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).
Seventeen years ago the Rallye des Princesses (Princess Rally) was staged for the first time. Adding even more elegance, glamour, and performance, Richard Mille joined the event as principle sponsor in 2015.
Richard Mille invited Nola Martin and I on this year’s road trip, which took place May 28 through June 2, 2016. We were given a shiny new BMW press car with which to follow the rally, thereby gaining firsthand experience to find out what it takes to complete this beautiful journey.
One of the most tempting propositions within the Mercedes-Benz lineup has always been the AMG version of the C-Class, and the new Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Coupé is now what I would call the perfect Teutonic muscle car. It will make you smile from ear to ear as you thunder up a mountain road with its aphrodisiac of a V8 engine.
The Bovet Ottantasei Tourbillon is the brand’s sixth timepiece designed by Pininfarina, and the years of experience that the two brands now have working together shows. It truly is a sensational watch, but I will go into that in more detail at a later date because I’d like to focus here on Pininfarina, a name evoking mystical status among anyone interested in world-class design and sensational cars.
Maserati, bearer of the mighty trident from Modena, recently introduced the very first SUV in the brand’s history with the Levante. Why? Because evolution is essential to survival. Read on to discover what makes this 4×4 so special, apart from the Maserati badge, that is.
Strolling through the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, it once again hit me just how many supercar manufacturers have such a splendid talent for combining genius in both design and technology. But what would high-powered cars like these be without the right tires? The new Bugatti Chiron – which was perhaps the most talked-about launch of the 2016 Geneva Motor Show – has road tires capable of doing 450 kph! Buckle up and step inside to find out as Casey chooses his favorite six supercars from the 2016 Geneva Motor Show.
Just two days shy of the unveiling of the McLaren team’s 2016 Formula 1 car that drivers Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso will be driving, McLaren CEO Ron Dennis and his team were shielding any possible view of the automobile from the curious eyes of the small group of watch journalists invited for the introduction of new corporate sponsor Richard Mille. Luckily for us, however, Button’s wrist was not off-limits, and neither were Richard’s comments.
A live report from Woking, England as McLaren’s Ron Dennis announced that another watch brand was set to step into the big Formula 1 sponsorship shoes left behind by TAG Heuer’s departure, a brand that fits the bill perhaps even better in terms of brand messages and commonalities.
“We’re at the beginning of this partnership, both as brands and as individuals,” Dennis, who praises commitment, said during the introduction at the McLaren Technology Center.
That brand is of course Richard Mille, and the two companies now enter into a ten-year contract.