Do you remember those games from your childhood? If you were a 90s or 00s baby it was Gran Turismo on your PlayStation or if you were an 80s baby it could have been Rad Racer. Before that, you will be familiar with the classic supercars that will be shown at this year’s London Concours Show.
In the Artillery Gardens, hidden in the hustle and bustle of the city, there were over 100 supercars for the public, car collectors friends and members of the media and the car sphere.
It’s an outdoor display of supercar innovations, classic design, 200 mile cars and you can buy / sell a Bentley.
And it was lust.
The cars’ engines all hung out like your parents would spit a chicken on a Sunday. They were polished and glittering in color.
Think Naomi Campbell’s shoe cabinet – all the love and care in the world has gone into making these cars unforgettable.
For you this is an El Camino, for me a Lo-Rider from Grand Theft Auto!
(Image: Callum Marius)
Not even I – a traffic correspondent who deliberately doesn’t drive a car and takes the train everywhere – was immune to the Pagani Zonda. This was the same Pagani Zonda I drove on my PlayStation when I was 9 years old. The memories came true.
Supercars don’t have the best reputation these days. T
Hey aren’t great here in London where they can’t enter thanks to the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) – and when they do it’s hard to go faster than a £ 300,000 double decker bus
They are also hated by Zone 1 and 2 residents who have suffered from countless accidents, impromptu drag races and loud exhausts mixed with louder music.
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So what’s the point of having a supercar in 2021?
At the show I met a group of supercar collectors – Rod, Jane and Amit. Rod and Jane’s anecdotes were fascinating.
Rod is one of only 40 people in the UK to receive a brand new Ferrari F40 in series when it was first made. He ordered his in 1987 and it finally arrived after being finely assembled in 1991.
Jane owns a Lamborghini that the late F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone gave to model Twiggy, who like me grew up in Neasden.
Award-winning motorcycles were also on display, including this Paris-Dakar winner
(Image: Callum Marius)
Amit, who owns several supercars, including a Porsche 911 992 Turbo S that he drove to the event, shared the memories he had of his supercars.
“The memories that the cars create are the nice thing about them … the Sunday drives … the memories with my wife and daughters,” he says.
“I find owning a supercar just as important to the thrill of chasing the right car, the right example. I didn’t know how much I would despise the history of cars.”
Without an ounce of gasoline in my head, I could still understand the power of those memories. My nine year old has fond memories of driving my virtual Zonda. As an adult, I would do anything to ride a real Zonda!
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Amit admits that even supercars are not exempt from the requirements of the real world: “We live in a changing world. There is social media, the power of Instagram, there is such a great awareness of classic cars and supercars and yet we are at a phase in which many of these cars are driven off the road or taxed very heavily. “
“I think events like this are the future, cars can be enjoyed as works of art. We are at a very interesting turning point for supercar ownership.”
Amit also bought his Porsche. The London Concours event relies on owners bringing their pride and joys to the world (including beginners like me).
He’s not wrong. It was refreshing to see such an honest, nuanced point of view from an avowed petrolhead. It’s his passion and I understand that. It’s his version of my steam train or the classic Routemaster, it’s all the memories.
The event awarded prizes for the best car in several categories and the event itself was recognized by the drivers’ association. It was a moment of pride that I have never experienced at a classic bus fair or a new train start.
Even if I might not be jumping in a Zonda in the foreseeable future, I will always have fond memories of Supercar Day at the London Concours.
Are you a supercar fan? Is there a dream car that you would like to see on the streets of London? Let us know in the comments below.
