[above: Husband Alan Lee with wife May Ong in a Lamborghini they rented out for a day.]

By Cheryl Tan

Husband Alan Lee splashed out nearly $2,800 on a wheely flash present for his wife May Ong's 55th birthday - a day's rental of a Lamborghini sports car.

'I wanted to rent it so that the both of us could go for a spin. It's something special that will add to our memories,' said Mr Lee, who has been a fan of high-performance cars since his younger days. The couple own a slightly less exotic but still luxurious $300,000 BMW 5 Series.

The spin in the Italian Lamborghini speedster was a surprise present and required some subterfuge. Mr Lee told his wife of 29 years that he had to meet his older brother while he went secretly to pick up the car at the Luxe Car Rental showroom in Lower Delta Road.

'She looked so surprised when the doors of the lift to our condominium apartment opened and she saw the car,' he said with a laugh.

But the look of surprise was also one of apprehension - she feared that her husband had actually bought the sports car.

Madam Ong, who is well aware of her husband's passion for sports cars, said: 'We had discussed the issue and agreed that it would not be practical to buy one.'

But she was pleasantly surprised when her husband explained it was a birthday treat ride.

Still, his practical-minded spouse did light-heartedly chide him for spending nearly $3,000 on the car rental.

The couple, who have two daughters in their 20s, spent most of the day cruising around the island, enjoying the fast ride.

To top off his expensive surprise, Mr Lee also gave his wife a bouquet of roses.

Although Madam Ong did not have the chance to take the wheel as only her husband was authorised to drive the vehicle, she did not mind.

She said: 'I would have felt very stressed because it is such an expensive car.'

Luxe Car Rental

What: Rents high-performance sports cars
Price: From $788 for a Maserati Spyder Cabrio to $2,988 for a Ferrari F430 Spider per day.
Where: #01-06 Cendex Centre, 120 Lower Delta Road, tel: 6278-7800, www.luxecar.sg
Opens: 10am-7.30pm (Mon-Fri); 10am-4pm (Sat)

This article was first published in The Straits Times.

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