- Wealthy Arabs escape the stifling summer in the Gulf by coming to London - and they bring their supercars with them
- Expensive marques lining the streets of Knightsbridge and Kensington include Ferrari, Forgiato, and Lamborghini
- Locals complain their drivers have no respect for parking rules and treat the smart London streets like race tracks
- But car enthusiasts - dubbed the 'carparazzi' - love what is now an annual spectacle and descend with their cameras
With
temperatures in the Gulf still baking hot, wealthy Arabs are seeing out
the end of the summer in London's rather milder climes. And, in what is
becoming an annual tradition, they have brought their supercars with
them.
As
these astonishing pictures show, the streets of Knightsbridge and
Mayfair are still currently lined with expensive motors which have been
shipped over to Britain while their owners seek shelter from the sun
(not to mention some retail therapy) in the capital.
With
their Arabic number plates they're a traffic warden's nightmare but a
car spotter's dream, with marques including Rolls Royce, Ferrari,
Forgiato, and Lamborghini. And they've all had the requisite custom
paint jobs.
Fans
of the ostentatious cars, known as the 'carparazzi', are descending
upon London to photograph the often extremely rare vehicles.
But
local residents are not fans of the supercar spectacle, complaining the
drivers take the parking spaces without respecting parking rules.
Others
complain of drivers revving their cars' engines and treating the
well-heeled streets as a racetrack until the early hours of the morning.
However,
as this top picture taken outside the Dorchester shows, either the
cars' owners - or perhaps more accurately, their chauffeurs, are rather
good at reverse parking - no mean feat when the car involved is worth
north of £1million.
Flashy: This line-up of two
Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupés, two gold-plated Land Rovers, a Lamborghini, a
Ferrari and a Bugatti Veyron, is worth at least £3.1 million
They can afford a
parking ticket or two: This exclusive Ferrari is one of many
ultra-expensive cars to have hit the streets of the capital within the
past few months
Summer: Wealthy
residents of Arab countries frequently transport their cars to London
during the summer months to escape the stifling heat in the Gulf
Glamorous: The cars - including a
Forgiato C7 Corvette Widebody - have been zooming around pricey parts of
the city such as Mayfair, Knightsbridge and Kensington
A Kuwaiti car
covered in Arabic writing (above and below) as well as photos and social
media tags is one of the more unusual sights for the 'carparazzi' fans
Sleek: The
vehicles, such as this Ford GT (above and below), have been attracting
admiring looks from passers-by this summer as their owners shelter from
the heat
Colourful: The cars are often in
eye-catching shades and have been customised with scant regard to price
or, some might say, taste
You wouldn't call
it understated: This gold-plated Ferrari is parked outside Harrods,
where it has received a traditional British summer soaking
High roller: A Lamborghini with an
Arabic licence plate parked on double yellow lines outside five-star
hotel 45 Park Lane, which overlooks Hyde Park
Shopping trip: An
enormous SUV parked outside Harrods, the landmark department store in
Knightsbridge, a favourite for supercar owners
This matte blue Ferrari (above and
below), one of several on the city's streets with a Kuwaiti numberplate,
has had a soaking in a London rain shower
End of the season: Many of the
supercars will soon return to the Middle East - but some, like this Audi
R8, appear to be based in Britain full-time
Glitzy: This silver Mercedes (above
and below) was yet another one of the glitzy cars to zoom past the
Dorchester, infuriating residents on central and west London
This white Pagani Huayra (above and
below) - one of the supercars transported over to London for the summer
by its rich Arab owner - was seen on double yellow lines
The sports car, which can sell for up
to £850,000 and can reach speeds of more than 200mph, was seen parked
out Harrods in Knightsbridge this week
Despite being built for the desert
sands, a converted Mercedes G63 AMG - worth an estimated £350,000 - was
among the cars stuck in traffic in west London this week
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