In the driver’s seat with MotorShare
The purr of an engine starting, the slick lines of an exotic car, driving with the top down and the wind through your hair…
Ever wanted to drive the car of your dreams? MotorShare can make it happen.
Chris Brett and James Punnett are the driving force behind MotorShare, a car subscription platform for exotic vehicles based in Auckland.
The platform allows members to choose from a range of plans which can be paid for monthly or yearly, granting them access to some of the world’s most sought after cars for 10, 20, 30, or more, days per year, depending on the plan selected.
“Our Silver Plan offers access to cars in our essential, premium range, private collection (after 12 months). Upgrading to a Gold or Platinum membership allows access to all collections right away!” says Chris.
Though the concept of an exotic car subscription company exists elsewhere in the world, Chris and James discovered the concept is new to New Zealand.
“Over lunch one day, we came up with the idea of MotorShare, to help all Kiwis enjoy exotic cars without breaking the bank”.
“It’s not very often you think of an idea and no one’s doing it. It is an expensive business to set up with a lot of complexities around getting insurance so that’s probably why no-one was doing it in the first place. But we just ran with it, bought a couple of cars, and wanted to see how things went, really”.
“The first car that we started with was the Porsche GT4 followed by the Mercedes AMG GT and our Audi R8. We have thirteen cars in total and are always looking at additional cars to add”.
They have also introduced a new syndicate programme to help expand their fleet of cars, where anyone is able to own a share in a vehicle. A share gives them a number of days per year for that specific vehicle. Syndicate owners can then enjoy the car and also allow members to use an allocation of their days to help cover some of those expenses relating to the vehicle.
The MotorShare headquarters can be found tucked away at the Wiri Station Road Business Park, off Wiri Station Road. They moved to Wiri in late 2023 and have expanded to a team of four with Cole and Joe joining the business.
“Wiri is a good location as we’re close to the airport and can service our South Island customers that travel up to Auckland. We operate a shuttle for these customers from the airport.
Additionally, prices in the Wiri area are good compared to the city or the North Shore”.
MotorShare is quickly growing their membership base. A range of Porsches (GT4, 911 & Boxster), McLaren 650S, Nissan GTR R35, Mercedes G63 (G-Wagon), Mercedes AMG-GT, Aston Martin DB9 and Jaguar F-Type S are part of the fleet and waiting to be taken for a spin.
“We operate a membership waitlist, interview new members, and put them through the usual checks before they can sign a contract”.
“At the moment, we are car-heavy, so there’s plenty of availability for new members. Once we get to a magic number, we will cap the numbers to ensure it stays an exclusive club”.
Though Chris and James are not new to running a business, there are always new things to learn.
“James and I have run several businesses in the past. We have learned a lot from these businesses, so that knowledge crosses over. Getting insurance coverage for the business was very complex!”
MotorShare has an exciting future ahead of it. Expansion across the fleet and locations is all on their radar.
“Over the coming years, we will be looking to expand our fleet, grow our membership base, and potentially expand into other areas. Shortly, a Lotus Elise 2021 Final Edition and a Lamborghini Huracan will be added to our collection. We will soon be able to offer a track car for our members as well” explains Chris.
MotorShare often hosts experience days, special events for members only and we run regular open days for potential new members to come check us out. The team at MotorShare is more than happy for people to drop by during business hours to have a chat about a membership, syndicate or just to say “hi”.
If you would like further information, contact [email protected] or check out their website Motorshare.co.nz.