by Evan Duggan
VANCOUVER, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The lush VanDusen Botanical Garden reverberated with an earsplitting screech Saturday, causing about a dozen people stride toward the noise to see what was happening.
It turned out the growl was coming from a 2018 Lamborghini Huracan. The owner was revving the engine as a crowd of onlookers stood around.
The Huracan was one of about 250 vehicles here at the ninth annual Vancouver Luxury and Supercar Weekend, ending Sunday, which has brought together about 250 million Canadian dollars' (about 190 million U.S. dollars) worth of Lamborghinis, Rolls Royces, McLarens and dozens of other uber-expensive vehicles that only the richest Vancouverites can afford.
"There's a lot of wealth in Vancouver," said the show's president Craig Stowe, stating the obvious.
Flashy Ferraris, Lamborghinis and sleek Bentleys and Rolls Royces are nearly as common on Vancouver streets as umbrellas. The show attracts about 3,000 people per day and tickets and associated events aren't cheap.
Stowe started the event in 2010 after a client suggested launching a classic car show. Stowe agreed that Vancouver needed a top car show but the city "is more about Ferraris, Lamborghinis and McLarens," he told Xinhua. "There's a huge appetite and car culture here that's less about classic cars and more about new spectacular, technologically advanced cars."
The weekend show is part exhibition and part sales. "People are here to buy cars," Stowe said. "This is when people are making decisions. All the new cars are landed and it gives people an opportunity to look at the new stuff."
He said Vancouver is the number one luxury and supercar market in North America when it comes to per-capita sales.
The Rolls Royce dealership set up shop in Vancouver in 2010, said Steven Wu, the British bespoke automaker's brand manager in Vancouver. At first, they sold only a few of the hand-built cars per year.
"Now we sell around 30 per year," he said. "Vancouver is a beautiful city that attracts a lot of high-net-worth individuals from all around the world. So obviously, they like nice vehicles."
