We spoke with John Caron yesterday about his new business venture, The Otto Club. We recently posted a comparison chart of the top five car clubs in the U.S. including The Otto Club. Having already profiled Club Sportiva and Classic Car Club Manhattan, we wanted to offer more details about The Otto Club.

After 15 successful years as a marketing executive in the technology industry, Caron wanted to pursue his lifelong passion—exotic cars. So in 2005 he founded The Otto Club, which now has 23 members and 7 cars in the Boston area. He had seen the first fractional car clubs in Europe and Australia and recognized the huge potential market.

Caron is a self-proclaimed car fanatic who wanted to give other fanatics the chance to drive high-end, exotic sports cars without the hassle of costly maintenance and repairs. As a club member himself, Caron believes that, “access to a collection far outweighs ownership.” This isn’t to say that the club replaces ownership; on the contrary, many of his members already own exotic cars.

The Otto Club is a specialized car club, tailored to the preferences of its members. The average Otto Club member is a 35-55 year old, business exec or company president, married, with one sports car in the garage already. The Otto Club focuses on its members and their desire to drive the newest, coolest, exotic cars out there. They are not interested in classic heavy-metal American cars; they want $100,000 plus, European exotics like the Ferrari 360, Aston Martin DB9 or Maserati Quattroporte.

Listed below are some of the details of membership:

• Black Level: $28,000 Annual fee for 30,000 points, 40-60 days of driving with average usage, a mix of cars and mix of weekends and week days
• Red Level: $15,000 Annual fee for 15,000 points, 20-30 days of driving with average usage, a mix of cars and mix of weekends and week days
• There are also Black and Red corporate plans.
• Insurance, maintenance, taxes – all fully covered
• Delivery and Pick-up – complimentary up to certain distance, with 3-5 day use or longer
• Car cleaning – While you are using the club car, they store and clean your car
• Additional points – Member can purchase points at $850-$1,050 per thousand
• Unlimited mileage on all cars
• Membership includes your spouse plus one additional driver

The Otto Club, named for inventor Nicolaus Otto, serves the greater Boston area. Caron said they are opening a new office downtown in Boston on Monday and a clubhouse this coming spring. The clubhouse will offer the usual amenities such as lounge, social events, concierge service, as well as a boardroom and catering service.

Knowing that John Caron is a sports car fanatic, we had to ask him what his favorite car of all time was. Here’s what he said:

For this one, I’ve got to go back to my youth. I was 20 when my dad bought a Mazda RX-7 Turbo II. It was the first RX-7 with a turbo and it would crush anything on the road. I know firsthand. The sound of that engine (called a Wankel) was extraordinary. I look forward to the day when Mazda brings this car back. I’ll be the first one in line and will be bringing it right to my dad. Once a car guy…

If you are a member of The Otto Club we would love to hear what you think. You can email us at tips@heliumreport.com.