Our McLaren Beverly Hills Grand Opening event boasted a bevy of stylish party-goers. Even though the guest list included a veritable who’s who, the head turner of the evening was of course our MP4-12C. Plus, with executive chairman for McLaren Automotive, Ron Dennis hosting the evening our Beverly Hills showroom was the toast of the town!

 

 

 

The Auto Gallery’s newest showroom, McLaren Beverly Hills, celebrated their grand opening on January 11th with a gala affair attended by an invitation only crowd that included celebrities Jay Leno, Patrick Dempsey, Matt LeBlanc, Tommy Kendall, Bruce Jenner, Cari Dee English and Bruce Meyer with the CEO of McLaren Automotive, Ron Dennis.

In spite of the notable stars in attendance, the real star of the show was Mclaren's MP4-12C. Their newest supercar was dressed for the occasion wearing an expensive coat of McLaren Orange paint – this signature color debuted on the McLaren M6A race car in 1967, and was later resurrected for the McLaren F1 LM, which was built to celebrate the company’s 1995 victory at Le Mans. The 12C’s paint range includes this special variation of the original orange color to pay homage to the company’s rich racing heritage.

 

McLaren cars are made-to-order, and have several different paint options available, separated into three categories: Standard, Special, and Elite. The Elite Volcano Orange option was developed to closely match the color of the last McLaren F1 ever built. The color incorporates a special metallic paint base and an orange lacquer to achieve its tone and iridescence.

 

The event featured red carpets and a media wall on the sidewalk. The showroom was bathed in changing colored lights with an army of hostesses walking around with hors d’oeuvre plates and two fully stocked bars serving splendid cocktails throughout the evening. The adjoining room had silhouettes of gogo dancers seen through the building’s frosted glass windows and a projection of the highly acclaimed Senna movie on the walls. A crowd gathered around the F1 driving simulator that was provided by Marina del Rey-based company CXC Simulations.

 

The Auto Gallery Co-President, Tony Schwartz, welcomed our guests and introduced Jay Leno. Jay took delivery of the first McLaren in America and related his driving impressions of his MP4-12C. Having already put 1600 miles on his car in both everyday and spirited driving, he raved about its speed, driveability and handling prowess comparing it to his 1995 McLaren F1 and his Citroen DS.

 

Tony then introduced the surprise host, CEO of the McLaren Group, Ron Dennis who had been the team principal of the McLaren Formula One team since 1981 and CEO of McLaren Automotive for the past twenty-five years. He schooled the wrapt audience on McLaren’s history from its founding by Bruce McLaren in the early 1960s to their continued sucess in Formula 1 and recent car production which have included the McLaren F1 supercar, the Mercedes SLR and their latest MP4-12C. This was a man that helped shape the history of Formula One, winning constructors’ and drivers’ world championships for McLaren with drivers like Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, and Lewis Hamilton. In fact Ron Dennis was directly responsible for signing Senna to drive for McLaren!