London Police Seize 72 Cars Worth $9 Million During 'anti-social Driving' Crackdown

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London is an astonishing metropolis pinch capable rich | civilization and history to support your mean tourer engaged for months, but location is different logic The Big Smoke draws truthful galore eyes to its streets: nan world-class car spotting. Not everyone is chaotic astir nan colorful traffic, however. Residents person been complaining astir nan noise, unsafe driving habits of owners and contamination produced by high-end rides for years and now, London's Metropolitan Police work is cracking down connected regular supercar rallies, seizing millions of dollars worthy of cars successful conscionable a 48 hr period. 

The constabulary action against "anti-social" driving occurred complete nan play and progressive 75 of nan Met's Special Constabulary and Vehicle Enforcement Team, who collaborated pinch the Motor Insurers' Bureau to place car owners who were precocious connected their security payments — aliases had nary astatine all. The crackdown covered Hyde Park, Kensington and Chelsea, immoderate of nan highest of nan high-class neighborhoods successful London, which people resulted successful a ample magnitude of nan vehicles prehend being of nan supercar variety. One notable seizure saw a brace of purple Lamborghinis from a brace of drivers, 1 of whom had only been successful nan state for 2 hours earlier losing their ostentatious ride. All told, nan Met impounded 72 vehicles pinch an mean costs of $125,000 a piece.

Many of nan cars were transported from overseas pinch their owners relying connected nan security of their location countries to screen them while connected England's mountains green. This is not nan case, arsenic MIB points out. Uninsured driving is rampant successful England if you judge MIB's number of 1 personification each 20 minutes being impacted by uninsured aliases hit-and-run drivers. But it wasn't conscionable security laws that sewage 72 cars, including a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 and a Ferrari 296, thrown into nan dock. Here's a fewer much of nan crimes London's finest ended up investigating acknowledgment to nan anti-social driving crackdown:

During this operation, successful summation to nan 72 vehicles seized, galore of which were uninsured aliases inadequately covered, officers detected a scope of different criminal activity, including:

• Individuals wanted for ABH and criminal damage
• Drug offences
• Stolen vehicles
• Immigration offences
• Fraudulent security policies, known arsenic Ghost Broking

Several tickets were besides issued for a scope of offences, including driving without a valid licence, utilizing a mobile telephone while driving, deficiency of a valid MOT, illegally tinted windows, not wearing a seatbelt, and operating vehicles successful a vulnerable condition.

London became an epicenter of chaotic supercars (and their wilder owners) erstwhile nan metropolis became a favourite destination for able vacationers from lipid rich | nations for illustration Russia and Middle Eastern countries complete nan past 25 years. Summers are unofficially known arsenic "Supercar Season" successful nan British capital, arsenic able travelers brought their toys on for nan ride, including immoderate very beautiful and powerful vehicles. But while galore of america could unrecorded connected a racetrack aliases connected nan grounds of a Concourse d'Elegance time in, time out, nan posh residents of London's swankiest zip codes person been battling nan vehicular penetration for years.

Past crackdowns took nan shape of excessive noise fines and typical public spot protection orders, which promised stiff penalties for drivers who revved engines aliases performed stunts successful their vehicles. Due to nan "anti-social" driving habits of visiting supercar owners, London is besides nan halfway of high-end car clang videos, for illustration erstwhile two Ferraris managed to clang into 1 another conscionable 4 years agone aliases erstwhile a Lamborghini Aventador S took a wound retired of 1 of those iconic London taxi cabs.

h/t Road & Track