Companies offer more tastes of the 1% life

Maybe it’s the historic highs on the stock exchanges. Or the pending tax cut. Or just overall economic optimism.

I am not sure of the reason, but the Wealth Industrial Complex has ramped up.

Companies offering private jet services are sending press releases pitching their businesses. So is a firm that sells “fractional ownership” on megayachts.

And don’t forget the autos — earlier this month I got a look at, and a ride in, Bugatti’s $3 million Chirron. (Yes, I drove it. Keep reading.)

In other words, companies that market products and services to affluent clienteles — and the 1 percenters — want us to let you know they want your business.

Let’s start with the yachts. One of the companies that I’ve heard from is AvYachts. The new South Florida-based company operates a 112-foot luxury boat that sails to the Bahamas, Cuba and New England.

AvYachts business expectation is not dissimilar to the other Wealth Industrial Complex players. It figures there are enough millionaires, multimillionaires and billionaires desiring the superyacht experience minus the headaches, costs and risk of actually owning a superyacht.

“It’s a very untapped market,” said Kathy Kennedy, COO of AvYachts. “The way yacht ownership is structured now makes it very unattainable for most people.”

Kennedy says AvYachts’ fractional ownership, like timeshares, means people don’t need to spend millions to buy a boat, then dish out tons more to maintain it and have a crew sitting around aimlessly for most of the time.

AvYachts said it built its model on a similar program run by private jet owners. Earlier this spring, I wrote about one of those companies, San Francisco-based Blackbird, which runs a ride-sharing service for private jets somewhat like Uber and Lyft do for cars.

Then, of course, there is the Bugatti Chiron. Yes, I know this is what you really want to read about.

The Bugatti Chiron’s sticker price is indeed $3 million, and only 500 of these custom-built autos will be made.

Its engine boasts 1,500 horsepower — and built with lightweight materials like titanium and carbon fiber — gets the car to a top speed of 261 mph.

I got a test drive, where let’s just say Bugatti Chiron’s zeroto-over-60 is 2.4 seconds. Let’s just say that it beat every thrill ride I’ve ever been on.

It seemed a waste to testdrive a car like this in Miami’s congested streets, except its fast acceleration and agile ride was perfect for weaving in and out lanes.

So, why the reach-out? I am not a 1 percenter. Maybe not even a 50 percenter. You may not be, either.

Part of the goal, I am told, is because Bugatti is part of the Volkswagen family, so the marketing effort on the brand could spill some attention over to VW’s more affordable, mainstream models.

True enough, mass-market brands want to be part of the Wealth Industrial Complex. Enterprise Rent-A-Car is billing its Exotic Car Collection, which the company says will put you “behind the wheel of a highend vehicle like a Bentley, Jaguar or Tesla” you can rent at Palm Beach International Airport.

Feeling rich?