The world's most expensive cars, and the chance to ride in them, means Monaco is on its way to being the best car show on earth, writes Nick Hall TopMarquesMonaco: The ultimate car show
Monaco might be a millionaire's playground populated by as many Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches as people, but even the locals couldn't fail to be impressed by the hardware on offer at the Top Marques show at the Grimaldi Forum.
This is more than just a car show, it is a gathering of the world's most desirable marques, with Koenigsegg, Pagani and Bentley taking centre stage, with a Mosler, Venturi, Gemballa and a $1 million mobile phone thrown in for good measure. This collection of cars and the passenger rides available along the streets that make up the Monaco Grand Prix circuit would be a fan's dream, but those in attendance tend to be serious buyers.
One of the stars of the show, resplendent in orange, was the Gumpert Apollo. We have seen this car evolve over the past two years, when the first pictures hit the press. Then, it somehow looked wrong, but over time it has found its niche and now boasts looks to knock a Ferrari stone dead.
At €249,000, the Gumpert almost looks like a bargain, compared to the Porsche Carrera GT and Lamborghini Murcielago, and with 650bhp and more on offer from its Audi 4.2-litre twin-turbo, it is just as exciting.
When my turn finally came, I folded myself into the passenger seat and sales manager Claus took me out on the Monaco Grand Prix track, unleashing the decibels against the walls of the famous tunnel and building up an insane rate of knots in record time.
It's a borderline racing car, but comes with the most advanced traction control system I've seen. Accommodating everything from full wet conditions to a race track, this dial can slacken off the electronic aids by the percentage used on F1 cars.
The Gumpert hits 100km/h in 3 seconds, and will blast through 200km/h in 8.9 seconds. There are few faster cars on the road, and nothing that looks so aggressive.
Castagna Milano just about got its new Aznom to the ball, despite the fact that incorrectly tooled wheels wouldn't fit and the brake discs were taped over. Ignoring the rough edges of the show prototype, though, this looks set to be one almighty car. With an all carbon-fibre construction, the Italian firm has kept the weight down to a svelte 1,340kg - which means it doesn't really need a 7-litre, twin-turbo charged version of the Corvette Z06 GT3 race engine with 750bhp and 980Nm of torque. But it has one anyway.
There will be two versions of this car, a track version stripped to the bare bones with full telemetry, and a more comfortable car with heated seats, a communication centre with everything from SatNav to internet access and a modified version of Corvette's heads-up display.
It also comes with a removable double-bubble canopy that fits snugly in the 420-litre boot, so practicality hasn't been compromised, even though it might prove difficult to justify calling this an everyday sportscar.
Even with traction control, and the best will and skill in the world, 700bhp on a wet afternoon in town might be a little much for anyone's tastes.
The quicker version will hit 100km/h in an explosive three seconds, according to their data, thanks to a long first gear that takes the car right up to the 100km/h mark. As for the top speed, don't expect any change out of 355km/h. The car should run for the first time in front of a crowd on May 21st at Monza, from which the car takes its name, and we'll be watching with interest.
Weber Engineering gave a debut to its spectacular, if a little ugly, entry into the super sportscar market.
The distinctive squared-off front means you'll never mistake a Weber for anything else, but then I'm not entirely sure it will have the customers flocking to the gates to splash out €700,000 as a base price, either.
Form has been entirely dictated by function, the carbon-fibre construction doesn't even have door handles as they'll upset the airflow at the 400km-plus they intend to get out of the 7-litre GM powerplant that has been rebuilt from the ground up. If Weber can genuinely hit 100km/h in 2.5 seconds and break the magic 400km/h mark with this 900bhp bruiser, then it would sell, even if it looked like the Hunchback of Notre Dame himself.
Intelligent four-wheel drive, a sequential gearbox and a high-strength chassis made from aircraft-grade aluminium are just some of the highlights. And the interior will be fitted to order by a company that currently decks out private jets, so if it gets the record then, expect enough orders for this 7-litre beast to keep it in business.
Caparo brought its T1, too, and although there wasn't a running car at the show, they still had a stunning looking show car. The firm has dropped the idea of turbocharging, and has instead changed the engine's capacity from 2.4 to 3.5 litres. Caparo thinks this will still be good for 700bhp if they want it, with power outputs starting from 550bhp in this 500kg flyweight.
With the benefit of monumental downforce and a soft set-up for use on the streets as well as the circuit, it should be a stunning car to drive. Apparently, we'll have to wait till June 6th to give it a go ourselves.
There were other gems at the show, including the F&M Antas, the epitome of the modern trend for coach-built cars. The detail on this machine is exquisite, even if the windscreen wipers look ineffective, at best. The car with a name that translates as "eagle" in Etruscan, will still win over many buyers.
Building a car around a 1960s Maserati V8 sounds like a risky strategy, but the Antas has found enough fans already - this handbuilt machine will sell as many as they want to make. But if you have to ask the price, you really can't afford one.
There were other highlights, including a passenger ride with legendary Lamborghini test driver Valentino Balboni in the marque's Gallardo Superleggera.
Even at a total standstill in Monaco traffic, it was still an honour to meet the man. And when he offered an invite to Italy for a drifting lesson, well, let's just say dates have already been fixed in blood.
FIA GT star, former Nordschleife record holder and general all-round German wunderkind, Wolfgang Kaufmann arrived with Gemballa, and looked set to lose his licence after a series of run-ins with the local authorities.
Prince Rainier attended the event and appeared to support it wholeheartedly. Just one closed road would have made it all the better and averted the trouble with the police, and maybe next year, this will have evolved from a classy gathering of cars into the most spectacular show on Earth.