Car Cafe London at Ace Cafe: Highlights
26th Sep 2018
Established in 1938, Ace Café London has been the place to go for car enthusiasts who want to share their passion with others who think alike while indulging in a good old-fashioned English breakfast.
It seemed natural to once again host a Car Café at this prestigious setting so that petrolheads could come and experience some truly breath-taking machinery.
Star Attraction
It wouldn’t be a Car Café event without a host of the world’s most exotic supercars turning up to steal the show now, would it? So then, you can only imagine the reaction when ‘TGE TV’ decided to make a guest appearance in his yellow Lamborghini Aventador SV, you know, the one with a thunderous 690 bhp V12 engine? It was also fantastic to see the owner (Tom) letting children sit in the driver’s seat so they could get a taste of the Aventador, start ‘em young!
We are well accustomed to the local prancing horse turn up. However, it’s not very often you see a Ferrari 550. You’ll be glad to know the 5.5-litre V12 engine was on fine form, bellowing like a banshee – a genuinely stunning spectacle.
Variety is the Spice of Life
Naturally aspirated engines are a dying breed in today’s society, and although we love a motor that has forced induction, you can’t quite beat the sensation and throttle response of a beautifully engineered naturally aspirated engine.
The Ariel Atom that showed up sports one of Honda’s magical K20 VTEC engines; despite the relatively small amount of power on offer, the low kerb weight of the Atom means the acceleration is explosive – not for the faint of heart! As the massive nerds we are, we couldn’t help but take the time to appreciate the Bilstein suspension and the Yokohama AD08R semi-slick tyres that were wrapped around the Team Dynamics racing wheels.
When you ask an enthusiast what the best post-modern M3 is to be produced by the mad-men at BMW, it’s typically a toss-up between the E46 M3 and the E92 M3. Unfortunately, there was no E46 (sad face) – No matter, because there was an immaculate 2010 M3, the model famous for featuring a 4.0-litre V8 that would rev to over 8000rpm!
Speaking of V8s, a Lexus RCF made an appearance. Now I know what you’re thinking, it’s not exactly the king of the castle compared to its close rivals. However, this particular RCF had a full Meisterschaft valved exhaust system fitted. The result? Tinnitus. The 5.0-litre V8 under the bonnet has a serious attitude problem, and the noise can only be compared to Thor stubbing his toe.
Aston Martin Showdown
As the massively unbiased patriots that we are, we are completely justified when we say that Aston Martin is one of the coolest car brands in the world and that their cars are stunning in every single way - ahem.
Despite the eclectic mix of fantastic cars that visited, it was impossible to ignore the five Aston Martins parked next to each other. It was also hard to ignore the new DB11 in the line-up, which had the sensational 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged V12 under the bonnet. Elegance and speed all in one.
One of the standout features were the two Vantages that were in attendance. The first was the latest 2018 Vantage with the twin-turbocharged V8, while the other was its older brother from 2006. Despite the age difference, the older Vantage looked utterly fantastic in the flesh, proof that a classy design doesn't age.
Take a look through our photo galleries to see some of our favourite cars from the meet, including those mentioned above.
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