The bling kings take over London!!!

Supercar season gets underway as foreign playboys parade their flash motors on capital's most exclusive streets

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The starting pistol has officially been fired on London's supercar season, when wealthy Arabs flee the scorching hot temperatures of the Middle East and cruise around the British capital in their ostentatious vehicles.

After a Mercedes covered in Swarovski crystals was spotted yesterday, Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Maseratis appeared to be pouring onto the streets of Knightsbridge today.

The arrival of the supercars has become a regular event in recent years, with rich Kuwaitis, Saudis and Emiratis seeking to out-do each other over who can own the most souped-up sportscar.

A trio of Ferrari F12s were spotted out in Knightsbridge today, alongside a Lamborghini Aventor, a £1million Pagani Huayra and a modified Porsche 918, which were seen parked near Hyde Park.

The cars' Arabs owners traditional ship their machines over in the months leading up to the summer, so that they are here when they arrive in July and August.

But despite their dizzying top speeds, many of the cars rarely get out of the gridlocked London traffic and often spend much of the time parked outside Harrods and other luxury boutiques.

Flash: The hotels of west London have yet again been filling up with wealthy Arab guests, who ship over their extravagant supercars for the summer. Pictured right is a Ferrari F12, which has a top speed of 211mph and goes 0-60 in 3.1 seconds. It is alongside a Rolls Royce

Passers-by marvelled at this yellow and black Ferrari F12 parked near Harrods this afternoon, with its owners happy to show it off. The F12 has an F1 gearbox. It is also possible to use a smartphone to connect to the internet to listen to web radio, podcasts and download Apps

All smiles: The car's owner, who said he is from Saudi Arabia, was happy to be pictured sitting in the yellow car's red leather interior

This black Lamborghini Aventador - which also has a Saudi Arabian number plate - was spotted in Kensington. The model has a V12 engine with a top speed of 217mph. It can go 0-60 in 2.9 seconds and has an on-board computer with information about its various instruments

This £1million Pagani Huayra was seen in the car park of a hotel in Kensington, where its Saudi Arabian owner is believed to be staying. It has a Mercedes-AMG M158 V12 twin-Turbo engine with 730 brake horsepower. The car's top speed is about 231mph 

Wealthy: This heavily-modified Porsche 918 was pictured near the Mandarin Oriental Hotel near Hyde Park this afternoon. It goes from 0-60 in 2.6 seconds, has a top speed of 214mph and 887 brake horsepower. The Porsche 918 is worth around £550,000

This Saudi-registered, six-wheel, adapted Mercedes AMG, which has an estimated value of £400,000 was also spotted parked-up in Kensington. It features six driven wheels, low range gearing, five differential locks and a tyre control system for its standard 37-inch wheels

Not all of the cars on show were foreign-registered however. This heavily-modified Mercedes convertible was also on the streets of the capital

Tourists and locals have expressed wonder at the sheer number of supercars which flood the city's streets each summer. Pictured is a Ferrari 458, which has 570bhp and a top speed in excess of 200mph. It can go 0-60 in 3.4 seconds and is worth around £200,000

The cars stand out not only because of their value, but also by their unusual paint jobs. Pictured: A matt blue finish Maserati Gran Turismo. It has a top speed of 177mph and goes 0-60 in 5.2 seconds. The standard price without extras is around £82,000

This Qatari-registered Rolls Royce was parked in the shadow of a Ferrari F12 in a hotel car park opposite Hyde Park this afternoon

Tourists and schoolboys queued up to take photos of the supercars usually only seen on the pages of car magazines and on TV

The Qatari-owned Ferrari F12, one of the many shipped over from the Middle East, was parked near the luxury Dorchester Hotel in Kensington

Sparkling: Passers-by stopped to take photographs of a garish Mercedes S-Class covered in Swarovski crystals in Knightsbridge yesterday

Having a feel: The £55,000 2014 CLS 350 - which this woman got up close to today - is often seen parked in exclusive parts of London

Popular: The garish Mercedes S-Class used to be owned by Russian business student Daria Radionova, who said it got 'lots of attention'

A team had spent 12 hours a day for two months working on the customisation, and she said last September that she was ‘really happy’ with it

'BAII BYY': A team from Russia spent 12 hours a day for two months working on the customisation of the car, pictured here last September

Spoiler alert: This Porsche 918 Spyder with Saudi Arabian license plates caught the eye of pedestrians after being parked in Knightsbridge

Super-rich: This Porsche 918 Spyder has Saudi Arabian license plates. It is one of a number of supercars seen parked around London today

Eye-catching: This blinged-up Rolls Royce with Dubai license plates has been causing quite a stir among people in Knightsbridge, London

Smart: The Rolls-Royce supercar was seen with Dubai license plates. It gives a glimpse of how the super-rich like to get around London

Is this James Bond's next car?

• Only 24 of the cars will be made by Aston Martin
• Owners will have to complete special course before being allowed to drive
• Smart U shaped steering wheel houses controls 

It is one of the most hi-tech cars ever created - and you'll need to go on a course to learn how to drive it, even if you can afford the $2.3m pricetag.

Aston Martin Vulcan showed off its track only 'hypercar' at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

It features a hi-tech dashboard and smart steering wheel from which almost everything can be controlled.

Scroll down for video  

Just 24 of the 800-plus bhp, all-carbon fibre Aston Martin Vulcans will be made.

The car features a hi-tech steering wheel that houses the majority of its controls

VULCAN SPECS 

Naturally-aspirated, 7.0-litre V12 petrol engine

800-horsepower engine

Will run from 0-60 in less than three seconds

Aston Martin, which famously made James Bond's cars, says the Vulcan is its 'most intense and exhilarating creation to date.'

Just 24 of the 800-plus bhp, all-carbon fibre Aston Martin Vulcans will be made, and learners will have to attend special courses to learn how to drive it and customise it to their tastes.  

'Aston Martin Vulcan is, by its very nature, a rare and thrilling supercar,' said CEO, Dr Andy Palmer, said.

'Designed and engineered to deliver a genuinely bespoke driving experience that draws on our rich heritage, this car tailors its power and handling to both the capabilities of the driver and the characteristics of the track.

'A sports car for true sports car lovers, I believe the Aston Martin Vulcan – and the unique ownership programme that sits behind it – sets a whole new standard in the ultra-high luxury supercar class.'

The supercar is powered by the company's naturally-aspirated, 7.0-litre V12 petrol engine.

It also has a carbon fibre monocoque and body

The U-shaped steering wheel lets drivers perfomr most of its functions, including starting the car, neutral, pit lane speed limiter, turn indicators, flash-to-pass (basically flashes the high beams), adjustable ABS and traction control, and, of course, windshield wipers. 

Paddle shifters to swap gears are on the back of the wheel.

The supercar is powered by the company's naturally-aspirated, 7.0-litre V12 petrol engine.

Although the specs of the Vulcan aren’t quite final, but Aston says the the naturally aspirated, 800-horsepower 7-liter V12 engine will run from 0-60 in less than three seconds and achieve a top speed in excess of 200 mph.

With its 800-plus bhp powerplant developed in conjunction with Aston Martin Racing, it sees its power-to-weight ratio exceed those of the GTE cars which compete in the FIA's annual World Endurance Championship.

It also has a carbon fibre monocoque and body constructed by Aston Martin's long-term specialist body engineering and manufacturing partner Multimatic, integral limited-slip differential, magnesium torque tube with carbon fibre propeller shaft and Brembo racing calipers acting on carbon ceramic racing disc brakes which measure 380mm in diameter at the front and 360mm at the rear.

Drive is channelled to the 345/30 x19 rear wheels and Michelin race specification tyres through a race-bred rear mid-mounted Xtrac six-speed sequential shift gearbox.

Track-derived pushrod suspension with anti-dive geometry is complemented by Multimatic's Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve (DSSV) adjustable dampers and anti-roll bars front and rear, driver-adjustable anti-lock braking, and variable traction control.

The new track car will comply with all relevant FIA race safety requirements.

Aston Martin's Director of Special Projects and Motorsport, David King, said: 'Taking the extensive learning from our various successful racing programmes and applying it to this exceptional track car for customers has been an exciting and sometimes challenging task for the team here at Gaydon.

'Our deep and broad motorsport experience, allied to our renowned road car expertise, has allowed us to make the Aston Martin Vulcan the absolutely compelling proposition it is today.'

its power-to-weight ratio exceed those of the GTE cars which compete in the FIA's annual World Endurance Championship.

There will also be the option of time in the virtual race car world of Darren Turner's Base Performance Simulators for owners

Prior to taking delivery of their cars, owners will be offered the opportunity to take part in an extensive and detailed programme of intensive track driver training.

Experienced racers including Aston Martin Racing's Le Mans-winning Darren Turner will support owners on their learning journey, offering them the chance to refine their track driving technique and increase their ability through a carefully-constructed series of practical and theoretical driver training events.

Using a number of exciting high performance Aston Martins including the V12 Vantage S and One-77 road cars and the Vantage GT4 race car, customers will gradually build experience and develop their track technique, before driving the Aston Martin Vulcan.

David King said: 'We will be running a series of exclusive track day events commencing in 2016 that will offer the opportunity for these customers to explore their driving capabilities, and the car's performance potential, on some of the world's most famous and glamorous race circuits.'

There will also be the option of time in the virtual race car world of Darren Turner's Base Performance Simulators, where buyers will have ample opportunity to further refine their driving style in the safety of the digital race track.