A supercar dealership; it’s one of those special, exhilarating places on earth where most cars seem to be going a million miles an hour while sitting there. From the moment you enter one of these spaces, these machines stimulate your senses and get your pulse racing, giving you that appropriate “Boy in a Candy Store” feeling’. Dallas, Texas-based Tactical Fleet takes that feeling and turns it up to 11, because few supercar dealerships can match the sheer scale and variety of evocative cars it offers. As one of the fastest growing multi-brand luxury and exotic car dealers in the United States, they specialize in sourcing extremely rare and highly sought after automobiles.
From 2018, Tactical Fleet may be a relatively new player in the supercar and luxury car space, but that said, founders Jason Putnam and Christopher Barta have decades of experience behind them in shifting top-dollar metal from high-end luxury brands . Going from strength to strength, the dealership has garnered many accolades over the past few years. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Jason Putnam to learn more about Tactical Fleet’s phenomenal growth in what is considered an extremely volatile market.
The birth of the tactical fleet
Jason Putnam and Christopher Barta, founders, Tactical Fleet standing with a pair of Bentey Continental Flying Spurs
I started by asking Jason about what led to the creation of Tactical Fleet. Here’s a quick story. So Jason and Chris go way back and have known us since late 2009. Jason worked at Porsche in sales and management positions for the better part of five years and subsequently managed a portfolio of 12 auto dealerships of 18 brands, in six states . Meanwhile, Chris had also made great strides and had been working with brands such as Bentley, Bugatti and Rolls Royce, facilitating over $100 million in transactions, he was one of the country’s leading salesmen.
The whole car business in general is transactional, but what we wanted to do is bring back that personal touch and connection and really develop an environment where our customers feel comfortable buying a car. It didn’t feel like we were trying to sell them anything, but it was more about giving them opportunities. – Jason Putnam, co-founder and managing partner of Tactical Fleet
Eventually, Chris contacted Jason and suggested that they should try something of their own, especially since they now knew some of the system’s inefficiencies. Having built a niche clientele over the years and coupled with solid experience under their belts, the two men envisioned Tactical Fleet in 2017. Their main goal? To be a one stop shop for all luxury cars and supercars. This dream finally came true in early 2019.
The evolution of the brand
Starting as two guys in a warehouse, Tactical Fleet chose Dallas as their home base, which Jason adds is one of the strongest markets in the US if not the world. Being located in the heart of the country also makes them a great springboard. By October 2020, there were 100 cars in their inventory and soon space was very limited and construction began on an even larger building.
After growing at an amazing rate in Texas, there was an opportunity to acquire a small store near Charlotte, North Carolina in September 2021. The next logical step was, of course, Los Angeles, as is the largest sports car market in the United States. The opportunity arose on Wiltshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills and became Tactical Fleet’s third location in March of last year. A team of experienced professionals in all three locations support all of this, helping Tactical Fleet serve customers across the country.
But beyond the process of buying and selling high-end cars, Tactical Fleet also has a dedicated team that can further customize your ride to make it truly yours. Be it custom rims, high quality custom wraps, paint protection films or ceramic coatings to protect your investment from the elements or aerodynamic upgrades for your supercar; the sky is pretty much the limit with what’s possible. Apart from this, they also offer on-site storage facilities.
The road to success
Tactical Fleet inventory supercars driving across a bridge
When asked about what has been the key to Tactical Fleet’s success, Jason’s answer was simple. transparency Much of Tactical Fleet’s rapid growth has to do with being very transparent in the way it operates. They recognize that their clients have discretionary income and time; letting them choose where to spend their money.
So Tactical Fleet strives to provide customers with an experience unmatched in the industry, and it really comes down to the quality of the cars they offer. Considering the volumes Tactical Fleet currently operates in, they have clearly demonstrated the ability to satisfy even the most demanding customers. As a result, they also have several repeat customers. Timing was also a key aspect, as Jason explains below
I think it’s being in the right place at the right time. A bit of luck was also on our side. Chris and I have always had a very customer-centric approach. Our goal is to take care of people and it’s not just about making transactions or selling you a car, it’s about being your go-to place for the rest of your life, whenever you need a vehicle. We are very honest with our customers and try to take a long-term approach
Their process includes hand-picking each car based on specification and mileage. It’s mainly about trying to find the best example of a particular model. According to Jason, some customers are also willing to travel or look for cars outside of their own local market because most of the cars in Tactical Fleet’s inventory are fairly unique, limited-edition, or low-volume models.
The space of luxury and exotic cars before and after the pandemic
With Jason and Chris starting in the industry in 2009 and early 2010, they were coming out of a down market and had the opportunity to ride the wave of a very strong economy, which saw a high level of interest in luxury and exotic cars.
Fast forward to more recent times when Covid hit, it was an uncertain time for the industry as a whole, and after things settled down a bit, contrary to most analysts initially anticipating a drop in demand for ‘automobiles, the strong upswing was not something that was expected. While the damage was done and the chip crisis was certainly real, once the lockdowns began to ease, the auto industry witnessed a demand for cars like never before.
But this strong demand wasn’t just limited to new cars or mass-market used cars. It was a crazy time when even normal cars were selling above sticker and high demand and low supply caused most cars to increase in value. Nowhere was this trend more evident than in the sale of high-end exotics, because with all the roadblocks going on at the time, all people could think about was getting out and driving exotic cars.
We’ve really just seen incredible demand and a lack of supply, through a lot of Covid, and it wasn’t until the middle of last year that we started to see some correction
Jason gave me an example of the Mercedes G-Wagen market. Due to high demand and lack of supply, at the height of the pandemic, people were paying $200-$300,000 for them, which really wasn’t sustainable. And indeed, with Mercedes finally fulfilling the short supply, in recent quarters, the market has seen a correction. Jason sees this as a net positive as it is a win for the consumer.
What sets the tactical fleet apart from the competition
Tactical Fleet deals with a number of high-end brands including Bentley, Rolls Royce, Porsche, Aston Martin, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Maybach, Lamborghini and importantly, Ferrari. According to Jason, his sweet spot in the market is cars that cost between $100,000 and $1,000,000.
Finding a way to offer effortless financing and leasing options is what sets us apart in the industry. We also have a wide variety of choice in the inventory we carry. We had nearly 315 exotic cars on the floor, which is far more than any of our competitors
Unlike a traditional multi-brand supercar dealership, what? really what sets Tactical Fleet apart from the competition is variety. You have an endless collection of cars to test drive, and enough to start a private car show at Tactical Fleet’s state-of-the-art, air-conditioned 100,000 square foot Dallas facility. So whether you’re looking to trade in a car from your collection or looking for the first sports car for your daughter who just turned 16, Tactical Fleet makes the process of buying or trading in your high-end exotic an effortless process.
What’s Next for the Tactical Fleet?
With a strong base established in the US, I wanted to know if the brand was considering expanding operations overseas. While Tactical Fleet is currently working to further refine the experience at their three locations, they have certainly discussed and contemplated a potential overseas location as well, when the time is right. Also, while their inventory consists mainly of modern and exotic luxury cars. I was curious to find out if going into other markets like vintage or classic cars was a possibility and this is what Jason had to say about it.
You know we are car people and we really appreciate muscle cars and any car that qualifies as old European cars. I have played with some Ferrari products from the 70’s and 80’s and Porsche. I think when we expand into this area, it will be less national and more in our wheelhouse of vintage Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches.
A good example of this would be the recent sale of an extremely low mileage 1995 Ferrari F50 (only 650 miles on the clock) to a lucky customer in Miami. So, to summarize, if you are in the market for a used exotic car; I’m looking to go the luxury route with a Rolls Royce Cullinan, a Bentley Flying Spur, or opt for something sporty like a V-12-powered Ferrari 812 Superfast, or my personal favorite, a Mercedes-Benz SLR Mclaren; At Tactical Fleet, you can really come in and experience a competitive set on the market at a given price point or the style of car you want, and be sure you’re buying from the best.
