It was shortly after the Esotico Italiano Automobile Concours event in Austin in February 2014. An exotic car aficionado just happened to be driving around town when he spotted two Lamborghinis — a Gallardo and a Murcielago — turning just ahead of him on a street in Austin.
The car aficionado snapped a photo of the $200,000 machines and posted it to a gallery of luxury cars spotted in Austin on the webpage.
For anyone who regularly drives Austin’s roads, particularly downtown and in west Austin, it’s fairly common to spot high end cars — sleek black Mercedes, sporty Porsches and classy Audis.
And, every now and then, something truly rare and amazing zips by. It’s especially common during Formula One events at the Circuit of the Americas.
If you want to check out the fastest and most luxurious vehicles around without roaming the parking lots or waiting for car shows, Austin has a few luxury automobile dealerships where you can see what kind of wheels $300,000 buys these days.
Keep in mind, most luxury dealerships don’t allow just anyone to drop in and go for a test drive in a $100,000-plus vehicle. Many high-end cars are sold without any test drive at all because the company’s reputation is proof enough. For those who do allow test drives, it’s typically reserved for serious buyers who have already shown they’re financially qualified to buy.
“Every mile on the car is precious and the liability of going out in a 500 or 600 horsepower car just to see what it’s like… it’s a little prohibitive,” one luxury car salesman said.
The Longhorn Racing Academy near San Marcos is one option for those who aren’t in the market to buy a high-end sports car, but they have $150-plus to buy a few laps in a dream car. For example, take three, 1.8 mile-laps in a Dodge SRT Viper TA for about $350. The time may fly by, but with 11 turns in each lap, it will test your skills.
Now, here’s a look at a few of the top luxury dealerships.
Late European: Owned by Steve Late, who also owns a BMW dealership, and his wife, Ava, this north Austin dealership has one of the city’s finest collection of luxury vehicles. They have new and used Aston Martin, Bentley, Lotus and Rolls-Royce autos.
Ferrari: Located on North Lamar, across from Central Market, this factory authorized dealership owned by Giuseppe Risi opened in 2010. It offers new and used car sales, service and a showroom full of high-performance autos that could get almost any driver’s adrenaline flowing. The staff is happy to show off their cars in the showroom and talk in-depth about Ferrari’s history and each car’s abilities. But only financially-qualified serious buyers can take one out for a test drive. And, if you want the most exclusive of Ferraris, you need to already be on the company’s short-list of qualified buyers.
Roger Beasley Porsche: Ever sit inside a Porsche 911 Carrera? This is one of the few places you may have an opportunity to do so. Tucked away near Highland Mall (Austin Community College), this dealership has a flashy stock of new and used Porsches, as well as BMWs, Acuras and other top brands.