For the third year in a row, the Paul Ricard race track in the Var was taken over by the 15 car brands represented in Monaco by the BPM Exclusive group to create a truly unforgettable day for their lucky clients. In what can only be described as a festival atmosphere, the 650 invitation-only guests were able to immerse themselves in the world of luxury and sports cars like nowhere else.
A range of cars were available for test drives on the road, while owners could also bring their own cars and drive them on the track. Guests were invited to enjoy ‘hot laps’ around the circuit with a professional driver, there was an exciting off-road adventure, and the chance to see some very special race cars in action. For car lovers, it doesn’t get much better than this.
Unlike a traditional car show where most of the exhibits are stationary, here you are surrounded by supercars, race cars and the like, all busy showing what they can do. The Paul Ricard pit lane was transformed into a series of showrooms for Ferrari, Pagani, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, McLaren and Maserati, to name just a few, with race cars from those marques constantly rolling in and out of the pits. You rarely have the opportunity to just wander around in such a special environment, to get this close up to such unique vehicles and to speak to the people who are tasked with maintaining the reputation and the legends that they carry on their shoulders. If you want to create the right atmosphere to show off sports cars, the pit lane on a race track is ideal.
Guests had a chance to choose from several cars for a test drive, such as a Ferrari, Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce, McLaren or Range Rover. The area around the circuit offers a chance to drive on open roads, away from the traffic of the city.
First, we tried a McLaren 750s, painted in an eye-catching colour called Tokyo Cyan, with scissor doors and a hard roof that stows away in four seconds – longer than it takes for the car to get to 100km/h. With 750bhp in a car that only weighs 1,389kg, the temptation is to test the agility and acceleration at every opportunity, but it’s also very easy to drive, let’s say, normally. However, at all times, it feels incredibly special and it’s apparent why McLaren is so popular in Monaco.
From extreme sports to extreme luxury, we then jumped into the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II, a spellbinding combination of elegance, engineering prowess and modern technology. I don’t think there is any other car manufacturer in the world who marries these characteristics with quite the same success, and this becomes apparent the moment you set off.
The car has a calming effect on the driver that is hard to explain, you can’t imagine ever experiencing road rage whilst at the wheel of a Rolls as the driver is transported serenely from luxury abode to luxury destination. You wouldn’t want to hand this over to a chauffeur, you’d be missing out.
Hopping into the shuttle bus (actually a Bentley Bentayga) to get to the Paul Ricard Driving Centre a couple of minutes from the main track, on arrival guests are offered a choice of McLaren Artura, Maserati Granturismo, Rolls-Royce Spectre or Bentley Continental to hustle round the smaller circuit.
The fourth generation Bentley Continental GT Speed is the perfect blend of sportiness and comfortable luxury, with a hybrid powertrain that acts like an electric cattle prod to the thunderous V8 petrol engine when you plant your right foot on the accelerator. Cars like this should come with a health warning because on the track the engine noise, the speed and the thrill of trying to keep up with the car in front are all totally addictive. It might not be a precise track weapon like the McLaren, although it certainly out-corners the three tonne Rolls-Royce Spectre, but you’ll want to keep on the gas as long as possible before you come to the end of the straight, if only to experience that engine roar for a tiny bit longer.
The Paul Ricard circuit also has an offroad course where guests could test the all-wheel drive abilities of several of BPM Exclusive’s SUVs. Having climbed onboard a monster truck-style Mercedes G-Wagon 4×4² powered 100% by bioethanol, the Offroad Club Monaco showed us what kind of terrain an experienced driver can cross in the right vehicle, surging through a water tank with ease and powering up a slope so steep you’d struggle to walk up it. And it isn’t every day that you see a Bentley Bentayga bursting though the undergrowth either, but it is a great opportunity to illustrate that luxury SUVs are capable of much more than just the school run.
Another treat for the guests was the unveiling of the white and gold-coloured Pagani Huayra R Evo Roadster, which is a track-only special with 888bhp and a long-tail body that increases downforce by 45% over the standard car. The race-ready McLaren Artura Trophy and the extremely desirable Ferrari 599XX were also exclusively revealed on the day. And in a spectacular finale, the many cars that had participated in the event formed a huge parade on the track, the noise of all those engines highlighting the thousands of horsepower that came together at the Paul Ricard circuit.
Car lovers at the BPM Exclusive Experience Day were in heaven and, like me, they probably spent the day with a smile on their face. It’s like a miniature Goodwood Festival of Speed, a brilliant way to present many of the world’s finest luxury and sports cars in a fun and exciting setting, so much so that ordinary car shows are going to feel a bit boring by comparison. To be able to see, touch, hear and drive such a wide range of very special cars in one place is not only an effective method to sell cars, it is also a way to highlight the things that people love about cars – the speed, the power, the engineering, the glamour, the excitement and the whole atmosphere that it all creates. I’m already looking forward to next year’s event.
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All photos credit: Richard McCreery