EDITOR

Del Gregory

b500 magazine

Expansion isn’t currently on the front burner of many businesses right now, but I’ve always tried to be different and with b500 launching back in March right at the start of the global pandemic, I realised this business had to be different to anything I’d done before.

2020 has actually been a pretty good launch year for b500, all things considered despite the challenges we’ve all had to endure and adapt to. Issues have gathered pace since issue 1, (now being called the Magnus Walker Issue), and since that first issue we’ve been fortunate to have been offered several exclusives, and with this issue number 5 being no exception.

My thanks go to Etienne (Issue 4 cover), for the introduction to Sasha Selipanov, Head of Design at Koenigsegg and of course to the man himself for giving me some time to work with him on his exclusive renders, personal sketches for b500 (thank you), turntable videos and the Q&A you’ll read later in this issue.

Upon launch of ‘the Etienne issue’, growth had increased rapidly from the launch issue, which began with a reach of around 4,200, to us now having a reach of 122,953, and the beauty of an online issue - and it of course being free, is that you can go and take a look at any time. Issues will always be there, so if you’ve missed an issue, (firstly how dare you), but you can now redeem yourself by going back to take a look at any issues at any time 24/7.

With expansion in mind it’s been important for me to listen to readers comments about a print edition, and again wanting to produce something different and not join the pack into producing a print quarterly magazine. My plan is to produce a special coffee table annual instead, with the first one available as a very limited numbered edition by this time next year, and with each copy being personally numbered, so you can pre-order your favourite number from January 2021.

I sometimes wish my brain would take a day off from b500, but as chatting to Damon Jones in LA often at 3am my time (with his good fortune of that being 7pm his time), Damon said to me just last week, ‘We both have stuff to do, so we can sleep when we are dead’. True and I must also thank Damon for thinking of me for his ‘exclusive new product launch’ in this issue, (see his page this issue and every issue)…AND for hooking me up with one of his best friends, who after some fantastic discussions will be on the front cover of the last issue before the end of the year, (Out on December 11th), with another really ‘exclusive front cover story’, so stick with me as I intend to end this year in real style! (and that just might be a clue)…

With all that’s going on (and there’s a lot), you might forgive me for almost forgetting to mention - at this stage by way of a teaser - a pretty amazing and rather huge project I am launching with my good friend Etienne Salomé and Land Rover specialists Arkonik. There’s a teaser double page in this issue which I hope you will find interesting to read about and the fun truly starts with ‘Special Vehicle Project - 1’ in January!

I’m excited by b500 and the potential that lies ahead as we race towards the end of the year into new hope for 2021 and I hope you will all continue to be supportive of b500 which is now gathering speed and stretching its legs and braving new ideas.

Welcome to issue 5 of b500 magazine. I’m once again flabbergasted (that’s a dying out word apparently), by the level of interest in all that I’m up to and I hope this issue will continue to interest you. There’s a few exclusives to get into with Sasha and Koenigsegg, Damon and his ‘Black brick’, and of course the B500X SVP-1 with Etienne Salomé and Arkonik.

If you think you’ve seen quite a lot from b500 during 2020, then in the words of that great Canadian rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive, “You ain’t seen nothing yet”…

SVP-1

An announcement from b500 founder Del Gregory.

I’ve recently launched B500X as a special projects studio and I am now excited to announce Special Vehicle Project - 1 which will begin in January 2021.

Automobile designer Etienne Salomé, most famous for his 12 years work with Bugatti, including several automotive designs and his favourite, the one-of-one ‘La Voiture Noire’ is also delighted to announce this as his latest project.

This unique collaboration has resulted in myself and Etienne working together towards this ‘World Exclusive’ announcement right here in b500 magazine. The magazine I founded just 7 months ago!

SVP-1 will be an Etienne Salomé designed Defender, which will be built by Defender experts ARKONIK who are based in Somerset England and South Carolina United States. A Defender 90 rebuilt from the ground up with a 3.9L V8 coupled to a five speed LT85 manual gearbox and designed very much within a ‘less is more’ philosophy. A true design statement.

This first project from Etienne Salomé, B500X & Arkonik will be built as a ‘one-of-one’ for one very lucky global customer.

Del Gregory for B500X:

“Etienne Salomé is without question one of the most exciting French designers and artists of his generation. Who wouldn’t want the person responsible for some of the most amazing Bugatti supercars ever designed, to be the designer of the first B500X Project and for me there was only ever going to be one company to build it, and that’s Arkonik”.

b500

Etienne Salomé:

“Progress has never been to make things more complicated, this special vehicle project will represent the pure essence of the Defender! I am very happy to be designing this incredible vehicle and partnering with Del at B500X and the amazing team at Arkonik.”

Tom Parry for Arkonik:

“It’s a privilege to be offered this opportunity from B500X and to therefore be working alongside a designer as individual and special as Etienne. Arkonik has enjoyed designing and collaborating directly with its customers to hand-build and personalise Defenders for over a decade, so this special project, ‘SVP-1’, is something we cannot wait to get started on”.

Billed as ‘The Ultimate Designer Defender’, SVP-1 begins in January 2021 and will be complete for its world exclusive debut before the end of the year.