What would you rather be doing on a typical Saturday morning? Savoring some extra sleep, recouping from a late night out with pals? Enjoying a nice breakfast while DVR surfing on your couch? If you're anything like me, you'd much rather get up arm in arm with the sun and head to whatever car show is circled on your calendar. In this instance, after retiring to bed just before 3 a.m., I cut my overnight nap short and headed north to Greenwich, CT's Miller Motorcars. Continuing the momentum from January's Ferrari Cinque event, where they organized five of the marque's most prominent supercars, Miller gathered three of McLaren's P1 hypercar to be put on display in their Greenwich showroom.
As is the case with any show, I like to get there early - before the crowds and when the light is just right. Unfortunately, getting there before the 9 a.m. bell tolled was not rewarded this time - they were producing a video in the showroom and needed it to be quiet. I looked at my watch: 8:25. Instead of retreating defeated, I pointed my camera at the few cars that were left out in the cold, including Volcano yellow and Aurora blue 650S Spiders and a lonely Italian bull named Gallardo.
Aurora blue is a surefire way to make an impact with the 650S without needing to clock the onlooker over the head with Volcano yellow.
The Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 is an angular example of what can be a daily-driven supercar, inconspicuously outfitted with a reverse camera.
Once the doors opened to the masses, it was game on. The previously pictured Stirling Grey was the off-centerpiece, while the two other P1s, painted in much more impactful hues, were parked nose to nose. All were roped off, and all were already surrounded by eager car fanatics sporting iPhones and DSLRs with kit lenses. It was chaos - beautiful chaos. I'm sure if I could pull Instagram statistics for that time period, the number of P1 pictures posted would show a supreme spike, with hashtagging gangs giving IG shoutouts to the multiple supercar spotters that are flanking their ranks.
Nose-to-nose: Lumia orange, an MSO offering, faces off against Volcano red, a paint whose depth appears as deep as the name suggests.
With tight quarters restricting maximum focal length, the showroom was a exercise in finding those creative angles for capturing all the alluring curves of the British hypercar. Or for not shooting at all and just staring at the cars. In the realm of million dollar hybrid supercars, three names come to mind whenever the topic is breached - the Porsche 918 Spyder, the Ferrari LaFerrari, and the McLaren P1. Out of all of these, the P1 is the one most associated with the future. Where the Porsche has hints of futuristic touches via green paint and the LaF is an old-world hybrid, the P1 literally walks up to you and slaps you in your gaping mouth. The sweeping lines, the intakes, the very exposed carbon fiber - they are all combined to make a car that George Jetson could have unfolded from his briefcase.
Exposed carbon fiber was very prevalent on the Lumia orange P1.
No sooner had the crowd consumed the entire showroom that another P1 showed up to further satiate the hunger. Like a mob of cordial paparazzi photographers, the kids and their cameras quickly regrouped outside to welcome the owner with the sound of their shutters and the shadow of their mile-wide grins. It was quite comical, and I was right there with them. The whispers were swirling about yet another P1 showing, but after waiting roadside in the freezing cold, I traded a possible photo-opp with keeping my ears from falling off. I headed back inside after the obligatory snap of the uninvited P1. I can really appreciate when an owner actually drives his car, regardless of the weather. Somehow for me, it validates the point that cars are meant to be driven.
The fourth P1 was much less outgoing, its muted black paint, dormant rear wing, and added road salt helping it to blend in with the more pedantic cars of Greenwich traffic.
When it seemed not another original picture of the three amigos could be taken, I departed the showroom with a pal and headed out to explore the other high-end marques that are in Miller's portfolio. Ferrari was next door. The stunning 275 GTB/4 that was on display the last time I was there had been replaced by a 458 Speciale. Still, it was nothing to shake a stick at, let alone neglect to aim a lens or two in its general direction.
The Speciale is the curviest of the 458 derivatives.
Other luxury brands that were visited included those cheeky Brits - the Rolls, Bentleys, and Aston Martin - whose Rapide is the best interpretation of a four-door 'coupe' on the market. I left CT before the predicted snow began to fall with the memories of the morning's event still fresh on the brain. For now, I've got nothing but the images I took and a miniature replica of the P1 that Hot Wheels to hold me over until spring. Hopefully, more encounters with show-stopping supercars will commence with the warmer weather. However, I can't help wonder if seeing all of these fantastic cars on a regular basis will somehow water down their appeal, lessen the wow factor. Perhaps it's just the cabin fever clouding my judgment. Only time will tell. And I look forward to the day when I can see these cars out of captivity and in their natural habitats - rip-roaring down the road with the proverbial smile on the driver's face. Those are the moments I live for and make me enjoy what I do all the more. But for now, the snow continues to fall and I continue to plan my next photographic attack on the British hyper-hybrid.
Lumia orange or Volcano red? I certainly wouldn't kick either out of the garage.
To see a full gallery of this event, in all its high-resolution glory, CLICK HERE.