Park (wherever you want) Lane! Traffic wardens give up handing out tickets to Qatari supercars parked illegally in Mayfair and Knightsbridge… because they can’t get their rich owners to pay up
- Arrival of the supercars in July and August from various Middle-Eastern countries has become annual event
- Cars are flown over so their owners can enjoy weeks of fun in the capital and avoid crippling heat back home
- Owners have wracked up millions in fines which go unpaid and this year looks like it will be no different
- Cars including a £300,000 Rolls Royce pictured parking on double-yellow lines and in residents’ bays
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Supercar season has hit London once again as Middle Eastern millionaires bring over an array of hugely expensive vehicles including Mercedes’, Rolls Royces’ and BMWs for their annual holiday in the capital.
The arrival of the supercars in July and August has become a regular event in recent years, with rich Kuwaitis, Saudis and Qataris seeking to out-do each other over who can own the flashiest motor.
The cars are flown over so their owners can enjoy weeks of fun in the capital and avoid crippling heat back home.
But in previous years, London councils have unsuccessfully chased owners of cars which have been left illegally parked in residents’ bays and on double-yellow lines.
This year is no different, with dozens of Qatari supercars pictured parked illegally, but it appears traffic wardens are not ticketing cars because of the previous difficulty in getting their owners to pay up.
The cars often stand out to crowds because of their unusual wraps – or paint jobs – which cost thousands of pounds.
Pictured this year were cars including a silver and blue Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, which costs more than £300,000.
Also on the streets was a cream-coloured Hummer, a Mercedes-Benz G class – which is ordinarily on sale for around £94,000 – and a Porsche 911 Carrera S 991, among many others.
Supercar season has hit London once again as Middle Eastern millionaires bring over an array of hugely expensive vehicles including Mercedes’, Rolls Royces’ and BMWs for their annual holiday in the capital. Above: A Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, which costs more than £300,000, stands parked in a London street
The arrival of the supercars in July and August has become a regular event in recent years, with rich Kuwaitis, Saudis and Qataris seeking to out-do each other over who can own the flashiest motor. Above: A modified BMW M3 stands precariously parked in what appears to be a motorbike parking bay as a police car passes behind. The 2019 version of the car costs more than £100,000
The cars are flown over so their owners can enjoy weeks of fun in the capital and avoid crippling heat back home. Above: The rear of the pricey BMW shows its Qatari number plate and enormous spoiler
The cars often stand out to crowds because of their unusual wraps – or paint jobs – which cost thousands of pounds. Above: Mercedes-Benz G class – which is ordinarily on sale for around £94,000 – stands parked in a Kensington street
A cream-coloured Hummer with enormous chrome rims on its wheels and a sparse number plate which just reads ‘1’ is among the cars which have been brought over from the Middle East this summer
The cars’ owners pay a small fortune – in excess of £20,000 for a return journey – every year for their metal marvels to be flown around 3,000 miles to England with them. Above: A silver Porsche 911 looks imposing in this London street
This Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe ordinarily costs more than £300,000. However, the car – owned by a wealthy visitor from the Middle East – is likely to have cost far more because of its custom silver and blue colour
The Rolls Royce has been parked so badly that its wheels hand over the edge of the parking bay as traffic edges past
This driver of this black Mercedes SUV appears to have ignored a ‘Road Closed’ sign and has left their car parked on double yellows beside barriers
This Bentley Bentayga would ordinarily cost around £130,000. It boasts a 3-litre V6 engine and has a top speed of between 150-190mph depending on if it has been modified
This black Mercedes G-class, belonging to a wealthy owner from the Middle East, has had its ordinary badge replaced
The millionaires’ cars are often parked in some of London’s most exclusive streets as the owners seek to get noticed. Above: A grey Mercedes G-class stands parked without a permit
The cars’ owners do not bother getting permits because they can afford to pay or even ignore fines handed to them by traffic wardens and councils. Above: A grey Bentley Bentayga is parked on a single yellow line outside a restaurant in London