I love it when someone get's to the point of wealth and taste in their life when "starting a watch brand" seems like a good idea. Who wouldn't like their own watch brand anyway? Shows good taste - at least I think so. Well that is more or less what Stefan Johansson did. So here is the Stefan Johansson Växjö Mark VII collection, which has about 15 watches to choose from. It is Stefan Johansson Växjö's largest line, and is a luxury racing inspired watch if I have ever seen one.

Stefan Johansson is a European race car Driver and this shows in the watches. For example, the hour indicators are all racing flags, and little touches on the speak of sport racing. Interestingly enough, unlike some other auto sports watches, the timepiece focus more on racing as a sport than just the cars. This is an interesting touch as most of race watches have design elements all over them meant to look like pieces of cars. Here it is a bit different.

The watches come in a wealth of fun colors and themes. With two movement options, the automatic ETA Valjoux 7750 and 7751. The 47mm wide steel cased watches have a variety of dials, some being perforated, and some have carbon fiber - all embody the track theme well. There are a few women's versions of the watch, but they are also 47mm wide, for the lady who likes things big (with diamonds too)

The hour indicator for the chronograph has a double ring so that you can feasibly measure 24, instead of just 12 hours. Maybe something connected with Le Mans, that Stefan Johansson was a participant in I understand. The watches can also be customized with your name on the caseback sapphire window, and further comes in watch winder boxes. A cheeky collection of timepieces that incorporate some popular elements in a nicely cohesive manner. Average price for the Stefan Johansson Växjö Mark VIII collection watches is about $10,000.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

I never thought I'd see such a nice brand on the side of a race car, an American race car at that. Swiss watch maker Louis Moinet is one of the major sponsors of the Primetime Race Group's # 11 Dodge Viper race car that will compete in the American Le Mans racing season - now in Primetime's second full season in the race. This is the only Viper that will compete in the race series and I believe was specifically chosen by Louis Moinet. They are attempting to appeal to affluent American watch buyers by participating with an American race car, in an American race.

Whether the move will pay off has yet to be seen, but Louis Moinet is not the only watch brand to sponsor race cars. One obivous other brand is Tissot, which has ties to NASCAR and motorcycle racing. You can tell that the branding on the side of car # 11 is very prominent., with the name of the brand, the website, as well as an image of their new Tempograph watch. No doubt that this will be the first time many Americans are exposed to the unique looks of Louis Moinet whose watches are based on 200 year old designs.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Cute, streamlined, and boasting zero emissions, the new electric Bentley Greenpower tops out at 40mph while running on two 12-volt batteries that power its lightweight motor. Built by a group of Bentley factory apprentices (who are now referred to as Team Bentley) the one-wheel-drive car is comprised mostly of carbon fibre and features a bright chromed grill, Bentley leather interior and a custom Bentley-branded steering wheel. The car will participate in several races throughout the summer with the final one happening at Goodwood in October.

Via Edmunds

The Fireball Run has a unique take on the transcontinental rally experience. The rally is composed of 100 teams who embark on a 3500 mile nine-day adventure from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Each Fireball Run team is assigned a different missing child, through the Child Rescue Network, and eah team must draw as much attention to as possible by speaking with the communities and distributing as many posters as they can along the 3500 mile trek. The first year, 2007, helped to find 12 missing children. Fireball Run 2: Back to the Track will run from September 25th - October 4th and will have an 1980s themed auto rally. Entry costs $6800 per vehicle inclusive and to enter you must be referred by an existing team (you can apply via the web but the chances of getting picked are slimmer).

If your wife has a popular TV show and a busy film career and your own show just got canceled it might just be time to take yourself on an adventure. At least that's what I imagine was Jerry O'Connell's thought process in signing up for the 2008 Drambuie Pursuit. The liqueur company sponsors an interesting competition, a two-day adventure race of ten teams in the Scottish Highlands. It is supposed to symbolize the voyage of Bonnie Prince Charlie for whom the Drambuie elixir was created in 1745. After attempting to take over the British throne, he fled Scotland. The Drambuie Pursuit takes place in April 2008 and includes an archery contest on the first day and then a second day that includes kayaking, a castle run, boating, mountain biking, rock-climbing, rafting, cross-country biking, off-road buggy racing and canoeing. Jerry O'Connell and his three teammates will compete in the 100-mile race across Scotland against the other nine teams who all won contests in various magazine websites including Men's Journal and Penthouse, to be there. It looks like the only thing the winning team wins is honor and the chance to defend the title in the 2009 contest.

Going to a big horse race is about more than just cheering on your favorite pick, it's also all about fashion, parties, and socializing with the uber-rich. Depending on where you're headed, carnivals are scheduled around the races, there are parties galore, and no shortage of supermodels or brand name and designer goods up for sale and raffle. Horse races are big money, but the biggest of the them all is The Dubai World Cup. With a prize of $6 million dollars you can imagine what decadent luxuries they have available to keep people in the lap of luxury before, during, and after the actual running of the race. Read up and get an idea of the goings in in Dubai, plus several of the other richest horse races in the world, and get ready to plan your next vacation!

Last year Woodford Reserve gave 50 traditional mint juleps a $1000 upgrade at the Kentucky Derby by using exotic ingredients and serving them in gold cups with silver straws. With the drinks providing such a unique keepsake and proceeds benefiting retired horses and jockeys through Thoroughbred Charities of America, the $1000 juleps were huge a success. So this year they'll be coming around again -- only with even more flair than before.

This year there will be a julep cup representing each of the Derby winners all the way from the first, Aristides, to the most recent, Barbaro. Those two, plus the 11 triple crown winners in between, will be auctioned off online between April 17th and May 1st -- and of course somewhat of a bidding war is expected over Barbaro's cup (it will be interesting to see who wins out on that one). Altogether this year there will be a grand total of 133 special edition mint juleps made, with only 10 being held back for sale at the actual race. In addition to those 10, and the 13 up for online auction, 109 are available to purchase online for $1000 each (first come first buy), and one will be reserved and sent to this year's Derby winner, free of charge.

As before, the juleps will leave nothing wanting in the way of exotic ingredients from around the world, featuring mint from Ireland, organic sugar from Australia, ice from the Bavarian Alps, and of course bourbon from Woodford Reserve.

Napkin rings from gearbox hubs, a mirror made from a disc brake and a bottle coaster made from a wheel speed sensor are just some of the unique offerings of the Renault F1 collection.The collection includes items made from the car which took the Renault team to F1 championship victory in 2005. My favorite piece is the glass and titanium table which includes a wing element from the car. It is for sale for 5,520 euros.

[Thanks, Michael!]

The 12th Act of the Louis Vuitton Cup began yesterday, June 22nd, in Valencia. With only one act following this one in the run up to the America's Cup, the competitors are all probably feeling the pressure to perform. Louis Vuitton, as the primary sponsor, has a number of logo products that have been created specifically to commemorate this year's races, including totes, calf-skin loafers and a watch, which is particularly appropriate because LV is the official timekeeper of the America's Cup, which the victor of the Louis Vuitton Cup will race in. Perhaps the most useful to the competitors are the special edition sunglasses, which will help shield their eyes from the glare of the water. The glasses offer 100% UV protection and are made of a special plastic that will allow them to float, should they  fall into the water.

How much does it cost to buy a horse who can "run for the roses" in the Kentucky Derby? The short answer is quite a bit because the training and board, along with travel, vet, equipment and entry fees can be extremely expensive, especially if you want to put your horse with a top trainer. All that aside, there is still the initial cost of the horse.

There are three types of horses running, those sold privately, those sold at auction and homebreds, raised and raced by the same owners. Both private sales and home-raised horses can be difficult to assign a value to, but the results of auctions are made public, which can give us a general idea of what it takes to race.

It's Gumball 3000 time again. The rally for the rich and speedy, which dashes through Europe started on April 30 with 240 drivers in 120 cars. This year you can track the race online through the CoPilot satellite navigation service which lets you see where the drivers are and who is driving what. It's just part of the Gumball 3000 live website which includes video clips and pictures (the checkpoint in Vienna is shown here). The eight-day rally started in  London and will wind up in Los Angeles on May 7. Trouble has already hit some of the Gumballers, some cars were impounded by German police.

[via Stuff]

After making it's debut a few months ago, the new Porsche 911 Turbo drew a crowd at the New York Auto show this week and Michael Bartsch, the vice president of Porsche Cars North America gave out some release dates. The Porsche will be available for purchase starting in June with a sticker price of more than $122,000. Shortly afterward, in August, a street-legal version of the Porsche racer the 911 GT3 is to be released in the United States at $106,795. The company plans to sell about 800 units during their first year.

Ever dreamed of being on "The Amazing Race" TV show but worried about having your worst moments captured for viewing audiences? For adventurous types The Real Race is the chance for 24 competitors to race around Australia for 17 days. The race leaves Sydney, Australia, on August 7 and 12 teams of two will perform various tasks and earn points. No Philiminations like on "The Amazing Race," everyone gets to compete in the whole race.  No million dollar prize either but if you win your race is free. Activities will include mountain biking, kayaking, rafting, 4x4 wheel driving and skydiving. The early bird price is $11,820 until May 1.

[photo via Tourism Australia]

Smelling like a raceway isn't the most appealing option in the world but Elizabeth Arden is making a go of it, teaming up with the International Speedway Corporation to create a Daytona 500 fragrance. The cologne is for men and has notes of tarragon, sage, bergamot, nutmeg and sandalwood. Bottles sell for $30 and $40 and have a car-tire-like metallic and rubber top that is embossed with the Daytona 500 logo. If only they had put a little sound chip inside so that it would make race car noises when you opened it...

[via Now Smell This and Cosmetic News]