The Supercar KidsThe Supercar KidsIssue 2 - September 2012

It was time for our second cover shoot, and we wanted to get away from the UK to do something different. What better than to head to beautiful Belgium?

The owner of the website Autogespot, Erik de Voogd, is also the proud holder of the keys to an amazing Ferrari 599 GTO. It's the very same car he took on the 2012 Gumball 3000 supercar road-rally from New York to Los Angeles; coast to coast.

For those unfamiliar with Autogespot, the website has risen substantially in recent times as an international platform in which automotive fans from all over the world can share photos and receive the latest updates on exotic cars around the globe. The main focus of the website, the 'spots' are what keep the enthusiasts coming back. Autogespot invites all members and guests to spot exotics and supercars around the world via both photo and video, to then upload them to the site. This popularity has created one of the world's largest exotic car photo albums. Autogespot also now offer their members the chance to create advertisements for their cars via the newly introduced online market-place

The website is a community truly by the fans and for the fans. Every day more than 100 'spots' are uploaded to the website and even more visitors sign up to catch the latest photos and updates from the supercar world.

Photography by Philippe Collinet Location: Antwerp Harbour

Holborn HouseShmee150

Editorial

Contributors

The Car Finders

Thanks for picking up the second issue of The Supercar Kids magazine. In this install-ment we bring you the month's latest supercar news from around the world, starting with an overview of our launch party event held at Holborn House for those who did not attend. We introduce the London Motor Museum's latest creation, the Buick Old Ice Roadster, lighting up the night along with the story behind the unique vehicle. From there, The Supercar Kids have a look at the new Bentley Continental GTC V8 provided to us by Bentley Essex and we report on recent supercar events on home soil in the UK including Chelsea AutoLegends and Salon Prive.

This issue contains stories from many different countries in order to bring you the very best supercar news and photos. We've included our day in Monza, Italy with the Ferrari XX Programme, followed by an article on Dubai's supercar culture and our trip to Belgium for Cento Miglia. We showcase a preview of the 2012 Monaco Yacht Show so you can see what to expect from one of the world's most exclusive events. Finally an in-depth insight into the supercar paradise that's known as Monterey Car Week, held annually in California.

Thank you for reading, we hope you will join us again next month.

Mahmood Ansari - Founder & DirectorTim Burton - Managing PartnerAdam Gordon - Creative Director

Sponsors

Gurps KandolaDaniele AbbondanzaPhilippe CollinetDrake MumfordSam MooresAlex PenfoldJustus Nyman

IN THIS ISSUE:

Supercar News

McLaren to show 1000-Horsepower F1-successor at Paris Motor Show

Since the debut of McLaren’s MP4-12C, the supercar scene and internet rumor-mill have been ripe with chatter and speculation about McLaren’s future. The biggest question, of course, being: “Where is the next McLaren F1?”. Well fear not, F1 fans - McLaren has heard your pleas, and from the looks of things, they are about to blow the old F1 out of the water. However, if you’re looking for the new master of top-speed, you might find yourself disappointed. McLaren states that they will not be chasing Bugatti’s top-speed records, and instead are focusing on acceleration and track-ready performance. The new McLaren will derrive its power from a turbocharged V8, which produces around 800 horsepower. It uses a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) to generate the additional power to bring the overall horsepower into the 4-digit range.

Internet chatter suggests that the numbers in this car could equate to a 0-60 time under 2.5 seconds. This, we will have to see (and feel) to believe. As you may have guessed, the P1 will have a price point above the MP4-12C, which is appropriate when you account for the horsepower figures, intricate engineer-ing and next-gen technology that will be found in the F1-successor. The photo shown above was released with ample time before the Paris Motor Show to stir up quite a bit of commotion. We can’t wait to get our hands on one of the 500 new McLaren flagship models, as we expect it to be every bit as ground-breaking as the F1 was when it showed its face to the world in 1992. McLaren has announced that they plan to reveal a new model each year until 2015. Needless to say, we’re excited to see what McLaren will bring to the table in the near future.

Another Road-Rally is Born in the UK

It’s become clear that the 1980’s movie, The Cannonball Run, left a lasting impression on supercar fans. Since its debut, road-rallies and organized supercar road-trips have grown substantially in popularity. The Cannonball 2000, started by Gary Redman, is the latest rolling VIP party to come out of the UK. Complete with the standard road-rally amenities like exclusive parties, luxury hotels, wild nights, camara-derie and of course, incredible cars. The debut rally of the Cannonball 2000 took place early this month, and had participants partying in style from London to Paris, covering 2000 miles in 5 days. With sponsors like Rockstar Energy, Xbox 360, Forza Horizon and Bobby White getting into the action, we can expect to see a lot more fun from Cannonball 2000 within the next few years. If you want to receive information on the 2013 Cannonball 2000, be sure to visit their website and subscribe to their mailing list to receive the news first! You can find more information and some photos from the 2012 on their website:www.cannonball2000.com

Pagani to Build “Final” Zonda. Again.

Pagani has recently stated that it will be building the last and final edition of the Zonda, the 764 Passione. The car will not differ greatly from previous 760 models, but will feature pink accents alongside its expected Pagani carbon fiber body. The Passione will also come equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission to keep those 760 horses under control. While Pagani has announced that this will be the last Zonda, this wouldn’t be the first time they’ve said so. However, with Mercedes ceasing production of the AMG V12 engine used in previous Zondas, we suspect they may mean it this time - amd they’re only producing one 764 Passione. We expect that somewhere out there, a high-paying customer is waiting anxiously for their pink Zonda. Similar to Lamborghini’s phasing-out of the Gallardo, we are happy that this once-flagship model will go out with a bang. We now expect that Pagani will be focusing on tweaking its newer model, the Huayra, to even more surprising, track-slaying figures. We’ll have to wait and see what the future holds for this hypercar legend.

News columns by Adam Gordon

The Supercar Kids Launch PartyThe Supercar Kids Launch Party

Ever since we announced the launch of our online magazine, the news quickly spread and messages of support came in from across the world. On August 10th 2012 the big day was finally upon us.

Preparations started in the afternoon at the chosen venue, Holborn House in central London. Founder Mahmood Answer collected his Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster for the day provided by Bob Forstner, supercar dealership based in London, while managing partner, Tim Burton (a.k.a Shmee150) arrived in just as much style in a Mercedes SLS AMG. Our other managing partner, Chris Murphy was also present before jetting off to Paris shortly after as duties called.

The night consisted of a line-up of amazing cars, from a Morgan AeroMax driven personally by Charles Morgan of the Morgan Motor Company to a chrome-wrapped Audi R8 V10 Spyder brough along by Yiannimize, customiser of supercars. Other cars present included London Motor Museum's incredibly noisy Dodge Challenger and a very special Buick Old Ice Roadster, a custom car that you can see more about later in the magazine. Other supporters who brought their cars were Bachi Harsh of Petrol-head Nirvana driving tours, who caused some serious noise with his Ferrari 260 Spider, David Yu of Auto-Journals with his Nissan GT-R and Steven Lewis of Veho and No Proof No Glory in his Aston Martin Vantage Roadster.

Some of the attendees to name a few from a very large guest list included Jiinksy and Nick Bick who provide jewellery and diamonds to well known stars currently on our TV screens, one of the world's youngest billionaires, along with the Gumball 3000 crew who run the yearly supercar rally for the rich and famous.

As the night went on it was time to finally reveal the very first issue of The Supercar Kids magazine to the attendees in waiting. Having previously kept the details fairly quiet it is fair to say the crowd were impressed by what they had to see from the new supercar publication. The process was explained in terms of where we travel monthly, organising exclusive world-wide photoshoots through to test drives and explaining the advertising platforms.

Since launch the readership statistics have sky-rocketed and are continuing to grow. Over 1,000 individuals stopped by to read the magazine on the very first day it was online, with almost double that figure tuning in on the second. Throughout the month we have been very impressed by the continued numbers and consistent feedback. A strong social media presence strengthened this with plenty of comments and support on our Facebook and Twitter pages. We have loved every single comment we've received and always welcome new contributors wanting to write and share their photos to our audience.

The magazine will go beyond the usual car reviews and give readers an insight into the world's most exclusive and rarest supercars, including an inside look at celebrity car collections and exclusive access to one-off supercars from the greatest cities globally as soon as they touch tarmac. The Supercar Kids' mission is to make content that appeals to supercar owners and enthusiasts alike, as everyone has a youthful 'Supercar Kid' inside them. We look forward to spending some time with you as you kick back, relax and indulge in The Supercar Kids magazine.

Article by Mahmood Ansari Photography by Sam Moores Photography & The Video Box London

Bentley

GTC V8

Recognisable by styling tweaks in the form of a glossy black grille, restyled front bumper and “figure eight” tailpipes at the rear, the new V8 version of the popular Bentley Continental GTC is quite something.

When invited by Bentley Essex (http://www.twitter.com/bentleyessex) to take a look at the Continental GTC V8 at their dealership in Colchester it was not an offer we were going to refuse. The car in question is the convertible version of the new Continental GT, in line with the coupe it is the first model from the Crewe based company to feature their new V8 engine.

Under the hood there's a lot more that's changed and not just in the reduction of 4 cylinders. The 4.0 litre twin-turbocharged V8 manages to reduce weight by 25kg on the traditional W12 car but still outputs a whopping 500bhp, to put that in perspective the kerb weight of 2470kg is propelled to 62mph in just 5 seconds flat.The master wizardry at play means that the torque is not applied in a traditional fashion but rather from 1700rpm upwards you have a constant 660Nm/487 lb-ft creating a 'torque line' if you will rather than a curve. The effect of this is a car that goes about acceleration completely without fuss and when coupled with the 8-speed ZF gearbox it makes for incredibly pleasant driving.

However when the revs are raised the silence is broken by the new V8 rumble, one that knows exactly what you're after. If you want it to be ferocious it will not disappoint and likewise vice-versa.

Running on 21” alloys the ride is surprisingly comfortable, a credit to the suspension setup that offers a variety of different modes depending how you would like it. The steering system is adjusted for a slightly sportier feel on the V8 from the W12, hinting that this car has been created for a different type of driver. If you don't want to let the gearbox do it's thing, arguably it jumps around the gears a little too freely, paddles are available for driving in a manual mode but they are situated a little too high and far away to really make the most out of them; it can confuse you trying to find the wiper stalks below.

During a rare sunny spell the four-wheel-drive system was not going to be put to use beyond feeling incredibly in control when pulling away briskly. The car has an additional 225kg over the coupe, including structural reinforcement to strengthen and bolster the chassis keeping only a minimal hint of a lack of body rigidity. From a handling point of view it's certainly no sports car but steers positively, and more sportingly than the W12 with a slightly different setup.

The interior design is unchanged between the V8 and W12 models, a very refined cabin with exemplary craftsmanship and incorporation of the latest technology inherited from Volkswagen. Space is pleasant with slightly smaller rear seats than the coupe but perfectly manageable for adults to fit. Although the boot space is slightly lacking at just 260 litres in such a large car.

As with all Bentley cars there is an extensive options list for customisation and creating an individual car. From the obvious list of colours, interior leathers and trims through to the £9,000 Classic Mulliner Styling Specification package including side sill extension blades, front splitter, rear bumper diffuser in carbon fibre as well as option 21” alloy wheels and carbon fibre wing mirrors.

It wouldn't be a surprise if many Bentley customers continue to choose the W12 model over the V8 but it's becoming very apparent that it would be ill-advised to do so. The

new car not only continues the feel and driving experience one expects from a Bentley but does so with a claimed 40% improved efficiency and a smaller price tag of

£137,600 versus to £152,000 for the W12.

For more information about the latest Bentley models, contact Richard Ennifer at Bentley Essex

+44 (0) 1206 848500

Article by Tim BurtonPhotography by Sam Moores

CHELSEAAutoLegends

2012

This year marked the third edition of what has become a much-loved event in the automotive social calendar.

Held in the breathtaking surroundings of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, London, it showcased over 500 classic and contemporary vehicles. The event which was held on 2nd September 2012, saw thousands of visitors on the grounds of the Grade I listed building to admire the automotive greats, rub shoulders with some big names in the motorsport industry and support the Armed Forces Charity; Walking with the Wounded.

The key themes for the 2012 event were 70s Cool, Stars’ Cars, Le Mans and Formula 1, while the 50th anniversary of the British Women Racing Drivers Club (BWRDC) was celebrated with a supercar convoy through the streets of London, supported by luxury car dealer HR Owen. Many of the club’s members, including British Female Rally Champion Louise Cook and American Le Mans Series veteran Liz Halliday, took part on the day, with a number of the BWRDC members also displaying their vehicles at the event.

A new addition this year was the Techno Park, an area of Chelsea AutoLegends concentrating on the future of the automotive industry and celebrating British innova-tion in engineering. The World Land Speed Record-attempting Bloodhound SSC and the 200 mph full-electric car from Drayson Racing Technologies were the highlights for visitors, with members from both teams answering questions throughout the day.

Chelsea AutoLegends organiser Max Wakefield was really pleased with how the day turned out: “Each year, we get bigger and better and we had to turn away some really fantastic vehicles, such was the quality of the cars and bikes we already had on show. I was able to talk to some of the visitors and have been assured that the 2013 event is already in their diaries. A really positive result for what is only the third year of the event and something we could not have achieved without the support and dedication of all of our partners, sponsors and organising crew.”

Chelsea AutoLegends is a celebration of cars, motorcycles and automotive endeav-our. One day a year, Chelsea resonates to the sights and sounds of that common passion – be it a land speed record car, an Austin A35, or the rarest of Le Mans ‘langhecks’. That is what lies at the heart of Chelsea AutoLegends – a desire to celebrate the automotive world, with style, with verve and with a smile. We look forward to next year’s event which will return in September 2013, a year that will see the 50th anniversary of Lamborghini and mark 110 years of Harley Davidson. More information can be found at www.chelseaautolegends.com

Article by Mahmood AnsariPhotography by Alex Penfold Photography and Jason Dodd Photography

Super Cars, Super Stars, Super Bikes and Super BrandsSalon Prive 2012

Salon Prive, now amazingly in its 7th consecutive year, returned to Syon Park from the 5th-7th September. Being a permanent fixture on the London social scene, it is a calendar highlight amongst enthusiasts, collectors and buyers of modern and classic supercars. As a fashionable and glamorous garden party, it caters as much for motor-ing enthusiasts as it does for guests who simply enjoy soaking up the atmosphere and spending time relaxing against the stunning backdrop of Syon Park. It is ‘the’ event to be at with champagne, a lobster lunch and traditional afternoon tea adding to the experience of an eclectic mix of premium automotive and luxury brands.

Being one of the UK’s most prestigious Super Car Show and Concours d’Elegance, it was the venue chosen for debuts from world-leading automotive companies. These debuts included Aston Martin’s V12 Vantage Roadster, Bentley’s GT Speed, Overfinch’s Range Rover Sport inspired Limited Edition GTS-X, Rimac’s Concept_One hypercar, Tushek’s Renovatio T500 from Croatia, and Carozerria Touring Supleggerra’s 2012 Disco Volante.

The event started on the Wednesday with an inaugural 21-mile Tour d’Elegance from the the Royal Automobile Club’s Woodcote Park in Epsom to Syon House, over 30 vintage super cars and bikes drove en-convoy to officially open Salon Privé 2012. It saw guest appearances from pop stars such as Jay Kay who said “If you are looking for a splendid day out in London, surrounded by beautiful people, and in my opinion, even more beautiful cars – then Salon Privé is the place for you.”

Special new products from high-end brands were also introduced such as Audemars Piguet timepieces, Boodles jewellery, Chubb Insurance, Pommery champagne and Vertu mobile telephone handsets which helped to complete the line up of luxury goods on offer at Syon Park, alongside the creative offering of the EFG Private Bank Art & Memorabilia Fayre.

Thursday is The Boodles Ladies Day where Syon Park sees beautifully dressed women more than matching their super car counterparts. In addition to the stunning classic and super cars and luxury brands on display, the day included a celebrity panel who selected a short list of the most stylishly dressed ladies with a piece of jewellery from Boodles awarded during afternoon tea.

On the last day, The 2012 Chubb Insurance Concours d’Elégance at Salon Privé promised to be a spectacular affair, with classic cars and bikes paraded throughout the day and a prestigious Awards Ceremony to mark the close of Salon Privé 2012.

Daley Thompson; former decathlete from the UK and the winner of the decathlon gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984: “Super cars, beautiful classic cars, some of my favourite brands and a real best of British flavour – all here at Salon Privé”

We look forward to next year’s event and are certain everyone else is as well.You can check out more information and keep up to date at http://www.salonprivelondon.com/

Article by Mahmood AnsariPhotography courtesy of Salon Prive 2012

Over the last year I've been fortunate enough to enjoy passenger rides in a vast array of incredible cars; legends like the McLaren F1, Ferrari Enzo and F50, dubious tunercars like the Mansory Aventador and Hamann SLS Roadster and also some obscure but wonderful machines including the GTA Spano, Savage Rivale Roadyacht and Exagon Motors Furtive eGT. A particular highlight that stood out was the KTM X-Bow - it took me completely by surprise but the lack of any helmet on my head did not exactly help!

However, earlier this year was something out of this world. It would put all of the others in their place when it came down to the raw experience and drama. A short flight to Milan and on to Monza, the home of the Italian Grand Prix to be greeted with a paddock of some of the most extraordinary machines in existance.

For those who are unfamiliar, the 30 599XX and 20 FXX cars are part of the XX Programme, where Ferrari com-pletely look after the cars allowing you to have it brought to race days they organ-ise through the year. These jump around the world taking in some of the greatest circuits that exist.

More recently Ferrari have introduced the 599XX Evoluzione package ('Evo') to upgrade from the 'standard' 599XX. We joked that the upgrade cost might be about the same as a new 458 Italia, well, it is. For the money you get a revised bodykit and faster acceleration although the owners agreed the normal car was quicker in the straights. It seemed about half had been upgraded so far.

A Day at Monzawith the Ferrari XX Programme

The trip was by arrangement to take a look at a particular piece of kit, 599XX number 8; one of a total of 30 of the cars with a 7 figure price-tag that allows the owners a few days a year of driving ecstasy. The car itself is currently for sale with The Car Finders.

As the cars fire up in the pit straight, the cacophony of noise is absolutely mind-blowing. These are serious racing cars. When they head out to the track it gets even better, the V12s howling their way through the revs, the 3 different cars each bellowing distinguishable soundtracks with a most furious down-shot sound like a gunshot as they approach the corners, during which the breaks start to light up in a firey glow you can't miss.

The atmopshere around the paddocks is very much one of family, there is a huge sense of respect in both directions between the owners and their guests and the Ferrari Corse Clienti team and mechanics. It's a fantastic place to be with everyone absolutely feeling the spirit of these cars; throughout the day the dramatic looks of the cars had me awe-struck.

The moment I had been waiting for finally arrived, I was suited up in Ferrari gear and directed out to the pit lane where car #8 was shortly to pull in. The incredibly generous owner was willing to take me around for a few laps of the Italian circuit, I knew something special was ahead of me. I was strapped down and the rest, as they say, is history...

But that would be an unfair way to end, however, as somebody not previously experienced in such high end racing cars it was what I expected, and then even more so. The car furiously accelerated away from the start line, immediately feeling the floor in front of my feet start to warm up; the cracks of the gear changes violently thrusting us forwards and the screaming noise all around. Every single second of my 10 minutes in the passenger seat was absolutely epic and not something I will ever forget.

Article by Tim BurtonPhotography by Daniele Abbondanzahttp://www.danieleabbondanza.itFacebook: Daniele Abbondanza Photographer

For more information about 599XX #8, please contact http://www.thecarfinders.co.uk/

Photo by Alex Penfold

Dubai, Dubai, Dubai...

Dubai, one of the seven Emirates which make up the United Arab Emirates is known for quite a few fascinating sights. Some of these include the Burj Khalifa, the Palm islands, massive shopping centres, and the supercars. However, this article is only about the super-cars and what they’re like through the eyes of a resident who has lived in Dubai for years.

If you’re a fellow car enthusiast like I am, then you have most likely heard of the cars from Dubai, seen them on the internet or, if you’ve been fortunate enough, in person. Dubai is often called the “Mecca of Supercars”, which isn’t that surprising. There is a rich variety of cars, from Audis and BMWs to Ferraris and Lamborghinis, and even the more extreme Bugatti and Koenigsegg hypercars. Anyway, enough of that; let’s get to the point. What is it like to live in the “Mecca of Supercars”?

For as long as I can remember I have had a passion for automobiles and it grew even more when I moved to Dubai in the summer of 2005. As I come from the northern part of Europe, Scandi-navia to be precise, where exotics are rare compared to Dubai, the least I can say is that I was amazed by what I saw in Dubai. In just one day I was able to see more exotics than I had ever seen in my life. The countless numbers of incredible cars on a daily basis is jaw dropping.

As time went by, so did the cars and eventually I got to the point where Porsches no longer fasci-nated me and I had to find something better. That’s when I started becoming a car-spotter and making videos of the supercars in Dubai. Through this hobby I got to know where the rich hang out and got access to the more eye catching super-cars, rather than the usual exotics. This shows that Dubai isn’t only filled with the most expensive and rarest kind of supercars, which is how some might think. In fact, it almost took me five years to see my first Bugatti Veyron on the street, rather than plenty being used and seen regularly in other cities such as London and Monaco.

Luckily the situation has changed now Bugattis are 'common' sights in the valet parking bays. To be honest, they are getting a little bit boring, too. Once again I find myself searching for those rare treats which would truly get me excited, a Huayra or One-77 would be perfect.

Dubai is heaven for those who want to see amazing cars on a daily basis and perhaps own one themself. To some of you this may come as a surprise, but the majority of the supercar owners that I meet aren’t local Emiratis. Now if you’re wondering “how is that possible?”, it’s actually quite simple, Dubai is a tax free city so you don’t necessarily have to own a multimil-lion business or be an oil baron to have a supercar sitting in your garage. Dubai is also home to perhaps one of the most exclusive dealerships in the world, Al Ain Class Motors. If you wish to buy something more exclusive than an ordinary Ferrari, you have a good chance of finding something there.

Over the years Al Ain Class have stocked numerous Veyrons, Pagani Zondas, Lamborghini Reventons and Gemballa Mirage GTs and that’s just the beginning as the list continues. If that’s not exactly what you’re looking for, then there are hundreds of used exotics on sale. Keep an eye on the market for a few months and there’s a good chance that you might find yourself a good condition Murcielago LP640 for the price of an equivalent aged Gallardo in Europe.During the past six months or so, I’ve been planning on purchasing a car and I’ve noticed that Dubai is perhaps one of the best places to purchase it, the cars are around 50% cheaper here than in Europe or the USA.

Article and Photography by Justus Nymanhttp://www.youtube.com/4wheelsofluxhttp://www.flickr.com/4wheelsoflux

CentoMiglia

On the 19th of August the second edition of Cento Miglia took place which saw the attendance of many astonishing classic and modern supercars with many excited car spotters eager to start snapping them up.

The route started at the headquarters of KBC Leuvan where the participat-ing people enjoyed a lovely traditional breakfast while being briefed on the tour. After being briefed and the participants having familiarised them-selves with each other the cars and their drivers went to beautiful cities such as Namen, Dinant and Huy which included going through the woods amongst the River Mass, a very remarkable sight to be seen! The route included going throw many small towns which no one had heard off before but everyone glad that they went through them. We bet they will be going there back to cause some noise in those quite towns while enjoying the astonishing view!

The tour even consisted of one photographer’s dream coming to reality with not only the Alpha 8C but also the Alfa 8C Spider being present for one of those rare occasions of shooting together. Other cars present on the tour included a Ferrari F430 Spider, Mercedes SLR, Porsche 911 Sport Classic, Ferrari 458, Bmw z8 and Porsche GT3RS to name a few. If you wanted a great summer tour during that week then this was the perfect one for you.

After doing all the checkpoint stops where the cars gleamed and posed for photographers it was time to head to the last checkpoint of St-Truiden where the participants enjoyed a nice dinner in the Maekelhoeve in Veerle to end the day as perfectly as it started.

Article by Mahmood AnsariPhotography by Philippe Collinet

The Buick “Old Ice” Roadster was created by Elo at the London Motor Museum. The car is based on a mythical story about a guy who found an old buick frozen in a block of ice. It has brushed aluminium body work with perspex interior, sits on hydraulics and has cameras instead of all the mirrors.

It is a one-off car and certainly turns heads all the way down the road. The whole car lights up inside and out so you can travel in style at night time. It will be hard for someone not to spot you!

London Motor Museum consists of over 100 amazing unique cars, so make sure you check them out if you are ever in London! For more information check out www.londonmotormuseum.com

Article by Mahmood AnsariPhotography by GFWilliams.net Photography

Buick Old Ice Roadster

Monaco Yacht Show

Photography by Automotive Passion (D. Benoit)

2012 Preview

This year’s show is the 22nd to take place in the country. The companies exhibiting are selected after strict judgement to guarantee that the products and services on show are of the highest calibre. The Monaco Yacht Show is the one and only opportunity to see such a gathering of important yachting companies and discover the latest nautical products & luxury yachting services proposed on the stands.

Considered to be the most prestigious pleasure boat show in the world, with the exhibition of 500 major companies, it will see around 28,000 professional and private visitors per day. The Monaco Yacht Show is the long-awaited super yachting meeting of the year for a few prestigious brands, allowing them to meet some of the most important international clientele.

Some fun statistics about the show include;- 100 super yachts afloat between 25 and 90m long; Average length being 44m- More than 500 exhibiting companies amongst the most important in the world- 80% of visitors are international, including The Supercar Kids!

If you happen to be in Monaco and decide to visit the show, it will cost the general public €70 for a day ticket which can be only purchased on the site.Professional visitors have the opportunity to get a 4-day pass for €70. The Monaco Yacht show is truly a remarkable event to appreciate how far technology has come and shows that you can travel just in as much style in the water as you would in a supercar.

Article by Mahmood AnsariPhotography by Rob Van Loock

Monterey Auto WeekSupercar Paradise

Monterey Auto Week/Carmel Car Week has to be the best annual supercar event on the planet. Yes, you have everything that goes on in Monaco, London, Paris, Beverly Hills, Miami, etc, which are good year round, but none of those come close to Car Week. Don’t believe me? Let me try to walk you through what Car Week was like for me this year...

Day 1, Wednesday, August 15th: The festivities have already begun in Monterey, but I’m still in Los Angeles, about to drive up the coast. Wednesday is usually when things start to heat up in Monterey, but because of the length of the drive, I figured that I couldn’t get there in time for the daytime supercar action. Well, I found out that a small Bugatti rally was driving up the coast to Monterey, stopping halfway up. Why not cruise with them for a bit? And did I mention that one of these Veyrons was an ORANGE Vitesse? Oh yes, this is hundreds of miles before Monterey and it’s already worth the trip. So, after countless rolling shots and video of incredible Bugs, we arrive in Monterey. Although it was about 12AM and on a Wednesday night (not even close to peak night in terms of cars), the supercars were out in full force... We get into town and BOOM! A red Lexus LFA screams by, then look to the other side of the road to find an LP640 pass. We go to check out the hotels before going to sleep, but of course nothing good was there. Ha, just kidding, we were greeted by a stunning “Alfa Romeo Red” Ferrari 599 SA Aperta, as well as a white Super Trofeo Stradale, Diablo SV, and some others. After some shots of those, it was time to sleep.

Day 2, Thursday, August 16th: The day when most of the big toys come out. I woke up at 10AM, had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and walked up the street to find a Hennessey Venom GT Spider, which I believe is one of only 2 in the world right now. And then a silver SA Aperta rolls by, with the red Aperta coming in from another street. Needless to say, that got my adrenaline going. Oh yeah, and who cares about the 458s, 430s, 599s, Gallardos, Challenge Stradales and other random, high value cars laying around? So then, after tons of shots and video already, some friends and I get a hot tip that a pretty solid Ferrari combo is laying around... Of course, we walk a couple streets off the big street, Ocean Ave., and BAM! Ferrari Enzo, a black F50 (1 out of 4 made in black), a stunning Rosso Fuoco 599 GTO and a 458 Italia just sitting there, and only in Car Week would we be the only ones shooting the combo. When was the last time 3 or 4 spotters got such an insane combo all to themselves? Oh yes, and it wasn’t even 12PM yet... After getting tired of shooting countless Scuderias and 458s, we head to the Quail Lodge, home of one of the biggest shows of the week and Bonham’s auction. And in typical car week fashion, a WHITE McLaren F1 HDK is greeting us, and it’s parked alongside a Ferrari 250 California Spider (SWB, of course). We drooled over that pair for a solid 45 minutes, then realized that MORE was to be seen! We walked around the Quail, bumped into the red Aperta yet again, and casually ran into the offloading of the K’Segg Agera R and 2 Pagani Huayras. Not a bad combo, huh? After gawking over that trio for more time than I can count, we departed the Quail and headed back to Ocean Ave.

We ran into the Ferrari combo again, on the streets this time. We were following the pack but got separated by a red light, but shortly caught up, behind the gorgeous black F50. As we were snapping photos of that through the windshield, we look to the left...and what could’ve been the surprise of the trip greeted us...KA-POW! SLR McLaren Stirling Moss Edition. We jumped out of the car, completely bailed on the F50 (Car Week will do stuff like that to you...) and shot the Stirling Moss, which was parked in front of a normal SLR McLaren. That was quite a sight to see, but unfortunately the herds of people surrounding it made good shots difficult to get. It was about 4:00PM and there had been no slump in the day whatsoever, I think I skipped lunch out of fear of missing something! Then, we headed to the Carmel Valley Ranch Inn, where the Bugattis were set to get in at about 6:00PM. The cool part about this was that we were perched up on a hill, so we were able to see the cars coming from a mile away. When we saw the wedge shaped cars coming, we freaked out. The view was so perfect and with the sunset, so there was some priceless footage and photos to be had! After that whole scene, we swung by the Quail Lodge once more to see if anything was being unloaded for the show. And there was stuff being unloaded. I captured a ridiculous lime green/olive colored Vitesse being unloaded, and what a sight to behold. Definitely one of the crazier color combos! We got back into the Ocean Ave./downtown Carmel area to find a white LP670 SV, which, considering all the cars seen that day, held its own in terms of looks and sound. That concluded Thursday’s epicness, and now it was time for some much needed sleep.

Day 3, Friday, August 17th: Pretty much the best day of the week. You should know the routine by now; wake up, breakfast, see some insanely epic cars. And that’s pretty much how it went: woke up, had breakfast, went to the Quail Lodge and saw a Grigio Telesto LP670 SV, red Carrera GT, 3 SA Apertas (red, silver, blue), countless 430 Scuderias, probably 20 458 Italias and Spiders, a couple of 599 GTOs, Mansory SLR/Panamera/Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe combo, 3 Vitesses (lime green/green, orange, white/blue), other Veyrons, black F50, Enzo, etc... And that was just the valet of the show. I walked around and spent hours shooting everything, met up with a fellow car photographer and checked out the McLaren F1 GTR Longtail edition that was selling at Bonham’s auction. WOW, that thing is loud. We walked back, said our goodbyes, then I went inside the Quail show. I saw the new Lambo Urus and Sesto Elemento, the Agera R and the Huayra, but one thing that really caught my eye was the McLaren X-1. That thing is so weird looking, I don’t even know what to think of it. It’s ugly, yet awesome at the same time... After shooting that, I went over to check out the Koenigsegg, again. I talked to a friend of the owner and he said that they’d be driving around with the whole pack of Mansory creations, and if I could keep up with the group I was welcome to tag along. So, I saw the Egg leaving, ran out of the show and grabbed the closest photographers who I knew had a car. We were chasing all these cars through the canyons (McLaren MP4, Mansory SLR/Panamera/Rolls, etc.) when the McLaren MP4-12C caught on fire. Yes, caught on fire, not just spitting flames. We all pulled over and looked at the damage...a hose from the turbo to the main part of the engine had broken off, and had basically cooked the back of the car. Just then, my friend with a Ferrari F355 Spider (more to come on that soon, it’s a pretty cool story) shows up and saves the day by lending the McLaren owner one of his screwdrivers that came with the car. In short, the Ferrari helped out the McLaren, something that I find a bit ironic.

My friend with the Ferrari asks if I want a ride back into town, and how could I refuse? In the car he says that his friend is lending the Spider to him for the week, with free range. He ended up putting 800 miles on that car in 5 days. Riding in that car (we’re both not even 25 years old, so you have to imagine what people had to think of 2 kids in a Ferrari) was hilarious, the looks people gave us were priceless. And to make matters worse for them, this thing was loud. It had a Tubi exhaust system, so of course we ended up doing some tunnel runs as well. We found the Agera R again and shot that, it was perfectly parked so hundreds of pictures were a necessity. Just then a matte silver/red carbon Huayra rolls up, the driver looks at the K’Segg, and Mr. Koenigsegg (who was standing by the Agera R) looks back at the Huayra. Only during Car Week. After arriving back in downtown Carmel, we were presented with some ridiculous photo opportunities...a Stirling Moss/Mansory SLR combo, a McLaren F1 HDK and a Veyron to name a few. After taking photos on Ocean for a while, we ripped the 355 Spider through the quiet backroads of Pebble Beach. We arrived at the Inn at Spanish Bay (the Dorchester of Monterey, if you will) and were greeted by another Veyron, a red LFA, a green 458 Spider, a purple Rolls Royce and many others. We took some pics and then headed back to our hotels for some sleep. What a day...

Day 4, Saturday, August 18th: You’ve seen pretty much everything that there is to see, now it’s all about perfecting photos and getting footage of whatever you haven’t yet. This being said, it’s still quite a treat to see a Vitesse roll up next to a Huayra! Saturday is the day usually when most combo shots are taken, and this held true for 2012 as well. Shortly after breakfast I got word that the annual Luxury4Play “whiteout mafia” photoshoot was taking place in a beachside parking lot. I zipped over there with some fellow photographers and it was unreal what cars they brought out: Agera R, Mansory SLR, LP670 SV, Aventador, 458, Mansory Panamera, Mansory Phantom Coupe, GTR, MC Stradale, etc... They lined up all the cars, and there were so many that you couldn’t get them all in one frame! Then, as we thought it couldn’t get any better, we looked across the ocean to another part of the road that we were on, and there was a Veyron Vitesse photo-shoot going down with a white/blue Vitesse. We had to make the decision to shoot an Agera R or a Vitesse. Life could be worse. We tried to do both, but unfortunately missed the Vitesse by a minute or two...damn. So, we headed back to the Lodge at Pebble Beach to see what was going on. We spotted an Enzo, 3 Aventadors (orange, yellow, gold), the silver Huayra, the lime green/green Vitesse, a C63 Coupe Black Series and many more interesting cars. After some photos, we went back to Ocean Ave./downtown Carmel to see what was good. The Agera R was parked on one block, the “champagne” Bugatti on another, the red Huayra up the street from the Agera R and the Stirling Moss close by.

Day 5, Sunday, August 19th: The day when you wake up and realize in mere hours you’ll be back in “car civilization” instead of “car heaven.” The day when you realize that you have to wait a full year before coming back up. The day when you go back to a place where every other car isn’t a 458 Italia or SLS. Although the biggest event, Concours d’Elegance, is on Sunday, the supercars are already starting to head out. The streets are filled, but not with Porsches, Ferraris, Bugattis, Paganis, Koenigseggs, Lamborghinis and the like. You can tell that everyone has started leaving. But, before leaving the area, I had to check the hotels. I got some nice shots of a red/black Grand Sport parked with a bunch of other cars at the Inn at Spanish Bay and the stunning “Oro Adonis” (gold) Aventador at the Hyatt in Monterey, but that was about it. My family and I packed up and drove the uneventful, yet beautiful (scenery-wise) 5 or so hours back to Los Angeles.

After Car Week, you feel like never going to another car show again; you feel like “spotting” will be pointless considering your chances of seeing 2 Huayras, 3 Vitesses, an Agera R, a Stirling Moss SLR and 3 LP670 SVs in a single day will be one in a gazillion. You just reminisce over the past week by looking at/editing the pictures and video, sit tight, and wait till next August.

Article and Photos by Drake Mumfordhttps://www.facebook.com/DLMPhotos http://www.flickr.com/photos/45511630@N03/ http://www.youtube.com/carsandcoffeeirvine