racing

Aston Martin Racing Luggage by Globe-Trotter for Hackett of London

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Luxury Cars & Autos, Men's Style

Hackett, the classic British clothing and accessories company that's the official partner of the Aston Martin Racing team, has come out with a new line of Aston Martin Racing luggage created in collaboration with Globe-Trotter, makers of fine travel cases since 1897. Part of a new collection of Hackett luggage designed by the famed firm, the hard-sided Aston Martin cases are finished in classic British Racing Green with leather straps, handles and detailing. The Aston Martin logo and British flag are featured on the outside while the interior is lined with Union Jack fabric. In addition to the Aston Martin range, the collection includes black Mayfair cases with a Prince of Wales checked lining, and the navy blue London range with a blue and white Bengal stripe interior. Prices start at about $750 with monogramming available for an additional $120. Last year The Classicist wrote about Hackett's full range of stylish Aston Martin Racing clothing and accessories.

Gallery: Globe-Trotter for Hackett

Tags: Aston Martin, Globe-Trotter, Hackett, leather, London, luggage, motor racing, racing, suitcase, Union Jack

Rolex Names Le Mans Champ Tom Kristensen New Brand Ambassador

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos, Sports

Danish racecar driver Tom Kristensen, winner of Le Mans a record-breaking eight times, has been named as Rolex's newest ambassador following the longstanding practice of the famed Swiss watch brand's association with world-class athletes. Rolex has never before made an official announcement naming an ambassador, but Danish Rolex retailer Klarlund persuaded them to make an exception this time. "Not only are we proud of Tom Kristensen's victories, we are also very proud hosts of such a rare and special occasion," Klarlund managing director Stig Andersen told Worldtempus after presenting the new ambassador with a Rolex Daytona Everose, one of Rolex's gifts to its new sporting face. Kristensen will also receive a Rolex Milgauss outfitted with a green sapphire crystal.

[via LuxuryLaunches]

Tags: Denmark, Le Mans, motor racing, racecar, racecar driver, racing, Rolex, Rolex Daytona, Swiss watch

TAG Heuer Limited Edition Split-Seconds Stopwatch

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

As part of its ongoing 150th anniversary celebrations, TAG Heuer is releasing a limited edition stopwatch that has a big dose of Steve McQueen style. Harking back to Heuer's racing heritage and evocative of the Heuer instruments on McQueen's Siata Spyder or "Little Ferrari". The STH810 Limited Edition Split-seconds Stopwatch features a 55mm chrome-plated brass case weighing in at 120g, or roughly equivalent to a standard TAG Heuer watch case (without bracelet). The movement encompasses 9 jewels, and features a tough anti-magnetic spring and reasonable shock protection. It records time to within 1/5^th of a second, and has a split action timer measuring start, stop, and time-out.The crystal is made of Plexiglass. Each stopwatch comes in a leather presentation box and has limited edition numbering on the back, and the series is limited to 1,860 pieces worldwide - the year the brand was founded with Edouard Heuer's first pocket watch.

[via Watch Happening]

Tags: Heuer, motor racing, racing, Steve McQueen, stopwatch, TAG Heuer, watch

F1 Champ Fernando Alonso Gets a Free Custom Ducati

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Celebrity Shopping

Two-time world champion Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso is stocking up on high-end Italian toys now that he's in pole position for Ferrari. Back in March we reported that he'd splashed out on a new Maserati GranCabrio from Ferrari's sister marque, selecting a dark gray model with a two-tone beige and bordeaux interior with matching bordeaux roof. Now another iconic Italian brand known for its superfast machines – Ducati – has gifted the champ with a wicked custom Desmosedici RR (above). The $60,000 superbike is painted in a combination of Ducati MotoGP and Ferrari F1 graphics, matching Alonso's race livery. Now that he has a Ducati, observers are looking for Alonso to make good on his challenge to 9-times Grand Prix World Championship motorcycle racer Valentino Rossi. We'll see.

[via Motorbiker.org]

Tags: Ducati, F1, Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Formula 1, Maserati, racing, superbike

Porsche Cayman Interseries Kicks off in Georgia [Video]

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Events, Video

This past weekend, Porsche's newly formed Cayman Interseries staged the second race of the inaugural season at the famous Road Atlanta racetrack n Braselton, Georgia. Established in 2009 by Napleton Porsche of Westmont, Illinois, the Cayman Interseries is North America's only auto racing championship featuring the exclusive use of the 320 hp Porsche Cayman S. Sanctioned by Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR), the Cayman Interseries is conducting its first official season in 2010 and will crown a pair of champion drivers in both the sprint and endurance racing formats. Races will be run on legendary circuits such as Daytona, Sebring, Road America, Watkins Glen, Road Atlanta and other premier venues. Every competing Porsche Cayman S is exclusively supplied and prepared by Napleton Porsche and each car competes with an assigned and specific heritage livery themed after a famous Porsche racecar from the past, such as Steve McQueen's Le Mans racer. Check out the video for details on the new Cayman spec-series, interviews with the series founders and on-track footage of the heritage livery-themed 2010 Porsche Caymans.

Tags: auto racing, Daytona, Georgia, Porsche, Porsche Cayman, Porsche Cayman S, race, racecar, racing, Steve McQueen

The Classicist: Caracalla Bagaglio Commemorative Motorsport Collection

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Men's Style, The Classicist

Caracalla Bagaglio Commemorative Motorsport Collection

Simon Jordan takes his supercars seriously. He is the director of Cortese, an independent Ferrari and Maserati showroom located in Bath, UK on the Priston Mill Estate, where you can pick up an F430, Testarossa or GranSport as well as classic and racing models. It also houses his vast collection of Ferrari and Maserati memorabilia, including a library of books, pictures and models dating back to 1947. For Jordan, thoroughbred automobiles are a way of life. Hence he has also created Caracalla Bagaglio, a line of Italian leather goods designed to complement the world's greatest cars. The line takes its name from the Terme di Caracalla race circuit in Rome, where Ferrari won its first race in 1947, and its main range is the Commemorative Motorsport Collection featuring leather bags and holdalls dedicated to pivotal moments in racing history.

Skilled artisans hand make each bag in Tuscany from the finest leather in a process of craftsmanship passed down over generations. Each piece relates to the history of famous race car marques, drivers and racing numbers, and are endorsed by racing legends such as Sir Stirling Moss, Niki Lauda and Emerson Fittipaldi. Each piece closely matches the color (interior or exterior) and racing livery of the car it's designed to celebrate. The Moss No. 7 bag (priced at £295) for example, commemorates Sir Stirling Moss's victory at Goodwood in 1961 driving the legendary Ferrari 250 SWB bearing the number 7, Moss' favorite. Finished in dark blue leather to match the original paintwork it features Moss' official signature embossed into the white center panel, and Moss himself owns one of the bags.

Gallery: Caracalla Bagaglio Motorsport Collection

JPS Fittipaldi No. 6 (1972 'Type 72' Lotus F1)

Cortese 56 (1947-2007 Ferrari 60th Anniversary)

Tags: bags, Caracalla Bagaglio, Ferrari, Italy, Jaguar, Le Mans, leather, leather goods, leathergoods, Lotus, Maserati, motor racing, motorsports, Porsche, racecar, racing, Simon Jordan, Sir Stirling Moss, Stirling Moss, supercar, Tuscany, UK

Continue reading “The Classicist: Caracalla Bagaglio Commemorative Motorsport Collection”

Tequila Patron becomes Title Sponsor of American Le Mans Series

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Luxury Cars & Autos

Premium brands have been moving to secure the naming rights in racing series around the world. Rolex sponsors the Daytona sportscar championship. IZOD recently took center stage in the IndyCar Series. But while liquor brands have been sponsoring individual cars and teams for decades – think Martini, Crown Royal or even the various breweries active in NASCAR – premium tequila distiller Patron has taken it a step further.

The tequila brand has been sponsoring cars in the American Le Mans Series (the U.S. affiliate of the famous French endurance race) for years, including the championship-winning Acura prototypes of Highcroft Racing. Now the company has secured the naming rights for the entire series, which will henceforth be known as the American Le Mans Series Presented by Tequila Patron. The company's president will even be driving a Ferrari F430 GT2 in this year's championship, bearing the ironically lime-green color scheme of the Patron brand.

The involvement of liquor companies in car racing has drawn considerable controversy, as advocates point out that drinking and driving don't mix. Some spirit purveyors, however, have used their sponsorship as part of drunk-driving awareness programs.

Source

Tags: american le mans series, AmericanLeMansSeries, auto racing, AutoRacing, car racing, CarRacing, le mans, le mans series, LeMans, LeMansSeries, motorsport, motorsports, patron, racing, tequila, tequila patron, TequilaPatron

RS Academy is a Supercar Club that Emphasizes the "Super"

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

In almost any city where supercars gather in their sinister red, black, and yellow broods, you will find supercar clubs. Most clubs, though, are like settling for a zoo instead of going on safari: you save yourself some time and money only to be cheated out of seeing what an animal can really do. And just as you'll learn little by watching a hippo in its air conditioned paddock, you'll know next to nothing about a Ferrari F430 Challenge stuck on road duty and date nights.

Enter RS Academy, a supercar track club with some of the finest vessels made for carving up kerbs, as well as entry to three of the best tracks in the world for doing just that: Germany's Nurburgring, Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps, and the members only Ascari Race Resort in Spain. The club keeps a fleet of cars at each track so that all you need to do is show up with a helmet and a Zen-like focus on the finest racing line. Along with the aforementioned Ferrari, the fleet includes the Caterham R500 Superlight, BMW M3 CSL, Porsche 911 GT3 RS, Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, and Radical SR3. When you're at Ascari, you have access to the that club's Spanish fleet as well.

The Academy is hosting taster days at the Ascari Race Resort in Marbella this month for sampling the club's offerings at an in-house venue. Annual subscriptions begin around £12,000, and come in three varieties. If you want to make the most of your time behind the wheel, RS maintains 12 instructors among the three tracks who will guide you to a racing license and, if you're good enough, a seat in the RS Academy race team. Between the tracks, the cars, the Jedi-racer trainers -- and did we mention Marbella? -- not even Speed Racer had it this good.

Source

Tags: ascari, driving, nurburgring, racing, rs academy, RsAcademy, spa francorchamps, SpaFrancorchamps, supercars

$1.5 Monaco Grand Prix Gift Package With Custom Supercar

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Luxury Cars & Autos, Wings, Events, Sports, Holiday Guides, Wealth

Last month we reported that the glossy chronicle of the filthy rich Robb Report is offering the world's most expensive Christmas gift this year - a matching custom private jet and megayacht set costing $500 million. The profligate publication has a few more eye-popping offerings as part of its Ultimate Gift Guide, a seasonal smorgasbord of over-the-top exclusives. Among the most enticing is a $1.5 million Monaco Grand Prix gift package, consisting of the following: a VIP experience at the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix F1 races in May; round-trip private jet travel from North America to Nice, France, and helicopter transfer from Nice to Monte Carlo for a party of four; five nights' accommodation in the top-floor suite at the luxe Monte Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort; privileges aboard a private 170-ft. yacht that will provide a prime vantage of, and tender service to, four days of racing and activities; and last but not least a custom Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder (above) "as a keepsake".

Tags: Christmas, Formula 1, Formula1, France, holiday 2009, Holiday2009, Monaco, Monaco Grand Prix, MonacoGrandPrix, Monte Carlo, Monte Carlo Bay Hotel Resort, MonteCarlo, MonteCarloBayHotelResort, private jet, PrivateJet, racing, Robb Report, RobbReport, Spyker, yacht

1959 Aston Martin DBR1 Cufflinks Are a Piece of Motor Racing History

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Luxury Cars & Autos, Men's Style

UK-based TMB Art Metal is launching a limited edition set of cufflinks handmade from metal taken from the Aston Martin DBR1 race car that won Le Mans and the World Sportscar Championships in 1959. TMB's exclusive Aston Martin DBR1/2 Essence of Form links are crafted using original pieces of aluminum body panel removed from the the famous car that was driven by Carroll Shelby, and was victorious with Sir Stirling Moss behind the wheel in the 1959 World Sportscar Championship. Two versions of the cufflinks, with arms and drivers made of solid 18ct gold, are being issued accompanied by certificates of authenticity signed personally by either Shelby or Moss. Each version is limited to just 50 pairs worldwide, priced at £1,795 or about $3,000 each. The winning Aston Martin, one of the most famous cars in the world, is today believed to be worth around $25 million.

Tags: Aston Martin, AstonMartin, cufflinks, gold, Le Mans, LeMans, racing, Sir Stirling Moss, SirStirlingMoss, TMB Art Metal, TmbArtMetal, UK

The Racing Life of Paul Newman

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Books

A new book on the late Paul Newman tells the story of how one of the world's greatest actors escaped the pressures of Hollywood by sitting behind the wheel of a race car.

As with most things he attempted in life Newman excelled at it. Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman is an illustrated history of Newman's racing career both as a driver and team owner. His interest in racing began while preparing for his role in the movie, Winning, in 1968 and blossomed into several championships competing in the Sports Car Club of America.

The actor also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing second in 1979, and in 1995 at the age of 70 he became the oldest driver to be part of a winning team in a major sanctioned race, winning in his class at the 24 Hours of Daytona, capping his long association with the Rolex model of that name.

The book features a foreword by Mario Andretti and many first person remembrances from those who raced against him and admired him, along with many previously unpublished photographs documenting his career at the track. Newman's personal car collection including Porsches and Ferraris is also featured.

Tags: celebrity, Daytona, Ferrari, Le Mans, LeMans, Mario Andretti, MarioAndretti, Paul Newman, PaulNewman, Porsche, racing, Rolex, Rolex Daytona, RolexDaytona

ICAP Leopard Yacht Breaks Transatlantic Speed Record

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Sports

The 100-ft. ICAP Leopard racing yacht is officially the fastest sailboat on the water having just set a just new transatlantic speed record. The Leopard sailed at an average speed of 15.5 knots, and a top speed of 37.4 knots, to make the 2,925 nautical mile crossing from New York to Cornwall, UK, in seven days, 19 hours and 21 minutes. The record broken by the Leopard, for a monohull sailing craft - i.e. a proper yacht, not a catamaran - with power-assisted winches, was previously held by the 246-ft. superyacht Phocea, which sailed the course in eight days, three hours and 29 minutes. One of the most stylish and technologically advanced yachts ever to be launched, Farr Yacht Design provided the Leopard's basic naval architecture and construction engineering, with styling and interiors by Ken Freivokh. The yacht is available for charter for up to 20 guests at a base rate of £10,000 or about $17,000 per day, including champagne.

[via Duncan Quinn]

Tags: racing, sailing, world record, WorldRecord, yacht

Racecar Driver Tim George Jr. Makes the Cover of Social Life Magazine

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Sports, Men's Style

This past weekend in the Hamptons Social Life magazine celebrated with an exclusive fête in honor of their August Men's Issue featuring top racecar driver Tim George Jr. on the cover. The event, which took place at the Social Life Estate in the Hamptons, featured an exclusive guest-list of celebrities, socialites, jet-setters and taste-makers. So how did a racecar driver end up on the cover of a fancy Hamptons magazine? Turns out he's a Southamptonite by birth; his impressive motorsports career began while attending the University of Miami, where he participated in the Skip Barber Race Series and practiced with professional karts.

After graduating college, Tim drove in the Grand-American Koni Challenge Series and had a podium experience in his first season of professional motorsports. He quickly moved up to compete in one of the most elite races in the world, the Grand-Am Rolex Series with The Racer's Group, and earned the title of 2008 MESCO "Building for the Future" Rolex Rookie of the Year, finishing with an impressive fourth place in the Rolex GT Championship. This year, Tim is taking his first steps toward the top level of NASCAR by working hard in a number of stock car development venues; he currently drives for Eddie Sharp Racing.

Tags: Hamptons, Jr., magazine, NASCAR, racing, Rolex, Social Life, SocialLife, Tim George, TimGeorge

NASCAR Goes Glam Courtesy of CAVI

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Events, Sports, Men's Style

NASCAR is getting an injection of style this season courtesy of luxury menswear line CAVI. The brand, known for its distinctive designs as worn by the likes of Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and 50 Cent, has partnered with up-and-coming NASCAR star Chase Austin, outfitting Austin and his pit crew with stylish custom uniforms and adorning his Xxxtreme Motorsport No. 7 racecar with the fashion line's logo (above). Austin and the car debuted the new look the other day at Macy's in Indianapolis. From its signature crest to bold colors and prints, tailored fit and innovative design, CAVI has "re-conceptualized the standard for contemporary sportswear, developing a lifestyle fashion brand that embraces both luxury lifestyle and reflects class."

Tags: 50 Cent, 50Cent, Cavi, Chase Austin, ChaseAustin, Jay-Z, Nascar, racecar, racing, uniforms

Ultra-Rare Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR 722 GT for Sale at $2 Million

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

An ultra-rare Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR 722 GT racecar, one of only 21 that will be built for customers worldwide, is being offered for sale in Germany via global online luxury marketplace JamesList for about $2 million. Developed by British motor racing specialists RML Group (Ray Mallock Ltd) the "puristic super-sportscar" is not street legal, but was designed for the SLR. CLUB Trophy, a competition series forming part of the SLR. CLUB racetrack programme in Europe. The "722" refers to the victory by Stirling Moss in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR with the starting number 722 at the Mille Miglia in 1955.

The car has been stripped down bare essentials controlled from a carbon fiber binnacle. New carbon fiber door panels and full roll cage complete the transformation and result in a lower weight allowing the 671 hp AMG engine to go from 0-62 mph in only 3.3 seconds. New body components such as a front apron with front splitter, wide wings, prominent side skirts, large rear diffuser and fixed rear spoiler improve aerodynamics and enhance racetrack performance. Check out a video of Jeremy Clarkson testing out this amazing supercar after the jump.

Tags: carbon fiber, CarbonFiber, JamesList, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz McLaren, Mercedes-benzMclaren, racing, supercar

Continue reading “Ultra-Rare Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR 722 GT for Sale at $2 Million”

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