Background

How did you start renting exclusive cars?

“The reason was to be able to keep driving a Ferrari myself. Maintaining it was very difficult. At that time I was working in my father’s company in horticulture, but I couldn’t maintain the car from that salary. Then you start looking for solutions to still be able to drive that car. I did that by renting out my car. That way you ‘share’ the costs with the tenants, so to speak. That’s how it all started,” says the down-to-earth Westlander.

Boy from Westland

That Danny grew up among the greenhouses soon becomes apparent during the photo shoot. While we are busy, a man approaches by bicycle from the direction of a nearby house. “So, that’s a beautiful one!” the man says with a flat Westland accent. The man turns out to be an acquaintance of Danny’s uncle, who was also in horticulture. The man turns out to know Danny and a conversation starts about work, cars and the old days. A conversation soon follows about how Danny ended up in this world and about the old days. A case of the “old boys eating bread”.

What kind of cars do you all rent out?

“I actually rent out the most exclusive cars out there, of all brands. They are mainly non-practical cars for daily use, real sports cars. We do this for people who want to drive such a car, but don’t want to buy it. Then you get a broader target group that you can have this experience of driving such a car. We have 15 brands, with sometimes several models per brand. The most important thing is the adrenaline boost or happiness hormone that such a car brings. We really bring an experience to our customers. It also often happens that people give such an experience as a gift. Also, our cars are used for weddings, clip shoots and other occasions.”

You now rent out a Bugatti, how did you manage that?

“In order to start renting out a Bugatti, you have to know the ins and outs of such a car. Finding the right car was quite a search. The road to it was mainly a lot of research, both on the car and on a revenue model. The business with supercars must go well in order to rent out such a very special car. You also have to assume that something will break down one day. You start with the big banks and then see if leasing companies can help you. They found it more interesting to finance ten cars worth one and a half tons than a car worth over a million. It doesn’t fit their risk-spreading mentality/business. There is no comparable company that also does this, and so it was difficult to get it all done. I ended up trying to fund the Bugatti from a crowdfunding platform, but this was also difficult. However, I had already signed for the Bugatti, so I had to purchase it. I could also choose not to take the car, but I would have had to pay a high penalty. I then chose to sell cars I was renting at that time. When I visited car dealerships to sell some of my rental stock, they asked why I was doing that. I then explained that I had to in order to purchase the Bugatti, after which I received a tip from a potential investor. With this investor I eventually went into business and after three weeks the financing was in place. The initial idea of renting out a Bugatti, until the moment I could start renting it out, took five years. “The perseverer wins!” says Danny with a smile.

Why exactly was a Bugatti the end goal and not another hypercar?

“I had the most confidence in Bugatti because it is under VAG (Volkswagen Group ed.). There is also a company in the Netherlands that can service it, Pon Automotive. It’s also relatively easy to drive, like a normal car. The Bugatti I’m renting doesn’t have outlandish power either, as a thousand horsepower can be found in many supercars these days. I am also convinced that the Veyron is not going to drop in value. That was also an important condition. That’s how I ended up with the Bugatti Veyron.”

The ultimate goal has been achieved, being able to rent out a Bugatti. Now what is the next step?

“Surely we see that the Netherlands is only a small country. People might want to come this way to explore Europe with such a Veyron, but it could also work well in the middle of Europe. The existing concept with hypercars might also work well in another country in Europe. An example might be in the vicinity of Monaco, Cannes and Saint Tropez. Renting a hypercar is a very different experience to rent than renting a supercar. It will never be able to become a mass-market product. A hypercar like the Veyron cannot be booked directly through our website, unlike supercars. To rent the Veyron, we first invite customers for an introductory meeting, followed by a test drive. Only then do we determine whether the customer can have the car for a day or a week. People can request a no-obligation quote, after which I invite them for an interview. The rental of the Veyron was also a kind of test for us, to better understand the market for this special car. From this starting point, we are now exploring further possibilities.”

What is the best reaction you’ve had during/after renting a car?

“The nicest reaction was a woman giving a gift to her husband. The wife said “I haven’t seen him smile like that in 20 years.” That was a bizarre reaction though, very nice. We also have a junior experience, where kids up to ten years old can ride along. Those kids ask everything, without filter. Children are very pure, which is very nice. I like doing that experience the most myself, I get to make dreams come true.”

What was your first car?

“My first car was an Opel Kadett GSI!” says Danny with a smile. “That car was anything but standard. It had a Recaro interior and I had a sliding tilt roof built into it. The GSI also had a striking color, a kind of Bordeaux red. And noise it could certainly make, with that Remus sports exhaust. The best part was that I ended up selling it for more money than I had paid for it. I always made a profit on the cars I sold. It started at a young age with boats and mopeds, and later it became cars. The toys kept getting bigger and more expensive. My father used to say, ‘You turn a quarter into a euro.'”

Where does your car passion come from?

“My love for cars started when I was a child riding my bike with my mother. I saw unusual cars passing by and they immediately caught my attention. As I got older, I started to draw them. In my family, people also found cars interesting; for example, they drove a BMW 7 Series, but we didn’t have any real supercars or sports cars. Furthermore, I got a lot of pleasure from movies like Knight Rider and Miami Vice. The feeling of driving a special car still makes me happy. That remains special, even now that I work with these kinds of cars every day. I also love the engineering and design. It gives me satisfaction that I can now make these kinds of cars more accessible to a wider audience than just the people who can afford them.”