MPH '07 To Feature the "200 mph Club"

200mph and Beyond at MPH ‘07

Ever since the legendary Ferrari F40 roared onto the scene in 1987, 200mph has been the benchmark for supercar makers to beat. In the 90s only a handful of cars emerged that could crack the magic double ton but since 2003 that trickle has become a virtual torrent.

And the organisers of this year’s MPH, the Jeremy Clarkson-fronted performance and prestige motor show, plan to showcase the lot.

The checklist includes the evocatively titled Koenigsegg CCX, Pagani Zonda, Bugatti Veyron, the Gumpert Apollo and Ascari KZ1 alongside more familiar names like the Bristol Fighter, Lamborghini Murcielago, Maserati MC12, Porsche Carrera GT and Ferrari Enzo.

At last year’s show a staggering array of cars including seven Ferrari Enzos, and a McLaren F1 LM helped push the insurance premium pass the £1 billion mark.

MPH show director, Lee Masters, is the man responsible for getting the cars for Jeremy and his co-hosts in the live motoring theatre. He said: “We’re in conversation with the companies who hold the keys to the most desirable cars on the planet. We plan to bring the ‘200mph club’ to London and Birmingham and parade the best of this year’s dream machines through the theatre and motor show.”

Automotive advancements and a vast increase in the number of individuals in the ‘super rich’ category has meant that supercar launches have become a far more common occurrence than in the previous century. Thirteen 200mph+ cars have been launched since MPH’s first show in 2003, with an upsurge in the last four years.

So far only three cars from the supercar super league haven’t appeared in MPH’s halls or theatre show. The newest of those, the Ferrari 599, wasn’t available last year.  Now the team is aiming to complete its supercar set, as well as attracting as many of the world’s automotive icons into the hallowed halls as possible.

Masters said: “We are living in a golden age of supercars. All of the new money that has washed into Europe from all over the world means the demand is higher than ever. New 200mph+ machines are being launched with a regularity we wouldn’t have dreamed of 20 years ago when the F40 was launched. The McLaren F1 was launched in 1994 and it wasn’t for nearly a decade that the top speed was beaten by the Veyron. We now have a situation where manufacturers are already claiming to have, or are aiming to beat, the Veyron’s top speed. There is an escalating power race going on between the top manufacturers and who knows, we could see top speeds approaching 300 mph in another 10 years.”

Four ticket types are available and cost between £33 and £89 and include entry to a 75-minute live action show hosted by Jeremy Clarkson and friends. The show runs from 1-4 November at London’s Earls Court and from the 8-11 November at Birmingham’s NEC. Tickets can be booked by calling the MPH hotline number on 0871 230 0333 or by logging on to www.mphshow.co.uk.