Have you ever wanted to buy a prop from a television show but realize that it’s usually too expensive? Now, you can rent a car from a current show as those in the San Francisco area will be able to rent Erlich Bachmann’s “Aviato” branded 2006 Ford Escape from the show Silicon Valley.
Thanks to the company Turo, which seem to be like Airbnb for cars, allow people to make money from their car by allowing others to rent their car and drive. And in a perfect marketing opportunity for both, one of the cars available to rent in San Francisco is the car from Silicon Valley.
This is a legitimate listing and people can actually rent this car. It doesn’t say whether or not this is the actual car from the show or a similar Ford Escape that was branded in Aviato colors, but it is available for pick-up and drop off at San Francisco International Airport for $49 per day. As of September 1, the earliest you can rent out an entire day with Erlich’s Aviato Ford Escape would be November 8. But for $49 per day, in San Francisco with unlimited mileage, that is a pretty good deal for a rental car.
The listing itself reads as though Erlich himself wrote it, saying, “This vehicle has accommodated the most brilliant minds and butts of Silicon Valley’s greatest visionaries.”
With “unlimited mileage because if you are driving a piece of Silicon Valley history” and “leather seats that cradle your buttocks like the firm grasp of a loving mother,” there is a very important thing you cannot do while driving “the most iconic car Silicon Valley has to offer.”
“However, please note there is NO SMOKING in the car, even on special occasions. This cannot be emphasized enough. You will be charged $250 for any smoking, even marijuana. Do you understand?”
This seems like a very realistic request. People are lunatics about smoking in Palo Alto as Jian Yang learned. So a car that smells like smoke will drastically hurt the value of the car.
Surely, you will get noticed in San Francisco if you drive this Aviato machine. Who knows, maybe if you rent this, you may even be able to pitch your startup to Erlich and he’ll let you be an incubee at his house or be a part of Bachmanity Capital.
[Turo]
