Friday 6th August 2010

McLaren Bags Top London Address

New showroom at One Hyde Park will open next year

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The ultimate downstairs garage?

McLaren Automotive is 'going where the money is', and opening up a showroom at One Hyde Park. Which is where we'd be looking for a new London pied-à-terre if we weren't so miserably skint already this month.

In case you don't keep up with such things, The Residences, One Hyde Park is an upmarket block of flats next to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge - slap bang between Harrods and Harvey Nics near the top of Sloane Street.

We're told that well-endowed buyers from China, The Middle East and Europe have been falling over themselves to splash out on luxury pads there, with nearly £900m having already being spent. (According to Carmella Pork-Balls at the local estate agent.)

Shopping - now you can love it too...

McLaren Automotive will be moving into the downstairs showroom early next year in anticipation of the launch of the new 12C. And in anticipation of our invitation to scoff canapés and guzzle fizz with celebs at a glitzy opening bash, PHer Riggers is already sponging yesterday's lunch off his favourite tank top.

The new dealership will be run by Jardine Motors Group, who already flog (er, retail)Astons, Ferraris, Jags, Lamborghinis, Mercs and Porsches through variously branded dealerships here in the UK.

Not that they're likely to have much trouble shifting carbonfibre when they open the doors in Knightsbridge next year. According to McLaren, over 2,700 potential customers have expressed a 'serious intention to buy' the MP4-12C, which the company says will sit in the 'core' sports car segment of cars priced between £125,000 and £175,000.

[pantalooons]

Carmella Pork-Balls!

Really?

[10JH]

pantalooons said:

Carmella Pork-Balls!

Really?

Surely not.

[ewenm]

article said:

...the MP4-12C, which the company says will sit in the 'core' sports car segment of cars priced between £125,000 and £175,000.

Really? Core sports car? Surely core (maybe junior) supercar at those sorts of prices!?

Core sports car would be Caterham/Elise/Exige/Cayman level wouldn't it?

[Chris-R]

10JH said:

pantalooons said:

Carmella Pork-Balls!

Really?

Surely not.

Sadly not...

[Beefmeister]

article said:

well-endowed buyers from China

Really? Really really?

With that and the Pork-Balls one, this looks like a Sniff Petrol story!

[Chris-R]

Beefmeister said:

article said:

well-endowed buyers from China

Really? Really really?

With that and the Pork-Balls one, this looks like a Sniff Petrol story!

Sniff!

[Beefmeister]

Chris-R said:

Beefmeister said:

article said:

well-endowed buyers from China

Really? Really really?

With that and the Pork-Balls one, this looks like a Sniff Petrol story!

Sniff!

(meant in a complimentary way, obviously...)

[NiceCupOfTea]

I remember their old "shop" on Park Lane!

[Chris-R]

Beefmeister said:

Chris-R said:

Beefmeister said:

article said:

well-endowed buyers from China

Really? Really really?

With that and the Pork-Balls one, this looks like a Sniff Petrol story!

Sniff!

(meant in a complimentary way, obviously...)

Unsniff! (?)

[Stew2000]

Car showroom below flats...
By order of me those flats should be worth less then 200k.
And London is just a stupid place anyway.

[E36GUY]

Money in the Candy Brothers' pocket. A bad thing.

[Garlick]

Stew2000 said:

Car showroom below flats...
By order of me those flats should be worth less then 200k.
And London is just a stupid place anyway.

[okgo]

That will be some location.

I remember reading about the flats, they have sold the biggest penthouse for around £100 million I think.

[GTO Scott]

okgo said:

That will be some location.

I remember reading about the flats, they have sold the biggest penthouse for around £100 million I think.

Allegedly £140 million each. Three of the four penthouses were sold to the Qatari PM. Still, could be worse, could be the Chelsea Barracks (the Candy brother's development that is currently on hold thanks to intervention from Brian).

As for the McLaren showroom, is it going to be a car dealership or a tourist attraction?

[braddo]

okgo said:

That will be some location.

I remember reading about the flats, they have sold the biggest penthouse for around £100 million I think.

From memory an article I saw on the average price per square foot suggested a flat of around 1000 sq ft would cost something like £5m

[Andrew[MG]]

okgo said:

That will be some location.

I remember reading about the flats, they have sold the biggest penthouse for around £100 million I think.

I'm not sure I would want a car showroom below my £100m flat. Although for £100m I don't think I would want to live in a building with people that I don't know!

[okgo]

When up in the penthouse who cares what the poor people below are doing?

There is a secret tunnel too, that takes residents underground to the mandarin too

[WMP]

£125k - £175k is definitely more junior supercar than core sportscar.

I hope the new Macca is sh*& hot as it will need to be to fend off the new 458 which seems to be getting praise from every angle.

How anyone can justify those prices for flats is unbelievable but who am I to question free market economics??

[Stew2000]

okgo said:

When up in the penthouse who cares what the poor people below are doing?

There is a secret tunnel too, that takes residents underground to the mandarin too

And a hole in the back for Narnia

[okgo]

Best location and view in London - yes
Biggest flat you can probably buy - yes probably
Best finish money can buy (tasteful probably not, do arabs care?)

That is always going to equate to an epic price tag. And as they (and you) say, its worth what someone will pay...