Wheels of fortune in Monte-Carlo

Cars and stars
People come to Monte Carlo not to seek their fortunes but to consolidate them – and for those who aren't celebrities or captains of industry, one short cut to a healthy bank balance is always the Casino. Monte-Carlo's famous Casino is a place that has both fulfilled dreams and shattered them, but tourists flock to it not just to gawp at the ornate building, but also at the world's most expensive car park outside it.

Every day plays host to a spectacular moving motor museum: Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Pagani. You name it, and chances are that it's been parked outside the Casino at some point by an immaculately-uniformed flunky.

There's probably a bigger concentration of exotic cars per head of the population in Monaco than in any other place in the world, and that's exactly why the Principality has been chosen as the latest venue for a P Zero™ World store, following on from the existing showrooms in Los Angeles and Munich. P Zero™ World is a new concept when it comes to tyre dealerships: not just places where tyres are sold and fitted, but also boutique meeting spaces and showcases for everything that Pirelli stands for in terms of travel, adventure, technology and lifestyle.

Hero and Zero
Head on down the road from the Casino, past the 24-hour Tip Top bar where beautiful people have partied all night, then the iconic Loews hairpin bend that is the most recognisable feature of the Formula 1 circuit, and eventually you get to the Virage du Portier: a slow right-hand corner of the track that leads into the famous tunnel. 

Here you find the entrance to the latest P Zero™ World garage: the most state-of-the-art tyre facility that exists anywhere. P Zero™ World has been created specifically for owners of the world's most desirable cars to experience unparalleled levels service and quality, yet owners of any car can go there to receive the same level of professionalism.

What makes it different is not just the technology available to the staff, with cutting edge diagnostics and equipment, but also the entire customer experience, with the surroundings more reminiscent of an automotive-themed boutique hotel than a tyre dealer.

Ipads, glossy magazines and leather sofas are available for customers to relax with, and the fortunate visitors can also immerse themselves in the luxurious world of P Zero through a series of displays and exhibitions. A flavour of Italy comes from the finest espresso coffee and other refreshments, and there's also a viewing area to watch the skilled Pirelli technicians at work.

Land and sea
The new P Zero™ World occupies an exciting space that is 900 metres square, in an area that is the latest focus of the glittering Principality's land reclamation project from the sea. Just as Monaco's renowned architectural projects represent the last word in technology, so does the brand new P Zero™ World store and the ample range of Pirelli products contained within its walls: including those for motorbikes and classic cars – plus even avant-garde Velo tyres for bicycles.

But it's not just tyres that will be offered to visitors who come to P Zero™ World with their treasured cars. Also available is a valeting and waxing service, along with a whole suite of other options designed to make life easier and more enjoyable for every client. Changing tyres now becomes a pleasurable sensory  and technical experience, rather than merely a chore.

In keeping with the established policy of rolling out new P Zero™ World stores in the territories where there's most demand for them, the next opening is scheduled to be Dubai in the beginning of 2019. Wherever you find the world's most powerful and desirable cars, you find Pirelli.