Hertz Adds Lotus Elise SC to Italian Rental Car Fleet

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:

PRESS RELEASE:

Lotus Cars Limited, the sportscar subsidiary of Group Lotus plc is delighted to announce a marketing co-operation agreement with the car hire company Hertz Italiana and to supply Lotus cars for its rental business in Italy.

Now driving enthusiasts, fans of the Lotus brand and those who want to drive cars from one of the finest sportscar marques in the world will be able to hire a Lotus Elise directly from Hertz Italiana S.p.A.

Lotus Elise SC sportscars will be available to hire from key Hertz centres throughout Italy from middle of July.

Mr. Michael J. Kimberley, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus plc, commented, “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. 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.”

Mr. Andrea Manni, director of the official Lotus dealer, ‘Lotus Rome’ said, “For many, to drive a Lotus is to fulfill a lifelong dream and now, thanks to Lotus and Hertz Italiana S.p.A. this dream can be realised for a longer period than just a quick test drive at a Lotus dealer. We expect some drivers who hire an Elise or Exige from Hertz Italiana S.p.A to visit a Lotus dealership afterwards, as once you have experienced the exciting and adrenaline fueled capabilities of a Lotus, there is no turning back!”

Ing. Giuseppe Caminiti, Fleet Director for Hertz Italiana said: “We launched the Hertz Fun Collection last year to give our customers the possibility to drive the cars they have always dreamt of driving. The Lotus Elise SC is one of these dream cars and by including it in the Hertz’s Fun Collection our customers have an opportunity to drive a real sportscar. We are honoured to be able to work with Lotus and are delighted that Lotus has created personalised versions of the Elise SC especially for Hertz.”

To book a Lotus Elise car hire from Hertz, drivers are invited to contact Hertz on www.hertz.it or by calling the Hertz call center on +39-199-11-22-11.