Volante Issue 6 - Nov 2015

VOLANTE

F SUR TO

BIA - A S RA

PLEME N UP

TERRE A LA

A JOURNAL FOR THE GENTLEMAN DRIVER

NOVEMBER 2015 - JANUARY 2016

GREAT DANE

QR40

AED40

BHD4

KWD3

OMR4

THE EPIC ZENVO ST1 PROVES THAT ITS BITE IS AS BIG AS ITS BARK

THUNDERBOATS AR E GO :

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2005 Ferrari 575 Superamerica

S/N ZFFGT61AX50142400 Rosso Corsa with tan, 5.7 litre front engine V12, F1 “paddle shift” semi-automatic transmission, Revocromico roto-glass roof, GTC handling package including 19″ modular wheels, factory racing seats, Scuderia fender shields, yellow instrument dials, factory hi-fi sound system with navigation, delivered new July 25, 2005 via Ferrari of San Francisco, belt service completed 2014, original owner’s manuals and all spare keys, tools and jack, one of just 559 575 SA worldwide.

1989 Mercedes Benz 560SL roadster

147 Arctic White with blue interior, blue convertible top, S/N WDBBA48D5KA102829, 5.6 litre V8 engine, 3 speed automatic transmission, Becker radio, climate control, original Becker radio, factory removable hard top, delivered new August 23, 1989 at Foreign Motors West of Natick, Massachusetts with an original MSRP of $65,780.00, all original owner’s manuals, tool roll and jack, original window sticker, fully serviced, an all original and exceptional “last year” 107 chassis roadster with only 9,200 miles from new.

2004 Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale

1988 Porsche 959 Komfort

S/N ZFFDU57A540134981 Rosso Corsa with nero leather, 3.6 litre V8 normally aspirated engine, F1 semi-automatic “paddle shift” transmission, one of 1,288 factory lightweight 360 Challenge Stradale built with carbon/ceramic brakes, handling package, decontented interior, factory racing seats, leather upholstery, racing stripe and radio delete, red brake calipers, owner’s manuals, spare keys, tools and jack, only 2,100 miles from new, major service complete 2015.

S/N WP0EB0910KS173522, Baltic Blue with silk grey, blue convertible top, 21,100 miles, 3.2 litre flat-six cylinder air cooled engine, G50 5 speed manual transmission, Fuchs alloy wheels, optional air conditioning, alarm system, supple leather, partial power and heated seats left and right, short shift, original owner’s manuals and spare keys, Certificate of Authenticity, delivered new July 25,1989 by Niello Imports of Concord, California, the only year of 911 3.2 Speedster production and one of just under 2,000 wide body Speedsters worldwide, believed to be one of six Speedsters in Baltic Blue.

1949 Ferrari 166 Inter Vignale coupe

1963 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso

S/N 039 S, Engine Number 039 S, Rosso Barchetta with brown, 2.0 litre Colombo V12 engine with single Weber carburetor, 5 speed gear box, delivered new via Milan Ferrari dealer Franco Cornacchia, originally delivered with less than elegant Touring body, beautifully re-bodied in 1953 by Vignale, fresh out of bare metal repainting, new interior and engine rebuild, original engine and chassis, fully documented by noted Ferrari and Vignale historian, Marcel Massini.

S/N 4837 GT, Engine Number 4837 GT, Rosso Corsa with tan leather, 3.0 litre Colombo V12 engine, 4 speed gear box, disc brakes, Borrani wire wheels with knock-off hubs, stunning Pinin Farina designon short wheel base chassis, owner’s manuals and pouch, tool roll and jack, looked after by Ferrari specialist Mark Allin’s Rare Drive, matching numbers throughout, coming out of noted Northeast USA collection, a beautifully cared for older restoration and one of just 350 Lusso built.

Copley Motorcars 37 Chestnut Street Needham, Massachussetts 02492 USA Tel. +1 781.444.4646 I e-mail: copleycars@gmail.com I www.copleymotorcars.com

| Ign i t i o n | Edit o r ’s Le t t e r |

Start Your Engine...

VOLANTE

F SUR TO

BIA - A S RA

PLEME N UP

TERRE A LA

A JOURNAL FOR THE GENTLEMAN DRIVER

NOVEMBER 2015 - JANUARY 2016

GREAT DANE

QR40

AED40

BHD4

KWD3

OMR4

THE EPIC ZENVO ST1 PROVES THAT ITS BITE IS AS BIG AS ITS BARK

thUnderboats a r e Go :

WE WELCOME THE RESSURECTION OF THE FABLED AUSSIE OPEN-WATER RACERS

ta k inG the hiGh roa ds: VOLANTE DRIVES THE NEW BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT V8 S IN NORWAY

r ebel With a caUse:

FERRUCCIO LAMBORGHINI - THE MAN WHO UNLEASHED THE RAGING BULL

Cover image: Zenvo ST1 courtesy of WSF Creative

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06

T

he global motor show circus is well underway, with the Dubai International Motor Show just closing its doors and the LA Auto Show here in the United States in full flow as I write this. In our news section, you’ll find highlights from the Dubai show, while I continue to sift through the big news in Los Angeles.

One thing is certain here though, with the Thanksgiving holiday just around the corner, there is definitely an air of confidence in the market – with many of the big manufacturers promoting Black Friday deals on their big ticket wheels and expecting a good return from this most consumerist of seasons.

The luxury car segment, too, is bullish, especially the attitude of some of the locals. The likes of Cadillac and, quite notably, Lincoln, have been pulling out all the stops with a raft of new launches. The latter actually showed off its LA headliner in Dubai, the 2017 MKZ. This smartlooking, mid-sized luxury sedan is a real headturner and the company is claiming it will put out 400 horsepower and around 540Nm of torque from its 3-litre GTDI engine when it hits the road late next year.

Foreign manufacturers are also getting plenty of attention here; Jaguar Land Rover’s topless Evoque has drawn critical praise, while the Italians have been stealing the show with the stunning 2017 Fiat 124 Spider (its architecture is heavily lifted from the Mazda MX5, which should give you a clue as to its prettiness and fun-

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loving nature), and the much vaunted Alfa Giulia which, again, garnered much admiration on the show floor in Dubai.

Despite its recent turmoil and being mired in controversy this side of the pond, VW has been doing good PR work in Tinseltown, particularly with its fabulous Golf GTE Sport plug-in hybrid coupé, which not only looks superb, but comes replete with scissor doors. Yes. Scissor doors.

Unsurprisingly, the absence of a single diesel model on the under-fire German automotive giant’s stand has also been well reported.

Enough of that for now, though. We’ll be back on the motor show trail soon enough. In January, we head to Detroit for North America’s flagship automotive event, which will be followed by the Qatar Motor Show and our first anniversary!

In the meantime, we’ll take a short breath while you tuck into the holiday feast we have prepared for you: there’s a hearty portion of Danish supercar; a sprinkle of British luxury; a soupçon of Aussie boating adventure and dash of well-aged Orange spice – served up on a platter with all of the usual trimmings.

So, all that’s left for me to do is wish you all a safe and happy holiday season on behalf of all of us at here at Volante, and the very best of wishes for the new year ahead. See you in 2016!

| I gn i t i o n | C o n t e n t s |

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ignition 24 | Contributors first gear 26 | The Organiser: Bas Bungish discusses the 2016 London Classic Show 27 | The Cognoscente: Fraser Martin expresses his ire at elements of modern car deisgn.

28 | News 34 | Gear 38 | Calendar

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the garage 42 | Zenvo ST1 48 | Bentley Continental GT V8 S 54 | Triumph TR6 60 | The Thunderboats driven men 66 | Ferruccio Lamborghini

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| I gn i t i o n | C o n t e n t s |

48

54

grand tourismo 72 | Epic Journey: The PCA in a Beetle 78 | Something For The Weekend 80 | Rev Counter 82 | Iconic Racetracks 84 | Fitting Room

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The Club House 86 | Automobilia 88 | Car Apps 90 | Exhaust Note

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| E x h a u s t No t e s | C o n t r ibu t o rs |

contributors “They had holes to fill on every page and jammed in any vaguely newsworthy string of words provided it did not include expletives, which they were apparently saving for their own use around the office.”

- Tom Rachman, The Imperfectionists

We encourage you to raise a glass in salute of this league of extraordinary wordsmiths, without whom, this issue of Volante would not have been possible.

Kevin Hackett Kevin has been described as “the Ray Winstone of motoring journalism,” though whether this is due to his take-no-prisoners approach to reviewing cars or his sunny disposition remains unclear. He has been obsessing over anything with four wheels since he was eight years old, when his father bought a Triumph TR6 to use as the family car. Like father, like son, he has just done exactly the same thing. A former motoring editor of The National in the UAE, he has also written for, among others, FHM (UK), The Times newspaper in London and Sur la Terre Arabia.

Dejan Jovanovic While Dejan’s Serbian/ South African demeanour can often come across blunter than a rubberheaded lump hammer, his rapier fast wit and surprising eloquence more than makes up for it. He has been turning his love of fast cars into golden prose and stunning imagery for the past 12 years, contributing both words and pictures to the likes of Crank & Piston, Jalopnik, GT Porsche and Top Gear Middle East. He once owned one of Piero Ferrari’s cars, and thus considers him to be a personal friend, even though Mr Ferrari might not necessarily agree.

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Fraser Martin Since his Mum fell off the pavement, having been told by her 20-month old son that the car passing the bus stop was a Citröen, Fraser has been acknowledged amongst his peers as encyclopedic and something of a sage. He is also a self-diagnosed early-onset curmudgeon. He has been in and around the motor industry for the better part of 45 years, and is Clerk for the national motor racing scene in Dubai. He has only ever written about car related subjects because it is really the only thing he knows anything about, apart from making a really good tomato chutney.

James Nicholls James is a writer, lecturer and broadcaster based in Sydney, Australia. He specialises in writing about and photographing classic cars, boats and any of the other finer things in life. As well as running the Motorclassica Auction on behalf of Theodore Bruce Auctioneers & Valuers (Australia’s oldest auction house) he was head of the car department for Bonhams & Goodman and Sotheby’s Australia. A regular contributor to highprofile magazines around the world, including Invictus, Rewind, Jetgala, Ocean, ArteNavale, he’s now added Volante to his list of literary conquests.

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Steven Paugh Steven has almost a decade of experience producing movie quality facial hair and photoshopped images of Freddie Mercury riding fiery unicorns. He is also the former senior editor of luxury lifestyle magazine, Sur la Terre Arabia.

His work has been published in such venerable organs as Dana Jewels and The National, as well as on numerous comic-book websites and blogs. He is currently based the icy Canadian city of Montreal, where he spends much of his time indoctrinating his newborn daughter into the DC Comics universe.

Phill Tromans Phill has written about cars professionally for the past decade, firstly in the UK and then over a six-year period in the Middle East. Formerly part of the editorial teams at Car Middle East, Evo Middle East and Crank & Piston, he now freelances on automotive and luxury topics for magazines and newspapers around the world. He’s interviewed three different Bond girls and fought in a re-enactment of the English Civil War. When he’s not writing, Phill enjoys lusting over fine watches that he can’t afford, building model cars from Lego Technic, and rollerblading.

Because he can.

first gear

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| Fi r s t G e a r | C o l u m n is t |

event director for the london classic car show,

bas bungish,

gives us a clue as to what we can expect when the show’s second instalment opens its doors in february

2016.

the ORGANISER

W

e chose to launch The London Classic Car Show in 2015 in the UK capital, as this great city has a deep and historical car culture. Ever since car production began, London has continually influenced and shaped the development of the motor car and its car-loving generations have shown an appreciation, valuing both form and function, akin to other global cities.

Motor cars are and have been hugely influential, aiding and riding alongside fashion, style and design since they arrived on our roads – we hope to continue to celebrate this passion and influence for years to come by heralding an occasion such as this.

Our inaugural event earlier this year was joined by three high-profile automotive

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icons, each curating exhibits that influenced their career, expressed their sheer love of cars or defined key historic motor cars. Broadcasters James May and James Martin and the Technical Engineer for the Red Bull F1 team, Adrian Newey, created provocative exhibits that fuelled our mutual adoration of cars. We also welcomed many of the world’s finest classic car dealers, several of whom are based proudly here in the UK, each showcasing unique and collectable cars to a wealthy classic car buying audience.

Indoor car events tend to stick to a formula of static car displays, but we believe in doing things differently. We want to provide our audiences with an engaging day out and the experience of seeing a car moving and hearing its engine as it drives cannot be substituted by static displays.

The London Classic Car Show created a unique event feature which has not been seen anywhere else in the world – we fashioned an indoor themed road feature inside an enclosed exhibition venue and ran over 40 iconic classic cars as a centrepiece attraction at the event, the finale of which consisted of running three iconic historic F1 cars in front

"I ndoor

car events

tend to stick to a formula of static car displays , but we believe in doing things differently ."

of thousands of assembled enthusiasts, again a world first.

For 2016 we will double the size of the event, featuring 60 desirable classics on The

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Grand Avenue. The show will centre around the theme of showcasing classic cars from the world’s six best car making nations, with a static exhibit to replicate the rare vehicles in action on the avenue. We’re attracting more specialist dealers, assembling exclusive car collections and talking to our ever growing address book of motoring icons to continue to celebrate iconic personalities that continue to influence our passion for cars.

We’re excited to bring the second edition of The London Classic Car Show to an even bigger audience when it opens its doors at the ExCeL centre in London on February 18th 2016, and to firmly place ourselves on the map as THE classic car event in the capital.

Volante is a proud media partner of the 2016 London Classic Car Show.

| Fi r s t G e a r | C o l u m n is t |

fraser martin in

we find

a somewhat curmudgeonly mood, and it seems that modern car designers are set to bear the brunt of it...

the Cognoscente

I

t might be CDO (OCD, but worse, because the letters have to be in the correct order as well) but I have always been proud of being able to park a car properly, wheels straight and parallel to whatever bay it is I am parking in. Open the door, check the alignment, adjust and switch off with a smug smile on my face.

Not anymore. Electronic handbrakes, operated by a switch, located somewhere ergonomically challenging, and which you have to actually look for to be able to operate, have put paid to any movement with the door ajar. And do not get me started on the lost entertainment of the J-turn.

What I find, as cars get more clever, is that stuff that had a practical purpose and equipment that was easy to recognise and use, is all being designed out of the motor car, and that we are

at the mercy of marketing speak and American-led devolvement of responsibility for the use of common sense, when operating a motor vehicle.

It is ridiculous, at least in my view, to legislate active safety devices into motor cars on the grounds that drivers have less to concentrate on. Good grief!

When did we forget that driving is a privilege? No one has any “right” to drive!

Safety belts, anti-dive seats, air bags and so on, have earned a place in essential equipment by proving their worth in well documented, sometimes graphically shocking tests, and I have no problem with that, but automatic handbrakes because some idiot somewhere once pinned someone to a wall by forgetting to engage the handbrake on a hill? Oh please…

On a less sensitive note,

"Good grief! When did we forget that driving is a privilege?

No one “right” to drive!."

has any

the demise of the quarterlight window is also a sad loss.

Being able to get a little fresh air into a car, helping to demist on a humid morning or just taking away the artificiality of air conditioning for a while, is another case of designing out something useful in the interests of mollycoddling.

I can’t recall one story of someone being lanced by a small triangular frame halfway up a car door in a busy supermarket car park, so why on earth are we stuck with large openings that only serve to soak your trousers with condensation, or windscreen washer fluid,

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in the pursuit of aerodynamic efficiency?

And finally, on my painfully abbreviated list of design fails, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the disappearing, centrallymounted fuel filler, beloved of glamorous, chromed barges everywhere. How simple it was just to drive into a fuel station and not have to worry which side of the car to park nearest the pump.

Is it really true, then, that in the days of electronic everything, automated everything else and a rapidly developing technology that suggests we won’t even need to be drivers soon, our car designers cannot just have a look back, see what worked well and use some of the new technology and new materials to get things back to normal?

They seem to have managed it with the push button starter, well enough.

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| Fi r s t G e a r | N ew s |

1

DIMS 2015 - W Motors

W Motors Unveils 900hp Fenyr

Arabian Hypercar Company Unveils Lykan Successor

W

e will admit that in past conversations, we have been slightly critical of the W Motors business model, as well as some of its performance and technological claims for the Lykan Hypersport and we can’t shake the gnawing sense that W Motors may still turn out to be a latter-day DeLorean. However, there is no denying that the first “Arabian” brand of high performance luxury sports cars has been a PR success, with a cameo in the Fast & Furious movie

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franchise, a well-documented Dubai Police car to its name and, apparently, all seven of the Lykans sold to wealthy collectors throughout the region and the world. Therefore, it was no surprise that the biggest news on the opening day of the Dubai International Motor Show was the global debut of W Motors’ latest creation, the Fenyr SuperSport.

This new model will not be as rare as its diamondencrusted stablemate, with a production run of 25 units per year. The body of the Fenyr

is constructed of carbon-fibre over a tubular aluminium chassis, creating a lightweight physique to enhance the power to weight ratio of the car.

Like the Lykan, the engine is a four-litre twin turbo custom-made flat six from German manufacturer RUF Automobile, which will be mounted midrear in the Fenyr. When coupled to a 7-speed double clutch gearbox, W Motors claims that it will enable the Fenyr to deliver up to 900hp and 1,200Nm of torque “for extreme performance,” achieving 0 to 62mph in less than 2.7 seconds and delivering a top speed exceeding 248mph. These are Bugatti Veyron numbers, which, in view of not having yet seen any actual proof of the Lykan achieving its reportedly stellar performance specs, we are inclined to be a little sceptical – especially given the car’s rumoured $1.6m price tag.

The vast reduction in price over its predecessor, we’re sure, is partly down to the higher production run, and a lot to do with the lack of bejewelled fripperies and gimmicks that accompanied the Lykan. Gone are the diamondcovered headlamps and to our knowledge there is no free $250k watch with every purchase. One thing is absolutely certain, though. The Fenyr is a great looking car. Better, we would venture, than the outgoing Lykan and, no matter what the sceptics say, ourselves included, W Motors will still sell every single one it builds, regardless of build quality or performance.

DIMS 2015 - Panoz Panoz will build replicas of its mythical Esperante GTR-1

Panoz To Build $890k Esperante GTR-1 Replicas u.s. company’s one-of-a-kind le mans homologation special on show at dims

T

he original street-legal 1997 Panoz Esperante GTR-1 Le Mans Homologation Special that was created so the iconic frontengine Esperante GTR-1 race car could compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and other endurance racing events was a big draw at the Dubai Motor Show. The Panoz Esperante GTR-1 with its 6.0-litre Ford-based 600hp V8 engine competed in international endurance racing in from 1997 to 2003. One version, the 1998 Panoz Q9 GTR-1 Hybrid, was the first successful modern hybrid race car.

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Based on the GTR-1 race car and constructed much like its racing siblings, the Homologation Special sports a full leather interior, is street legal and has remained in the Panoz collection its entire existence. It’s never likely to leave either. However, the company announced at DIMS that it will fulfil the dreams of those who wish to own a street-legal Esperante GTR-1 by using the original body and tub moulds to create either a near-exact carbon-fibre replica, or a modified version using alternate composites

and lightweight technologies. Pricing starts at $890,000 and is dependent on the customer's personalisation requirements. If you don’t have that kind of cash sloshing around in your pocket, the 25th Anniversary Edition Panoz Esperante Spyder GT, the company's two-passenger aluminium sports car, might be a better option. Featuring a supercharged

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560-horsepower V8 engine mated with a heavy duty, close-ratio Tremec T56 Magnum six-speed manual transmission, the $205,000 price tag will give you the same kind of thrill, while fitting a tighter budget.

All hand-built, the company says that it will produce no more than 25 Esperante Spyder GT sports cars, ensuring they remain both “special and exclusive.”

| Fi r s t G e a r | N ew s |

3

Ford Shelby 350GT

Ford Lifts Lid On All-New Shelby 350GT The street-legal racer is a lean, mean speed machine

The Sehelby 350GT was unveiled at DIMS

A

news in brief

merican Rally legend and Gymkhana star, Ken Block was on hand to help reveal Ford’s latest offerings to the Dubai Motor Show, which included the regional launch of the all-new Shelby GT350 Mustang, a car he would no doubt enjoy putting through its paces.

The original Shelby GT350 introduced in 1965 established the Mustang’s performance credentials, now 50 years on, and the company is hoping the all-new Shelby GT350 Mustang will create a legend of its own for a new generation.

The new 5.2-litre naturallyaspirated engine is the first-ever production V8 from Ford with a flat-plane crankshaft, an architecture typically found in racing applications or European exotics. The result is

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an output of 493hp, with a torque peak of 542 Nm. Featuring a broad torque curve, Ford claims that combined with its high-revving ability, the new engine gives drivers an enormous amount of performance and flexibility within each gear of the lightweight sixspeed manual transmission.

It’s not only set to be fast, but the company also claims it will be the most agile Mustang ever, with torsional stiffness increased 28 percent over the previous model. A standard Ford-tuned Torsen limitedslip differential optimises cornering grip and straight-line traction. Ultraquick responsiveness to changing conditions is provided by the firstever Ford application of continuously controlled MagneRide dampers.

Equus Takes DIMS Bow Bringing some more retro feel to proceedings was DIMS debutant Equus Automotive Incorporated’s musclebound 770 coupé. Borrowing its looks from the classic 1967 Ford Mustang as well as the Dodge Challenger and Charger, it’s a hand-built carbonfibre, aluminium composite bodied car powered by a modern 6.2-litre Supercharged V8 from General Motors.

Taking 5,000 man hours per car to build, Detroit-based Equus plans to produce no more than 15 examples, each priced around $490,000.

With wheel position sensors monitoring motion thousands of times per second combined with other vehicle data, Ford says that changes can be made to each corner independently every 10 milliseconds for optimum handling performance and is designed not just to make the car handle better, but to instil greater confidence in the driver. That confidence will be boosted should they need to stop in a hurry, as the 350GT is fitted with two-piece crossdrilled iron brake discs clamped with Brembo six-piston calipers.

Extensive work has also been applied to the car’s aero features, with increased downforce and airflow. The new bonnet has been lowered and sloped, compared to the base Mustang, tightly wrapped

Halcon Delights At Reception For 800bhp SuperSport Frankfurt-based sports car manufacturer Halcon SuperSport GmbH displayed its twinturbocharged V6 sports car for the first time outside of Germany, hoping to pick up a few orders for its $435,000 car before taking it to Monaco for its next display in April. Employing a chassis based on the Nissan 370Z, the Halcon SuperSport features a fully bespoke interior, carbon-fibre body, ceramic brakes and a tweaked version of the Nissan GTR’s 800bhp 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V6 engine. With only 25 of the cars in the offing, it is unsurprising that Halcon’s CEO, Rick T. Damm found interest in the SuperSport at DIMS to be “outrageous.”

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around the engine for the smallest possible aerodynamic signature, while the bonnet outlet acts as a heat extractor while also reducing under-bonnet lift at high speed. At the rear, an aggressive functional diffuser both increases downforce and provides cooling air to the differential, while a subtle lip spoiler across the trailing edge of the boot lid increases downforce without adding excess drag. The athletic stance of the 350GT means it sits nearly two inches lower than the base Mustang GT. The cockpit, too has been optimised for speed and performance: a flat-bottom steering wheel makes it easier for the driver to get in and out and more ergonomic on the racetrack. Gauges are upgraded to reflect the performance capability of the car, while chrome and other bright finishes have been reduced or eliminated to prevent any sun glare that may distract the driver.

Additionally, Ford has developed an all-new integrated driver control system allowing the selection of five unique modes that tailor ABS, stability control, traction control, steering effort, throttle mapping, MagneRide tuning and exhaust settings depending on driver preference, essentially making the 350GT a street legal, all day, every day track car.

Carol Shelby would be proud.

Jag Unleashes SPECTRE C-X75 Jaguar Land Rover celebrated their vehicles’ role in the latest box-office smashing Bond adventure, SPECTRE, by showing off all of the movie’s JLR stars at DIMS. While everyone was eager to see the Range Rover Sport SVR and the iconic Land Rover Defender, it was the stunning Jaguar C-X75 concept that stole the limelight. The C-X75 supercar, the most advanced Jaguar ever created, was provided by Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) in collaboration with development partner, Williams Advanced Engineering. In the film, the C-X75 does battle with Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 , which was also on display at DIMS.

| Fi r s t G e a r | N ew s |

4

Motoring Nostalgia At DIMS

DIMS Offers A Drive Down Memory Lane regular contributor, james nicholls, takes a trip through time at the dubai motor show’s volante-supported motoring nostalgia museum

T

he 15th Dubai International Motor Show held at the Dubai World Trade Centre in the UAE is one grand affair. Spread over many exhibition halls it is a taxing event to attend. By the end of the “5 days of motoring madness,” as it was dubbed by the organisers, one’s feet are very tired and so are one’s eyes. There is just so much to cover and so much automotive eye-candy on offer it is nigh on impossible to assimilate it all. It seems, though, with 1.32 million new car sales across the Gulf in the first nine months of 2015, that the local buyers just cannot get too much of a good thing. The desire and passion for cars in this part of the world would appear insatiable, after all even the local police force get to drive Bentleys, Porsches, Nissan GTRs and suped-up BMWs as patrol cars!

A highlight of this most impressive show was the “pop-up” Motoring Nostalgia Museum.

Featured for the first time at the show, this section had a street-food market, live music from The Boxtones – delivering hits from the 1950s to the 1980s – and master craftsmen at work including The Cobbler creating classic luxury shoes with a modern twist. The cars exhibited from private collectors, including those of HH Sheikh Hasher Bin Juma Al Maktoum and Dr Mohammed Ben Sulayem, offered all the usual suspects from the last 40 years – from a 300SL Gullwing to a Pullman 600 – just name it, and there was probably at least

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one example on display. Motoring Nostalgia provided a journey of reminiscence featuring the design, innovation, performance and luxury of the automobile over a four-decade period. Sixty-six cars were featured in total, sixteen of the most outstanding models from the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. The common thread linking this journey across the forty-year period was the combination of artisan and artistry. Befitting this marvellous collection, the official supporter who had brought this all together was our own Volante Magazine. Our journal for the gentleman driver provided the integral link between the 1950s and the rise of power, speed and design, the 1960s and automobile diversity, the economic challenges and excesses of the 1970s and the increase of production and availability for all in the 1980s. As well as cars from private collections, there were also some excellent offerings from the Al Ain Classic Car Museum, Sharjah Classic Car Museum and the Sharjah Classic Car Club.

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Amongst the array of great vehicles displayed, standouts included a very early Lamborghini production vehicle: a superb 1966 Lamborghini 350GT of which only 143 were ever built. There were also two great E-Type Jaguars looking absolutely stunning in bright red. A 1973 Datsun 510 Blue Bird SSS may perhaps seem a little more mundane, but the example on show was excellent and has been featured in several leading magazines. Decidedly extraordinary and in no way mundane was the 1979 Stutz IV Porte – a car much beloved of Elvis Presley. This one had 24-carat gold plated accessories and was formerly the property of the President of Gabon. Even amongst the large array of American gas-guzzlers present, this car could not be missed. The spectre of James Bond was not, as you might expect, represented by an Aston Martin DB5, but instead by a much later V8 Volante, as driven

by Timothy Dalton’s 007 in The Living Daylights.

Other Astons on show were a DB4 Series II and a DB6, while another Bond link was made with Japan’s first supercar, the Toyota 2000GT. The 2000GT had an unforgettable role in You Only Live Twice, the fifth film in the James Bond series, and this very fine example was on show courtesy of Tomini Classics.

Each evening of the Show, enthusiasts were

treated to some fascinating panel discussions under the heading “Ignition Live Talks” in Hall 4. Several were of interest to Motoring Nostalgia visitors including “How to make a fortune (or lose one) on a classic car,” which I had been invited to join and offer my pearls of wisdom to the knowledge-hungry gathering.

Other topics were “How to buy and run your dream car,” “Don’t be boring, drive Retro Cool” and “Restoring a Classic.” And as if that was not enough for the classic car aficionado, of which, due to magazines such as this, there are an increasing number in the region, one could even have a photo taken in the classic car of one’s choice thanks to the modern miracle of digital manipulation!

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| Fi r s t G e a r | Ge a r |

the best bits of kit for car and driver Wove Band Smart Watch

editor's pick

W

e’ll be the first to admit that we prefer a more traditional timepiece here at Volante, and that smart watches don’t really float our boat, so to speak.

However, this rather clever piece from wearable tech specialist Polyera did catch our eye. Possibly because it isn’t trying to emulate a traditional watch, and because it employs what the company claims is the world’s first commercial flexible display product.

Using the company’s “digital fabric” technology, which features flexible thin film transistors and E-ink display technology, the screen wraps all the way around the wrist, allowing the wearer to display their favourite apps, graphics and creative coding experiments through the Android OS that take advantage of the additional screen real-estate. The multi-touch surface allows for complex interactions, while the 9-axis sensor keeps track of your motion. It really is quite a smart watch. www.wove.com

“Due to its flexible display, it isn’t trying to emulate a traditional watch."

Taylor Made M1 Driver

D

espite our personal belief that golf “is a long walk spoilt,” we do understand that many of you occasionally enjoy a stroll around the links chasing a little white ball. However, when pictures of the new carbon composite Taylor-Made M1 Driver crossed our desks, we suddenly felt the urge to go and smash the plastic off a few balls ourselves. This rather handsome club can adjust to nearly any swing thanks to a T-shaped tracking system, with a 10 gram weight that moves from front to back to adjust launch and spin settings, and a 15 gram weight that moves from side to side to adjust the shot shape. There's also an adjustable hosel with four total degrees of loft adjustment, and three shaft options for low, mid, and high launch bias. This means that even with our lack of ability, we could probably tee-off like Seve Ballesteros, despite addressing the ball like a monkey with a baseball bat. For those more competent golfists out there, it’s sure to improve accuracy, distance and power off the tee. www.taylormadegolf.eu

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Terrafugia TF-X Flying Car

I

t’s 2015. The year Marty McFly came “Back To The Future” to discover that we had 3D movies, wearable technology, drones, biometric scanning and, um, flying cars... Like many 20th century books and films about the future, while many predictions came true, it was wide of the mark on that one. Or was it? Not if flying car specialist, Terrafugia is to be believed.

The company recently unveiled its concept for a four-seat hybrid with wings, the TF-X Flying Car, and the company claims that it will fulfill our futuristic dreams of being able to drive on roads and highways – and then fly seamlessly through the air. Apparently, you just tell it where you want it to fly and using twin electric motor pods and a megawatt of power, you'll be auto-piloted to your destination (provided it's less than 500 miles away) at a 200mph flying cruise speed. However, don’t get too excited and start booking exotic island resort holidays just yet. The TF-X is still in the early stages of development, with a production date estimated to be another eight to 12 years away. In the meantime, you can get an idea of what to expect by watching the company’s video presentation at the link below while we just go and fire up the DeLorean. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHJTZ7k0BXU 

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| Fi r s t G e a r | Ge a r |

Skybuds Wireless Headphones

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back to the future

Nike MAG Trainers

W

hile we’re on the subject of Marty McFly’s adventures in 2015, who remembers his self-tying Nike trainers? Well, in another win for the film’s predictions for the future, the sports shoe manufacturer has announced that they will produce a limited edition version of the self-tying sneaker as sported by Michael J. Fox in the film. In addition to the glowing LEDs and all the McFly style you can handle, the Nike MAG features the famous power-laces thanks to an

“individually responsive system that senses the wearer's motion to provide adaptive ondemand comfort and support," according to Nike. The limited edition MAGs will be available via auction in Spring 2016, with all proceeds going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Now all we need is someone to create a reliable weather control system and self-fitting and drying jackets and we’re good to go. www.nike.com

ireless headphones so often promise so much, but deliver so little and always end up being more of a hassle than they’re worth. They are constantly running out of charge – usually when you need them the most – and when you go to plug them in, all of your outlets are already fully-loaded from all of your other gadgets and technology. Well, come 2016, the answer to the question “should I buy some wireless headphones?” Should be a resounding “yes!” The boffins over at Alpha Audiotronics have designed a pair of premium wireless earbuds which can also be juiced up at the same time as your smartphone by using the magic of inductive charging. With a custombuilt charging case for your phone which stores and charges the buds, it also means that you don’t have to worry about losing one of them.

The company will be debuting a prototype on its booth at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.

Check out the company’s Kickstarter page at the link below. www.tinyurl.com/ox4dqdp

Torch T2 Bicycle Helmet

A

s you’ll know from previous issues, we take motorcycle and bicycle safety seriously here at the Volante Gear editorial team, which is why we were really impressed with this Torch Apparel T2 Bike Helmet. The T2 features a new and improved polycarbonate shell over its predecessor, the 2012 T1, as well as a more flexible dial-adjuster, a power indicator and more than three times the battery life. Recharging the battery has also been made easier by using the included USB cable. The innovative helmet is an essential safety upgrade for bike commuters, allowing you to be easily spotted thanks to large rear and forward facing lights that will make you visible to motorists from all directions and in any type of weather conditions. www.torchapparel.eu

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listen up

The innovative iPhone case charges and stores the ear buds when not in use.

1939 Bentley 4Âź Litre (Overdrive) Sedanca Coupe by James Young

1962 Bentley S2 Continental Coupe by H.J.Mulliner

1955 Bentley R Type Continental Coupe by Franay

1963 Bentley S3 Continental Six Light Flying Spur

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r e S T o r a T i o n

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| Fi r s t G e a r | C a l e n da r |

4 2

5

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1. 2016 bonhams motorcycle auction When: Jan 7 Where: Las Vegas, USA In early January, Bally’s Hotel in Las Vegas will host a stellar array of classic and collectable motorcycles which will go under the hammer of specialist auction house, Bonhams.

Among the lots, the headlinemakers include a 1963 Triumph Bonneville Desert Sled once owned and raced by Steve McQueen, a 1974 Egli-Vincent Black Shadow, a 1924 Indian Daytona Hillclimber and the only 1951 Vincent White Shadow to produced in “Chinese Red.” www.bonhams.com

2. 2016 north american auto show When: Jan 11 - 24 Where: Detroit The North American International Auto Show, Detroit, is the biggest motorshow in the US. Set in the heartland of the country’s automotive manufacturing industry, it’s the show that the likes of GM, Chevrolet, Ford and Cadillac look towards to unveil their latest models as well as technology innovations and concepts that will shape the future of the American car market. For the petrolhead, it is a must-visit show, especially if you like a bit of American muscle.

www.naias.com

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3. 2016 qatar motor show When: Jan 27 - Feb 1 Where: Doha The sixth edition of the Qatar Motor Show promises to be bigger and better than ever, with the show returning to the Qatar National Convention Centre to accomodate the increasing number of both visitors and exhibitors

expected. Last year's event welcomed a number of new international exhibitiors along with local organisations like Mawater, as well as - according to organisers - more than 150,000 visitors.

www.qatarmotorshow.gov.qa

4. 2016 london classic car show When: feb 18 - 21 Where: london The London Classic Car show will be opening its doors at the ExCel Centre in Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Docklands for the second time.

Feature The Grand Avenue, a motoring catwalk along which 60 classics will be driven, as well many more stunning road cars and dozens of significant race and rally cars on static display. Promising even more specialist dealers and exclusive car collections, Volante has already signed up as a media partner. We can't wait to see you there.

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www.thelondonclassiccarshow.co.uk

5. 2016 geneva motor show When: Mar 3 - 13 Where: Geneva, Switzerland Possibly the biggest and most eagerly anticipated motoring event of the year, the eyes of the motoring world will be focused on the amazing concepts, the technological innovations and the wonderful automotive curios that remain unique to this annual event.

Genevaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s motor show is widely considered to be the ultimate gauge of the health of the global automotive market as well as the place where the roadmap of the carâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future is regularly re-written.

International motor shows, classic car meets, auctions and motor sport events that shape the industry and fuel our petrol-driven passion are happening every day, all over the world. Now is a good time to start planning that road trip.

www.salon-auto.ch Vol ante | November 2015 - Ja n ua r y 2016 |

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the garage

Vol ante | November 2015 - Ja n ua r y 2016 |

first drive

“As if acting out of deference and respect, the natural elements are bent into shape by this car’s force even when it’s at a standstill."

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| T h e G a ra ge | Ze nvo ST 1 |

kevin hackett has his organs rearranged by the power of the mighty zenvo

ST1.

Words: Kevin Hackett Pictures: WSF Creative

The temperature is high,

the air arid and the wind vicious, whipping up the abrasive desert sand and blowing it in only one direction. If it wasn’t so nasty on my skin and threatening to enter my torso through every orifice, I’d suggest that the spectacle is almost beautiful, the sand dancing daintily around the black beast I have parked up, quite literally in the middle of nowhere. Soon, it forms an almost perfect circle around one of the rarest and most special automobiles on the planet, as if acting out of deference and respect, the natural elements are bent into shape by this car’s force even when it’s at a standstill.

From outside it looks evil in its black paintwork, with a huge, gaping snout, short overhangs and no-nonsense approach to aerodynamics. Inside is a well-crafted, if rather bland, cabin with up-to-theminute Android-based connectivity and a sound system that can shake the fillings from your teeth.

The environment is friendlier than the car’s looks

would suggest but there’s no getting away from it: this is a high performance car operating on the outer edge of the envelope.

Rather than standing looking at it while that black paint is being sandblasted, I think I should do the decent thing and get it moving again. And boy, can this thing move. Thumbing the starter button, the mid-mounted V8 thunders into life with an animalistic, deep bark that accurately hints at its performance potential.

It’s an overtly mechanical thrashing sound; you can hear every valve opening and closing, each piston moving up and down through the block and every cog, sprocket and pulley doing its stuff and, when you switch the thing off it stops in an instant – the kind of instant normally reserved for incredibly well tuned racing engines with the finest tolerances. There’s nothing in the least bit slack about this engineering.

The Zenvo ST1 feels like it’s been around forever. It’s been shown around the world at

Vol ante | November 2015 - Ja n ua r y 2016 |

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countless events and it’s been an online hero for an absolute age, even before the first one was built, thanks to imaginative image trickery. It’s been getting teenage boys and grown men a bit hot under the collar for long enough now and, finally, there’s a production version that can be driven hard in a country that the car seems such a perfect fit for.

And despite its somewhat protracted gestation, on the basis of even my first few minutes behind its steering wheel, I can’t help feeling that Zenvo is here to stay. Too much time, money, creative and intelligent thought has gone into this company for it to merely become yet another almost-ran.

In these massively legislated times, we simply cannot accommodate any more car companies that promise much and deliver little or nothing.

In the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s, names such as ISO, Monteverdi, Bitter, Facel and a host of others that said they’d achieve so much, yet had neither the resources nor the wherewithal to make things work, rose and sank without trace – sometimes in a matter of months. They had the designs, the drive and the dreams, but these days you simply cannot fantasise – you need to invest untold millions to make anything worth considering.

Just ask Elon Musk what it’s like setting up a new car company.

Zenvo’s founder, Troels Vollertsenhad, had a vision of the perfect hypercar, but he also had the financial backing and the drive to turn it into a reality. The resultant company, its name an amalgam of bits of his surname (Tsen-Vo), might not be giving Ferrari, Lamborghini or even Bugatti sleepless nights but, given the ferocity of the performance of this car, perhaps it should be.

If it had originated in Italy, Germany, or even the UK or US, Zenvo might have been more warmly received than it has been, and taken more seriously. A name that sounds less like a Japanese wristwatch might have helped out, too – I’m certain Don Draper would have talked them out of that one. The fact is that its native Denmark might as well be Timbuktu when it comes to conceiving, designing and building a hypercar that takes the fight to the establishment and people are having a hard time grasping this as a reality.

And yet here I am, being pummeled by physical forces I have not experienced since I last drove a Bugatti Veyron. The sensations I am soaking up, the Darth Vader noises I hear from that huge engine behind my head and the sheer uninterrupted pace of the thing all tell me that this is no pretender.

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“It’s completely refined when you want it to be, yet brutal and ballistic when you call for a pure hit of otherworldly power and speed.”

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“There’s no getting away from it: this is a high performance car operating on the outer edge of the envelope.”

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Motaz Abu-Hijleh, the man who runs Dubai’s Parc Fermé, Zenvo’s approved dealership, has been intimately involved with the company for quite some time and, as a former Emirates aviation engineer, it’s obvious that the ST1’s physical make-up is what does it for him. During my drive (this is the first time anyone from the media has driven a production version), AbuHiljeh tells me this car is “build number three.”

You can’t believe anything you read on the Internet and Zenvo’s entry on Wikipedia makes out that 15 have been built, and pretty much gives the impression that it’s “game over” for the company. Abu-Hijleh says that’s absolute nonsense but agrees that it’s understandable there will be some level of confusion about the company because it seems to have been in the business for far longer than it actually has. “It’s taken approximately eight years to get to where we are now,” he says, “and the fact that this car is only the third production version [it was built in late 2014] tells you a lot. It shows that the company wasn’t prepared to build customer cars before it was truly ready.”

During my drive, which lasts five-or-so hours, the overriding impression I get is that this is a properly resolved car. There are no squeaks, creaks or other extraneous noises that shouldn’t be present. It’s completely refined when you want it to be, yet brutal and ballistic when you call for a pure hit of otherworldly power and speed. And it feels strong, unburstable, like the entire thing is hewn from rock.

It’s actually formed from carbon-fibre, evidenced when you open either of its doors and see the preposterously wide sills. In fact the entire car is wide, measuring just over two metres across (before you even consider the protruding mirrors), it’s 4.66m long, 1.2m high and weighs 1,688kg – something that initially surprises me, given its carbon construction. But it’s the body panels that are crafted from the stuff, while the chassis is made using a lightweight steel and aluminium monocoque, with steel frames front and rear.

To propel that mass, drive is sent via a sevenspeed clutch-less manual gearbox to the rear wheels from the 6.8-litre, mid-mounted V8 that’s both turbo- and supercharged (hence the ‘ST’ in the nomenclature) for more immediate throttle response. And when that hand-built lump really comes on song in Race mode, a colossal 1,104hp is at the disposal of your right foot, along with a frankly absurd 1,430Nm of torque. These are intimidating numbers on any car, especially one that’s rear-wheel drive, and that’s part of

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| T h e G a ra ge | Ze nvo ST 1 |

“Abu-Hiljeh ably demonstrates the ST1’s more leery tendencies and, as a part-time competition racer, he knows exactly what he’s doing as the great Dane rearranges my internal organs.”

AT A GLANCE

Zenvo ST1 Engine: 6.8-litre, turbo- and supercharged V8 Power / Torque: 1,104hp @ 6,900rpm / 1,430Nm @ 4,500rpm Transmission: 7-speed robotised manual Weight: 1,688kg Performance: Top Speed 233mph* / 0-62mph in 3.0 sec Price: POA *electronically governed

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the Zenvo’s appeal: unlike so many so-called supercars these days, it’s an absolute handful and takes skill to master.

The ST1 is entirely usable around town (thanks to its hydraulic suspension lift that enables it to clear speed bumps) but grab it by the scruff of the neck, get on the gas and it will thrill and terrify in equal measure, but there are depths to its character that could take years to properly explore and exhaust. After all, any car that has to be electronically limited to 233mph shouldn’t bare its soul on first acquaintance.

As my confidence builds, I take opportunities to stretch the Zenvo’s extremely long legs. In normal “Wet” mode, the power is limited to 650hp, which in itself is a huge number but it’s entirely usable. Select “Sport” and another 200 horses gallop in, while “Race” liberates the whole stable. Yet whenever I floor the throttle in “Race” and the ST1 demolishes whatever road it’s on at the time, that power never feels like it’s beyond control, thanks to some very clever yet unobtrusive electronic systems management.

Abu-Hijleh says it’s been a labour of love to get those systems to work for the driver while making him or her feel like they’re in complete Vol ante | November 2015 - Ja n ua r y 2016 |

control and, from what I experience through the seat of my pants, I can say it’s a job well done.

It can corner, too, taking even extremely tight bends at speed with flat, precise maneuvers that exhibit no body roll nor any snappy oversteer characteristics. Later, when Abu-Hiljeh takes over, he ably demonstrates the ST1’s more leery tendencies and, as a part-time competition racer, he knows exactly what he’s doing as the great Dane rearranges my internal organs.

I step out at the end of a long, hot and extremely dusty day, with sand still crunching between my teeth and a huge smile on my face.

What I had expected to be a real bag of nails, assembled with all the care and attention to detail normally displayed by an airport baggage handler, has turned out to be nothing of the sort.

On the contrary, the ST1 is an incredibly well built and engineered car that’s crafted by obsessives who are leaving no stone unturned in their pursuit of the perfect drivers’ car. That dedication shines through in every aspect of this mind-blowing machine and, if you want something nobody else has, perhaps you need look no further. Four-wheeled sensory overload doesn’t come much more full on than this.

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| T he G a rage | B e n t l ey C o n t in e n t a l GT V 8 S |

Take it to the bridge

O n Norway’s famous “Road To Nowhere,” Phill Tromans discovers that the 2016 Bentley Continental GT line-up is more than just stop-gap in the marque’s automotive symphony.

Words: Phill Tromans Pictures: James Lipman

Vol ante | November 2015 - Ja n ua r y 2016 |

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I

should go on Bentley events more often.

This is the thought that luxuriates in my mind as I sit in a five-star hotel near Glomset, halfway up Norway’s western coastline. We arrived here by helicopter, a short 10-minute flight from Ålesund airport, after entering the country by private jet, complete with complimentary basket of chocolate. Yum. You’d be forgiven for thinking that this exuberant display of ostentation is down to a grand new chapter in Bentley’s history; an all-new vehicle that Bentley desperately wants people to like, to the point of throwing money and affection at anyone that registers an interest. But no. This is the launch of the facelifted Continental GT, a car that’s been with us since 2011.

It is, in fairness, still an important car. Nay, it’s the car that signalled Bentley’s rebirth after years of wallowing in the shadow of its former owner, Rolls-Royce and producing Rolls-lites, its glory days long behind it.

But in the late 1990s, the company that owned Rolls-Royce – Vickers – decided that it wanted out and in 1998, Bentley was acquired by the Volkswagen group.

VW set about rebuilding the image of the sporty, performance-based luxury brand that Bentley established in the 1920s. First, it built a racing car and won the Le Mans 24 Hours. And then in 2003, it launched a brand new road car. The Continental GT was a (relatively) compact Bentley coupé designed for the driver, not for a pampered back seat passenger. Boasting a huge W12 engine, it had 552 brake horsepower, more than 100 more than any Bentley before it. And it came at a price lower than any other Bentley on sale, while still carrying an unmistakable air of premium quality. As we now know, it was a huge hit, and today the Continental GT accounts for 50 percent of all Bentleys sold.

But still, with the second-generation car revealed in 2011 and sales still strong, this is an awful lot of fuss for the unveiling of a few revisions, isn’t it? Quite often when a manufacturer goes all-out to impress the media, it’s because the car is terrible. One of the swankiest events I ever attended involved a Scottish castle and a four-poster bed, and that was for a Ssang-Yong Kyron. Even with all the pizazz, it was an awful car.

I ponder this with Bentley’s PR man after dinner, as he tries to ply me with some very expensive Scottish aperitifs. His response is simple – this is the Bentley way. The company prides itself on making the best cars money can buy, and everything it does, in terms of presenting those cars to the world, follows the same philosophy, whether to the media or customers. An EasyJet flight and a bus ride would not portray Bentley in the correct light. We toast the days ahead, and I remind him that all the private jets in the world won’t stop me telling the world if the new Continental GT is no good. He doesn’t look worried.

Dawn, such as it is, arrives the following day. It’s not a familiar dawn, as it hasn’t actually got dark. Summer in Scandinavia means literally endless days, where the sun never sets and it’s still light in the wee small hours. But it’s early morning, and there are a selection of revised Continental GTs ready for the assembled journalists. Hopeful of some good weather, despite some threatening clouds overhead, I pick a Continental GT V8 S convertible – the sportiest top-down Bentley you can buy.

The rest of the eight-strong range remains unchanged in terms of models.

The “standard” Continental GT still comes with the classic 6-litre, twinturbocharged W12 engine, now up from 567bhp to 582bhp. If you want even more grunt, there’s the Continental GT Speed, which turns the W12 motor up to produce 626bhp. The GT V8 replaces the W12 with a 4-litre twinturbocharged V8 making a “mere” 500bhp, but aims to create a more evocative, characterful driving experience, as opposed to the effortless, sweeping luxury

50

of the W12 models. Lastly, the V8 S model offers extra grunt from the same engine – 521bhp, to be exact. All models also come in Convertible form, with a folding soft-top roof. With plenty of twists on the road map, I’m opting for character over brute power, and hope the V8 S fits the bill.

Visually, very little has changed on the new range. In fact, unless you see the latest car side-by-side with the outgoing one, you’ll be hard pressed to notice a difference. But there are tweaks. The familiar lines have harder, sharper creases, and the bumpers have been redesigned front and back to give the impression that the car sits lower than before. Inside, the seats have been restyled to look like British country jackets (yes, really), the instruments have been given a makeover and there are new, less cumbersome shift paddles

“It’s handsome and muscular, dressed in a fetching bespoke suit. It’s also deceptively big, tipping the scales at a whopping 2470kg in V8 S Convertible form”

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| T he G a ra ge | B e n t l ey C o n t in e n t a l GT V 8 S |

behind the steering wheel. There’s also a wifi hotspot feature, so your passenger can get online on the move. Well, more than one passenger in theory, but the rear seats are small enough that only those with very small legs will fit. Under the surface, the V8 is left unchanged from the previous model.

The net result is a car that looks very much like the old one, but that’s no bad thing; it’s handsome and muscular, dressed in a fetching bespoke suit. It’s also deceptively big, tipping the scales at a whopping 2,470kg in V8 S Convertible form, but as I settle into the driver’s seat it wraps around me nicely, the sumptuous leather literally massaging me as I drive, thanks to a button on the side of the seat.

The journey should be a good one. From the hotel in Glomset I’ll head inland and then climb, up towards the low-hanging cloud and the snow-

capped mountains. Target number one is the Trollstigen mountain pass, which judging from the photos I’ve seen should rank as one of the most spectacular driving spots in the world. But that’s not the only iconic driving spot on this journey; as we approach our final destination – the town of Kristiansund – we’ll be following the Atlantic Ocean Road, a coastal stretch that includes the famous “road to nowhere” – otherwise known as the Storseisundet Bridge. It promises to be one of the most visually fascinating trips I’ve yet taken.

Onwards then. The weather plays its cards close for now, with a base blue sky lined by dark clouds and haloed by a timid sun. Its intentions are unclear, so for now the roof stays up. Although the Convertible has a canvas roof, the quality and finish inside is second to none – you’d swear you were in a regular coupé.

It’s the right call; before long the heavens open, which elicits disappointment as the roads were looking splendid. Traffic is minimal in these parts and we wind our way down the side of fjords, the road rising and falling by the water level and stitching in and out of tunnels set into the shoreline. Through the rain, the landscape is a shimmering patchwork of greens thanks to the forest and grass that take over any surface not covered by road, building or water. As we progress, the cliffs over the fjords grow to Tolkienesque levels. No wonder this part of the world is known as troll country.

Despite the rain though, or perhaps even because of it, the Bentley feels far from uncomfortable. In many cars, having 500bhp under your right foot brings fears of traction on a slippery surface. But the Conti’s vast bulk actually helps matters, pushing the big Pirelli P Zero’s through the liquid and onto the road. Of course, having four-wheel drive helps as well. As we weave through tight single-lane roads, the traction eliminates scrabbling, even as small streams appear across the road. The power might be less than in the W12 models, but the way it delivers it is far more engaging.

The W12 cars simply pour on acceleration like syrup, a firm-but-gentle hand in the back being the only indication of increasing velocity. The V8 S, though, brings drama and flare, and a notable change of soundtrack, best appreciated in the numerous tunnels we encounter. In the W12, there would be a gruff woof, but the V8 is a different beast. It growls, and then emits a roar 

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| T he G a rage | B e n t l ey C o n t in e n t a l GT V 8 S |

“Bentley has made the sensible choice not to mess with a winning formula. The new Continental GT has hardly changed from the old one, but remains a superbly capable and luxurious machine.” speed reveal its usually-hidden bulk. Even the best as I drop a gear and plant the throttle. The culmination [AT A GLANCE]: suspension damping can’t defeat physics. is a gravel-edged bellow that would stir the soul of even Having dropped more than 1,000ft, the snow thins, the most casual petrolhead. Within a second I approach BENTLEY and the sun pops out to say hello. Road meets fjord speeds of which the local constabulary would not CONTINENTAL once again and snakes along its shores as we head north, approve, so I lift the gas pedal and grin as the exhausts GT V8 S passing small villages, none of which seem to have any spit out a delicious rat-a-tat-tat crackle. By the time we people in them. The GT takes these winding stretches finally arrive in Kristiansund, I’ve been playing with the Engine: 4.0-litre V8 in its stride; it’s so confident and poised, and really, really throttle so often, just to get a fix of that noise, that we’re Power / Torque: 520bhp @ 6,000rpm / 680Nm @ 1,700rpm fast. almost out of fuel.

Transmission: 8-speed automatic On the approach to Kristiansund, the already But the journey’s end is a way off yet. We head east Weight: 2,470kg Performance: Top speed 191mph / fragmented land mass breaks up into an archipelago to the town of Sylte, and then head north towards the 0-60mph in 4.5 sec of tiny islands, traversed by a single road. This 8.3km mountains. Before long, a sight I didn’t expect for summer Price: $214,425 stretch of tarmac is the Atlantic Ocean Road. The emerges – snow. Just dustings to start with, but soon the highlight of this spectacular drive, which thrusts roadside swells with flurries of the white stuff as we climb between crashing waves on either side, is the Storseisundet Bridge which rises towards the clouds. Norway cares not for the norms of weather and time – let to 23 metres above sea level and, even as you drive onto it, appears to just there be sun at midnight, and snow in summer! A pox on your conventions! vanish into nowhere.

At 2,300ft above sea level, we stop for coffee at a modern concrete building It’s a man-made spectacular that beautifully complements both the natural at the head of the Trollstigen Mountain Pass. It’s cold, and raining sideways, splendour of the journey I’m finishing, and the car in which I’ve completed but I can’t resist a peek over the edge of the cliff to see the road in our preit. It’s just a shame that, once again, tourists aplenty and some very low speed event pictures. From atop a gushing waterfall that tumbles out of sight, I can limits mean the crossing is at a somewhat pedestrian pace. Happily though, see why it’s an attraction in its own right – an engineering marvel that took the improved weather means I can do it with the roof down and feel the fresh eight years to construct in the 1930s. The road snakes down a steep cliff sea air in my face. surrounded by mountains and cascading water.

It’s been quite a trip, and the Continental GT V8 S is quite a car, even if As I hop back in the car and begin the descent, it occurs to me that this there’s been little new to learn about it. Bentley has made the sensible choice not would be a fascinating road to attack hard in a sports car. But in this weather, to mess with a winning formula. The new Continental GT has hardly changed and with plenty of tourist traffic here for the views down the valley ahead, I from the old one, but remains a superbly capable and luxurious machine; one for restrict myself to cruising and gawping at the looming sights myself. Besides, which I’d happily fly EasyJet to drive these roads in it again. despite the so-far excellent handling of the GT, hairpins even at slower

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| T h e G a ra ge | Tr iu m ph TR 6 |

Triumph Over Adversity importing a classic car into the region can be a daunting, but

ultimately rewarding, experience

–

as kevin hackett discovered

when he brought a triumph

TR6 from spain.

Words: Kevin Hackett Pictures: WSF Creative

I’m sure

there are worse roundabouts than the enormous, convoluted and always terribly congested nightmare that drivers need to negotiate near Dubai’s Investment Park. Right now, though, I can’t think of any. Even on a good day this place sucks the life out of me; a horrid, polluted circular route that might as well be the Orbital around London, it’s that miserable. Only I’ve never hated it more than I do this very moment.

Tempting fate, I decided to take my heavily pregnant wife with me while I return my car to its custodian, where it lives during the UAE’s summer months. The car in question – a Triumph TR6 – is 39-years old but it’s new to me and, wanting to preserve its excellent condition, it stays at Parc Fermé – a storage and maintenance facility for an evergrowing collection of precious metal. And, on this roundabout from Hades, it now fails to proceed. 

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| T h e G a ra ge | Tr iu m ph TR 6 |

form of a recovery truck operator who’s noticed our plight – we’re rescued, out of harm’s way and Mrs H is still smiling.

Once at Parc Fermé, the engineer who’s been looking after my car lifts up its bonnet, fiddles with some sort of cylindrical thing that I believe is one of the carburetors and it starts just fine. If only I was good with spanners – perhaps it’s time I became au fait with a tool kit and got some oil under my fingernails.

Truth be told, I’ve been waiting for this moment – the time when owning a classic car bites me in the nether regions. When I bought it in late springtime, I tried to mentally steel myself for the inevitable bad times, reasoning that, much like being married to a really beautiful woman who’s at times a bit barking mad, the highs will outweigh – and hopefully outnumber – the lows.

Take the rough with the smooth and all that. And during the inevitable breakdowns, at least there’s something nice to look at. Welcome to the world of classic car ownership, Hackett.

My mistake was switching off the engine at the lights. The dying summer temperatures are still a bit too hot for the old girl and, not wishing for the engine to overheat, I thought it would be a good idea to give it a short rest, especially as I know it needs a new temperature sensor to activate the fan at the appropriate juncture.

I’d been doing this throughout the day without problem but now, as the billions of trucks start to move after the lights turn green, my orange TR6 is not starting. Not that I can tell, over the surrounding racket of drivers all leaning on their horns and revving their engines, if it’s even trying to turn over.

Disaster. I look at my wife, despair etched onto my terrified face. She laughs, which actually helps for once, because she can see the funny side of a situation I can barely get my head around.

What can I do? Will the procession of trucks ever end? I’m not even in the outside lane, which would at least have made it easier to push the car onto the edge of the road. Relief comes in the

“When I squeeze that throttle, hear the deep baritone of its six-cylinder engine, feel the rear squat as it accelerates... I see the appreciative smiles, waves and lifting of thumbs by other drivers who probably have never seen a car such as this.”

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“It was the car that got me into cars and, nostalgia being an unrelenting force in the buying habits of middle-aged men, recently I’ve had a TR6-shaped itch that needed scratching. Not any more.”

My love affair with the TR6 began in 1979, when I was eight-years old and the car that I now own was barely three. Always an extrovert, my father bought one to use as the family car and, from the time when he rocked up in it till the moment he sold it less than a year later, I was smitten, hooked.

It was the car that got me into cars and, nostalgia being an unrelenting force in the buying habits of middle-aged men, recently I’ve had a TR6-shaped itch that needed scratching. Not any more.

Looking back, it’s utterly preposterous that dad would think a TR6, with its pitifully small rear “parcel shelf ” in lieu of actual seats, would do as transport for a family of five. But times were different then and, well, if you ever met him, you’d probably understand. He isn’t what you’d call “conventional”. Even in 1979 the TR6 was dated, with the looks and characteristics of a classic – the last of a now dead breed of hairychested British sports cars for the masses.

He loved it, as did anyone who clapped eyes on it, but it was a product of strike-torn British Leyland and I vividly recall the weekends he spent patching up the corroding bodywork and trying to find a mechanic who knew what to do with it.

I cried when he sold it but I fully understand why he did. These days, cars such as this have often been lovingly restored and their inbuilt faults put right. He’d bought the right car at the wrong time and he bought a Betamax video recorder with the proceeds of the sale. Yeah, I know.

“Because it’s reeeeally cool. I like it...”

As if I needed any excuse, as soon as the film was over I was online, looking at the 80-orso TR6s for sale in Europe on a website called autoscout24.eu. I had enough money sitting

in my account to buy, I thought, a fairly clean example and still afford all the shipping costs, so I showed my “little commandant” a small selection that I’d shortlisted. My newfound and ridiculously urgent need to have a TR6 in my life was, understandably, lost on her. But I was a man on a mission and narrowed down the search to just one: what I called a “carrot orange” 1976 model – made in the very month production ended and the era of the great British sports car died with it.

Former Top Gear presenter, James May, once described the TR6 as the “blokiest bloke’s car ever made” – when I heard that, my obsession just got stronger. Wary of buying a duffer, though, emails between me and the seller in Vigo, Spain, were quickly exchanged. Why, I enquired, was the price so low? What did it need doing to it? After all, in the UK there was one for sale at exactly the same price that required a complete restoration. Spain, it turns out, is the place to buy cars like this now, because of its woeful economic situation. What you might find for sale elsewhere in Europe could be half the price in Spain. But still I felt nervous about buying something like this unseen, especially as my wife was getting a bit panicky about her trigger-happy husband.

On the verge of trading in a substantial amount of air miles for a return flight to Spain, a eureka moment: why not find an inspection service that could produce a report for me? It 

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Wind the clock forward 35 years and, in midMarch this year, my wife and I were watching a film called Kill The Messenger. The central character – a journalist in the US – drove a green TR6 in it and my wife wanted to know what it was.

“That’s a Triumph TR6. My dad used to have one when I was a kid. Why?”

| T h e G a ra ge | Tr iu m ph TR 6 |

would be quick, easy, inexpensive and they, unlike me, would know what they were looking at. I found one and, three days later, a man called Nuno explained over the phone that the car was as good as any he’d ever seen and stopped just short of saying “If you don’t buy it, I will.” He’d had it up on the ramps, lifted the carpets, removed the spare wheel, removed the battery to check for corrosion and taken it for a half hour test drive – undoubtedly the best €100 I’ll ever spend.

This sealed the deal. Money was wired to Spain and arrangements were made.

Five weeks later, in a Dubai shipping yard that looked like it had been used for bomb testing, a lorry was parked with a Maersk container on its trailer, backed up to a rusting metal ramp. As the two steel doors were heaved open, screeching, there it was: an orange Triumph TR6. My TR6. My toy, my new life partner, my own piece of motoring history. My financial ruin?

Laughing out loud, I dashed up the ramp to give it a cursory visual inspection, which told me what I needed to know: that this was a car that had been meticulously restored and looked after ever since. It

“Even in 1979 the TR6 was dated, with the looks and characteristics of a classic – the last of a now dead breed of hairy-chested British sports cars for the masses.”

[AT A GLANCE]:

1970s Triumph TR6

was absolutely immaculate. I steered it out of its tomb and down the ramp as two men pushed. Once on the ground it took 30 seconds of engine turning before the 2.5-litre, straight-six under its bonnet spluttered into life and settled into a reassuringly rhythmic idle.

My baby was alive.

You may well be wondering what the big deal is here. I’ve imported a British classic car from Europe and it’s arrived safe and well in Dubai – so what, haven’t plenty of people done that before me? Yes, of course, but instead of me paying for someone else to sort everything, I have taken the path of maximum resistance and arranged pretty much everything myself.

And the fact, having been through the processes involved, that I still have at least some hair left and am still married shows that it’s not something to be afraid of. Seriously, if I can do it, so can you.

In the months since, what my wife describes as “the silly orange car” has been checked over by experts who confirm its pristine condition, although several minor jobs have been carried out to its engine and I’ve

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Engine: 2.5-litre, in-line six-cylinder Power / Torque: 106hp @ 4,900rpm / 203Nm @ 3,500rpm Transmission: 4-speed manual Weight: 1,130kg Performance: Top Speed 120mph; 0-60mph in 8.2 seconds Original Price: $3,375 Value now: $35,000 Above; The TR6 being unloaded at Jebel Ali Port; and here, in all its glory, on the streets of Dubai.

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had new brakes fitted, as well as new wheel trims (the suitcases are getting heavier when I return home from the UK these days). All-in-all, though, I’ve bought myself an absolute bargain. It’s a shrewd investment, too, proved when a man pulls up next to me at a different set of traffic lights and offers to buy it – right there and then – for twice what it cost me. I’m not ready, though. Not yet.

Now that I have my own TR6, my father reminds me of the power of first love and he’s absolutely right.

Yes, there may be trouble ahead but as things stand, despite its little hissy-fit this afternoon, I’m committed to a long-term relationship with this gorgeous creature.

Whenever I squeeze that throttle, hear the deep baritone of its six-cylinder engine, feel the rear squat as it accelerates and see the appreciative smiles, waves and lifting of thumbs by other drivers who probably have never seen a car such as this, I know all the effort has been worth it.

| T h e G a ra ge | Th u n de r bo a t s |

s t a o b r e

d n u Th

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James Nicholls dives deep into the history of speedboat racing’s famous “Thunderboats.”

Words: James Nicholls Pictures: James Nicholls, Getty Images

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T

he two most famous trophies for very fast racing boats, the British Harmsworth Trophy and the American Gold Cup, were first run in 1903 and 1904 respectively. Soon after, in Australia, not to be left behind by the rest of the world, and despite the tyranny of distance, the E.C.Griffith Cup was first contested in 1910, making it one of the oldest continuous motorsport trophies of all.

The early contestants of these events ran in boats with automobile engines, adapted for marine use, from the likes of Napier, Mercedes, Hispano-Suiza, Delahaye, Daimler, Simplex, Standard, Isotta Frachini and Packard. The history of the three trophies is rich and varied and, over the years, the rules and regulations for each were changed and adapted to suit technology, though sometimes for reasons not entirely without personal prejudice. For example the 1922 ABPA Gold Cup held in Detroit was only contested by “gentlemen’s runabouts” after hydroplanes – with which Gar Wood had won the Cup for the previous five years – were banned.

The primary rule for the Griffith Cup is that boats can be of any design, so long as a single engine is situated inboard, and that it is propellor driven. There are no restrictions on the modifications allowed to the engine. Indeed, the world over, the idea of the unlimited engine in a 

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| T h e G a ra ge | Th u n de r bo a t s |

quest for greater speeds had quickly taken hold.

As a result of this, in the late 1920s and ‘30s, aero engines were regularly utilised by those in the top echelons of the sport.

Thus it was, that on Friday 13th of June 1930, whilst attempting a world water speed record on Lake Windermere in the north of England, Sir Henry Segrave was killed in Miss England II which was powered by two Rolls-Royce “R” experimental aero engines which produced a total of 4,000 HP. Segrave had been travelling at almost 100mph, a quantum leap from the 19mph of Napier 1 in the first Harmsworth Trophy race 27 years previously.

He had raised the record to 98.67mph but was fatally injured before bringing the boat back to shore. At the time of his death he was the world land speed record holder having recorded 231.44mph on the 29th March 1929 at Daytona Beach in Golden Arrow. Segrave’s record breaking car was powered by a 23,907 cc 12 cylinder Napier Lion aircraft engine developing 920 horsepower.

The technological advancements achieved during the Great War were partially responsible for this, and during the 1930s the sport started to see a distinction between boats built for out and out record breaking and those built to win the prestigious cup and trophy events. The speed record breakers were incapable of making high speed turns on a circuit, but were designed to go in a straight line as quickly as possible. Sir Malcolm Campbell in Bluebird K4, his revolutionary three point hydroplane design by Vosper (a hull designed with its three stepped points only touching the

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water when on the plane), driven by a 1,760 HP Rolls-Royce engine achieved a water speed record of 141.74mph on Coniston Water on the 19th August 1939.

Again, due to technological advancements gained from necessarily competitive knowledge from the Second World War, there were vast improvements for both trophy boats and record breakers. The jet engine became the weapon of choice for the record breaking attempts, and it was quickly adopted by Malcolm Campbell who fitted a De Haviland “Goblin” into Bluebird II. As Campbell wrote in 1946, “will jet propulsion revolutionise maritime transport like it is currently transforming air transport? I do not know. But my next record attempt will be, as far as possible within my means, a way of participating in the

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The Aggressor – returned to its former glory and once more ripping across the water.

exploration of new possibilities.”

Meanwhile, the piston-engined boats with propellers were still competitive, and out of necessity of adherence to the rules, still being run in the big trophy races. In the Unlimited Class, though it was aeroplane engines that were being used. Whilst on the continent of Europe, smaller class boats, identified by gross weight and engine size ran with hulls from the San Marco or Timossi yards with race-bred Maserati, Alfa-Romeo or Ferrari engines installed, the aero engine held sway in the Unlimited class so popular in North America and to a lesser extent Australasia.

The shape of racing hydroplanes did not alter that much in the 1950s and 1960s and the preferred engine of choice for the Unlimited boats was a Rolls-Royce Merlin. The Merlin engine had been one of the Allied “heroes” of World War II. Its antecedents had come from the American designed Curtiss V12 engine. Rolls-Royce, aware of how good the Curtiss V12 was, had one

shipped to the UK from the USA, stripped down and analysed and then improved and rebuilt as the Kestrel, Griffon and Merlin engines.

Malcolm Campbell had used just such an engine in his Campbell Rolls-Royce Railton Bluebird when he set the world land speed record of 301.129mph on the 3rd September 1935 at the Bonneville Salt Falts in Utah, whilst a Supermarine Aviation plane had achieved over 400mph when winning the Schneider Trophy Race for seaplanes in 1931 also using a Rolls-Royce motor. The Merlin engine’s most famous claim to fame however was when it was coupled to the legendary Spitfire, the most famous fighter plane of WW II. The engine was an enormous success and when the Rolls-Royce Merlin was fitted into the problematic American fighter plane, the Pursuit Fighter 51, which evolved into the Mustang P-51, an even greater success. By 1943 the Mustang was being churned out as fast as the American industrial machine could produce them. This meant that

in the peace time, post war, jet-age that it was possible to find a war surplus Rolls-Royce Merlin engine from a Spitfire or Mustang quite easily, and at a reasonable price, in many parts of the world.

Many of these Merlin engines found their way into Unlimited hydroplanes.

Gar Wood had been the first person to drive a boat at over 100mph when, on March 20th 1931, he had taken his Miss America IX to 102.256mph at Miami Beach in Florida. Lagging behind somewhat, it was not until 1955 that this speed was reached in Australia, when Fleetwing, powered by a Merlin attained 106.525mph on Kogarah Bay, though a New Zealand boat, Redhead, had gone 101.3mph earlier that same year.

Hydroplane racing in the late ‘50s and 1960s was a tremendously popular sport in Australia. In late 1961, Dave Tenny, a 20-year-old apprentice fitter and turner, designed and began the construction of a boat in his parents’ back yard.

It resembled, in both look and colour scheme, 

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| T h e G a ra ge | Th u n de r bo a t s |

Powerd by its fully restored Rolls-royce Merlin engine, the, Thunderboat was a painstaking project.

Miss Bardahl, the 1958 US National Champion of which he had seen a photograph reproduced in Popular Boating Magazine. Dave Tenny had no professional training or experience of boat building whatsoever, but with the help of a few friends, some Aussie grit and know-how, and a lot of hard work, produced Aggressor.

Aggressor was a 26-foot, six inches long, ten foot beam hydroplane made from plywood, Oregon timber, aluminium and fibreglass fitted with a 27-litre super charged Rolls-Royce Merlin engine from a Mustang fighter plane producing over 2,000 horsepower. By 1965/66 the boat was completed and ready for racing by the callow Tenny and his friend and helper, co-pilot Les Scott.

It was a hard road for the privateers who were racing on a limited budget and experiencing many technical and mechanical problems and frustrations including carburettor problems and even a sinking! In 1971, however, Tenny’s luck began to change. The dominant boat at that time in Australia was another hydroplane running the Australian version of the Merlin engine, the 22 ft long, nine foot six inch beam, Stampede.

Stampede had won the highly coveted Griffith Cup in 1970 and 1971 and previous to this had set an Australian record of 154.32mph on Lake Glenmaggie in Victoria. But the Griffith Cup of ’71 on Lake Eppalock, some 130km northwest of Melbourne had been a close run thing. Stampede and Aggressor, the “Thunderboats” as they were known, due to the cataclysmic roar emitted by their

engines, met for the first time. The first nine mile heat over the mile and a half oval course on the Eppalock water was won by Stampede; the second

by Aggressor. In the final Aggressor was closing in fast on Stampede when, on the fourth lap, Aggressor’s engine water delivery hose burst forcing Tenny to retire from the race.

The Thunderboats, when running properly, were unstoppable. Simply too fast and powerful for lesser boats fitted with more simple – but also more relaible – marinised motor car engines. But the Thunderboats’ days were short lived, with the amazing 1971/72 season proving to be their swan song down under. Aggressor had a season like never before or never again for any boat. Tenny entered his Unlimited in all of the eleven races for which it was eligible.

In the first ten outings, he sensationally took victory, beating Stampede in the process at the 1972 Griffith Cup and also winning the Australia National Championship along the way. Then in Aggressor’s final race of the season, the A.E.Baker Championship at Hen & Chicken Bay on Sydney Harbour, whilst jousting with the 6-litre Class boat, Air New Zealand, which was powered by a 350 Chevy, disaster struck. Aggressor crashed horrifically after bending its rudder, possibly hitting a submerged object or catching a sponson at around 150mph. Tenny and Scott were badly injured. Tenny physically recovered but Les Scott, clinically dead on the way to the hospital, was left a paraplegic, crippled for life and consigned to a wheel-chair.

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The quiet Tenny has had little to do with boats ever since and certainly not on the scale to which he devoted over a decade of his life. As he said in an interview in 2009, “after that, things just weren’t the same. I tried to repair the boat over a couple of years, but my heart just wasn’t in it and I have to say, I’m still uncomfortable working with boats to this day.”

The story of the Thunderboats in Australia might have ended there were it not for another Dave. Dave Pagano, a Sydney based racing boat driver and boat restorer and aficionado of all things motor driven, found out that the boat still just-survived. He purchased what was left in 1999 and between 2005 and 2007 returned it, and its behemoth Merlin, to their former glory after a meticulous and painstaking restoration project.

“I’d known of Aggressor for years and really admired Dave Tenny and how as a young man he’d built the boat from scratch from a few drawings.

I’d actually seen footage of the last crash and thought that the boat had been destroyed. When I heard that it still existed, I just had to have it. As far as I’m concerned it's the greatest Unlimited race boat in Australia’s history,” says the enthusiastic Pagano.

And that enthusiasm is contagious as in early 2015 I am present at a rare outing of Aggressor on the Upper Hawkesbury River not far from Sydney.

The boat is lowered into the water from its trailer.

Pagano ignites the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, its magic casting a roaring aural spell across the water once more.

Driven mEn

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| D r ive n Me n | Fe r r u c c io L a m bo rgh in i |

Born into a poor farming family, Ferruccio Lamborghini’s life seemed mapped out on the fields of Emilia-Romagna. Those were the rules. As it turns out, Lamborghini was never really one for following rules.

Rebel With A Cause

Words: Dejan Jovanovic Pictures: Lamborghini / All Rights Reserved

It was beautiful.

Gleaming in vibrant orange, with matching wheels, sculpted engine shroud, satin black split grille and bulging headlamps that would win a staring contest with Clint Eastwood. It was a tractor. But it had one more thing going for it; the insides of the handcrafted wheel fenders were engraved “Made in Modena,” and that was a Lamborghini tractor’s all-access pass to admiration in customers’ minds. After all grape juice is just grape juice, unless the bottle says “Made in Champagne.”

I’ve travelled to Italy many times, and the eyes can be as hypnotised by the natural and architectural abounding beauty, as they can be apathetic. Siena, for example, deserves all its accolades as a World Heritage Site, but there are countless other towns on the way fouled by Communist-like cinder-block social projects, sagging telephone wires, overgrown brush, scribbled graffiti and abandoned warehouses.

Modena is a bit like that. But its accolade is its people. A virtue that, if there was such a thing as UNESCO status in automotive circles, would make it the Holy Land. It was Vittorio Stanguellini, an eminent tuner of Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Maserati cars, and one Enzo Ferrari that first set up shop in the small Emilia-Romagna town. Maserati’s Adolfo Orsi, too, soon decided to move in attracted by the town’s skilled artisans. While the rest of Italy always favoured oils and marble, Modena’s art medium was steel. Pagani and De Tomaso are two more car marques that have swelled the region’s population.

Ferruccio Elio Arturo Lamborghini was born about 30 kilometers away, in a northern village called Renazzo. His own supercar company would bide its time, yet when the wealthy industrialist finally branched out, the cars he created shocked both Modena’s, and the world’s, establishment.

Born on April 28th, 1916, to a poor family, young Ferruccio’s parents quickly realised they had a tough little rascal on their hands, one who didn’t dwell on conventionalism. They wanted Ferruccio to carry on the family’s simple tradition of farming, but he was more interested in dismantling ageing farm equipment.

Instead of conforming and packing off to nearby Bologna to get an agricultural qualification, Ferruccio completed a mechanical degree, at first against the wishes of his parents but later with their consent. This steadfastness would follow him to the end, exemplifying his car company’s struggle against Modena’s status quo.

Soon after his studies, World War II broke out and Ferruccio got his first practical field

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| D r ive n Me n | Fe r r u c c io L a m bo rgh in i |

“I had a bit of an argument with my friend Enzo, who reckoned I wasn’t able to drive a Ferrari, only tractors. Finally I'd had enough. I slammed the door and vowed I would build my own car.

The way I wanted it.” - Ferruccio Lamborghini

Above: Ferruccio Lamborghni at the wheel of one his cars; Below: conducting his business on his terms.

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exam on the Greek front. He was in charge of vehicle maintenance and the responsibility suited him greatly. When he returned home, he set up shop in Cento, a stone’s throw from his birthplace, where his business of converting inadequate army surplus hardware into tractors steadily grew.

Lamborghini Trattori was founded in 1948, and the success of the business in this heavily agricultural region spawned offshoots for industrial air conditioning units and heaters by the end of the following decade. It was all business, however. The time soon came when Ferruccio’s finances assured him of lifelong security, and now he wanted to follow his passion; helicopters.

The Italian government, unfortunately, refused to license such a venture and the big Emilia-Romagna industrialist was left to contemplate his future. He certainly had plenty of time for reflection, while he enjoyed the countryside from behind the wheel of one of his sports cars.

Lamborghini’s wealth garnered him an envious collection, including Alfa Romeos, Mercedes-Benzes, Jaguars, Maseratis, Lancias and Ferraris. It was a far cry from his humble automotive beginnings with 13 horsepower: “I started motoring soon after the war, with a Fiat Topolino. I went through a large number of them, and soon I began to tune them, taking the displacement up from 500cc to 750cc and fitting my own Testa d'Oro head to convert them from side valves to overhead valves,” he once explained.

Everyone has their own way of getting the bug.

By 1958 he’d already been through a few red cars with the famous Prancing Horse badge on their long, V12housing noses. That year he didn’t need to travel very far to purchase a new Ferrari 250 GT, Modena being a leisurely half-hour drive from Cento. But the car didn’t convince him of its stature.

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measure, “I liked my Ferraris, but I was sick and tired of spending so much of my time burning out their clutches. All my Ferraris had clutch problems… The problem was never cured, so one day I decided to talk to Enzo Ferrari. I had to wait for him a very long time. 'Ferrari, your cars are rubbish!' I complained. Il Commendatore was furious. I had a bit of an argument with my friend Enzo, who reckoned I wasn’t able to drive a Ferrari, only tractors. Finally I'd had enough. I slammed the door and vowed I would build my own car. The way I wanted it.

“It’s very simple. In the past, I have bought some of the most famous Gran Turismo cars and in each of these magnificent machines I have found some faults. Too hot. Or uncomfortable. Or not sufficiently fast. Or not perfectly finished. Now I want to make a GT car without faults. Very normal, very conventional, but a perfect car. I wanted a compact, elegant car with twelve cylinders of high cubic capacity, four carburettors and large valves. A sturdy machine, with dry sump lubrication.”

Presumably a decent clutch was also on his list of priorities.

But the first road-going Lamborghini would have to wait a couple of years. First there was the matter of the name, and the emblem. “In 1962 I visited Eduardo Miura’s ranch in Seville,” regaled Lamborghini, “Where he raised bulls for bullfighting, and I was so impressed that by the time I got home I had already selected my future emblem.” In this second “insult” directed at Old Man Enzo, Lamborghini picked a golden raging bull set on a gleaming black background.

As for the third offence, he snatched Giotto Bizzarrini away from Maranello and commissioned the great engineer to design him a road-focused V12 engine, with a Ferrari-matching three-litre capacity. Bizzarrini went one better, creating a high-compression 3.5-litre unit with an extraordinary 100 horsepower (plus) per litre.

Bizzarrini’s naturally-aspirated masterpiece ended up being celebrated for half a century, as the basic

design could be found in the fronts and backs of Lamborghinis until, just recently, the latest Aventador necessitated a replacement. No other V12 engine has endured that long.

Utilising his business acumen of saving money by using tractor parts wherever possible, Lamborghini opened his car factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese.

The address? Number 12, Via Modena. Enzo must’ve been taking notice.

Now he had the drivetrain but the body was still missing, and Lamborghini himself settled on a relative unknown called Franco Scaglione whose credentials post-Lamborghini improved to the effect of being selected to body the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale. As for the chassis, another ex-Ferrari engineer Gian Paolo Dallara was picked to deliver the first Raging Bull in just four months, in time for 1963’s Turin motor show. They worked all summer and by that October, the 350 GTV was ready. Immediately after the show, on October 30th 1963, Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini S.p.A was founded.

Even though Italy’s press praised the 350 GTV, Ferruccio ordered a restyling of the car by Carrozzeria Touring and detuned the engine for road use, selling only 13 examples in 1964 and at a loss, too, just to undercut Ferrari’s prices. Another 120 cars followed in the next couple of years, then just less than 250 400GTs left Sant’Agata Bolognese with the increased displacement to 3.9-litres.

But it was all only a taster. Ferruccio still had that meeting with Eduardo Miura in his mind. It was time to show the world just how unconventional he could be.

In truth, the Miura was the bastard child of Ferruccio’s in-house engineers, a skunkworks “Saturday club” who toiled away on a mid-engined prototype on weekends and after hours. Lamborghini Automobili was supposed to be all about Grand Tourers, and the proprietor was against racecar-like machines – that was Enzo’s job. But he recognised his staff ’s efforts, and even more

so, how the result could prick another thorn into Enzo’s side.

When the Marcello Gandini-designed Miura took centre stage at the Geneva show in 1966, the motoring world gasped for air. Never before has a road-going car bellowed onto the market with a V12 engine sticking out the back, let alone a transversely mounted one.

It was a long year of waiting with bated breath until Lamborghini Automobili updated the P400 (“posteriore,” for the engine position, and 400 for

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Top: The 350 GTS, Lamborghini's first forray into the world of sports cars; Above: With his Lamborghini Muira, revolutionary with its rear-mounted, transversly positioned V12 engine.

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“In 1974 the Countach entered production. Single-handedly, it ushered in the wedge era of supercar design, as well as the top speed war."

Top: The era-defining Lamborghini Countach; Above: Another example of the 350 GT; Right: The stunning Lamborghini Muira.

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the 4.0-litre – although it was a white lie; the engine was the same as the 400GT’s 3.9-litre) prototype Turin star into a production reality. The midengined Miura, at the time the fastest car in the world and, with up to 380 horsepower, one of the most powerful as well, instantly became the poster child of Italy’s automobile production.

Outrageously, for some at least, posters dotting childrens’ walls no longer depicted a red car – once again Ferruccio bucked the trend in his own way, dismissing Italy’s national racing hue for audacious colours like lime green, baby blue and bright orange.

The Miura catapulted Lamborghini into the stratosphere, but it also created a major problem. As the company’s flagship until 1972, how were they to possibly top it with a suitable successor?

The company took two years off to come up with a plan, and in 1974 Gandini’s Countach entered production. Single-handedly it ushered in the wedge era of supercar design, as well as the top speed war. Lamborghini’s Countach, with Bizzarrini’s dependable V12 growing from 4.2- to 4.8- and then to 5.2-litres in final evolutionary form, usually ruled on both accounts, with up to 450 horsepower and a top speed of at least 300km/h.

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cabin, the Countach was on the complete opposite spectrum of what Ferruccio initially envisioned reliable, useable Grand Tourers. But then again he was never one for sticking to the rules.

Ferruccio Lamborghini knew how to enjoy life, but only if he could do it his way. His little beef with Enzo settled, in his later years he dabbled in wine making, because that’s what he wanted.

As for Il Commendatore, we idolise him for the cars he made – but all Enzo wanted was a flash of red across the finish line. Lamborghini just wanted to make cars.

Every picture of Ferruccio Lamborghini is of the man smiling, innocently, honestly, in posed photographs and chance encounters, over his shoulder, or off guard behind the wheel of one of his cars. He was a happy man doing what he loved.

Perhaps, if some cars truly do have a soul, this is why his creations are so childishly enjoyable.

grand tourismo

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| G ra n d To u r i s m o | V W B e e t l e |

california steadfastly east coast american, steven paugh, finally discovers

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dreaming

the otherworldly appeal of california in a VW beetle.

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| G ra nd Tour is m o | T h e Pa c ific C o a s t H ighway in a B e e t l e |

Words: Steven Paugh | Pictures: Volkwagen, Shutterstock

California

is a great place to get lost, not to mention to lose yourself.

I say this with a certain amount of experience, though as an American, not as much as you might think. Surprising as it may seem to some, in my 33 years of being a United States national, I’d never once before been to the great, Golden State of California.

Oh sure, I’ve lived my way across five different countries throughout North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, but for some reason or another, this Washington D.C.-born, Virginia-bred Yank had never heretofore been to what some of us Easties call the “Left Coast” ... because it sure ain’t right (ba-dum-bump). Clearly, this was a geographic blind spot that wanted illuminating.

In my defense, the United States is a pretty big place, and it takes about as long to get from D.C. to Europe as it does to get

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out west. So my question has always been, “Why waste the time, money and effort just to end up in the same country?” As I would soon discover, however, California is its own country; in some ways it may very well be its own planet.

There really is no better way to see California than driving through it, and I was fortunate that my first trip there would be sponsored so graciously by the good folks at Volkswagen, who flew myself and a retinue of my fellow Middle East journos to “The Golden State” to test drive the iconic VW Beetle.

A fitting way, I feel, to explore this sun-drenched route given that it was

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Left: The VW Beetles en-route to Santa Monica; Right: The Bixby Creek Bridge; Below: Street performers entertaining passers-by.

very much the Californians, gorging themselves on the fruits of the “summer of love,” that helped turn the rearengined “people’s car” from a symbol of wartime fascism into the fun-loving, surfscene “love bug” it is viewed as today.

So, with chariot in check, our story begins, as many have before it, in San Francisco.

Now, the term “ultra-modern” gets bandied about a lot these days, but perhaps to no better place can it be applied than the Hotel Zetta, the headquarters of our whistle-stop stay in The Golden Gate City.

Immediately evoking a sense memory of the chic, uptown environs of some or another accomplished urban artist, Zetta’s foyer comes replete with the trappings of the stylistically non-sequitur, with its twostorey, pachinko ball game, an effervescent corner watering hole and the semi-attached games parlour, which lords over the space like a jester snuck atop a king’s balcony.

Zetta’s mash-up mentality doesn’t just transcend its entrance to its well-appointed rooms, which themselves benefit from atmospheric elements like massive and astonishingly-arresting mosaics rendered lovingly from discarded floppy disks, but also encapsulates what makes “The City” so endearingly unique.

Well-placed in its centralised location, Hotel Zetta rides a dividing line in a city rife with them, whereupon one side of a street crackles the lustre of the high-end, while the other sits and sips at its jam jar-entrapped drinks and tuts at the roving packs of the rather more unsavory element crooning at the night from dark corners.

It’s an exciting town, seasoned by the sounds of sidewalk buskers vying for vocal dominance over the gulls, and perfumed by a hazy, lazy scent of the illicit. With its curvaceous wynds and the intimidating swells of its infamous and ubiquitous concrete tsunami streets, San Francisco is both the most European and ethereal place I have ever been to in my homeland, and one that I hope to explore further next time. And there will be a next time.

Waking to the celebrated canopy of fog that clutters the skies of Frisco (a contentious nickname, and one I use here with the purpose of unsettling the uptight), it was finally time to start my cross-California trek that would take me south, down the spine of the State and along one of the most popular roads in America, if not the entire world: California’s famous Route 1.

“It would be a difficult thing, indeed, not to fall in love with the stunning south-bound drive along what is called colloquially the coastal highway.”

It would be a difficult thing, indeed, not to fall in love with the stunning south-bound drive along what is called colloquially the coastal highway. When you’re not devouring the oceanfront scenery or lingering over the breathtaking vistas that hang over cliffs like the thin haze of mist that sits nonchalantly above sternly-crashing waves, you’re going to want a car robust enough to carve and slice against the road’s buxom curves. To its credit, the Beetle did just that, though not without un-cajoled gumption.

Almost immediately giving up the unsaid race with far-too lead-footed motoring journalists, I decided to drive the route as it was intended to be driven; which is to say, leisurely. In fact, by comparison to my east-coast hometown, California overall offers a much more relaxed American journey.

Whether it was in the long, unhurried roadside conversations I had with previously Mexico-traversing, now-local farmers whose interests included hosting homegrown markets and (coincidentally) fixing up classic VW Beetles, or chatting absentmindedly with other travellers and fellow diners at the Nepenthe Restaurant, one of the Big Sur region’s most wellknown, nestled gems, the northern Californian lifestyle is luxuriantly ambulatory and enticing in its ease. Of course, this was almost immediately counter-balanced by our next stop, quite possibly the area’s most interesting attraction: Hearst Castle.

Like an invading phalanx of adorability, our retinue of Beetles were given rare, unfettered access to Hearst Castle, an historically unfinished landmark built between 1919 and 1947 by the father of so-called “yellow journalism” and uncontested 20th Century newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst.

Designed by architect Julia Morgan and erected on a sprawling expanse that greatly exceeds 1,000 kilometres, the 90,000 square metres of Hearst’s proposed “summer home” 

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| G ra nd Tour is m o | T h e Pa c ific C o a s t H ighway in a B e e t l e |

“If the “Eureka State” could be described in poles, San Francisco would stand as one, while the other would most definitely be Santa Monica.”

“You’re going to want a car robust enough to carve and slice against the road’s buxom curves. To its credit, the Beetle did just that, though not without un-cajoled gumption.”

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“The story of California is written in the ever-twisting cursive script of an infinite road flanked on both sides by either rocks that meet the sea in a captivating collision, or trees that stand impossibly tall and resolute against an otherwise open countryside.”

Opposite Page (clockwise from top): The Beetle handling the route with aplomb; one of the many opulent bedrooms in the Hearst Castle; one of California's many famous intersections; the Hotel Zetta in San Francisco.

This Page (clockwise from top): An exterior view of Hearst Castle; dramatic coastal vistas lined the route; The luxuriouslyappointed swimming pool at Hearst Castle.

would elicit wonder-through-opulence from even the most moneyed modern Khaleeji sheikh.

Once frequented by stars of screen and stage like Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, James Stewart, and even more politicallyprominent figures like Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, the so-named “castle” is the very definition of grand, thanks not just to its sheer size and cathedral-esque stature, but to its collection of architectural oddities.

These extravagant eccentricities include, but are not limited to of course the palatial and stately home and guest houses, themselves, the specially-designed tennis courts, an indoor “Neptune Pool” made all the more august by Italian marble statues and pure gold inlays, a collection of ancient Egyptian icons and sarcophagi, and at one time, a fully-integrated and lavish zoo!

Unfortunately, Hearst never realised the final dream of the castle he would call a ranch, but it remains a faithfully-maintained folly, and is without question a must-see for anyone traversing California’s northwestern spread, whether it’s just a normal person like you or me, or one of its more famous pilgrims, like Lady Gaga, who shot her music video/art-film, G.U.Y. there.

After completing our jaunt for the day with a night’s rest at the otherwise unremarkable Cliffs Resort in San Luis Obispo, the

most exceptional quality of which was its staggeringly-beautiful sunset view over the seemingly endless Pacific Ocean, we carried onward to what I believe to be California’s most “Californian” city, Santa Monica.

If the “Eureka State” could be described in poles, San Francisco would stand as one, while the other would most definitely be Santa Monica. Put up at the appropriately-named Shore Hotel overlooking Ocean Avenue, which flows parallel to the Pacific, and stands a short few blocks away from the city’s famous pier and neighbouring attractions, there really is no better spot from which the luxurious should explore Santa Monica.

Forget the oppressive cluster of Los Angeles’ Hollywood; it’s fine if you’re in the mood for hyper-reality ridiculum, but for the true glitz and glamour of California, Santa Monica has it all, from tiny, hole-in-the-wall blues bars (which I was fortunate enough to frequent), to incredibly chic fusion restaurants like the nearby Blue Plate Taco (try the lobster tacos) and, for the swarthy celebrity shopper, the vehicularly-intraversible Third Street Promenade, which itself was only a few blocks away from our hotel.

Beneath a seemingly endless shower of sunlight, Santa Monica offers the quintessential beachfront high-life and was the ideal bookend to my brief, yet incredible California sojourn, and I confess to wondering whether I’d been born on the right coast.

Written in the ever-twisting cursive script of an infinite road flanked on both sides by either rocks that meet the sea in a captivating collision, or trees that stand impossibly tall and resolute against an otherwise open countryside, the story of California is one I am glad to have finally experienced, and look forward to revisiting again very soon.

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| G ra nd Tour i s m o | S o m e t h in g Fo r Th e We e ke n d |

grooming gorgeous!

A little grooming goes a long way, as does as does a well-manicured gent. Let Volante be your guide to the essential kit required for the modern man.

Light Fantastic

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or those gents who like to keep a naked, clean shaven face, one of the biggest financial burdens on their monthly income is disposable razor blades.

They are extortionate in price and seem to last little longer than the life of a mayfly. So, when we at Volante first heard about the Skarp Laser Razor we were naturally very excited. Not only does it promise a lifetime of bladeless shaving, the eradication of razor burn and closer shave to boot, it’s a freaking laser! It’s a Lightsabre for your face. We were already mentally spending the additional cash we’d have to spend. It seems the rest of the world was too, because the company’s project page on crowdfunding site Kickstarter raised more than $4 million before it was suspended. Yes, while the laser razor looked for all the world like the future of shaving was fast approaching, Kickstarter shut it down citing the lack of a working prototype as its reason for doing so – prompting the interweb naysayers onto the message

boards to denounce the scam. The company, unperturbed, has restarted its campaign on rival site Indiegogo, but doubts remain over the viability of the product, which reportedly uses an optic fibre to focus a high-powered laser beam across the face of the blade, powered only by a triple-A battery.

Admittedly, it does seem incredibly far fetched that the product will arrive in March next year, but it was way too cool not to mention within these pages. Besides, when Mr King Camp Gillette first mooted disposable steel blades, he was told that metallurgy was not sophisticated enough and laughed out of the room, but a few years later, in 1901 that’s exactly what he launched, and for the past 114 years that’s exactly how we’ve shaved. The sci-fi nerds inside us remain hopeful the same will soon be said of Skarp Technologies, ushering in a glorious laser-fuelled future of face fuzz elimination. www.skarptechnologies.com

licence to thrill

The Crux Of The Matter

Speaking of shaving, we are deep in the annual ‘stache-fest that is Movember, and millions of men around the world will be participating enthusiastically in growing varying qualities of lip-rug in the name of men’s health. Equally, many more will not, continuing their daily shaving regimen. Either way, if you need to look smooth, or to simply craft the contours of your burgeoning moustache, you're going to need some supplies to support your follicular efforts. This Deluxe Shaving Kit from Crux Supply Co. arrives just in time to tend to all of your facial grooming needs. This fully equipped kit includes tinctures and vintage-style implements, including: a pre-shave tonic, naturally antiseptic with a rosewood and sage scent; a shaving bowl with a double-edge of stainless steel sized to fit the detoxifying Bentonite clay shave soap; a post-shave tonic, also all-natural and made with organic ingredients and a shaving brush made of soft, dense boar bristles with a wooden handle. www.cruxsupplyco.com

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Splashing on a refreshing scent and feeling that sting on your freshly shorn skin completes the shaving ritual, and given the fact that a certain Mr Bond is currently tearing it up on cinema screens around the world, we return to a company that we have mentioned before, but which was a firm favourite of the British super spy and his creator: Floris. Fragrance No. 89, so named after the perfumer's exclusive address on London’s Jermyn Street, was the olfactory weapon of choice for Ian Fleming, and thus, like many of his other products and habits, was transferred to his most famous creation. Surprisingly light, No. 89 sees orange and bergamot blended with lavender and neroli to give it

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the classical cologne aspect.

Warmed with a touch of spicy nutmeg, the floral heart is underscored by the dominant woody accord of sandalwood, cedarwood and vetiver, making it a quintessentially English gentleman's fragrance that’s not overpowering, but leaves – ahem – a Spectre of the classic essence in your wake. It’s reassuringly expensive, enjoys the gravitas of one of the world’s finest fragrance houses and most definitely has a licence to thrill when a sultry femme fatale finds herself caught firmly in your crosshairs.

www.florislondon.com

Old Man Of The Sea | G ra n d To u r i s m o | Rev C o u n t e r |

ulysse nardin’s chronometers

boast an envious maritime history,

shaping the way we have traversed

the ocean for more than a century.

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ew watch brands can boast the history that is enjoyed by Ulysse Nardin, a marque that is as synonymous with the sea as Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week.” Equally, few watches can bathe in the sepia-hued glow of achievement as that of the Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer.

Despite founding his watch-making business in the land-locked town of Neuchatel back in 1846, Ulysse Nardin himself identified a need for maritime timing and navigation aids at a time when the sailor’s main tool for such tasks was the sextant.

His vision was well rewarded, with the Ulysse Nardin brand establishing itself as the manufacturer of the finest marine chronometers in the world.

His timepieces were subjected to rigorous testing at the Neauchatel and Geneva observatories, winning many awards and accolades.

The world’s naval fleets were customers of his fine timepieces and continued to be long after his death in 1876. The company’s Marine chronometers were essential to both the Russian and the Japanese admiralties during the Russo-Japanese war in 1904, and the Japanese navy continued to be a principal customer for decades afterwards.

Since then, Ulysse Nardin watches have taken pride of place at not only the world’s leading watch fairs, drawing the crowds at SIHH and the Doha Watches & Jewellery show among others, but also at the globe's leading marine events such as the Americas Cup, the Monaco Yacht Show and the recent Qatar International Boat Show.

The Maxi Marine Diver Chronograph is the modern version of those much-vaunted marine chronometers, a watch that really does justice to an impeccable heritage; one that it can trace back more than a century.

Embodying a fusion of the chronograph and diver collections, it’s a rugged, all-weather sports watch with a self-winding movement. The Maxi Marine Diver Chronograph records the seconds and minutes and can be put to zero instantly over two pushers and is water resistant to 200 metres.

Crafted in stainless steel or 18-carat rose gold and sporting a screw crown, the 42.7mm timepiece has a specially developed rubber-type coating that decorates the rotating bezel which, combined with the three level watch face, not only enhances the timepiece’s functionality, but lends a modern aesthetic.

The watch also has a 42-hour power reserve and features an anti-reflective sapphire crystal face and case back, through which the 22-carat gold rotor (on the rose gold edition) is visible.

It’s a statement watch, that speaks directly to the wearer’s fine taste and sense of adventure and is a hefty timepiece already, without the added weight of its obvious historical provenance.

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Photography: Ferrari, Getty Images

Iconic Race Tracks

Fiorano from the air showing Enzo's house and the skid pan.

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| G ra n d To u r i s m o | I c o n ic Ra c e Tra c ks |

iconic race tracks

Niki Lauda about to make a run of Fiorano in the 312T in 1974.

We visit the late Enzo Ferrari’s back garden and experience the world-famous race track he filled it with.

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nyone who has ever visited Maranello in Italy will know that Ferrari is the only game in town.

The small conurbation in the centre of Modena is built solely around the famous Italian sports car manufacturer.

The factory is the beating heart of Maranello, with its main arteries reaching the short distance to the Museo Ferrari and the massive merchandise store where practically anything can be stamped with a prancing horse and be sold for a small fortune.

Merely a stone’s throw away, nestled in what looks like an innocuous industrial estate, down a nondescript road lies a jewel in the scarlet racer's crown, Pista di Fiorano; Enzo Ferrari’s private race track.

Built in 1972, the 1.9 mile “figure of eight” circuit was designed to develop and test both Ferrari’s road and track cars away from the prying eyes of the competition. As such, the track has a very long straight and myriad corner types of varying widths and speeds to simulate those of other Grand Prix circuits.

Fiorano is fully equipped with telemetry sensors and a large skid pan for tyre testing, and is now home to the Scuderia team’s race simulation centre.

In the centre of the complex is Enzo Ferrari’s actual house, a place where he lived and

conducted all of his business in the 16 years from the time the track opened until his death in 1988. Much of the interior remains preserved exactly as it was the day he died, and the top floor of the building has been converted into possibly one of the most exclusive hotels in the world. You can only stay there if you’re a World Champion Ferrari F1 driver, or one of the lucky few customers to own a LaFerrari or FXX-series track weapon.

When he was alive, Enzo would either sit at his desk listening, or actually sit track side and watch his beloved Formula One cars. While legend prevails that the "old man" had the circuit built so he could personally enjoy the company of his cars and drivers undisturbed, the decision of building his own testing track was a competitive one, as the nearby Modena Autodrome could no longer serve the specialist purposes Ferrari required for the development of its cars.

Driving the circuit is a joy. From the pit lane, you enter the long straight about halfway down, allowing the driver to build speed before the first, sweeping turn Dropping the car into third gear, you enter a wide right-hand curve before arriving at the S-bend. By sacrificing speed into the first turn, you can pick up more velocity on the exit of the second, propelling you

quickly onto a short straight.

Going wide into the next, tight turn, you give it full throttle, before braking hard just before the bridge, in preparation for the relatively quick right-hander that is pretty blind and arrives quickly after. Another burst of straight line acceleration brings the car to the slowest and tightest part the track, a left-turn hairpin that F1 drivers take in first gear.

Get hard on the throttle out of that on the long, right-arcing stretch and you’ll arrive a another sweeping left-hander that runs fast into the second, wider hairpin. Once you’ve negotiated that, taking a wide line in and hitting the apex on the way out, you are back onto the long pit straight. Drop the hammer and you can arrive at turn one at speeds in excess of 150mph before having to hit the brakes and start all over again.

Many of the F1 drivers who test there regularly, as well as customers who attend specially organised track days, will all tell you that driving Fiorano is one of the most enjoyable circuits to drive.

Once you conquer the sense of awe that engulfs you when you first roll out onto the blacktop – that of the legendary drivers and cars that have gone before you – and you get into the circuit’s exhilarating rhythm, it’s very hard to disagree.

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| G ra n d To u r i s m o | Fit t in g Ro o m |

fall essentials The start of the Fall season means more options for looking good. From jackets and sport coats, to layering pieces, this season is all about mixing and matching the right textures for a crisp, bold look.

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1. Pigment Oxford 1950’s Shirt by Our Legacy available at East Dane 2. Oversize Wrap Scarf by Averett, available at East Dane 3. Traveller Suede Jacket by Loro Piana, available at Mr. Porter 4. Woven Leather Wrap Bracelet by Miansai, available at Mr. Porter 5. Navy Suede Belt by Loro Piana, available at Mr. Porter 6. Tortoiseshell Glasses by Garrett Leight, available at Mr. Porter 7. Wool Blend Sweater by Tod’s, available at Mr. Porter 8. Fedora by Rag and Bone, available at East Dane 9. Pebbled Grain Lace Up Boots by Doucal’s, available at East Dane 10. Editor Briefcase

by J.W. Hulme Co., available at East Dane

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“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”

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Editor's pick

– F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Compiled by Yara Jishi

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The clubhouse

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| T h e C l u bh o u s e | Au t o m o bil ia |

automobilia Curios and collectibles that every deserving man-cave should have...

Gentlemen, we give you the Emperador Cigar Chest, from Imperiali Genève; possibly the most magnificent cigar accessory ever.

An Imperial Investment

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f you love cigars and you have a million dollars in loose change knocking around the house, then you may want to consider investing it in a nice humidor. Well, when we say humidor, we use the term loosely, because what we have in mind is much, much more than that.

Gentlemen, we give you the Emperador Cigar Chest, from Imperiali Genève; possibly the most magnificent cigar accessory ever.

What’s so special about it? Well for starters it incorporates more than 2,600 individual components, crowned by a tourbillon timepiece made up of 323 parts and a “Clous de Paris” guilloché dial – the work of a master watchmaker from the Swiss Jura – that will have even the most well-equipped haute horologie aficionado drooling.

That, however, is literally the tip of the iceberg. This utterly unique object marries the skills of the best experts from 27 different trades. Crafted from what Imperiali calls “noble” materials, this prestigious chest is

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enriched with magnificent details. Only three indicators with mechanical hands are visible to the user. These display, in real time, the relative humidity and temperature inside the chest, the power reserve and the number of cigars remaining. Imperiali claims that it has developed the world’s first selfregulating humidity system, which requires neither water nor human intervention, yet guarantees a constant humidity level of 70 percent and a temperature of between 16 to 18 degrees Celsius, regardless of external environmental conditions.

Access to the 24 exceptional Grand Cru cigars, which are wrapped in four gold leaves and arranged in individual glass tubes around the ticking tourbillon heart of the chest, is protected by a personal secret code. The user simply brushes a finger over one of the nine touch buttons on the lid that spell out the name “Imperiali” to activate the integrated LCD display, which is invisible when the device is sleeping. He then enters his code

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using the aforementioned gold buttons.

The almost sacred moment of savouring one of these gilded cigars is elevated with the use of the Emperador’s three stunning accessories. Arranged in an unobtrusive drawer that’s seamlessly incorporated into the front of the chest is a cigar cutter that enables one’s smoke to be either mechanically cut with laser precision, or perforated in the manner of a punch; the table lighter and its three nozzles offer a perfect flame, while the ashtray is LED lit from the inside and mechanically opens whenever it senses the glowing tip of a cigar being brought near.

It is a true masterpiece that will elevate any deserving gentleman’s private quarters and will draw avarice from all who gaze upon it. With its rarity – only twelve numbered pieces will be produced each year – as appealing as its beauty, we firmly believe that the Emperador is a wise investment and your million dollars will certainly not be going up in smoke. www.imperiali-geneve.com

Don’t Cross The Seal

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e live in troubled times and from far-flung locations, to our very own villa compounds, danger and disaster can strike at any moment. That’s why we have decided to recommend this handy tome, 100 Deadly Skills. When Chuck Norris finally shuffles off his mortal coil and is no longer the force that stops the chaos flooding in, or when the zombie apocalypse finally arrives, you need to be prepared; you need to know your enemy and you need to be able to survive. Author Clint Emerson draws on his 20-years of experience as a US Navy Seal to deliver a guide to help you survive the oncoming storm with low tech, or “no tech,” tools and avoid imminent peril when society breaks down

Just yOur Type

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odern computer equipment can often look out of place in a classically decorated office or study. The wealth of silvery metallic gadgets jar against a beautiful mahogany desk or aged leather wingback chairs. Fortunately, there is a small solution to add some retro character to your desk top, thanks to a company called Qwerkywriter. It’s something we can thank the hipster movement for, where vintage is viewed as somehow more authentic, no matter how contrived it is most of the time. That’s why the clever folks at Qwerkywriter decided to create a

and we’re living in a Mad Max-esque post apocalyptic wasteland. Step-by-step illustrated chapters explain the best techniques for evading ambush or capture, escaping the boot of a car, making an improvised gas mask and other manly pursuits like winning knife fights and handcuff escapology. While we are being very tonguein-cheek about the use of some of the information contained within the book, we have it on good authority that it is “chock full of reliable information” and many of the skills can be of use in our topsy-turvy modern world. Also, when less salubrious visitors see a wellthumbed copy perched on your bookshelf, they will be a lot more wary about nicking your silverware... www.simonandschuster.com

Bluetooth keyboard that appears to have been lifted straight off Don Draper’s desk. It looks like the chimera son of an Olivetti Studio 42 and an Underwood No.5 and it has the tactile response that anyone whose ever used a proper typewriter (like our Managing Editor) will appreciate, even down to the pinging return bar. It won’t take long for you to start enjoying the feeling of typing on the mechanical keys and you’ll soon come to loath the lack of the satisfying click and clonk of your MacBook’s “chiclet” style keyboard. The Qwerkywriter, has the necessary heft you’d expect of an old-fashioned typewriter, too, thanks to

its sturdy Aluminium construction. It connects wirelessly to most bluetooth-enabled devices from your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and Windows tablets. It’s proving very popular, with orders backed up until January next year, but the company is currently offering the Qwerkywriter for $349 if you buy direct, that’s a $50 saving – equivalent to a monthly wage back when a typewriter was a legitimate company asset and not something beardy folks in tight trousers drag to fair trade coffee shops to write their recipes for artisanal butter. www.qwerkywriter.com

It won’t take long for you to start enjoying the feeling of typing on the mechanical keys and you’ll soon come to loath the lack of the satisfying click and clonk of your MacBook’s “chiclet” style keyboard.

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| C l u b Ho u s e | C a r Apps |

‘ ppy Driving

smartphones have taken over our lives, filling our time with vapid social media updates and cat videos. however, we may have finally found some apps that will make the time with your phone more worthwhile.

Find My Car Platform: Android

Carcorder Platform: iOS

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e’ve all spent many hours on YouTube watching insane footage lifted from Russian dashcams and yes, we’ve all had our fair share of laughs and gasps of shock at some of the antics perpetuated on the icy roads of Mother Russia by our crazy, sometimes drunk, Eastern Bloc buddies. Well, the roads in the Middle East are no picnic, either. Just replace the snow with sand and the occasional donkey with the odd camel and you have probably borne witness to similarly hair-raising shenanigans on the roads of our fair region.

Well, now, with CarCorder, you can get in on the YouTube dash-cam craze by mounting your iPhone to your dash or windscreen and

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using this app. Supporting 1080p recording, this clever little app not only records the road ahead, but among a plethora of features automatically saves data when excessive speed is recorded by the phone’s accelerometer, will dial a preset outgoing phone number on a user defined time delay when an accident has occurred, has voice activated recording, offers both fast and slow-mo replays with simultaneous route history viewing and allows users to capture an image from the video replay, as well as include location information while saving it to the phone’s camera roll – providing hours of post-drive entertainment to the internet’s gawking masses.

Let’s be honest, now. At some point, we’ve all lost our vehicle in the labyrinthian parking lots of some of the region’s city-sized shopping malls. In fact, we’ve personally heard stories that Derek, an erstwhile colleague of the Managing Editor, is still wandering through the parking garages of Dubai Mall, haplessly looking for his white Toyota Camry. For those of us yet to suffer the same fate, with a modern Android-enabled smartphone, it’s well worth a download. Basically, the app allows you to remember the GPS position of your car, see your current position in relation to your car on a map, use Google Navigation to get to your vehicle, or if you are on a subterranean level with no 4G or WiFi, by using offline navigation with a compass. The app will also enable you to take a picture of your parking spot as well as set an emergency button that will send a pre-configured SMS with your current position to a family member or friend, who can come and rescue you. It’s too late for Derek, but you can still save yourselves.

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Waze Platform: iOS & Android

W Augmented Driving Platform: iOS In the early days of smartphones Augmented Reality was everywhere, but so few apps lived up to practical everyday expectations. Apart from making a meteor fall out of the sky onto a friend’s pet, it just ended bieng a gimmicky thing you would see at trade shows. However, one particular AR app that has bucked the trend is Augmented Driving. Ideal for older cars, Augmented Driving provides a host of safety and road-caution features that will add a hightech heads-up-display (HUD) to any old jalopy. The app relies on visual data from the camera of your smartphone, and offers a “Safety Score,” which is a real-time evaluation of your driving based on distance to other vehicles, lane

keeping and speed. Vehicles in front and on neighbouring lanes are detected and dynamically highlighted, while a close-up view zooms in on the relevant vehicle and information, such as vehicle distance and time gap, is displayed. Lane detection and departure warnings are highlighted with dynamic overlays, as is the width of your lane and your distance to its borders; as soon as you cross the lane markings you are informed by an audio alert, though obviously, the app can’t tell when you are actually signalling, and will still warn the driver. There are also speeding avoidance systems, a video recording visual logbook and a full HUD, as well as voice output in several languages.

Torque Pro Platform: Android

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f you want to monitor your car’s performance, or diagnose engine warning lights, but don’t want to wait around at the local grease monkey’s garage for hours on end, then this app will help you manage your motor from the comfort of the driving seat. Suitable for pretty much any car built after 2000 (or any car fitted with an OBD II port in the engine bay), Torque Pro, with aid of a special OBD II bluetooth adapter, can pretty much monitor any engine-related operation you need it to. You can design your own dashboard with whatever gauges you want and it uses GPS to provide tracker logs with OBD engine logging so you can see what you were doing at any point in time. You can measure horsepower and Torque, read transmission temperatures, 0-60mph speed timings, CO2 emissions, diagnose faults thanks to its massive fault code database for different manufacturers, as well as a ton of other diagnostic information and real time social media connectivity.

ith the roads of the region becoming more and more congested, wouldn’t it be great if there was an app that brought the driving community together to share real-time traffic and road information to make the daily commute easier? Oh, yeah, there is. It’s called Waze and it’s currently the world's largest community-based traffic and navigation app.

The beauty of it is, the more people who use it, the better and more accurate the information, so come on drivers of the Middle Easy, get downloading.

Just by driving with Waze open, you’ll be contributing masses of real-time traffic information to your fellow drivers, and you can pay karma forward by actively reporting accidents, police traps and other hazards you see on the road. The app also let’s you add friends, send locations and keep others posted on your arrival time. Other significant features include live routing based on community-driven, real-time traffic and road information, turn-by-turn voice guided navigation, live maps which are consistently edited and updated by the Waze community map editors, as well as automatic re-routing as conditions change on the road, all while the app learns your frequent destinations, commuting hours, and preferred routes, ensuring your journey is as painless as possible. just for fun Real Racing 3 Platform: iOS & Android

Kill time while your Uber is sitting in traffic on Salwa Road or when your taxi is trapped in the rush hour car park that is Sheikh Zayed Road by pitting your wits against the best tracks in the world, in some of the greatest racing cars on the planet with Electronic Art’s Real Racing 3.

Take the wheel of over 100 wonderfully detailed vehicles from iconic manufacturers like Ford, Aston Martin, McLaren, Koenigsegg and Pagani, and test your skills on an authentic 22-car race grid on a full lineup of 12 real tracks, including Silverstone, Hockenheimring, Circuit des 24 Heures Du Mans and Dubai Autodrome. The app also lets you compete for bragging rights with friends and rivals in a global eight-player, crossplatform, real-time racing scenario as you compete in over 2,000 events, including cup races, eliminations, endurance challenges and drag races.

The game also allows you to upgrade your ride to maximise your car’s performance, as well as its look with paints, vinyls and rims. All rendered in lush 3D graphics, it’s almost as good as the real thing, but without having to bankrupt yourself in the process.

Be sure to follow us on Instagram: @volante_magazine

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| E x h a u s t No t e |

John DeLorean and his eponymous car, circa 1981.

how an ill-fated car brand, mired in controversy and failure became a household name and a hugely coveted collectible...

Time Heals old Wounds

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Words: James McCarthy

reat Scott! October 21st 2015 finally came and went. For the uninitiated, it was the date that a fictional character from 1985 called Marty McFly, came back to the future in the second part of an epic movie trilogy.

What’s this got to do with cars? Well, the principle mode of transport for getting here was the product of an ill-fated automotive folly called the DeLorean Motor Company.

The company’s eponymous automobile, the DMC-12, was a commercial disaster, as well as being a vehicle of dubious quality. It had an underpowered engine from Renault, the rear brakes were lifted from a Jaguar, while the front ones were from a Ford Cortina. It handled like a skateboard rolling through marmalade, while the finishing and details were lacklustre to say the least.

To top it off, it was built in a town with an engineering pedigree that counts a bloody big ship that famously sank in the North Atlantic on its maiden voyage as its greatest triumph.

However, like the Titanic, which remains planted firmly in the global consciousness as a plucky, if tragic, hero, so does the DeLorean. Not least because its creator, John Zachary DeLorean, himself, is seen as a bit of a Robin Hood type of character.

Choosing to set up a sports car factory in an Irish province that, in the early 1980s,

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resembled modern day Aleppo, bringing much-needed jobs and a promise of prosperity to an impoverished Belfast, all while fleecing the British Government to the tune of a hundred million pounds, and still finding time to get caught in a hotel room by the FBI with a mountain of “snow” that Franz Klammer would have difficulty skiing down, before being ultimately acquitted of any charges, won the hapless JD the hearts of the rebellious proletariat.

However, it was a Robert Zemeckis film about a crazy scientist and a slightly gormless teen who gets flung back and forth through time that ultimately changed the world’s perception of the DMC-12, its bankrupt creator and the trail of broken Irish dreams that lay in its wake.

Back To The Future was a generationdefining film. There are few people aged between 40 and 55 today who could tell you exactly what took place in that hotel room and why, but they will be able, in great detail, to recount every moment that John DeLorean’s car appears on screen in the seminal timetravel caper. Global warming, for instance, was ever so slightly reversed for a mere second, when every kid, in every cinema around the world took a collective intake of breath as, through clouds of dry ice and a cacophony of dramatic music, the ramp of

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a transport lorry dropped and out rolled a wheeled wedge of brushed stainless steel awesome, replete with tubes, ducts, wires and flashing lights that made it look far more powerful than it actually was.

The Giorgetto Giugiaro designed body, with its gull-wing doors, looked so damned striking on the big screen, as Marty uttered the immortal question, "you made a time machine? Out of a DeLorean?"

Despite being older and somewhat wiser about the DMC-12 and its chequered history, I still wonder if the question was meant as “why would you do that? You know they’re awful, right?” Or if it was, indeed, meant as it was taken back then: “how could you do that to such a cool looking car?”

Either way, five minutes later, when it hit 88mph in the car park of the Twin Pines Mall – which I'm not sure many examples of the actual production car could do without falling apart – it left trails of fire in its wake, and the DMC-12 was immediately propelled not just into 1955, but also the pantheon of automotive legends; its failings as a business concept and a sports car completely forgotten.

Now, in its rarity – only 8,583 were built – it is one of the most coveted mid-life crisis cars for those kids, now grown up, whose imaginations were ignited in a flash of three sonic booms and two strips of flaming tarmac.

A Journal for the Gentleman Driver

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A Journal for the Gentleman Driver

Director of Publications Mohamed Jaidah m.jaidah@firefly-me.com General Manager Joe Marritt j.marritt@firefly-me.com Regional Managing Editor James McCarthy j.mccarthy@firefly-me.com Creative Director Helen Louise Carter Finaliser Ron Baron International Sales Director Julia Toon, j.toon@firefly-me.com Regional Sales Area Manager, Qatar Chirine Halabi, c.halabi@firefly-me.com Area Manager, UAE Nesreen Shalaby, n.shalaby@urjuan-me.com Deputy Sales Manager Masha Ivanova, m.ivanova@firefly-me.com Printing & Distribution Distribution Manager Azqa Haroon Logistics Manager Joseph Isaac Printer Ali Bin Ali Printing Press, Doha, Qatar Publisher: Firefly Communications, PO Box 11596, Doha, Qatar.

Tel: +974 4434 0360 Fax: +974 4434 0359 info@firefly-me.com www.firefly-me.com www.volantemagazine.com @volante_magazine

Š2015 Volante is published as a bi-monthly supplement to Sur la Terre Arabia by Firefly Communications in Qatar and Urjuan Media in the UAE. All material is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved. Reproduction in whole, or in part, without the prior written permission of Firefly Communications or Urjuan Media, is prohibited. All content is believed to be factual at the time of going to print, and contributorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; views are their own derived opinions and not necessarily that of Firefly Communications, Urjuan Media or Volante. No responsibility or liability is accepted by the publishers or editorial staff for any loss occasioned to any individual or company, legally, financially or physically, as a result of any statement, fact, figure or expression of opinion or belief appearing in Volante. The publisher does not officially endorse any advertising or advertorial content for third party products. Photography and image credits, where not otherwise stated, are those of Getty Images and/or Shutterstock and/or Firefly Communications / Urjuan Media, each of which retains their individual copyrights.

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