To drive the Aston Martin DBS Volante down Sunset will cost you $295,000. Taking the Pescarolo 02 Le Mans from zero to 60 could set you back $220,000. And if a Lamborghini Huracan catches your eye, you’re looking at a price tag of $260,000.
Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer
Or Palisadian Chris Carel can give you the keys to these luxury automobiles and an armada of others for only $32,000. Carel is the founder and CEO of Fast Toys Club – an exclusive car club that provides private members access to a fleet that includes a ’65 Dodge Charger, Audi R8 V10, Ferrari California T, Lamborghini Huracan, and Aston Martin DBS Volante and more for 100 days a year.
Starting at $32,000 (platinum memberships go for $60,000 and corporate memberships run at $74,000), membership provides auto enthusiasts with direct access to the supercar lifestyle, without the cost of ownership.
“You don’t have to be a billionaire to drive all the cars you want. For much less, you can have the life of a billionaire by driving like one,” Carel said.
An expatriate from France, Carel has had a lifelong love affair with exotic cars – stemming from his days as a youth when he collected small toy cars to his teenage years when he built models of Ferrari cars.
“I still have them,” he said. “I grew up playing with the little cars, but I didn’t have the money to buy real cars. When I was finally able to purchase a cool car, I bought my first Ferrari in 2010. It started with one, then I changed to a different one, then a third and a fourth – I wanted a different car each time.”
Carel’s collection grew to include eight vehicles, including four race cars. With the expanding fleet came growing costs. Purchase prices were only part of the investment, which also included costs associated with maintenance, repairs and storage.
“I wondered if I could find a way to share the cost with other people who have the same passion,” Carel said. “Not to mention, when you love cars, you always want to change the cars. A month goes by and you see something new you would love to have. But the day you trade in something old for something new, you already see a huge loss in value. I wanted to join a club where I could switch the cars whenever I wanted and could share my passion with different members.”
Living in Paris at the time, Carel explored a few options for luxury car clubs in France and the United Kingdom. When he was unable to find a club that satisfied his craving for exotic cars, Carel was inspired to create his own.
A serial entrepreneur, Carel had sold a telecast company in 2012 and was free to relocate his family to Southern California where he was surprised to find that no such club existed.
“When we moved from Paris, I wanted to be near the ocean but not far from the city – we wanted a place raise a family with good schools,” Carel said. “Pacific Palisades is the perfect match. When I go to Malibu, I’m very happy to be in Pacific Palisades. When I go to Beverly Hills, I’m very happy to be in Pacific Palisades. We can see the ocean, the mountains – it’s everything you could want.”
From his home in Marquez Knolls, Carel was able to form Fast Toys Club, the only exotic car club of its kind in southern California.
“I thought that Los Angeles would be a great place, not only to live, but to start my club because there are plenty of sunny days for driving, and the car interest here is much higher than in Europe,” he said. “I was sure I would have a lot of competition but when I started to do my own research, I didn’t find anything like it. We’re the only one.”
The Brentwood-based outfit offers several features that set it apart from similar European clubs. Not only do members have access to the world’s most exclusive exotic street-legal cars, Fast Toys Club offers the unique opportunity to take the club’s cars full-throttle on a racetrack.
“When you own race cars, you have to find someone to take care of them, to tow them to the track, to service them and maintain them – it’s much more complicated than owning any other type of car,” Carel said. “When you’re in the club, there’s nothing to worry about. We take care of everything.”
Unlike many of the European clubs, membership to Fast Toys Club is all inclusive. Gas, maintenance, delivery and storage are all included perks, and members can get a discount if they include their personal rides in the fleet. There’s even the option to request a personal chauffeur, free of charge.
“We deliver all the pleasure to the members. We deliver the car to them, we pick up the car from them. Once you’ve joined, everything is included,” Carel said. “We are very passionate about the cars we include and we only take very exclusive cars. We only take the very best, and we get them before everybody else.”
The club launched just two months ago, and the 10 current members have access to 13 cars, including the SRT Viper GTS, Rolls Royce Phantom and the Dodge ‘69 Charger ‘General Lee.’ Carel promises that as the club grows, so will the list of cars.
“Most boys played with cars when we were small. When a boy goes into a toy store, his eyes are big and he has to have the newest toy. In the same way, when a man goes into a car shop, he’s in love. It’s a reminder of what we loved when we were boys,” Carel said. “These are just big toys for big boys.”
Visit fasttoysclub.com to view a complete list of the fleet.
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