France - Renting a sports car in Nice

I am interested in renting a sporty car in Nice next week for a day or two. Can anyone recommend a website / agent? Any idea what the prices are? I'm particularly interested in the Ferrari 458 or a newer Lambo Gallardo.

I have not driven in Europe before. Is it very different from North America?

well, around nice, you probably won't get your great grunt out of granny. the roads are about 1.5 lanes wide(european lanes), and very unstraight. you will also have problems finding places to park overnight.

you can cross into italy, and go roaring up and down the auto routes. bring cash for the fines.

i usually try to rent MB in italy, as i think the safety an asset. i never get one. one time (about 10-15 years ago), i got a lancia diedra(i cannot find this car on the web with google). it was a ferrari with a lancia logo. we sat below the tops of the tires. i drove down the new auto route from bologna to ancona at about 230 kph or 240 or so. that was very very stupid.

Yeah, I've driven in the Nice area. The roads can be very wind-ey and congested at times.

Having said that, the roads between Nice and the Italian border can be fun to drive at the right times. We usually go in September/October, and the rest of France has gone back to work, so congestion is down.

I would think a convertible (cabriolet) would be a ton of fun without incurring outrageous fuel costs and the constant fear of getting dinged by some Vespa who didn't see you because you're too low to the ground. :)

Be sure to check the Car Rental Programs/Partners (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/car-rental-programs-partners-392/) Forum and subfora as well.

I have not driven in Europe before. Is it very different from North America?

Yes, I believe it is very different. Road signs are completely different (do not enter, no left turn, no parking, etc.). Sometimes signs with text are in local languages. Speed limits exist, but they are not posted because Europe uses a different system for speeds. The auto will only show kilometers, not miles. If you can drive manual transmission, not a problem, but if you can only drive automatic, you will pay more rental (if it is even available) and fuel costs will be higher.

Fuel will be several times what you pay now. For example, in all of France, the petrol average is now €1.60/liter. If you can find that price in the south of France (not very likely), that is about US$9.20/gallon.

There are, of course, local customs and regulations which you won't know unless you violate them, in which case you will probably have to at least pay a fine.

Thought it would be fun, but sounds like a pain. Think I will drop the idea. Thanks.

Wait a minute. It's been a while, but Hertz, Avis and even Budget rented high end sports cars at NCE when I lived there. I recall my favorite was the new Alfa Romeo Spyder when it first came out. I got it as an upgrade at Hertz and I was hitting 240kph on the local autoroute. Not a pain at all!

Even if you are driving slowish, a convertible on the corniche is an amazing and unique experience. And no, it's not all all different from North America. Common sense prevails.

Stimpy, I am quite surprised at you! Here is a post about driving in France and for two days, you were absent. I hope everything is well with you (I mean that quite sincerely.)

This post is, I am afraid, a bit of a joke. The speed limit for all national roadways in France is 130kmh, yet Stimpy claims to be going 100kmh over the speed limit with no problem.

As I explained, the speed enforcement in Europe is different. Cameras are usually hidden beneath or behind roadway signs and snap photos of drivers going faster than 130kmh.

There are several roads that follow the coast of southern France. One is a local road along the shore and is quite nice to either walk along or bicycle along (in the summer, there are many cars and transport is not an option). Another is the A8/E74 which is a three-lane high-speed roadway several kilometers away from the shore and behind most of the hills along the shore. This road is the only option for speed.

If you've seen Alfred Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief" (1955), it's not really like that anymore, unfortunately.

This post is, I am afraid, a bit of a joke. The speed limit for all national roadways in France is 130kmh, yet Stimpy claims to be going 100kmh over the speed limit with no problem.

Yes, and here you are, yet again, mis-reading my post and inferring that I am a liar. :rolleyes:

My main message to the OP is to experience things. Driving these roads in a drop-top sports car is a tremendous experience. Riding in a bus or a train is a severely reduced experience. I take the train often on business trips, but then again I have driven these roads countless times.

Agree with stimpy 100%. Roads either way from Nice are a ton of fun in a sports car, even the corniches. And yes, you can drive quite fast on the motorways, particularly on the Italian side (at least once you get past Genoa and the roads stop being narrow and curvy), but also on the French side as the speed cameras, at least on the motorway, around Nice are quite limited.

Yes, and here you are, yet again, mis-reading my post and inferring that I am a liar. :rolleyes:

My main message to the OP is to experience things. Driving these roads in a drop-top sports car is a tremendous experience. Riding in a bus or a train is a severely reduced experience. I take the train often on business trips, but then again I have driven these roads countless times.

No, I would never think that about you. Honestly.

Saying that you have driven at 240kmh on a road with cameras is a little hard to believe when the speed limit is 130kmh. I'm not saying you are lying, but perhaps exaggerating a little. Also saying there is very little difference from the roads in North America is also, perhaps, a little exaggeration.

As I explained, there seems to be a bit of confusion here. There are several roads and the one you road very fast on is a national/international motorway for transport, not for sight-seeing or auto-racing. It is a fairly boring road and I don't believe this is what the OP was looking for - because here you are partly correct that, appart from the signs, it is not much different from a multi-lane roadway anywhere.

But, as I hope you will admit, driving 240kmh along the shore road would be impossible, even in the middle of the night.

If you want to do sight-seeing in the area (and yes, I have also driven there), my plan would either be to take a train to the area I wanted to see, then walk around in it or, as the shore road is fairly flat, I would also try a bicycle.

Quite simply, for experiencing a fast sports car, I don't think either the shore road or the national motorway would be suitable. If you had somewhere else in mind, I would be curious where.

I've gotten plenty of speeding tickets in Toronto, but at least I won't get any demerit points on my Cdn license in France :)

Eliterent.com quoted me 2400 euros a day for a 458, with a 15k euro deposit. 300 km are included.

Eliterent.com quoted me 2400 euros a day for a 458, with a 15k euro deposit. 300 km are included.

Wow! For that price, I'll come down there myself, lend you my bicycle and push you as fast as I can ;)

Wait a minute. It's been a while, but Hertz, Avis and even Budget rented high end sports cars at NCE when I lived there. I recall my favorite was the new Alfa Romeo Spyder when it first came out. I got it as an upgrade at Hertz and I was hitting 240kph on the local autoroute. Not a pain at all!

Even if you are driving slowish, a convertible on the corniche is an amazing and unique experience. And no, it's not all all different from North America. Common sense prevails.

stimpy, that's about 150 mph. those cars do not have enough down force to be safe at 240. most do not have V tires because of lack of wet grip, and are again, unsafe.

stimpy, that's about 150 mph. those cars do not have enough down force to be safe at 240. most do not have V tires because of lack of wet grip, and are again, unsafe.

What care are you talking about? The Alfa Spyder? Ferrari 458? Porsche 911? They seem to work just fine at 150mph for me.

Stimpy, I am quite surprised at you! Here is a post about driving in France and for two days, you were absent. I hope everything is well with you (I mean that quite sincerely.)

This post is, I am afraid, a bit of a joke. The speed limit for all national roadways in France is 130kmh, yet Stimpy claims to be going 100kmh over the speed limit with no problem.

As I explained, the speed enforcement in Europe is different. Cameras are usually hidden beneath or behind roadway signs and snap photos of drivers going faster than 130kmh.

There are several roads that follow the coast of southern France. One is a local road along the shore and is quite nice to either walk along or bicycle along (in the summer, there are many cars and transport is not an option). Another is the A8/E74 which is a three-lane high-speed roadway several kilometers away from the shore and behind most of the hills along the shore. This road is the only option for speed.

If you've seen Alfred Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief" (1955), it's not really like that anymore, unfortunately.

Even the A8 is quite congested around Nice and has many 110 and 90 "Zones". This is not an area for speed, unless you take the A8 west of St Raphael, where it widens and straightens out, and there is still a lot of traffic on it.

Save the hot rod for Switzerland or Germany, but as a poster said, any convertible at the lower speeds can be fun.

It's really a good idea in the Nice area, and for that matter the entire Alpes-Maritimes, to drive a bit conservatively.