Time-shared Bentley Arnage?
17 December 2002: A Chicago car dealer now offers time-sharing, or 'fractional ownership' of luxury cars, in which car lovers can get into the seat of a Bentley for a few months a year.
Exotic Car Share already runs a membership-based system in which individuals pay a fee of $250 to get access to a Porsche Boxster or Maserati GT 3200. Members then pay fees for use of the cars, typically for a week or on weekends. Prices start at about $165 for the weekend, depending on the make of the vehicle.
But under the new 'fractional ownership' for cars like the Bentley Arnage, users pay fees of about $2,500 a month, depending on how many owners are involved in purchasing the car.
The individuals would technically own it, but ECS would manage the car's maintenance and usage for the customers, who would likely get access to the car for two months, essentially bringing the cost to $15,000 per month.
The system is similar to a trend in joint ownership by individuals or companies of company jets.
The cars would be sold after three years, and the proceeds of the sales would be used to purchase a newer model.