2016 was never going to be an easy ride in terms of supercar spotting in London. Public Space Protection Orders and angry residents in South Kensington, the exponentially increasing number of car spotters (some less respectful than others), and the nightmare that is traffic in central London are all legitimate reasons to not bother bringing your supercar into town.
Without a doubt there has been a noticeable decrease in the number of Supercars on Sloane Street this year; hardly surprising given that a 918 Spyder was fined for having a noisy exhaust, whilst driving in e-mode...
However, fear not! All that meant was having to look that bit harder. Against all the odds, I've certainly seen some very impressive automobiles in London this year. How to choose the highlights from 2016? Obviously I've chosen some of my favourites, some of the most valuable, the rarest, and even the fastest. On top of this I've also considered the most well received posts on the PistonHeads Instagram page this year.
So below is a selection of what 2016 has had to offer, with some (hopefully) interesting background information!
This stunning red Renault 5 Turbo was the most liked car on the PistonHeads Instagram page this year, and it's hardly surprising looking at those rear arches! The 160hp road car, built between 1980 and 1984, is based on the R5 rally car, and is one of only 3,576 mid-engined Turbos. Certainly a refreshing change from the sometimes characterless sports cars of today!
Even today few cars even come close to the McLaren F1. In the 90s the British hypercar was like something from the future with its central driving position, butterfly doors and blistering 241mph top speed. Pictured here is chassis #69 which featured recently on Top Gear driven by Chris Evans. I saw the car in south London close to Joe Macari Performance cars in December.
The Ferrari 456 GT Venice is a shooting brake version of the 90s V12 supercar. It's one of seven cars produced by Pininfarina for the Sultan of Brunei's brother Prince Jefri. It is rumoured that each car cost $1.5million, one of which has made its way to London and occasionally shows itself around Knightsbridge. To the untrained eye the Venice could be a Peugeot estate; however, to those that know, this car is exceptionally cool!
At the end of summer, Porsche WEC driver Mark Webber drove his LMP1 Porsche 919 through central London, on open roads with only a police escort! Starting on Park Lane, heading through Piccadilly and finally ending at Westminster Bridge, it was certainly a spectacle worth getting up to see. Porsche used the opportunity to film a commercial for the new Panamera 4 Hybrid, demonstrating how the technology developed at Le Mans (loosely) benefits the road car; however, onlookers were only interested in the 919. After an hour of driving through London traffic, it's safe to say the clutch had had enough, with Webber stalling the car on more than one occasion. Certainly something we're unlikely to see again!
Koenigsegg Agera R 'Zijin'
One of only 18 cars produced, seeing any Koenigsegg Agera R in the street is special. However, the Agera R 'Zijin' is a bespoke version of the Swedish hypercar named after the Zijin Shan - or Purple Mountain - in China, and laced with real gold leaf both inside and out!
The first Bugatti Chiron to come to London was chassis #007, owned by the factory. The car features black body work with blue calipers, interior and under-wing, and is the same Chiron that was displayed and driven at the 2016 Festival of Speed. I caught the car as it did a very quick lap of Mayfair before going into HR Owen Bugatti to be displayed for prospective buyers. There has since been the first customer car in London, chassis #006, which was purchased with the Vision GT concept for an undisclosed amount; in other words, a lot!
Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
This Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is one of three Super Sports in the world to be finished fully in blue carbon, and in person looks absolutely incredible. The car belongs to Afzal Kahn of Kahn Design and features the famous 'F1' number plate, which supposedly had an offer of $10million turned down for it!
Originally a 1972 Alfa Romeo Giulia GT Junior 1300 'Scalino', this stunningly beautiful Alfaholics GTA-R has had a complete nut and bolt restoration. Built to full motorsport specification with a limited-slip diff, race suspension and a 215hp 2.0 Twin Spark engine, the GTA is more than just a looker. Thanks to its aluminium body, which was built at the same factory as the Aston Martin One-77's body, and a carbon bonnet, the car weighs only 840kg. Truly a masterpiece on the road, and surely a weapon on the track!
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