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