And somewhere in the crowd lurked a new car. Yes, reader, this glamorous event was nothing more than the motor industry disclosure. Except for the automotive journalists seem to have been abducted and replaced by the Hollywood tinsel.
So now marque think youth, celebrity and fashion is the way forward? Lamborghini, perhaps? Fiat Cheeky? Urban MINI?
Nope. The answer is Jaguar, the Coventry cat, the last refuge of a tie, mustache-sporting, cigar-puffing corporate and executive golf series, which is exclusively for more than 50 and have never heard of Elle Macwhatserface. Jaguar.
Except that Jaguar does not exist anymore, for the car in the middle of last summer party, the new XJ, marking the end of a sharp turnaround by the brand in recent years.
Step begins with the designer Ian Callum's arrival from Aston Martin, followed by a stream, punchy XK sports car, which makes you wonder why the boys peeled out extra bankers to Aston's V8 Vantage.
Then we have a nice XF saloon, with a pulsing red starter button, futuristic silver cylindrical gear selector is emerging from the center console, iPod connectivity funky, cool blue interior lighting and more aggression on the road than the equivalent deployed by Audi or Mercedes.
And now we have the new XJ, being built in Castle Bromwich, snoring on the start line like an old Jaguar, but with poise and more streamlined manner than anything that had brought the previous badge. Three of Germany, may also retreated across the Strait because there has never been a better reason to buy the UK.
Experts agree residues - EurotaxGlass's predicts that after three years of ownership, the new XJ will have a residual value is better than the Audi A8, Mercedes S-class or BMW 7-series, keeping 40 percent of the price.
Jason King, head of market intelligence for EurotaxGlass's, said XJ "is sure to attract a wider and younger audience, building on good work in helping brands Jaguar XF redefine itself and appeal to younger buyers.
We were not surprised to see Jaguar going head to head Mercedes S-class, traditionally the industry leader to defend these values. The XJ offers the interior, equipment and overall quality level that is more familiar to buyers of models offered by other major British luxury car brands such as Bentley and Aston Martin. "
Ah, the interior design. No one doubts it: while from the outside some people might argue that the XJ looks just like a stretch XF (actually much more slender and more sharply, with the silhouette coupé aggressive), in digging yourself into the lap of luxury that sets these cars other than from not only IF but also Teutonic rivals.
This may not feel quite so large as Germany, but far more stylish and attractive. Jaguar insists "the XJ cars are the perfect option for any president and chief executive of the British boardroom".
Please. This car is too elegant for entrepreneurs; let them find their stock in the back of a 7-series or A8. The XJ deserve an appreciative audience, a passenger who will stroke the shiny wood and cold metal fillet, and slide gracefully along the cream wrapped in leather chairs.
Base trim level, called the Luxury, gives you footwell lighting, door puddle lamps, American walnut veneer, dressed in soft leather seats and chrome circular air vents.
Stepping into the portfolio pruning and walnuts into ebony, with beautiful wood and chrome trays that fold out from the back of the front seats for laptops and executive papers - there is even a pen slot on your Montblanc tray.
Above specifications, Supersport, offering oak or, if you lose your marbles, jaw-droppingly awful choice of all black leather interior (including the roof lining and door linings doubt dotted) and the glove box and storage center lined box-purple stimulate migraine feels.
Why did you choose for your trip punk when Jaguar went to such efforts to create a sublime art-deco interior of the timber and out of my skin. Maybe for Americans.
German executives have a tricks barge their arms, but they are also fantastic to drive, as long as your idea is a fantastic hour spent eating smooth kilometer transcontinental highway. The XJ does not disappoint here, either.
This will be offered with a choice of three-liter V6 diesel or five-liter gasoline engine, with a long wheelbase option for an additional legroom (accounting for 30 per cent of UK sales).
We tested the diesel version (85 per cent of UK sales), which is the engine we know from our long-term S. XF Diesel It 's almost silent on the XJ, thanks to excessive soundproofing, and provides a lot of torque to all UK road conditions.
Press the dynamic and electronic screen in front of you go red, while you tighten the seat belt and six-speed automatic transmission with a quick drop of a few gears.
It's fun, but not required: in the comfort mode the steel coil good works convey the condition of the road while the rear air suspension kept dreaming things, like the old Jags.
Steering is fine precision instruments, and there is very little to argue with the driver's point of view. One caveat to Emptor, however: check back satnav system, in our cars, playing until the end.
Oh, and the blind, where information systems are still not functioning properly. Surrender, Jaguar.
Smart Satnavs side, XJ is a remarkable step change from his predecessor. It's more powerful, economical, much more dynamic style of driving.
We really struggle to find a bad word Jaguar today, given the average age of staff is 39 Telegraph Motoring, the work done to Coventry cat.
What you rarely see is something exotic transformed into something that some people would call mundane. That?d just be silly. Never to be one to shy away from a challenge, the Russians have done just that: taken a Jag and turned it into a GAZ.
