If you are traveling to Italy any time soon Hertz now offers the ability to rent an exotic sports car. It may surprise you to learn, however, that these exotics are not of the Italian variety; they are British.

Hertz has just signed a deal with Lotus that will see a fleet of bright yellow Elise SC models offered as a part of the Hertz Fun Collection.

“I am delighted that Lotus Cars has entered into this agreement with Hertz, giving us the opportunity to make our stunning world class sportscars available to the rental market,” said Michael J. Kimberley, Group Lotus plc CEO. “The iconic and multi award winning Lotus Elise and the stunning Lotus Exige are the perfect fun rental cars for those who desire exclusive and high performance motoring.”

This is not the first time a rental car agency has offered Lotuses, however, as several years ago select Enterprise Rent-A-Car locations in cities like L.A. and Las Vegas offered the Lotus Elise at a more than reasonable price of $200 a day.

The Elise SC may not sound overly powerful at 218 horsepower but thanks to the car’s light weight it can hit 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. It’s also quite good on gas using just 20/26 mpg (city/highway). And because it’s a small car it’s easy to drive around those tight Italian roads. Just remember to pack light, the Elise doesn’t offer a lot of cargo room.

Official release after the jump:

For several years now Hertz has offered a ‘Prestige Collection’ of high-end vehicles to rent including models from brands like Lincoln and Cadillac. The rental car company has now decided to take it up a notch by offering two vehicles from those German luxury experts at Mercedes-Benz.

Both the new C-Class and GLK350 will joint the Prestige Collection alongside models from Audi, Infiniti, Lincoln, Cadillac and Volvo.

The C-Class model to be offered is the C300 (sorry, no C63 here) with a 228hp V6 engine, 17-inch wheels and a 7-speed automatic transmission. The GLK350 model is one of the company’s latest products and features a 268hp 3.5-liter V6 and as an entry-level luxury crossover offers plenty of space for passengers and luggage.

“The Prestige Collection continues to be a popular choice among our customers,” said Joseph Nothwang, President of Vehicle Rental and Leasing. “The C-Class and GLK350 fit wonderfully into the Collection providing customers seeking an exciting driving experience with an edgy sedan or a perfect-sized SUV for family road trips.”

Hertz offers the Prestige Collection in 50 U.S. locations as well as in 25 locations in the UK, France, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and Australia.

[Source: dBusinessNews]