Supercars of the super rich

and Bentley has been strong in KwaZulu-Natal.

Lamborghini’s entry-level product, the Gallardo, costs around R3.2 million while the Bentley Continental, the cheapest Bentley on the market, will set you back around R3.7m.

Ralph said that the dealership had also sold a number of Lamborghini Aventadors in Durban. The Aventador is considered one of the most sophisticated sports cars in the world and the brand’s flagship product, costing around R7m.

One of the Aventadors sold in Durban was a limited edition and went for around R9m to businessman Pran Shree.

“It is the most expensive car we have sold in South Africa and it was sold in Dur ban,” said Ralph. “There is definitely money in Durban, there’s no debate about that.”

Fouche Motors, a premium dealer specialising in Porsches and Ferraris, will be opening two dealerships in KZN over the next two years, the first of which will open in Ballito next year, with the second opening its doors in uMhlanga.

Dealer principal Benjamin Buccus believes Durban is South Africa’s fastest growing supercar city. He said that Fouche was opening in Durban because the number of KZN customers the dealer was seeing at its Vereeniging base had

quadrupled over the past three years.

“Durban is growing like you cannot believe. We make deliveries twice a week to uMhlanga with truckloads of Ferraris and Porsches,” he said.

“Porsches and Ferraris are most popular. I wouldn’t say that there’s just money in Durban, it’s more like the guys are printing money there.

“We started to see the growth from about six years ago but over the last three it’s just been crazy. It all seems to be happening in uMhlanga and Ballito.”

Buccus said that there was also a trend of people migrating from Joburg to Durban in search of a better lifestyle. “In my experience, I’ve seen people get fed up with the traffic in Joburg or the place in general and then take regular weekends away in Durban. Eventually, some of them buy property in Durban and start commuting between the two cities. So the Ferraris and Porsches stay in Durban where they can be enjoyed on the weekend. In effect we are seeing Joburg moving to Durban now,” he said.

Ashok Sewnarain of International Bank Vaults Supercar Club said that the “supercar community was growing in KZN. He said that a supercar event held in Durban recently attracted 200 participants with cars with a combined value of over R1 billion.

“We could have had 300 or 400, but we were full. People from Joburg and Cape Town are surprised at this.

“KZN is the best kept secret of South Africa when it comes to wealth. When you speak to the supercar dealers they say that this is the region with the best growth potential.

“The wealth is overwhelming. There’s been this explosion of supercars on our roads. Durban is definitely flying.”

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