We are in London to spend a few days with our daughter and her partner in Greenwich. Carspotting wasn't really on the agenda, but when the others chose to visit Harrods, I chose to trawl the streets for nice cars until we could meet again for lunch.
Black belt in carspotting
London carspotting offers many interesting photo objects. In the central city districts, there are generally few opportunities for "off street parking" as the buildings were erected before mass traffic. Also, as a consequence of the high property prices, many old stables and workshops have been converted into housing - not garages. Add to that the fact that many are mega-rich and eccentric - and prefer vehicles that no one else has. Carspotting is not just for "geeky" boys. I myself am 63 years old and wander around with a journalist's camera, snapping pictures and chatting with like-minded people. The finest cars are well known among car spotters. The most serious ones post pictures on their own websites with all the information. Here are the stories of 5 cars that I came up with min round of London carspotting and searching online.
London Shopping and Spotting - practical tips
McLaren GT V8 SSG
I had to go up close to find out it was a McLaren. There is basically little about the McLaren GT that oozes brand association. There is nothing here that does not have a function.
General information about the McLaren GT
Performance: 620 HP
Torque: 630 Nm
Top speed: 326 km/h
0-100: 3,2 seconds
Weight ready for driving without driver: 1 kg
About this car
It has previously been advertised for sale for £162.950 through a McLaren dealer near Southampton. They state that the car is from 2019 (September in ht. registration number). The odometer read 8250 miles. The advertisement is not dated, but several carspotters state that they have seen the car in London and the south of France during 2021. I am guessing that the car was sold around the turn of the year 2020/2021. The equipment list consists of, among other things:
- Elite Namaka Blue lacquer
- MSO Bright Pack (glossy trim over the side windows, gloss black diamond-cut, forged rims and polished titanium tailpipes).
- B&W sound system
- Sports exhaust system
- Reversing camera
Sources
McLaren public web pages
Harwoods Group dealer site
autogespot.com
Bugatti Chiron Sport
Estimated value of this supercar is 3,0 to 3,5 million USD! The car has been flown in from Kuwait while the owner is staying at one of London's luxury hotels.
General information about the Bugatti Chiron Sport
Performance: 1500 hp
Torque: 1600 Nm @ 6000 revs
Top speed: 420 km/h
0-100: 2,4 seconds
Weight ready for use without driver: 1977 kg
About this car
Assumed registration year is 2018 based on the registration number. The car is left-hand drive and is based in Kuwait. It has been flown into London during the owner's stay here.
Sources
Bugatti.com
Same car featured on autogespot.com
Jaguar XJ 5.3C
The most beautiful XJ model is without a doubt this gorgeous coupé variant without a center pillar. It is based on the XJ with a short wheelbase. The model year is 1975 – one year before it was replaced by the XJS.
General information about the Jaguar XJ12 5.3C
Performance: 254 HP
Torque: 408 Nm @ 3500 revs
Top speed: 225 km/h
0-100: 7,9 seconds
Weight ready for use without driver: 1835 kg
About this car
I found an ad on the site Car-from-UK. There the car was for sale in Cheshire as an unfinished restoration project. The work looked OK in the pictures. According to the seller, all that remained was to freshen up the interior, replace the roof covering and give the car a new coat of paint. Probably quite a few more not mentioned. The car was not MOT approved and had to be collected with a trailer. The car was originally red. The price was set at £5.850, but I don't know when the ad was posted. A Japanese carspotter posted pictures of the same car in November 2021, then in the same British Racing Green color and with the same rims. An interior photo shows that the original seats have been retained. A photo from a rogue African site shows the same car in black paint. It is unknown whether this is "photoshopped" or whether the car was first repainted in black.
Sources
Advertise in car-from-uk.com
Same car featured on Japanese carspotter site
Ford Cortina 1600E
Once upon a time I could overhaul Kent engines blindfolded. When a Ford Cortina mk2 1600E came sailing past outside Harrods, I wasn't slow to take pictures!
General information about the Ford Cortina 1600E
Performance: 82 HP
Torque: 138 Nm
Top speed: 152 km/h
0-100: 13,4 seconds
Weight ready for use without driver: 990 kg
About this car
I saw the car just outside Harrods last Friday. When I searched the sites of the company that shipped it, I didn't find anything at first - not until 4 days later. The car had just been picked up in London. At the weekend it will be auctioned off - i Pickering, about 5 hours' drive north from London. But you can also submit a bid online. The car's odometer shows 38700 miles and the model year is 1969. No price estimates have been given, but normally these cars sell for between £7.000 and £15.000 in England. The car appears to be thoroughly rust-protected throughout Ziebart, although many people do not trust this rust protection. To me the car seemed as good as a pristine mk2 Cortina can be, but it will be well done to find a completely rust-free Cortina.
Sources
Mathewsons.co.uk review of the same car
Mercedes-Benz 230.4
"Lovely colour", commented a passerby when I was taking photos. W114/W115 are quite common to see in London. The color makes this car unique.
General information about the Mercedes-Benz 230.4
Performance: 110 HP
Torque: 186 Nm
Top speed: 170 km/h
0-100: 13,7 seconds
Weight ready for use without driver: 1350 kg
About this car
The car has been in the same family since 1982 - native to Hertfordshire outside London. Before them, there has been one owner. It has been dry stored for 17 years. The paintwork is original Silver Thistle Metallic. The information is taken from an advertisement in Car & Classic where the car was presented and open for online auction. The auction ended in March 2021. The winning bid was £13.000.
Sources
CarAndClassic.com - Ad for same car
Best places for Shopping and Spotting
In London can for shopping time og mocking go hand in hand. Here are some suggestions:
Shopping – Westfields
Spotting – Holland Park, Kensington North
Lunch – In the pedestrian street in front of Westfields
Westfield's shopping center is located next to the stop Shepherd's Bush along the Central Line. There is a Westfields in Stratford by the Olympic Park as well, but it is not as big - and not suitable for carspotting. The area west of Holland Park is a nice spotting area. If you have time, you should also search the underside of Kensington High Road. In this area, fine "youngtimers" are often placed in front of the homes.
Shopping – Portobello Road
Spotting – Portobello Road and side streets
Lunch – In Portobello Road, Portobello Ristorante Ladbroke Rd.
Central Line to Notting Hill Gate. The area is a combination of small shops and street markets. Lots to look at here. In the area's side streets you can find colorful and funny cars.
Shopping – Harrods
Spotting – Knightsbridge, South Kensington, Belgravia
Lunch – Harrods
Stopping place Knightsbridge along the Picadelly Line. Around Harrods there are always some extremely expensive cars. Knightsbridge and Kensington South are good areas for spotting. In Knightsbridge there are a number of cars belonging to embassies and consulates. Along Old Brompton Road there are several exclusive car dealers. Belgravia is an area where there are expensive cars belonging to wealthy Arabs, consulates and embassies.
Shopping – Kings Road, Chelsea
Spotting – Chelsea
Lunch – Around Sloane Square
Chelsea is not very well served by underground stations. If the destination is Kings Road, one can take the Circle or District Line to Sloane Square. If you are along the Thames I recommend taking an Uber ferry (paid like the underground with Oyster or other cards). The ferry will take you to Battersea Power Station. Then you can walk over the bridge straight into Chelsea. This is a prosperous area where you can find a number of classic English-made sports cars - often parked in the side streets of the shopping districts.
Shopping – Oxford Street
Spotting – Marylebone and Mayfair
Lunch – In the side streets of Oxford Street
Marylebone on the north side of Oxford Street is a residential area for business people and "young professionals". It is easy to find newer Porsches, Lambos and Ferraris there - but not so many older, classic cars. Mayfair is on the south side of Oxford Street. There are wealthy Arab kingdoms, embassies and exclusive hotels. High proportion of Rolls-Royce and Bentley company cars, as well as expensive supercars.
See
