American only!
Dear Classic American,
With reference to the letter from fellow reader Mervyn Partin concerning car rental in the US – I used to have a Cadillac DTS (4.6-litre Northstar V8) and when these became too old they were withdrawn, but most of the major players do now have a Caddy of some description on their books. I have had, more recently, the following cars: Chevy Impala/Malibu, Ford Fusion, Dodge Charger (with a V6!), Chevy Tahoe (with a 5.7-litre V8) and a BMW 520i (my American pals thought I was nuts when I said I would have preferred an American car!). I’ve also hired a Chevy Camaro and a Mustang convertible, all predictably with V6 engines.
I have just returned from my annual pilgrimage to the Daytona 500… my rental? A brand-new 2020 (it actually had 11 miles on the clock) Ford F150 four-door pick-up, with a 302cu in V8 and traction control one could turn off! Going through the Turn 1 tunnel, as you went up the slope to leave, it was actually possible to smoke the tyres! – just don’t tell the guys at Alamo! A good friend of mine, when racing at Watkin’s Glen last year, had as his rental a Dodge Challenger with the 5.7-litre Hemi engine! So, my point is that decent American rental cars are available, it’s just a case of hunting them down – the cost of renting the F150 was less than the cost for hiring a Transit Connect over here!
John Allen
Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire
There may not be as many American cars on rental fleets, but if you’re happy to accept a V6 or four-cylinder engine car, there are plenty. And for those seeking some real American V8 performance, check out Hertz’s Adrenaline collection – they offer Corvettes, Camaros and Mustangs!