Where in the world are you more likely to see a Ferrari than a Ford Fiesta? Outside of Maranello, Dubai or Monaco, I’d suggest that a walk around central London gives you the best odds.
It’s why car spotting, the art of going into town and seeing what rare metal passes you by, thrives in the more exclusive parts of the capital (think Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Mayfair).
There are few other places around the globe that offer such ease of access to wealthy folks with interesting cars, as well as the stellar transport links needed to quickly bounce between their meeting spots.
But without knowing where and when to look, it can be a bit of a crapshoot. The flood of Ferrari 812s and Lamborghini Uruses quickly grows old and properly special cars like one-off Pagani Zondas are few and far between.
What changed the game was the rise of social media. Photography apps, particularly Instagram, gave budding car spotters the means to share a location and then the excitement of a special find. It’s like a Panini sticker book with extra bragging rights.
Upping the ante is the knowledge that, whether you’re shooting stills or video, there’s a potential reward for doing it well. Several online personalities have built media empires from car spotting.
Take Tim Burton (no, not that Tim Burton), better known by his online handle Shmee150. He started uploading clips to YouTube in 2010, gradually building his on-screen persona and a following. Today, he has 2.6 million subscribers and a supercar collection of his own.
I’ve never been car spotting before, but I’m keen to get in on the action. I want to understand how and why people do it, and whether there’s an underlying thrill to it all that I’ve been missing.
So I arrange to meet Autocar snapper Jack Harrison – whose start in photography came with car spotting – at the Hilton hotel on Park Lane. Of all the places in London to find a special motor, it surely has to be by some of the most prestigious dealers in the country.