car sightings in Los Angeles and San Francisco, USA help

[sunsetncars]

i'm visiting L.A and San francisco soon and i want to know where is a common place to see nice cars (ie. ferrari,etc...) there. i'll post pics if i see some good ones.

[T-Bird]

umm the whole damn city in LA go down to Hollywood blvd and San Fran is the same just about everywhere since everyone there is rich off Computers If you have time you can see where the really rich people in the bay live if you go to Sacramento. My uncle lives up there and every one around there has sweet ass cars, in the gated communtities and what not.

[Minacious]

Drive around with me and you will see everything under the sun. I see Ferraris, Ghinis, Astons, BMWs, Porsches and whatever else, all the damn time. Quite common where I live. :D

[ae86_16v]

Around the hotels such as the Fairmont? I don't know. . . I often see a lot of nice cars on the 101.

[SilviaEvo]

Hollywood, Beverly Hills

[IgotWRXed]

here in SF we have a few exotic dealers. the one that im thinking of has a few gallardos, bentley gts, some 360 modenas/spyders, reg bentleys and a few porsche turbos.

as for LA, i go to school there. there are TONS of dealerships for exotics and, well you will just see them all the time. i cant even count how many z8s ive seen. they are, how you say, common :twisted:

[LarsCA]

Newport Beach, about one hour's drive south of LA. It has to be the Ferrari capital of the world, having spotted no less than 3 Enzos among of course the more "normal" Ferraris. Also, Lambos are quite common, and so are the Bentley Continental GT and Maybach if you're into those.

And if you can make it down here early on any Saturday, there's a place called Crystal Cove in between Laguna Beach and Newport Coast off the PCH. Every Saturday from 7 to 9 in the AM everyone who has a car worth showing parks it at the allocated parking lot in Crystal Cove. Everything from restored 1910 something cars that you'd certainly never see anywhere else, to Cobras, Shelby Mustangs, new Ferraris and Lambos - one guy even showed up in his street legal drag racer! I have no clue as to HP in that thing, but it had little support wheels at the back, full roll cage and it was the loudest thing I've ever heard.

If you're into cars, it's worth checking out. But make sure to be there at 7 when everyone arrives - it's fun to hear these cars run. And stay until they've all left - it's even more fun since many of them like to let people know they're leaving (i.e. pedal to the metal).

I forgot to mention I've seen one Saleen S7 and two Porsche Carrera GTs there as well...

[HeilSvenska]

i'm visiting L.A and San francisco soon and i want to know where is a common place to see nice cars (ie. ferrari,etc...) there. i'll post pics if i see some good ones.

Newport Beach, about one hour's drive south of LA.
Follow Highway 1 from Newport Beach downwards. It's a pretty slow drive due to traffic and people, but on sunny weekend, it's worth it. On one day, within an hour or so in a drive, I saw a Ferrari 360, 550, Testarossa, Lamborghini Diablo and Murcielago, Rolls Royces, and all kinds of Porsches just lying on the streets. they are absolutely everywhere.

Newport Beach (which was featured in that dreadful TV show The OC) is some drive down from Los Angeles.

[IgotWRXed]

HeilSvenka where in OC do you live?

my buddy lives in practically a palace in Laguna Hills

[bobafett]

You want to see cars? Depends on who you know. Where will you be? North of SF, check out FoSF (most beautiful dealership aruond), and also go to their service center. Tell me when, I will tell you who to talk to. You will easily see 100 ferraris including enzo, f50, etc.

If you want to see one of the maybe 20 mclarens in the area - good lukc. they are all stashed away in collections (with myriad other cars). most peole ni the SF bay area do not like to show their cars off and either drive them to drive, or keep em at home.

--Dan

[IgotWRXed]

i live in SF tell me who to talk to!! :D

[IgotWRXed]

hey bobafett, i saw your stradale, you wouldnt happen to race a challenge car would you? a buddy of mine, both he and his dad race challenge cars. his dad is selling his 575m with tubi and is picking up another car.

[StanAE86]

There isn't as much to see in SF...LA is much more into the "image" thing. I'd have to agree that the prime spot for pimp ride watching would be in Newport Beach. Only in LA have I seen an exotic car dealer, where there was mutiple 360 Modenas parked OUTSIDE, UNCOVERED! They were dusty and in a condition like no Ferrari I have EVER seen. Of course, the showroom was small, and one of the cars taking up space was a Carerra GT.

[ae86_16v]

Oh yeah, I forgot about British Motors on Van Ness (At least I think that is what's it call.) It is on the corner of Van Ness and O'Farrell.

Happy Hunting.

[bobafett]

WRX: no, I don't. My CS isn't here yet.

Stan: same with SVAG (formerly FoLG).

--Dan

[sunsetncars]

Thanks guys for all the helpful info. I'm hoping it's going to be a good week for spotting cars when I arrive. And thanks to Minacious for your offer, but i think i'll do fine. I personally don't like to go to dealerships to look at cars because it just feels kinda weird walking in just to take pics, but since there are a lot of high quality exotics I'll probably go to a few. I had a american friend visit me from socal. i told him that i have only seen one skyline (at an import show), and he laughed cause he has seen so many. Can't wait to see some exotics, i'm definately going to crystal cove, it sounds cool! I'm probably not going to SF, it all depends on how long I stay in L.A. but those hundred ferraris sound like a dream come true bobafett. Lastly is there any car events coming up in early august (first two weeks)?

[bobafett]

Biggest car event in the world is coming up in August: Pebble Beach Concourse, Monterey Historics, Concourso Italiano. All in the 2nd week of August in Monterey.

Where else will you see over $1B in cars in the world's most premier auto show (Pebble Beach), see 17 $8M 250 GTOs and other amazing historics battle it out on the world famous Laguna Seca (nto to mention the myriad other classes of racing), and then of course see the highlights of Italy's finest cars at Concourso Italiano.

And if that's not enough, it's the once-a-decade Ferrari Club of America super-meet there. That entire week will be the biggest overload you've ever imagined for cars. But, if you don't have a hotel room anywhere near monterey, expect to pay $700/night right now. Tickets per event are likely $100-200, etc.

This is IT when it comes to cars... no event around the world is bigger or more important.

--Dan

[bobafett]

Even if you don't go to the events themselves, just being in Monterey you will see more exotics there in the streets that week than you'll see anywhere combined.

--Dan

[IgotWRXed]

ill be there!! :D :D

my friend pitts a handful of Lotus's for this one driver. and my buddy is racing his challenges the next weekend at laguna seca :)

is anyone going to be there that weekend

[bobafett]

I'm not goin to the usual stuff. I might show up for one day of historics and say hello to the usuals (kind of obligated since everyone is flying out here), and then go to concourso italiano too.

--Dan

[blah]

if you want to see some nice cars. Go on the 405, or the 5 freeway at around noonish or so. I saw two 911 GT2s, a Porsche Carrea GT, a 911 C4S, a few Lambos all on the freeway. My buddys dad has a 360 Spyder, there is a Z8 literally down the street from my house, i also believe there is another z8 some where around here. but to see the best, go down to beverly hills, or if you can snoop around the gates of bel air.

[IgotWRXed]

I'm not goin to the usual stuff. I might show up for one day of historics and say hello to the usuals (kind of obligated since everyone is flying out here), and then go to concourso italiano too.

--Dan

aww boo :lol: thats cool tho. last time i went to this i was really young and i have a feeling this time its going to be different. ill probably end up making a HUGE photoalbum or another sort of format easier to flip thru.

[blah]

also you might get lucky and see Jay Leno driving one of his very rare cars. he drives a different one every day. I dont know if he Drives his McLaren, but you might be able to see him on the freeway.

[bobafett]

Jay goes to Crystal Cove mornings.

--Dan

[ARMAN]

:cry: we have 2 dealerships with exotics and both togeather have 10 cars for sell and half of them are X5's and crap like that... I wanna live in SF!!!!!! :mrgreen:

[LarsCA]

Jay does NOT go to Crystal Cove mornings. I've been there pretty much 3 weekends/month for the past year and I've never seen him there. But, I have seen Catherine Zeta Jones's old 30's Jaguar there.

And just this morning, someone showed up with a 1920's something Bentley in absolute pristine condition.

If you think Z8s and Porsches are exotics... Basically you'll have a lot of fun wherever you go in SoCal. But if you want to see some REAL exotics, and not go hang at the dealerships in LA, Crystal Cove at 7AM any Saturday morning is going to blow you away. Now, Monterey of course is a different story all together. A very expensive one at that. :lol:

[melll]

go to west LA