his day, rent him an exotic car from the Missouri-based company, Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

I recently spent a Saturday with my husband test-driving the Enterprise Rent-A-Car exotic car collection, when I realized that the luxurious experience was tailor-made for father figures. The North Houston location started offering exotic, fully-loaded rental cars in September of 2012, with eight cars and now offers a fleet of choices, including sports cars, luxury sedans and SUVs with a total of 60 different vehicles ranging from $179 to $600 per day. This collection is also available near Memorial and will soon be available near the George Bush International Airport.

“Bucket lists everywhere will be checked off as people can now rent one of our luxury cars,” said area manager Jacob Rihini. “While 80 percent of our customers rent our cars while their cars are in the shop, there is a market of people, with qualifying insurance policies, interested in exploring our luxury cars without having to buy one.”

First, we cruised Highway 45 in Houston in a 2015 black Porche Boxster, hair flying. The peppy, compact car turns with an exact precision. While driving that car, I realized a shift from the utilitarian view of driving a car to a lifestyle-driven one. Suddenly, driving was less a practice in navigating from point A to point B, and more of a social experiment, noticing the fellow convertible drivers and their carefree, wild hairstyles.

Our next car, a black Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible, gave the most powerful performance. The heads-up-display (HUD) allowed us to focus on the road, while always knowing our speed. It reminded me of a hologram, with our miles-per-hour transparently displayed in the windshield. We raced along, catching waves from fellow drivers as we eased down the highway.

“That is our most popular car,” said Rihini. “The older versions weren’t as comfortable; today’s model has evolved to a sleek, super-fast machine.”

Finally, we experienced the four-door ease of a sporty Ghibli Maserati with its elegant comfort. The ‘fat cat’ of our selection, this sleek vehicle reached high speeds quickly by barely tapping the gas pedal. “This is our second most popular car,” said Rihini. “It’s more affordable than the Gran Turismo, and still provides a lot of fun.”

Make this Father’s Day memorable by giving Dad the white glove service—luxury car delivery to his front door.

North Houston Enterprise Exotic Car Collections
20150 Interstate 45, Spring, TX, 77373
281.528.0475

By Autumn Rhea Carpenter
Photo Credit: Autumn Rhea Carpenter