'Wonderful pieces of machinery'

The exotic and super-luxury car rental business on the Gulf Coast has a new player, this one in the Tampa market.

The fresh entry, Seminole-based Maz Exotics, offers more than 10 kinds of rare cars for rent, working out of a 5,000-square-foot showroom. Entrepreneur Carlos Mazariegos founded the company earlier this summer, after he sold a pharmacy business. It's a straight up do-what-you-love play. Says Mazariegos: “I had no business experience in cars. But I enjoy these kind of luxury cars.”

Mazariegos says he wants to make that enjoy-factor more available, if not cheaper. Cars for rent include Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Bentleys. Prices range from $300 a day to rent a 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera to $5,000 to rent a 2015 Ferrari 458 Spider for a three-day weekend. “We want people to experience these vehicles,” Mazariegos tells Coffee Talk. “They are such wonderful pieces of machinery.”