2009 Top Marques Show Monaco

When it rains in Monaco it rains big time and this is what it did on day one of the 2009 Top Marques Show. No wonder the streets are so nice and clean. Next time we’ll bring our own umbrella though. If you can find a shop that sells one be prepared for a nasty shock to the wallet. Let’s just say that walking out of the store we thought we had just bought a piece of the Principality. Anyway you don’t go to Monaco looking for bargains and even in the rain the place looks damn fine.

So on to the show. The Top Marques Show is not your typical car show. It is not mainstream so you won’t find the latest family hatch from Volksfiafortoyoseat. It is a small, compact event held in the splendid Grimaldi Forum that perches on the edge of the Med – it is probably the nicest place in the world to run a car show.

At this show you will find the different, the extreme and of the course the expensive. This is a show for the financially well-endowed. But it is accessible. No queues, barriers or special invites. All the cars are touchable and unlocked. You can even take a test drive in a Gumpert Apollo or a Koenigsegg for goodness sake!

The representatives on the stands were helpful and friendly in the main and on many occasion we were shaking hands with the actual owner of the company. How often does that happen at Excel or NEC? This is a show for the extraordinary.

Yes, you could see the latest from Bentley, Porsche, Aston, Jaguar and Lamborghini but they looked a tad ordinary compared to the likes of Fisker for example.

Now this is a company that knows how to design a good-looking car. The Fisker Karma is truly beautiful and little wonder since Mr Henrik Fisker’s design portfolio includes the likes of the AM Vantage, DB9 and BMW Z8. There were two Fiskers on show. A silver four-door saloon and a metallic red coupe cabriolet. Hybrids and the inevitable ‘green’ theme were ever-present at the show and the Fisker cars are leading the way with their ‘Q-Drive’ technology.

RUF took the green theme quite literally by painting a 911 Targa in well, green. But it was a horrible, flat green – a sort of plant-like green that hammered home that this Porker with its hybrid technology made it er, green.  Oh and they’ve called it the ‘Greenster’.

On the subject of colour it seems that black is the new black. Matt or Satin black that is. Mansory were showing off a Bentley GT that looked like it would shoot you if you stared at it too long. Very mean and moody. Gemballa joined the black suits with their Avalanche GTR Roadster and their upcoming Cayenne-based Tornado GTR with 700 bhp! Just to show that they can paint cars in another colour their Mirage GT looked resplendent in a nice satin-finish white.

Carbon-fibre was much in evidence too. The totally insane Pagani Zonda R looked stunning dressed in CF and strangely it looked like a different car from the ‘normal’ painted versions. Joining the ‘Fast and Furious’ corner was the KTM X-Bow, Gumpert Apollo Speed and PPI R8 Razor. All offering large performance and large price tags.

Met a nice chap called Ronn Maxwell who just happened to own a company called the Ronn Motor Company. He had come all the way over from Austin, Texas to show off his carbon-fibre Scorpion which is a 200mph hydrogen-assisted supercar capable of 40 miles per gallon. The powerplant is a 3.5 litre V6 which in twin-turbo form can deliver up to 450bhp. Almost seems to good to be true but Ronn takes his eco-mission very seriously. The car’s styling makes you stop in your tracks and if this is the alternative to plug-in electric transport, then bring on the Scorpion!  

Bespoke is what you want if you have money these days. Why buy a standard factory offering and suffer those plasticky air vents for instance? How about having them forged out of aluminium? You could even add some diamonds to the instrument bezels. Have your girlfriend’s name embroidered onto the headrests. You name it you can get it – at a price of course.

Prindiville is a UK-based company that can design anything out of almost anything. Whether it be a custom sports exhaust, carbon-fibre re-panelling or a snazzy new interior these boys can create it for you. Their stand featured a modifed Murcielago as a showcase for some of their creativity – the car reminded us of the Reventon. The quality of their workmanship is truly impressive and according to owner Alex Prindiville the company is a blend of cutting-edge design resources and ‘men in brown overalls’. Nice to know that some companies are keeping traditional skills alive in this industry. 

On the subject of modifed cars and looking a little out of place was the Z Cars Mini. The car on display featured a Civic Type R engine mounted in the rear offering 280 bhp and more laughs than room full of Dame Ednas. The video on the stand showed the cheeky Mini reeling in some pretty exotic stuff on the track and Z-Cars can even produce a version that will do 0-60 in 2.6 seconds. Yikes! Costing from around £30k upwards these Minis were undoubtedly the performance bargain of the show!  

And so came the time to leave but before doing so we had a chance to take a Wiesmann MF3 for a spin around Monaco.  They just handed over the keys, waved goodbye and we went looking for tunnels (which is actually quite easy in Monaco). The MF3 is fitted with the six-cylinder M3 Evo engine and it sounds delicious. Their designs seem to echo those British sportscars of the 60’s and you couldn’t help feeling that this car was a modern-day Austin Healey both in looks and character. The good news is that the company is now able to produce right-hand-drive versions and at the show was an right-handed example of the MF4 GT. The build-quality of these cars is exemplary and they deserve to do well.

The sun finally shone in Monaco and sadly we returned to the rain back in Blighty. The Top Marques show is inspiring and offers a real antidote to all those who fear for the end of cars for the enthusiast. We will be back next year for sure but this time we’ll pack a brolly just in case.

Click here for a slideshow of images

R8 v Gallardo

 

Choices, choices, choices. Life is full of them and some are harder to make than others, particularly when it comes to cars. The R8 and the Gallardo are related of course through their VW parentage and the two cars share a number of similar though not necessarily identical components. Sitting in the R8 reminds you of sitting in a Gallardo and vice versa. They even share that peculiar electronic whirring and chattering noise that occurs when the key is turned in the ignition or strangely a few seconds after the engine is switched off. Apparently it’s to do with the sequential gearbox jiggery-pokery. Did VW intend for the R8 to compete head-on with its Italian cousin? Probably not. After all the Lambo is at least another £30k more expensive fresh out of the factory. In the pre-owned market however it’s a bit more of a level playing field. Gallardo’s have become plentiful as opposed to R8’s which have been drip-fed into the market. The upshot is that second-hand values for each car are starting to reach parity and £70k will now buy you either one of these temptresses. So it’s one of those head or heart scenarios then. The Gallardo is vocal. Don’t plan on creeping about in one – you will always be noticed. The R8 will bark but only if you push it hard otherwise it is comfortably subdued. The Italian offers a raw driving experience and makes you concentrate hard. The German makes you feel supremely confident and that whatever happens the R8 will save you from disaster. In the looks department they will both draw crowds. The square-jawed egdy Gallardo appears as mad as a Lambo should. The R8 is an abundance of curves and curious detailing that makes you want to walk round the car all day long. So which would you buy? It’s a tough choice for sure. If it helps we have an example of each ready to be sold on behalf of their current owners. Both are in black (doh!) but at least the Gallardo is a cabriolet (and therefore a tad more expensive than the R8). Nice low miles, good specs and totally cared-for, they are in every respect very similar. Click here for the lowdown on the R8 and here for the Gallardo. Head or heart?

2007 VW Touareg 2.5 Tdi SE

Remember those Barclaycard adverts featuring Rowan Atkinson from a few years back? One of them featured his ‘Johnny English’ character droning on about the nomadic people of the Sahara desert called the ‘Touareg’ while carrying a roll of carpet he had unwittingly set fire to. “What a great name for a 4×4!” exclaimed the person charged with coming up with something original for the VW marketing suits to get their teeth into for their forthcoming 4×4. Much better than cousin Porsche’s ‘Cayenne’ which is a town in French Guiana. Or maybe it’s that particularly hot chili pepper. Either way it doesn’t ring bells the way Touareg does for the VW sand-crab.  It does beg the question though – is the Touareg the chariot of choice for the Touareg? No chance. It’s still the trusty 4×4 camel that needs no petrol or diesel or a visit to the local dealership for an oil change. The Bratislava-born VW Touareg belongs firmly in the arena of desirable go-anywhere suv’s that so many people still aspire too and there’s now’t wrong with that. They look fantastic value these days too – a nicely specified example could have cost upwards of £40k when purchased new, just like the one we have recently placed on the market for the current owner. Finished in Atacama Grey with Charcoal Leather interior this 2007 2.5 litre diesel model comes with SatNav, front heated seats, parking sensors, roof rails, alloys and whole lot more. Click here for further details if your budget is well under £20k!

2005 Maserati 4200 GT Coupe

Ever heard of a chap called Giorgetto Giugiaro? Well he is reckoned to be the most successful car designer of all time. Take a short stroll down any street in the country and you are likely to find an example of his automotive handywork. The talented chap will probably want to be remembered for his finer pieces of work which happens to include the original (and best) Golf, the Alfasud (not the rusty bits), the 156, the sharp-looking Lotus Esprit (as driven by Bond underwater), the Ford Mustang (1965) plus odd jobs for Fiat, Ferrari, Audi, Toyota, Ducati, Bugatti, BMW, Lancia, Lamborghini, SAAB, Renault, the list goes on and on. Oh and in between his car doodling he managed to squeeze in a number of camera bodies for Nikon and a keyboard for Bontempi. The bits he would rather everybody forget include the FSO Polonez, Yugo Zastava, Hyundai Pony and Daewoo Matiz. Well at least he got paid for those pups! Near the top of his finer creations comes the Maserati Coupe introduced in 2002. Such a dramatic looking car with classic Grand Tourer lines that take you back to the sixties and those films with glamorous film stars driving along those twisty roads around Monaco. What a lovely sound this car makes too. It is the sound of a proper V8 that snarls and growls like the MGM lion. With 390 bhp the Italian stallion will sprint to 60mph in less than 5 seconds and if you make a quick detour to Germany you will max out at around 180 on the autbahns. If you fancy a well-cared for example to make the trip we have been asked by the owner a 2005 Nero Carbonio (Carbon Black) manual Coupe to find a good home for his pride and joy. The car has been fully serviced and comes with a full leather interior and SatNav. For lots more information about this stunning Maserati click here.

2006 Range Rover TD6 Vogue

We rambled on the other day about the popularity of white as a colour choice for cars and in certain cases, as with the Lambo, it works a treat. ‘Black’ and ‘Range Rovers’ however, is a double act that has the eternal appeal of strawberries and cream or cheese and biscuits (mmm, nice). Was there a colour better suited for the King of SUV’s? There will always be the pernennial choice from LR of Greens (Epsom, Ardennes or otherwise) to go with the tweed set and the wine-flavoured Reds for those who choose to be a little different. A white RR just doesn’t seem to look right. It shocks and startles while adding a touch of utilitarian to the square-jawed shape. From the Classic to the P38A to the L322, black attire has always suited the RR. Cool, understated, classy are the words that come to mind together with ‘good choice’ and ‘you can’t go wrong’. Big 4×4’s are looking spectacular value during these crunchy unavailable-credit times and the RR diesels offer wallet-friendly fuel consumption. We have just added a 2006 TD6 Vogue to our website which the current owner has asked us to sell on his behalf. It is black (as if you couldn’t guess) and has been driven a lowly 26,000 miles. The specification is seriously impressive and you can read all about this excellent example by clicking here.

2004 Bentley Continental GT

Did you know the Bentley Continental GT is the fastest car on ice? Nope, neither did we. However in 2007 World Rally Champion Juha Kankkunen took a GT on to the frozen Baltic (as they like to do in Finland) and with his right foot firmly planted to the floorboards reached an astonishing 207 mph over a ‘flying kilometre’! Hmm, not sure whether that is an indication of how crazy those Finnish rally drivers are or that the GT is a damn good car for doing circuits round the local skating rink. Anyway there’s no arguing that it would strike a pose while doing so. The Bentley just oozes kerb appeal and has that word ‘presence’ stamped all over its shapely bodywork. We just can’t see this car ever looking dated and old-fashioned largely thanks to a gentleman from Belgium and ex Royal College of Art student, Mr Dirk van Braeckel. If you fancy one in Moonbeam Silver with Portland hide then click here for more details. Priced at only £47995 this example has done 41,000 miles and comes with a Full Bentley Service History.

2007 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder

If there was any doubt that white was to return as a fashionable colour choice for cars you only have to look at the front cover of most motoring magazines. No more black, silver or grey. The latest models wear white and don’t they look pretty! The choice of shade is interesting as well. There is no choice. The white used these days is a pure, snowy white as opposed to the creamy, yellow, off-white shades of a couple of decades ago. It is a white that sits happily with edgy, angular design features and interestingly manages to highlight certain aspects of the car’s shape that other colours somehow miss. A perfect example is the Lamborghini Gallardo. Here is a car full of angles and edges when portrayed in white. It is almost as though you are looking at the car when it was first scribbled on the designer’s notepad. Only the red rear lights and yellow side repeaters punctuate the purity and simplicity of the monochrome image. Which leads us neatly on to the one that is currently featured on our website. It is a white 2007 Spyder E-Gear that we are marketing on behalf of the owner with only 5000 miles on the clock. The car features lots of toys such as SatNav, reversing camera, black Callisto alloys, car cover and a manufacturer’s warranty until October 2010. To take a look at this stunning white model just click here.

2004 Audi RS6 Avant

Aah, the RS6 - otherwise known as the Audi C5 RS6 quattro Typ 4B (at least between 2002-2004 that is). Is there a more sinister wolf in a sheep’s woolly jumper? OK the big 19″ rims and lowered suspension are a bit of a give-away but is there any real hint of 450 BHP fire-breathing bi-turbo V8 while it stands all docile in your front drive? Only when you fire it up. The V8 offers a nice deep-bass growl which makes a refreshing change over some of the more muted offerings from some other manufacturers we won’t mention. Has everybody forgotten the point of a V8? Never mind about the performance figures just listen to the noise! The US still makes V8’s with the great original soundtrack cos that’s what they do best. Can you imagine Steve McQueen’s V8 Mustang in Bullit sounding like some of today’s limp-wristed efforts? It would be like listening to Led Zep through cheap, nasty earphones. So at least the RS6 captures some of that old V8 character but probably without scaring the old folks in the neighbourhood. The performance is worth mentioning, however, because it is important in the RS6’s case. It is breathtaking. That’s it – there is no other word for it. The power feels relentless. It pulls like a high speed train that wants to break the world speed record. It never runs out of puff – you run out of road long before that happens. It feels safe though. The quattro system just hunkers down and drives like it’s on rails (more train analogies). It feels so totally competent the RS6 would refuse the most incompetent driver the chance to screw things up. Big powerful disc brakes rein in the beast without drama and bring peace back into the world. Then when you switch off the engine to park up there is an interesting whine from the twin turbos that sounds like a 747 unwinding after a long-haul flight. Yep, it’s a great car the RS6 and if you want to buy a cracking low-mileage example, the owner of a Daytona Grey (the best colour) 2004 model has asked us to find a buyer for his Avant version. Click here for more details.

2005 Porsche 911 (997) Carrera 2S

We’ve come across some well cared-for cars in our time but we’ve just taken photos of a 911 Carrera 2S that wins the cigar for presentation. This 911 has been owned from new by one car-loving businessman who has driven a very careful 12,000 miles since he purchased the car new from the Porsche Centre in Hatfield in 2005. This 911 is barely run-in! 997’s are looking incredibly good value for money these days and an early one with low mileage like this is very difficult to find. The 997 has some nice design updates over the previous 996 and hints at the earlier 993 in more than one or two areas such as the headlamps which have a more upright look to them. These are cracking cars to drive and are by far and away the least compromising of all ’supercars’ to own. This is one of the reasons you don’t see many of them with such low mileage as this example - many 911’s are indeed purchased for everyday use such is the ease of ownership of these cars. Reluctantly the current owner is putting his mint Atlas Grey pride-and-joy up for sale and full details of the car can be found by clicking here.

2004 BMW M3 SMG Convertible

It’s impossible to dislike the M3. In fact, we would go as far to say that it is probably the best car ever made. Well, if you don’t need a carry-all for the kids or a 4×4 to climb mountains (or Chelsea pavements) then this ‘wunderauto’ is an act that is hard to beat. From its intial inception as the E30 the M3 has raised the bar consistently when it comes to road-going high-performance cars that Joe Public can use without the need for special tuition on a track. The E30 is a rare old bird now and collectors will pay silly money for a nice original example (if they can find one!). The E36 came along next in 1992 with a nice sharp suit and performance figures that truly embarassed the likes of Ferrari and Porsche. The straight six-cylinder on steroids eventually pumped out 320 BHP and saw the introduction of the revolutionary SMG gearbox.  This car really did put the cat in the birdcage. It could even be said the ‘horsepower wars’ started when this car came along. Suddenly the M3 was the benchmark that had to be beaten and 300-plus BHP was soon to be de-rigeur for any sports car to be taken seriously. It wasn’t all about the horses though. The M3 was a great driver’s car – in other words, it handled superbly. At the turn of the new millennium the E46 M3 was born. More space, more comfort, more power and even easier to drive with the optional second-generation SMG gearbox.  The E46 is a real looker, too. Even though the E90 has now replaced this version we have a feeling that the E46 will have its own fan club of admirers for many years to come. It looks muscular yet restrained and there isn’t a bad angle on the car to be caught on camera. What great value these E46’s are these days too! We have just put a gorgeous Carbon Black example of an SMG convertible on our books for a customer and this one comes with all of the toys too - for less than £20k!! Click here for a full details or click here for a Pistonheads review of the E46 M3.