Exotic car rentals in Kelowna, worth skipping school (and work) for

If Cailex Pynappels wanted to sneak away from school, he picked the wrong getaway vehicle.

A 2012 Lamborghini Gallardo is hardly inconspicuous.

The eight-year-old Kelowna boy and his dad were special guests of KelownaNow to celebrate the opening of August Exotic Car Tours on Thursday morning in Kelowna.

The branch of August Luxury Motorcars has just launched an offshoot, and has been giving local media a firsthand look.

A few of us from KelownaNow got behind the wheels of these exclusive rental cars, but rather than hog the sweet rides to ourselves, Cailex and dad Sebastiaan tagged along for the ride.

Yes, it was a school day. No, Cailex didn’t seem to mind.

“We drifted,” Cailex admitted.

Well, you almost have to drift when you’re driving a Lambo with a 5.2-litre engine and 543 horsepower.

Renting exotic cars is common elsewhere in Canada, but new to the Okanagan. That August was first to make this move seems surprising. Touring winding roads that snake their way to Okanagan Lake just feels right. Showing up at grad or your wedding day in a drop-top convertible might be nice.

The fleet we tested contained four cars: the Lambo, a 2005 Ferrari F430, a 2009 Audi R8 and a 2008 Aston-Martin Vantage convertible.

There are plans to add more. You can take them touring for a half day ($499 each) or a full day ($1,299 each) with a guide. You can also rent them individually ($299 per hour for the Lambo; three hours minimum, for example).

Kristian Sharkey is the tour operator. He relocated here just recently, and connected with dealership owner Matt August.

They quickly began talking about working together, and August admitted he’d been tinkering with an idea of exotic rentals.

As you can imagine, it was easy to say yes to leading four supercars on tours through the valley.

“What a better way to spend your days than driving around the Okanagan,” Sharkey said.

Indeed. Of our drivers, we all seemed to have our favourites picked out beforehand. Mine was the Aston-Martin.

I’d long ago written the carmaker’s 1-800 phone number on a business card and stuffed it into my wallet. It was motivation to always strive for success. Actor Jim Carrey did something similar when he wrote himself a $10 million cheque.

I was young, what can I say?

Of course, the difference here is Carrey actually “cashed” that cheque after his career skyrocketed. I’m still waiting to make that call.

Imagine my surprise, then, when the August group invited us to take a ride.

“I’ll take the Aston, please!” I shouted. It was an embarrassing moment for sure, standing there in the grocery store reading the email invitation on my phone.

Slipping behind the wheel of the Vantage must feel the same as spooning with Colin Firth — strong, yet tender.

Aston-Martin, a British manufacturer, is luxury refined. It’s a sophisticated car with an exhaust that sounds like a Beethoven symphony.

Turning left onto Highway 97 from the August dealership, there were still some nerves. But getting 10 minutes to drive in a straight line was all you needed to get accustomed to the 4.3-l V8 engine. Dropping the top and letting the horses run was incredible. We are all still smiling.

Our day included stops at 50th Parallel Winery, Sparkling Hills and Ex Nihilo Winery for lunch.

Among our group, the Ferrari F430 was the favourite.

Ferrari, she's a spirited lover.

The Italian exotic handles curves with grace and poise. It has enough power to suck you back into your seat, but never puts you in harm’s way.

The Audi was like driving a sophisticated computer sent here from the future. You don’t so much drive from Point A to Point B, but appear via text message.

Quick, compact and advanced, the Audi surprised many of us.

Now, the Lamborghini. Oh, the Lamborghini. It’s the one vehicle that really made me feel out of control or like I was driving something else (jet fighter?).

There’s just so much raw power, the gas pedal can keep on going. When we crested a hill along Okanagan Centre Road, I really hit the gas and met the “Raging Bull” for the first time.

The bull was in control, and I needed to know that.

Brienne Pearson, another of our guests, summed up our impressions of the Lamborghini nicely.

"It’s very fast. It’s quite loud. It’s very low to the ground,” she said. “It’s pretty sexy.”

For more photos of these slick cars, click here!