Rap mogul Damon Dash's luxury timepiece and jewelry brand Tiret New York has turned its hand to automotive design with its latest creation, the Tiret Sport Coupe. Just unveiled at watch expo Baselworld in Switzerland, the luxurious 2-door SUV is based on the Range Rover Sport and features real diamond accents derived from Tiret's opulent oversized, bejeweled timepieces by designer Daniel Lazar.

Available by special order at an undisclosed but undoubtedly astronomical price, the car is available with custom watch dial displays derived from Tiret's diamond timepieces, as well as an elegant central clock. A wide variety of color combinations including two-tone schemes is available inside and out in addition to Nappa leather seating and fine wood trim. Exterior modifications include wider flared arches, LED lighting, 22-inch LSE alloy wheels and a full panoramic glass sunroof.

[via JustLuxe]

Last month my colleague Deidre Woollard wrote about the bespoke Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe from British-based Project Kahn. Now the ultra-high end customizer has come out with their version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom saloon, dubbed the White Pearl (above). Khan boss Afzal Kahn notes that no modification was needed for the Rolls' V12 powertrain, as there is "no need to even worry about the engine as it is without a doubt one of the best engines made today."

The upgrades are cosmetic, therefore, consisting of 22" Silver Mist alloy wheels with Rolls center caps and a "meticulous diamond polish" for each spoke. The luxury cruiser also gets a unique Pearl White finish, hence the name. Interior flourishes are left up to the individual purchaser's whims, via a bespoke design service, though black piano trim is de rigeur. Project Kahn also recently debuted their take on the Range Rover Vogue, finished in white as well.

Luxury yacht brokerage Edmiston has commissioned seven avant-garde marine designers to come up with a nautical-themed take on Land Rover's classic Range Rover. The entry shown here, by self-described "yacht design pioneer" Dickie Bannenberg, features wooden side panels and a tailgate that folds into a nautical-style wooden bench, complete with champagne holders, while the rear windshield converts into a sun visor to shade it. The winner of the design competition will be announced on Sept. 25th during the Monaco Yacht Show, one of the megayacht community's biggest annual events. Visitors to the show will be able to custom order a Range Rover in any of the seven designs, with a delivery time of three to six months and a price range of about $300,000 - $1.2 million.

[via Megayacht News]

2008 is the 60th anniversary of storied British SUV manufacturer Land Rover, and to mark the occasion the company has embarked on a "Choice of Experts" tour showcasing its capabilities. The other day we caught up with them at the historic Astor Courts in Rhinebeck, N.Y, designed by Stanford White as a country retreat for John Jacob Astor IV in 1902. It was the perfect setting for a brand that has come to signify rugged elegance and luxurious rusticity, and while there we got the opportunity to drive a new Range Rover Sport on a hazardous off-road course that showed style and comfort needn't sacrifice anything in the way of practical ability.

We've owned both Land Rovers and Range Rovers over the years, and though these days we don't particularly miss pulling up to the gas pump we certainly pine for them whenever the weather turns particularly nasty or we're called upon to do even the slightest bit of off-roading, so it was something of a treat. Land Rover and especially the Range Rover is the automotive embodiment of a distinctly English aesthetic - regular readers of The Classicist will recognize this as a recurring motif - as portrayed in books like Bernhard Roetzel's British Tradition. The luxe Range Rover was first introduced in 1970, expanding upon the utilitarian Land Rover first designed by the Wilks Brothers in 1948.

The Queen of England drives a Range Rover in the country, and Prince Charles is a longtime enthusiast. His 1978 Range Rover was auctioned off on eBay in 2005. While out for sport in inclement weather he is said to have simply opened a special "huntsman" sunroof, stood on the back seat and poked his Asprey shotgun out to shoot from the comfort of the cabin. We can't say we've ever tried that maneuver and we daresay it isn't the sort of thing encouraged by the company these days. In any case there was unfortunately no shooting to be had at Astor Courts, only demonstrations about cooking and decorating and so forth, but such are the depredations of the modern era.