Top Marques Supercar Exhibition Macau China

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At CLDC we strive to focus on all things automotive in the DC Metro, It’s not every day we hear about someone flying 21 hours + just to attend a car show. Meet Sean Beverley – a gearhead hailing from suburbs of Northern Virginia – and Yeah, he’s that guy…

“A close friend of mine living in Hong Kong stumbled upon this show online a couple months ago and thought I should really check it out. After going through the website(http://www.topmarquesmacau.com), I knew this was the type of show I have always wanted to go to, so I started making plans to attend ”

Anybody that knows Beverley knows he’s no stranger to travel. With all the frequent flyer mileage he’s racked up, we hear pilots personally hand him tea and crumpets when he steps onboard a plane. So when he told us he was stepping out to the Peoples Republic to catch Top Marques, we didn’t blink twice.

We asked Sean to break down his observations on the show, as well as report back on life in HK and Macau and the respective Car Scenes in both cities:
” Similar to DC , Hong Kong is a city that is in constant motion; they work late and party until sunrise. .. You will hear people regularly speaking Mandarin, Cantonese and English; although it is not uncommon to also hear Hindi, Thai and Tagalog while walking around the city. Perhaps one of the most famous aspects of Hong Kong is the skyline. The view has central Hong Kong and Kowloon across Victoria Harbor.”

The Car Scene
“It is not uncommon to see and hear exotics blasting down the main roads in the early morning hours, slowly crawling through side streets or parked outside a mom & pop dim sum stand. On a late night out in the club district one can usually hear the distinctive exhaust note of a Ferrari F430, GT3, Gallardo or a rumble from an Aston Martin echoing off the high-rise buildings.”

“In the many trips to Hong Kong, I haven’t really noticed a tuner market. Due to the extremely high cost of car ownership and the lack of places to park, many people rely on public transportation. There are common daily drivers; Toyota, VW and Nissans but I haven’t seen any extensively modified rides. On the other side of the spectrum you’ll find Astons, Ferraris, Lamborghini and Bentleys; these people usually have residences to securely park these machines. I have not been able to determine the activeness of the car community there, but, I plan on investigating that on a future trip.”

Top Marques Exhibition Macau
Top Marques show has been a regular in Monaco for the past 8 years it was decided this year to bring it to Macau. The focus of the show is high-end products ranging from property investments, watches, boats and of course supercars. The show also offers a ‘test track’ where special invited guests can drive these vehicles. For those interested the next Top Marques Monaco is April 19 – 22. Don’t forget to bring your camera and an American Express Black Card.

Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati, Jaguar/Land Rover, Rolls Royce and Bugatti all had nice displays but the cars were not readily accessible by the show attendees (unless you spoke to the staff). In contrast Audi, Gumpert, Fisker, Pagani, Koenigsegg, SSC, GTA and Conquest had no fancy displays and you were able to get hands-on with the cars – the only vehicle that general public was allowed to sit in was the Conquest Knight XV. The Veyron display had very few people near it. In most shows where this car would be the star, it seemed to be treated like a ‘normal’ car; people rolled by it, snapped pictures and kept moving.

Meetings/Sightings:
“As I was walking around the Gumpert exhibit an older guy walked up and gave me a brochure and asked if I had any questions about the car; at the time I did not; I just commented on how sharp the car looked took the brochure and continued taking pictures. The same thing happened when I was at the Tuatara exhibit. Mid-aged bald guy was roaming around and asked if I had any questions and I just told him the car is amazing. He nodded his head, smirked and agreed. After returning to Hong Kong that night, I was going through brochures and reading up more on the cars and realized the older guy at the Gumpert exhibit was Roland Gumpert. The middle aged bald guy was Jerod Shelby. Believe me; I was kicking myself when I found out. Granted I probably would not have asked many questions, but I would have at least gotten a picture with them.”

Opinions
SSC Tuatara — What can be said about this? It is a space car! I wish they had the car open to see the futuristic dash layout.
Uniqueness: The huge tinted windshield/roof and ’7′ shaped wing on the rear hatch.

Koenigsegg Agera S — the sleeper in the group. Not a major crowd attention grabber but those who know anything about this car know this is a superbly magnificent vehicle.
Uniqueness: It just looks like a mean car. The carbon fiber accents throughout the car are not over stated.

Lamborghini — This is my first time seeing an Aventador and I must say it is a beautiful car.
Uniqueness: Sharp lines and a clean design.

GTA Spano — This unassuming supercar is extremely quick (0-62 in 2.9 seconds) and only 99 being made.
Uniqueness: a carbon fiber storage compartment in the front and a small 2 bag storage area in the rear just past the engine in the rear.

Gumpert Apollo – Modest interior, very nice looking car.
Uniqueness: The huge wing.

Pagani Huayra — The stance and look on this car requires you to stand back and appreciate it.
Uniqueness: The interior, despite being busy it fits the car.

Ferrari — The FF is has an interesting look with a long wheelbase but I think it is a pretty cool looking car.
Uniqueness: It is a four seat Ferrari ‘wagon’. It is also pretty quick, a fun grocery getter.

Conquest Knight XV — This thing is a BEAST; fully-armored business purpose tank.
Uniqueness: The interior is well crafted and the glass is really thick.

Last photo, but not least – The man himself taking the plunge at “the Highest Commercial Bungee Jump In The World” on the Macau Tower.

“This is my second major auto show and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Between this show and the International Auto show in Frankfurt, I feel the Top Marques show is better for me. The way it focuses on one genre of vehicles makes it a little more enjoyable and not as overwhelming as say an International Auto Show with every auto manufacturer in attendance. If you ever have an opportunity to visit a major auto show make every effort to, the experience is like none other. ”

Thanks Sean for sharing your experience with your fellow car enthusiasts in DC! Be sure to drop him a line on the CarLoveDC Facebook page if you’d like to pick his brain further about the event!

- CarLove