It’s a cool crisp morning in Dublin but something tells me the French Riviera will have warmer temperatures to offer as we board a plane bound for Nice. Over the coming few days we would be attending a show that I have wanted to visit for years. Top Marques Monaco now in its 12th year took place at the Grimaldi Forum from 16th to 19th April 2015 and we were just two of the 42,000 visitors to attend. After years of working with Media Team in Dublin on the Toys 4 Big Boys Show held in the RDS, we wanted to experience the ultimate luxury lads show and it did not disappoint. From the moment we walked in we were in awe of the machinery, jewels and home-ware on display. Take for example the AeroMobil 3.0, the world’s most advanced prototype of a flying car, which was transforming from a two-seater car to a plane every 20 minutes with the wings folding out. Through the various halls there was roughly 40 supercars on display from various manufacturers and tuners, custom bikes, high-end watches and even a €35 million super-yacht.
Some of the car highlights included the world debut of Finland’s Toroidion 1MW electric supercar concept featuring a full megawatt of power. This equates to the equivalent of 1,341bhp. It was a radical looking carbon fibre two-seater with gullwing doors and an electric motor at each wheel powered by new high-performance carbon nanotube lithium-ion batteries. Speaking to members of the press, Toroidion CEO Pasi Pennanen said the car would have a 0-125mph acceleration time of just five seconds and a top speed of close to 300mph with a 300-mile range. He said its still very much a concept but the price would be close to €1 million. It’s a big asking price but then again they don’t come much different of futuristic than the Toroidion 1MW.
Next on our hit list was a guided tour of the Senzati Jet Sprinter by Public Relations manager Jane Carley. Put simply Senzati design and build the world’s finest luxury VIP people carriers in Britain. They create bespoke vehicles for the most discerning customer and if opulence is your thing, then you are in the right place. Jane explained to us that every aspect of the vehicle design has been optimised to create the best environment possible. Whether you are travelling for business making use of the connected mobile office, taking friends out for dinner or simply relaxing with movies en-route, the Senzati Jet Sprinter is a first class way to be chauffeured by road. The 600-mile tank makes for uninterrupted travel. We enjoyed our tour and we look forward to visiting Coventry based Senzati in the not to distant future.
Back to supercars now and it was time to visit some tuners including Hamann, Larte and Nimrod Performance with their crazy Avanti Rosso. Essentially the Hungarian based tuner had taken an Aventador and completely re-bodied it using carbon fiber. As Aventadors are a dime a dozen down in Monaco this Nimrod reworked Lambo was getting massive attention. Nimrod also had the Ferrari 458 based Katyusha on display. With wild Strosek styling, few walked by the Nimrod stand with stopping in awe. Outside was where the action was though because at this show the cars also get a chance to move! VIP guests can test-drive a selection of supercars around the streets of Monaco, including sections of the Formula 1 track but with a large waiting list we opted for our BMW 4 Series Convertible to do some laps of the circuit.
As we left the Grimaldi Forum Prince Albert II of Monaco was visiting the stands welcoming exhibitors. We took off and joined the moving motorshow that’s almost a daily spectacle in Monaco. After a few laps we stopped off in Brasserie De Monaco for dinner with a bunch of petrol heads including the Prior Design crew. With their fleet of cars including an SLS, 458, and R8 creating the noise the atmosphere was electric. The end result from the show confirmed by the organisers a few days later was a number of purchases including, super vans and motorbikes as well as a significant number of watches and pieces of jewellery. The combined total value of sales made during Top Marques was expected to be in over €200 million. If money is not an option this is the show for you. If it is, just go and dream like we did!
Travel Info
Flights: €150 return with Ryanair
Car Rental: €480 for 3 Days Hertz Prestige BMW 4 Series M-Sport Cabriolet
Accommodation: €150 per night Hotel Victoria 4 Star 10 minutes outside of Monaco
Tickets: Basic €50 Premium €160 per day
Images: Patricia Maguire
Show info: www.topmarquesmonaco.com
