Essential Calgary Magazine | Page 18

Calgary’s new one-stop shop for luxury vehicles by chad gibson 18  THE ESSENTIAL CALGARY 2015/16 Showrooms: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Alberta 112 – 9 St SW, 403-204-2540 Distinctive Collection: New and Used Aston Martin and Bentley 150 Glendeer Cir SE, 403-208-6262 Kulu Motorcar Inc. 5504 – 1a St SW, 403-252-2000 Porsche Centre Calgary 5512 Macleod Tr SW, 403-319-0000 Ferrari Maserati of Alberta 204 Meridian Rd NE, 403-273-6060 Meadows Mile (Opening Date TBD) 777 Heritage Dr SE, 403-255-9170 Not exclusive or fast enough? For anyone looking to spend upwards of $2.4 million, Lamborghini Calgary can special order one of 80 copies of the 410km/hcapable Koenigsegg Regera, which outputs a scarcely believable 1,500 horsepower and more than 1,475 ft-lbs of torque. As the only official dealer in Canada for the exclusive Swedish manufacturer, Menchelli estimates they could sell between four or five Koenigseggs across the country, though not all of them may be Regeras. Also on tap from Koenigsegg is the Agera RS ($2 million), which manages 1,160 horsepower and 944 ft-lbs of torque from its twin-turbo 5.0L V8. Rarity is this car’s trump card, as Koenigsegg claims 10 of the 25 it will be making are already pre-sold. Though Menchelli said sales have been right on target since the business fired up, he explained the dealer’s owners—Weissach—have already been selling cars to Albertans for 10 years through Lamborghini Vancouver. “It’s had its challenges obviously, because we were a thousand kilometers away, but we’ve always wanted to have a dealership in Calgary,” says Menchelli, adding the new store will make the Edmonton and Saskatchewan markets more accessible as well. “We have found that Albertans are incredibly passionate about their cars. They like to drive and use them, they aren’t just trophy pieces.” PHOTOGRAPHS: (TOP TO BOTTOM) BY KRISTIAN BOGNER; BY NATALIE ROSSITER PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF LAMBORGHINI CALGARY; COURTESY OF ROLLS ROYCE MOTOR CARS PRESSCLUB Life in Calgary’s fast lane is about to get another high-octane injection. While residents of the Stampede City have already welcomed a new breed of bull in town—Lamborghini, which opened in July 2015—several other exotic sports and luxury marques are racing to set up shop in North America’s first super auto mall: Meadows Mile in Calgary. Situated on the bluffs overlooking Deerfoot Meadows, the 27-acre slice of land will soon be home to Ferrari, Maserati, Porsche, and Rolls-Royce. Ken Mariash Sr., owner of property developer Focus Equities, said he believes Meadows Mile—meant to reference the city’s famed Red Mile on 17th Avenue—is not only unique to Calgary, but to North America as well. “It’s one of the most notable collections of brands all in one place that you could think of,” says Mariash Sr. “If you go into different cities in North America, there’s no p