Housed in a 15,000-square-foot warehouse in San Francisco, Club Sportiva keeps 15 newer exotic, luxury and classic cars in its stable. But these are not show ponies and this isn’t a museum – these vehicles are meant to be driven by members.

Call it a time share for cars.

But unlike most time shares, you’re not tied down to one or two cars. Members buy points that they can spend on a range of rides usually accessible only to the ultra-rich. And these high-end vehicles aren’t rented by the hour – but for two days minimum.

“After one day, you’re just starting to notice the stitching and the finer nuances of the car,” explains Torbin Fuller, President and Founder of Club Sportiva. “The norm is three to four days.”

Membership is available at two levels: Enthusiast and Elite. The Enthusiast membership ranges from $3,500 to $11,500, and offers 10 to 45 days of access to luxury and sports cars up to the $120,000 range, including a Maserati Quatroport.

Bump up to Elite membership, which ranges from $18,000 to $32,000, and not only will you get more points, but you’ll also open the door to the club’s fleet of newer exotic cars. How many days you get depends on which cars you prefer to drive. Suffice to say, a $240,000 car will cost more points than a $75,000 Porsche.

With these membership fees, you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking the price of poker’s a bit steep. But it’s a better deal than owning one (or more) of these super deluxe rides, Fuller insists.

He estimates that you’ll spend $5,000 a year on maintenance alone for a Ferrari – and that doesn’t include storage or insurance. To put it in perspective, a $200,000 sports car housed in a “safe” zip code, insured to an older driver with a perfect driving record, and used as a fourth or fifth vehicle (meaning that it would be driven only very, very occasionally) would cost a minimum of $1,000 for every six months. Change the location to downtown San Francisco, and the cost goes up 30 to 40 percent. If it’s the primary vehicle, expect the premium to double – if you can even find a company to insure you. Cross your fingers you don’t smoke the clutch, because that’s a $5,000 to $ 10,000  replacement.

“There may be a lot of prestige in owning an exotic car, but there’s a lot of headache, too,” he reiterates. “We provide the fun without the complexities of ownership.”

That’s the reason why Randy Biner, an advertising executive in Foster City, Calif., drives a 13-year-old Toyota instead of a sports car. It’s also the only way someone with an average income could get time behind the wheel of a 1968 Jaguar E Type in perfect condition, he believes.

 “You get access to these top cars without having to own them,” Biner explains. His membership is a 40th birthday present from his wife, who found the club while researching luxury car rental in the San Francisco Bay Area.

It may sound like an extravagant gift, but for the money you get more than a few days a year of driving. You also get the club year-round.

The club features a cigar room where regular poker games are held. In the garage an artwork hangs for sale, costing more than $100,000. If you’re trying to impress a prospective client, book the conference room that overlooks the cars on the floor.

And it’s not just a boy's club. Approximately 20 percent of Club Sportiva members are single women, while another 20 percent are spouses who, Fuller claims, are instrumental in the decision to join the club in the first place.

Suzanne Garner, a software engineer in Santa Clara, Calif., who’s been driving since she was 14, joined the club to get her hands on a constant stream of the latest in exotic sports cars.

“The wine tasting, cigar nights, football games, dinners – I don’t do any of that,” she says, dismissing the social activities. But you can count on her appearing at any car-focused event, such as a road rally or a high-performance driving opportunity. She’s even hopped behind the wheel of Alain Prost’s 2001 race car, which, she believes, makes her the only amateur female to ever driver a Formula 1 car on U.S. soil.

And if you haven’t quite made the transition from stick shift to paddle shifters, Club Sportiva will show you the way at its high-performance driving school. Although Fuller spins it as a benefit that’s included in the signing fee of $750–coincidentally the same cost a non-member would pay for the class–the course is mandatory for Elite members who have access to the higher-end cars. It’s also a chance for the staff to evaluate members’ driving skills.

“If you’re going to hand over the keys to a couple of million-dollars-worth of cars, you want to make sure they’re not going to run into a stop sign,” explains Fuller.

Membership for Club Sportiva is growing each year. While 90 percent of drivers are car enthusiasts in the Bay Area, 10 percent are part-time residents who may have a second home in the area or who travel to San Francisco frequently on business. Included is racing legend Mario Andretti, who favors the newer sports cars over the old classics.

“Whatever is newest and fastest is for him,” reveals Fuller.

And members are increasingly taking advantage of the partnerships that Club Sportiva has fostered with similar clubs in Las Vegas and New York, and in Munich, Germany.

But the heart of the business remains in San Francisco, with the high number of perfect driving days and a range of white-knuckle driving tours.