It’s usually difficult to fully grasp the changes that have occurred to the automobile from our modern perspective, but recently I attended an incredible event that unknowingly provided a detailed look into the history of the passenger car: the inaugural Atlanta Concours d’Elegance 2016.
Around the beginning of September every year something stirs me up inside: it’s the promise of amazement at the Goodwood Revival. All that nostalgia; the smells, the sights . . . the promise of greatness! Follow me on a tour of the 2016 Goodwood Revival.
As I have covered the world of watches, another of my dormant passions has been reignited. That passion is automobiles. Watches and cars go together, so it is no surprise that I have a strong interest in fast things with powerful motors. This is the story of how I ended up with both a 1991 Honda Beat and a 1991 Seiko 7002 Diver. And I’m still smiling!
The 750Li xDrive is a rolling Valhalla of luxury and refinement for you to enjoy in private. Often, people buying the 750Li can afford a Rolls-Royce but simply choose not to – for the same reason they don’t drive a Jaguar XJ, a Porsche Panamera, or a Maserati Quattroporte: too loud and too extroverted. If you think a Tesla is advanced, you haven’t seen what the 7 series can do. Read this to find out.
Rebellion captures all the racing experience of its endurance teams and puts it into its watches. The T-1000 is a perfect example: a chain-driven behemoth of a wristwatch with six spring barrels providing more than 1,000 hours of power. The watch is a technical spectacle and the time-display rollers in the center of the watch grab your attention.
My biggest concern with the Jaguar F-Pace was actually with the styling: Jaguars have always been elegant creatures – and an SUV must be one of the least elegant automobiles there is. But in the capable hands of Ian Callum, Jaguar’s design director, who hates SUVs as much as I do, the result is a car that fits beautifully in Jaguar’s current lineup while maintaining a certain feline elegance.
Beginning in September, a Montblanc for BMW Centennial Fountain Pen will accompany each of the 100 new BMW 7 Series Jubilee Edition The Next 100 Years autos purchased at BMW dealerships. The distinctive design of the car’s Merino leather interior is replicated on the intricate grid design of the pen’s cap and barrel. What else is special about this writing instrument? Read on to find out.
It must have been a horror for Mercedes to see its position as the ultimate German luxury automobile brand challenged by BMW, Audi, and Volkswagen. Its reaction was to bring the Maybach back as the ultimate version of an already ultimate car, the Mercedes S600 powered by the same twin-turbo as the S600, a 6-liter V12 that provides 523 HP.
Michel Parmigiani does not dwell in the past. Instead, he has utilized his considerable expertise to create a brand that is more focused on the future of watchmaking. The partnership between Bugatti and Parmigiani has led to some extraordinary timepieces, which not only embody the essence of Parmigiani but that of Bugatti as well.
Bentley created the Bentayga as the ultimate SUV, whose base price of just about one-quarter of a million dollars does not include several important and very luxurious extras that include removable tablets ($7,155), replacement of wood trim with carbon fiber ($28,500) . . . and the automatic Breitling for Bentley Mulliner Tourbillon ($160,000).