As a car enthusiast living in Southern California, I have the opportunity to attend a multitude of different car shows with a higher level of exotic cars than almost anywhere else in the world. One of those shows is called Sunset GranTurismo, and is hosted by the premiere exotic car dealership in Los Angeles, the O'Gara Coach Company. O'Gara Coach is home to brands such as Aston Martin, Mclaren, Bugatti, and Rolls-Royce, amongst others. Sunset GT began last year and quickly rose to the top of the show list for many car enthusiasts, myself included.
At the February show, Sunset GT hosted its second-ever photography contest. Photos were entered via Instagram through the use of the tag #OGBritishInvasion, and were to be exclusively of British vehicles featured at the February edition of the show. In late February, the team at O'Gara would pick three winners, each of whom would be awarded a private photoshoot with the newest McLaren model, the 720S.
After submitting many photos from the event, I was honored to be chosen as one of the three winners! And so, after being delayed a couple weekends due to rain (couldn't tell you why there has been so much rain in SoCal recently), I finally had my photoshoot this past weekend, and, boy, was it worth the wait!
When I arrived at the dealership, I was thrilled to see that the car I'd be photographing was painted in McLaren's iconic "McLaren Orange". Years ago, I had the opportunity to drive the McLaren 12C Spider in Las Vegas, and it was painted in the exact same shade; even the wheel and brake caliper colors were identical to those of this 720S. It felt as though things had come full circle. I've been lucky enough to ride in and even drive some pretty amazing cars. But the 720S is on a completely different level. While I didn't have the opportunity to drive it, I was able to feel the sheer speed and performance capabilities it possesses while riding as a passenger around Beverly Hills. At one point, the driver, O'Gara Coach's social media coordinator named Danielle, floored it for just a brief moment, and we rocketed forward. It was like nothing else I've ever experienced this side of a Tesla, and would give far more expensive cars a run for their money.
I was given around two hours to shoot the car in any location I wanted around Beverly Hills. For my first location, we took the car to Franklin Canyon Park, just off of Coldwater Canyon. Franklin Canyon Park is a nature-lover's haven where you'd least expect, smack dab in the middle of Beverly Hills. Here, I was able to take photos that showcased the McLaren Orange 720S in a more isolated environment, seemingly away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We spent most of the two hours here, before moving on to my second and final location.
We ended the photoshoot at the parking garage of The Petersen Automotive Museum, a renowned auto museum on Wilshire Boulevard. From here, I was able to photograph the car in a more urban setting, with views of Century City in the background. I also got a few long exposure shots inside of the parking garage. I almost wish that I had spent a little more time at this location versus the last, because I ended up liking more photos from there than I did the previous location.
Overall, my day with McLaren Beverly Hills was truly amazing, and is the highlight of my year thus far. I can't wait for future O'Gara events!