Then it roars. The red Ferrari gets going, the passenger is excited and the driver, Benedikt Lüchinger, seems unruffled. «I don’t even particularly enjoy driving cars like this», says the founder of the car-rental firm Edel & Stark. For 13 years his company has been renting out luxury cars like this Ferrari.
The 39-year-old Lüchinger is a trained hotelier; he came up with the business idea with a friend after a few rounds of beer: renting out top-tier vehicles. He sums up the beginnings like this: «We were an Airbnb for luxury cars.» Private owners lent out their supercars and in return paid less for upkeep.
Today the concept is different: because of the strong franc, dealers could no longer sell their used cars so easily. So Edel & Stark now keeps their vehicles busy. That cooperation still exists today. If a Porsche is needed in a hurry, he has several ways to meet any customer’s wish, Lüchinger tells us during our head-turning drive. And he has a fine selection of his own: around 35 cars belong to Edel & Stark in Oftringen.
And the fleet is impressive: the garage holds, among others, a Porsche Carrera, a Mercedes-Maybach and an Aston Martin. The SUVs are all rented out, as they suit large families and the ski season. Customers’ cars are also kept here, washed, serviced and pampered by Edel & Stark. Among them is the bodyguard car of a Mexican iron trader, fitted with crash protection.
Of course, customers don’t come here; the cars are brought to them. Before a deal is done, a deposit of 5,000 or 10,000 francs has to be lodged – depending on the car’s value – for any damage to the vehicle. Such deposits have even been paid in gold bars, Benedikt recounts proudly, taking a kilo of gold out of the safe. The bar is cold, small and heavy.
Off to Rome on a Whim
By now Edel & Stark has sites in Munich and Dubai. Business is booming, with double-digit annual growth according to Lüchinger. The payroll has grown to 28 names. «We’re actually a logistics company. We rent out cars and deliver them anywhere in Europe», he says. One of his employees, for instance, drove five days to Lapland so a customer could have fun in the snow. Or there are the spontaneous trips to Rome, on which staff are always allowed to bring company along. Among the 15 drivers are former police officers, flight attendants, drug-squad investigators, pastors, SAP consultants and car dealers. «We don’t hire car fanatics, that only causes problems.» Problems like speeding fines or accidents. Speaking of fines: Lüchinger’s business is profitable for the state too, with around 800 fines fluttering in each year. «We pass them on.»
Anyone who rents such a beast must be compensating for an inferiority complex – so goes the common view. Big car, small you-know-what, you often hear. Benedikt Lüchinger laughs and, after a pause for thought, says: «I’ve never been in the sauna with one of my customers, so I can’t judge the size question.» Besides, a third of the clientele is female.
Back in the Go-Kart
In the office, two logistics staff take calls and messages. They manage to get a requested car to Zurich-Kloten airport in an hour and a half. But now it’s the lunch break: each of the two grabs a car from the garage. After eating at the Coop restaurant, they wash a couple of vehicles while they’re at it.
We too settle back into the Ferrari. You feel as if you’re sitting on the ground. The bucket seat isn’t just comfortable. And I picture five days in this seat: dreadful. But as soon as the engine roars, attention shifts instantly to the ears. We pull onto the motorway, Benedikt Lüchinger drops down a gear, the Ferrari howls even louder, and the speed limit chimes in shortly afterwards.
The Business with E-Cars
Edel & Stark already offers e-cars. In these very weeks Benedikt Lüchinger is among the first to take delivery of a Volvo EX90. He’s convinced his business has good prospects despite climate change, self-driving software and electric motors. That insurance rates will fall with self-driving cars is obvious, because humans make more mistakes than a computer. But: «People love to take the wheel themselves. That will be the luxury, not the car.» The future, then, looks rosy. Or perhaps, in this case, red. Ferrari red.
This article appeared in MEN issue 1/24 (May 2024).
