San Diego GranTurismo: October, 2017

This weekend I woke up early on a Saturday to attend the inaugural “San Diego GranTurismo” hosted by O’Gara Coach La Jolla in their service center in Sorrento Valley…advertised as “supercars only,” it did not disappoint.

Upon arriving you were greeted by two Bugatti Veyrons in front of their car transport trailer that had been vinyl’d to advertise the event. O’Gara rolled out the red carpet with free coffee (including cold brew!), tons of security & support staff, a DJ, raffle, and a well organized assortment of cars. It was easy to find parking, not too early, and had a good turnout.

Walking around there were tons of really great Lamborghinis, McLarens, and Ferraris to check out, as well as a tour through the Symbolic showroom where they had a range of collectable/classic/used exotics to check out like the Bugatti EB110:

Around 9AM the DJ came over the speakers and announced a special treat. In dramatic fashion, five garage doors opened unveiling nearly 5,000 HP of hypercars including a Ferrari LaFerrari, Bugatti Chiron, Porsche 918, McLaren P1 GTR, and a Pagani Huayra. The cars were driven out from the service garage stalls while revving and making a huge spectacle for everyone to enjoy, then the crowds swarmed the cars to admire and Instagram until their hearts were content. I waited a good half hour to even try to take pictures, and as you can see it was still tough to get a clean shot with all of the admirers swarming in to take a closer look.

The McLaren P1 GTR was my favorite; I have never seen one before in-person and most likely never will see one again. The P1 itself is very rare, and to buy a P1 GTR you must already own a “regular” P1 as a prerequisite. The GTR version is not street-legal, and meant for owners who want to experience the full capabilities of the platform on the track. It takes a special kind of rich and adventurous to want to drive a $3M racecar at 10/10ths around a track, but I sure do hope this car is driven and driven hard. From McLaren’s website:

Without road-car regulations to hold it back, the McLaren P1™ GTR pushes everything to the limit.  Available only to McLaren P1™ owners, production of the track-focused GTR began upon completion of the 375th and final road car.

The mid-mounted powerplant has an output of 1,000PS (986bhp) and includes an ERS-style push-to-pass system.  The large fixed rear wing features a Formula 1™-derived Drag Reduction System and the wing mirrors have been repositioned to the A pillars to put them closer to the eye line of the driver and reduce aerodynamic drag.  The car sits at a fixed ride height on race-prepared suspension over 19-inch motorsport alloy wheels. Below the rear wing is the exposed, centrally mounted inconel and titanium alloy exhaust.  This all new straight cut twin pipe design has been developed exclusively for the GTR.

The LaFerrari on-hand was also absolutely stunning. This was the second one I’ve seen in person (the first being at the PFS Open House a few weeks back), and the styling just really works well on this car. My favorite elements are the rear view mirrors, and the air intake ducts/scoops in the rear of the car that highlight the functional parts of the design.

Next was the Chiron; like the LaFerrari this is only the second time I’ve seen one in person, and the Light Blue/Dark Blue color combo really works well. I’ve never really found Bugattis to be the best looking cars ever made, but the Chiron is growing on me. With nearly 1,500 horsepower, I think I could get used to the looks anyway…

To round out the “Big 5” was a Pagini Huayra in exposed carbon fiber body with gold accents, and a Mexico Blue 918 Spyder.

Every corner had a new surprise, and just a few feet from the Big 5 packed two big ones. This Lamborghini Centenario was parked next to a yellow Bugatti Chiron featured at the top of this post…these two cars drew a lot of attention. With a combined value of at least $5M, these are not cars you’ll see everyday yet alone next to each other.

It’s a weird feeling to see so many multi-million hypercars that you start to get numb, but eventually that happens. I’m certainly not looking for pity, it’s an incredible problem to have. It does have me appreciating older cars more and more; while not nearly as fast nor technologically advanced, there’s something more unique and pure about them. This Porsche 964 Turbo Flachbau (flatnose) was just one of several examples of jaw dropping cars in the Symbolic showroom next door that I spent a good deal of time checking out. The Bugatti EB110 (pictured earlier), while definitely not the prettiest girl at the ball, was quirky, cool, and had a ton of character.

Walking around, there were a ton of other great cars to check out, including a great turn-out of Lamborghini’s, which is my marque of choice. It was also cool to see multiple modified McLaren’s, and with the prices of these cars dropping into Porsche 911 territory (or lower), I think we’ll see that trend continue.

Last but not least, the Carrera GT made a cameo, another car that only gets better with age.

Big props to O’Gara Coach La Jolla and Symbolic for the great show. I’m already looking forward to the next one! For more pictures, check out my Flickr by clicking the image/slideshow below: