Top Speed

By – Drew Limsky

With streets like Collins Avenue and Ocean Drive seemingly custom made for cruising, Miami is the perfect place to rent the kind of glamorous transport that might be unthinkable anywhere else.
No one knows this better than Miami native Juan “JC” Caballero, the owner of family-run South Beach Exotic Rentals. For 10 years, they have provided the best high-end luxury and exotic cars in South Florida. “We have a fleet of around 50 cars,” he says, “from Lamborghinis and Cadillac Escalades to Mercedes,” though lately he’s seen increased interest in McLaren due to its connection to Formula 1 (after Ferrari, McLaren is the oldest active racing team). “McLaren is very popular in the South Florida area due to the car’s rich racing heritage,” Caballero says. “These are very race-oriented supercars.” Next up for Exotic Rentals: the Rolls-Royce Dawn and the Lamborghini Urus. Indeed, these two brands are the most heavily represented in Caballero’s stable, with the latter counting as an official symbol of Miami’s high life.
Though Caballero acknowledges that some of his clients come from the elite worlds of movies and music, sports and politics, he has to be discreet: “I can talk about some friends, like artist Alec Monopoly and the actor Gerard Butler, who have been clients. And we’ve had all kinds of athletes, including NBA players.” And sometimes, the vehicles themselves rank as the stars: “We’ve had Nike contact us for commercials,” he says. So has J. Bauman, the beauty salon chain. “We get calls for commercials and music videos around once a month, higher in season.”
But his best clients are Miami’s visitors, celebrants and car enthusiasts. “We have a lot of international clients and birthday clients,” Caballero reveals. “When people have a birthday, usually the color they want is pretty out there.” Meanwhile, his car enthusiast clients want to test out different models and explore their options: “They own a Ferrari or Lamborghini but they want to see what the other brand has to offer. So they’ll try out a car for a day or two to experience the technology and the behavior of the car and how it compares to their own supercar.”
Exotic Rentals will deliver a vehicle right to Acqualina. “We give them a quick Driving 101 of the car, help them connect their Bluetooth for their music, set up their navigation, plus we have 24-hour service, and we’ll explain the step-by-step process,” Caballero says.
If you’re ready to take the plunge and purchase your own luxury automobile, Braman Rolls-Royce Motorcars Miami is dedicated to providing the top-of-the-line service that these lavish vehicles warrant. Choose from the legendary Phantom, the breathtaking Ghost Series II, the high-tech Wraith and others. For Lamborghini, Pagani, Lotus and more, visit Prestige Imports — one of North America’s leading Lamborghini dealerships — located in North Miami Beach. With 15 million dollars worth of vehicles at Prestige Imports, they are an internationally-renowned destination for luxury cars.
Of course, residents at The Mansions at Acqualina who prefer to let others do the driving have the option of signing up for the property’s own Rolls-Royce service. The Mansions residents are known for their love of the uber-luxury Acqualina brand, so it makes sense to have a house car on offer to suit their tastes: the 2016 Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II. Jeff Giasson, General Manager for The Mansions, raves that guests can really luxuriate in this fine vehicle as they are chauffeured within a five-mile radius.