Gianni Agnelli

The World's Greatest Automobile Aficionados

From James Dean to Gianni Agnelli and Paul Newman to Steve McQueen, automotive journalist Robert Puyal presents portraits of eighty icons of the automobile world in his lavish, stylish new book Behind the Wheel from Flammarion. The cover (above) features the coolest photo of the ill-starred Dean driving his famous Porsche 550 Spyder that we've ever seen, demonstrating Puyal's penchant for finding the image juste. Organized by decades, the book begins with pioneers of the automotive industry such as Louis Renault and the ultra-stylish Jean Bugatti, progressing to the likes of Agnelli, Enzo Ferrari, McQueen and Newman, to modern-day aficionados such as Horacio Pagani, who designs his own supercars, and famed Ferrari collector Nick Mason of Pink Floyd. Amongst them are champion racing drivers and a couple of fictional characters as well. Even director Quentin Tarantino rates a mention for giving muscle cars so much screen time.

Gallery: Behind the Wheel

Tags: books, Bugatti, cars, classic cars, coffee table books, Enzo Ferrari, Gianni Agnelli, James Dean, Pagani, Paul Newman, Porsche, Renault, Steve McQueen

Gianni Agnelli's Classic Yacht for Sale at $1.8 Million

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Men's Style

Fiat chairman Gianni Agnelli, who died in 2003 at the age of 81, was one of the most stylish men who ever walked the Earth. An avid playboy and racecar driver (Fiat of course owns Ferrari), Agnelli was also a keen yachtsman, and enjoyed many years of sailing his Knut Reimer-designed 82-ft. yawl Agneta with its distinctive port-wine colored sails and superb varnished hull, built in 1948. Now the stylish yacht with its restored Burmese teak deck has been listed for sale in France via global online luxury marketplace JamesList for about $1.8 million.

A regular on the on the Mediterranean Classic Yacht regatta racing circuit, the Agneta's spacious owner's stateroom features a marble fireplace and en-suite bath suitable for an elegant gentleman, while interiors are fitted with polished paneling and exotic inlays. We don't know for certain but can speculate that Agnelli, whose estate was worth $4.4 billion, entertained famed female companions like Anita Ekberg, Rita Hayworth and (rumored) Jackie Onassis aboard the beautiful boat.

Gallery: Gianni Agnelli's Agneta

Tags: classic yacht, Ferrari, Fiat, Gianni Agnelli, Italy, JamesList, Mediterranean, playboy, sailing, sailing yacht, wooden boat, yacht

Museum-Quality Pateks Worth Millions Up for Auction

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions, Men's Style

A one-of-a-kind, oversized 1930s Patek Philippe chronograph that belonged to dashing Italian racecar driver Count Felice Trossi is expected to fetch close to $2 million at Sotheby's in Geneva today. Famed Fiat chairman Gianni Agnelli probably copied Trossi's habit of wearing his Patek over his shirt cuff, the better to keep time while winning the Italian Grand Prix, which Trossi did in 1947. These day's Trossi's name lives on mainly for automotive enthusiasts; his legendary one-off 1930 Mercedes-Benz SSK, now known as the "Count Trossi", is the star of Ralph Lauren's incredible car collection.

The sale also features several other Pateks including some extremely rare chronographs. Meanwhile, Christie's will stage it's own Important Watch auction in Geneva tomorrow, featuring two of the most important antique one-off Pateks ever to go ion the block: a stainless steel perpetual calendar with phases of the moon, and a platinum perpetual calendar with sweep centre seconds and phases of the moon. Both are estimated at an astounding $1.4 million - $2.4 million.

[via Men.Style]

Gallery: Patek Philippe Auctions