Held on the Great Lawn at VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver’s annual Luxury & Supercar Weekend is a veritable buffet of noteworthy and exciting cars. The show attracts a massive crowd of car enthusiasts both young and old by offering an enticing mix of exotics, classics, and everything in between. Divided into four semi-distinct sections, show-goers were treated to a bevy of the latest high performance exotics, a large collection of varied classics, and a selection of modified cars ranging from brightly wrapped Lamborghinis to race-ready Porsches and custom Land Rovers.
Highlights of the weekend long show included a rare Ferrari LaFerrari, the latest 789 horsepower hybrid hypercar from the famed Italian marque alongside the first Canadian showing of a 488 GTB preview car (and the replacement for the fan favourite 458 Italia). Not to be outdone, Porsche displayed both of their current track-ready rocket ships, the 911 GT3 RS and the Cayman GT4. Thanks to its combination of race-inspired aero mods and searing Lava Orange paint job, the GT3 RS looks like an absolute weapon.
Hot on the heels of the successful P1 and 650S, McLaren had an impressive display that included the racy new 675LT and the beautiful 570S. Despite its inclusion of a twin-turbo 3.8L V8 producing some 550 hp, the 570S is McLaren’s new entry-level model for North America.
While not boasting any brand new models, Lamborghini’s display did include a decidedly sinister black on black Huracán and a Gallardo Blancpain Super Trofeo racecar, pulled from the ranks of their partnership race series with Blancpain watches.
From wrapped Porsche Cayennes and slammed Ferrari 458s to wide-body 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcats, the modified lawn was packed full of bright colours, giant wheels and driveway scraping body kits. Featuring to not one but two Porsche 918 Spyders, a Bond-ready Aston Martin V12 Vanquish (circa 2002’s Die Another Day) and one of the only RWB 911s in Canada, the modified collection has a little something for everyone.
Last, but certainly far from least, we have the classics. As car-loving generations continue to age, the idea of “a classic car” has expanded to include all sorts of desirable cars that have since become icons for their respective generations. Such icons on display included a 1984 Lamborghini Countach 5000S (in red, naturally), an array of Jaguar E-Types and MGs and a stunning 1980 Nissan Skyline C210. The star of the show was likely the 1967 Toyota 2000GT, a very rare car that would fetch more than a million dollars if sold at auction.
Old, new, exotic, or just wildly wrapped, the Luxury & Supercar Weekend is a fine exhibition of of automotive design and collector culture.
Photos by James Stacey.