For Eric, renting a Lamborghini from Imagine Lifestyles in Miami was a transforming experience.

“I felt like I had gone from a regular Joe to Joe DiMaggio!” he beamed.

As a sales rep, Eric certainly couldn’t afford to buy a Lamborghini Gallardo LP-560 coupe, but he could afford to rent one for a day. After plunking down $1,500, and getting a driving tutorial from Imagine Lifestyles co-CEO Ryan Safady, Eric took the wheel.

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“When I first sat in this beautiful piece of Italian machinery, I got bit of a rush--nervousness and, well, a lot of excitement,” he recalled. “I drove off and the adventure began.

“I drove around for a while before taking it home. I wanted to get used to how the car handled, and I decided to see what it felt like to go fast--not just any kind of fast, Lamborghini fast. Imagine going on a roller coaster for the first time: You feel the adrenaline, the excitement, and when you come to a stop, a bit lightheaded. Well, that’s exactly what it felt like.”

Eric, who requested that his last name be withheld, could not get over “the amount of women I talked to that night.” The experience “was one I will never forget,” he said, “something I will tell my children someday.”

In recent years, more and more Americans have gotten the chance to feel like Joe DiMaggio. Following a trend that started in Europe, exotic-car rentals have sprouted in major cities across the United States. Exotic Car Express has outlets in more than 30 American cities, including such smaller locales as Savannah, Georgia.

Whether at Gotham Dream Cars in New York or Carefree Lifestyle in L.A., the Italian imports are always the most coveted cars. “When you drive a Lambo or Ferrari,” said Safady, “it is almost as if you are driving a celebrity.”