Billionaire Gulf motorists arrive in London for their yearly load of fun, frolic and economics. get wide-eyed as you take a peek into this marvel
You can almost call it the million-dollar yearly migration of some of the world’s wealthiest into a town that’s known for castles, exclusive nightclubs narrow roads and footballers — London. Without fail, every year, hundreds of the Gulf’s richest fly their cars to London to showcase what can be done if there’s money falling out of your stuffed wallet. There are Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, Rollers… all arriving at the city’s posh Knightsbridge area for a “showdown”.
So, if you’re the heir to a small kingdom sitting atop a ground full of the good black stuff… here are the highlights:
A Rs 20-lakh plane ticket
Yup. That’s how much it costs to fly the cars from say… Kuwait to the UK. In fact, Qatar Airways is offering a very special service where cars can be flown to the UK in cargo planes in a straight line or next to each other, tied down. “The Arabs often use agents to arrange their cars to be flown to the UK — and some of these guys can have two or three cars that they bring over for just one month. Once here (London), they can legally drive it for upto two months,” Daniel Hallworth, of Dan Car Logistics, was quoted as saying in a report. Also, the ticket prices increase depending on your car. A menial Ferrari will take at least Rs 5 lakh to be transported while a Veyron will set you back by at least Rs 6 lakh.
I have arrived, what now?
Party! Get your keys, phone, that Instagram account and step out. Reports claim some of the richest partygoers will spend up to £100,000 or a mind-boggling '1 crore in peasant currency during a single night. Also, the local economy loves you. Last year, according to reports, a whopping £1.25 billion was spent in the UK by families from the Gulf. We would’ve converted that into rupees but there are not enough zeroes. Besides, you might just be the only person still going to Harrods!
Two months? What if I miss home?
You won’t. London’s going all out to please (and retain) each and every one of you, as customers. For example, at the Quintessentially Lifestyle concierge company, you can even ask for a custom gold-plated Blackberry! “We were once asked to source four months of camel milk to be delivered every week when a Jordanian wife arrived to join her husband. Their one-year-old child was allergic to cow’s milk,” reveals the firm’s very resourceful partner, Clementine Churchward. She also talks about another client who shipped 1,000 pink roses from Saudi Arabia to Southampton for a girlfriend who had just passed her exams! So yeah, even if you miss home… you can fly it in!
Do Londoners really love me?
Um, nope. In fact, those meddling peasants have formed citizen groups which are trying to lobby the government to clamp down on your noisy supercars. They say a million-pound Zonda in the middle of a street can give their elderly strokes. They also want traffic fines hiked — it’s currently £100. Also, you should be keeping an eye out for resident Karen Morgan Thomas who’s been campaigning against you guys since 2010. Thomas claims the loud cars are causing Knightsbridge residents “sleep deprivation!”
But Will I become famous though?
Absolutely! A total of eight documentary films have been made based on you guys. Clubs reserve exclusive sections for you and the entourage and that Instagram account filled with bling will soon start having a million followers. In London, thousands of photographers, newspapers, credit card companies, insurance firms, blogs, shops, council officials are just waiting for you to arrive. In 2014, credit card processor Worldpay ran through £73 million from high-flying shoppers. If you’re really keen on that paparazzi shot just walk along Oxford Street and pretend to try out that £18,000 limited-edition Hublot watch at one of those department stores. The tabloids will love you!
