They are the flashy toys of millionaires, and you can often see them driving along the beach in Dubai or locked up in huge garages in Riyadh.
But now, dozens of beautiful supercars owned by very wealthy Arabs have shown up in the glamorous city of Cannes on the south coast of France, just days after many of them were seen clogging the streets of Knightsbridge in London.
Rich playboys from Dubai and Kuwait had their expensive toys sent to the French Riviera, where many people spend their summer vacations.
This customised red Ferrari, complete with blacked out windows, is among many supercars to have been delivered by rich Arabs to Cannes on the glamorous south coast of France
Eye-catching: Tourists stop and stare at a powerful-looking Kuwaiti-owned X-Bow convertible super car parked along with ordinary vehicles by the side of a sea-front road
Sparkling: A young boy admires a shiny silver Porsche 911 GT2 complete with eye-catching red alloys. It is one of many luxury vehicles delivered to Cannes from Kuwait
Two Kwaiti-registered Lamborghinis in white and blue are parked up in front of an orange McLaren next to a restaurant in upmarket Cannes
A man drives his large blue convertible down a seafront road in Cannes while walkers stop and stare at the vehicle
Rich families from Dubai and Kuwait are said to have sent their cars to the Carlton hotel in Cannes, where many of them spend their summer vacations.
The cars are custom-made versions of well-known models from car companies like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Bentley, and they are getting a lot of attention at the resort.
The owners seem confident enough to leave their expensive cars parked on the side of the road while amazed tourists walk by.
There is an X-Bow, a McLaren, and a number of different-colored Lamborghinis and Ferraris parked next to high-end hotels and restaurants on the French Riviera.
Many of the the vehicles parked up in Cannes are tailor made special versions of famous models from a series of high-end luxury car makers
Glamorous: Sightings of luxury supercars, owned by mega-rich Arab famililes, have become common place in Cannes in France
A large white Bentley with tinted windows is parked up on a street in Cannes, France. A similar influx of cars has been reported in parts of London
Luxury: A number of Kuwaiti-registered vehicles are in Cannes where their wealthy owners are spending their summer holidays away from the searing temperatures at home in the Middle East
Gridlock: A driver and his passenger in a black Ferrari stop to admire a red version of the famous make of car while tourists point out the vehicles and traffic builds up on the road behind
It is becoming increasingly common for super-rich Arab families to have their vehicles delivered to glamorous locations around the world, including Cannes – especially during the summer months
Middle Eastern playboys brought their flashy supercars to Cannes, where they have been seen taking up many of the parking spots along the water.
Rich Qataris, Saudis, Emiratis, and Kuwaitis move to Britain during the Middle East’s hot summer months to get away from the heat. The pictures were taken just days after similar cars were seen on the streets of Knightsbridge in London.
But the growing number of sports cars in the wealthy Knightsbridge neighborhood is making some people worried about parking rules being broken and people driving dangerously.
This time, the Mercedes G63 AMG with six wheels and a price tag of £370,000 is the craziest car that made the trip. A Pagani Huayra that goes 220 mph and is worth more than £1 million has also caught the attention of tourists and other people.
There is also a Datsun from the 1970s, a gold Range Rover, several Rolls-Royces, Lamborghinis, and Ferraris, and a lot of Bugatti Veyrons.
Rich Arabs stay in the best hotels and spend all their money in London’s most expensive stores, but their unique supercars cause trouble.
Snazzy: A red Ferrari with blacked out windows is left by the side of the road. Many of the vehicles brought over by superr wealthy Arab tourists are tailor made special versions of famous models
Star attraction: Passers-by stop to admire a chrome-coloured Lamborghini parked in front of another luxury-looking vehicle
In Cannes, a white and a blue Lamborghini of the same brand are parked in front of the fancy Carlton Restaurant.
People who live in wealthy Knightsbridge have said that they are acting rudely by revving their cars and treating the area like their own racetrack.
A management consultant named Panda Morgan-Thomas said, “I’m not mad. I’m just worn out. After three years of peace and quiet, supercars have returned to Knightsbridge in the last few days.
“They are racing down Sloane Street again from late afternoon until 3 or 4 in the morning.” We really thought we were making progress, but it looks like August will be another sleepless month for people in the area.
A queue of extravagant vehicles were parked around Harrods yesterday including a £400,000 Mercedes AMG, a £1million Pagani Huayra and a £300,000 Rolls Royce
A Dubai-registered £1million Bugatti, parked on double yellow lines in front of a modified Rolls-Royce, attracted the attention of a traffic warden yesterday
A Qatari-owned £200,000 Ferrari 458 in front of a £300,000 Lamborghini Aventador. The cars are attracting gangs of camera-wielding youths, dubbed the ‘Carparazzi’
A £400,000 six-wheeled Mercedes G63 AMG, similar to one which featured on Top Gear, is among the most outrageous to have been shipped across
The owners of the cars compete to see who can make the most bizarre changes. For example, this £150,000 Maserati Gran Turismo has a silver bonnet.
After Ramadan ended about a week ago, the wealthy people on vacation came to London. Most of them were from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Some of the supercars have been seen with parking tickets, and others have been seen with the wrong license plates. But even though the locals hate “The Season,” there is one group that loves the supercars and jumps to the drivers’ defense: the Carparazzi.
When rich Arabs come to London, car fans show up with cameras to take pictures and videos of their million-pound cars.
This £50,000-plus Ferrari 456 Italia has been given a spider wrap by its Qatari owner, who was keen to show it off on the streets of central London yesterday
A gold and black Saudi-owned Bugatti Veyron – which can sell for up to £1million – was parked in a street in Kensington yesterday, causing many to stop and take photos
The owner of this heavily modified gold Range Rover, which is thought to be worth more than £150,000, parked it in front of the Wellesley hotel.
The person in charge of the YouTube channel Supercars of London, Paul Wallace, made light of their bad behavior. He said, “August is always the best month for car fans to see their dream cars on the road.”
“After seeing how driving styles and cars have changed, I still can’t believe that the police are there and that people are making a big deal about it. Four weeks out of every 52, these very wealthy people come to the UK and spend millions of pounds there.
“Not only that, but they also make many car fans’ dreams come true by bringing in super rare Bugatti Veyrons or special edition Paganis. I feel bad for these guys who bring their expensive toys here and get hassled by the police.’
The limited edition Mercedes – which have a starting price of £370,000 – were originally engineered for the Australian Army but have become popular with Arabs as they are one of the few vehicles which can be driven safely off-road through the desert dunes
A blue and white Saudi-owned Rolls Royce, estimated at £300,000, attracts attention of pedestrians after its owner parked it outside the bay in Knightsbridge yesterday
It’s not just modern sports cars that are being brought over, this classic UAE registered Datsun 240 GL was spotted on London’s Sloane Street yesterday
As soon as people heard that London’s wealthiest tourists were showing off their cars yesterday near Harrods, this £180,000 Lamborghini Huracan was seen driving by.
He also said, “I’ve been filming them all summer and have rarely seen them go faster than 25% or make any noise at all.”
I don’t know why the people who live in Knightsbridge don’t use the influx of foreign cars as an excuse to go on vacation and get away from one of the busiest and loudest cities in the world for a few weeks.
In past summers, expensive cars have been locked up in front of Harrods, towed away because they weren’t insured, and people have complained about engines revving late at night.
The parking fines for cars from the United Arab Emirates have nearly doubled in the last three years, according to the Westminster council.
A Saudi-registered Pagani Huayra, which has a starting price of around £1million, was spotted parked next to an expensive hotel in the area
A pink-tinged £350,000 Rolls Royce with Saudi number plate was seen driving through west London yesterday as part of the now-annual influx of Arab-owned cars
A Qatari millionaire is on vacation in Britain and brought this £70,000 Mercedes AMG with him. He parked it yesterday in front of Harrods.
Last year, cars from the Middle Eastern country were fined a huge £57,060. In 2011/12, they were only fined £31,780.
People are worried that drivers don’t follow the rules because they can easily pay the fines or because they know they can just move and forget about the fines.
A Westminster City Council spokesman said, “We do everything we can to make sure all fines are paid, no matter where the driver is from.”
“However, it can be very hard to find people when their cars aren’t registered in this country.”
“We already work with an agency to help European drivers get back money they owe, and we’re looking into other ways to improve our chances of success.” Every driver who parks in Westminster has to follow the same rules. This is where we start and where we end.
A policeman approaches a modified £100,000 Range Rover, registered in Saudi Arabia, amid locals’ concerns about breaches of parking rules and road safety
The expensive machines have been spotted in a full range of colours, with this Mercedes CLS – starting price £82,000 – parked on Chelsea’s Sloane Street yesterday
A £300,000 Qatari-owned Lamborghini Aventador parks up next to a £1million Bugatti Veyron as Arab playboys compare their sports cars outside Harrods yesterday