Drive 16 by Runwild Media Group

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T H E

M A G A Z I N E

F R O M

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O W E N

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WELCOME

e like driving at DRIVE and we’ve been doing a lot of it for this issue, our 16th. We’ve driven a Rolls-Royce Dawn from Cape Cornwall to the Kent coast, starting and finishing our trip with a winter sunrise. As George Chapman discovered, there’s no better way to enjoy the dawn than from the sumptuous

(heated) seat of an R-R Dawn, hood down of course. We’ve driven the new Maserati Levante on and off road and, while it’s not exactly a drive, we’ve gone for a rapid ride in the latest Aston. Jason Barlow reports from the water at Monaco on the 1000hp AM37 power boat. And then there’s our cover star, the remarkable BAC Mono, a no compromise single seater for the road and the latest car to join the H.R. Owen stable. With supercarbeating performance and looks that don’t so much turn heads as snap them sideways, there’s nothing on the road quite like the Mono. Driving a road car at more than 267mph is not for the faint-hearted, even if you’re a former Grand Prix and Le Mans racer. Pierre-Henri Raphanel remembers how he took a world record for Bugatti despite the nerves in our new I Was There feature. Ian Cook is another man who likes driving, though his favourite rides are radio controlled models with a specific purpose in life – he uses them as paint brushes to create some of the most dynamic pieces of motoring art we’ve seen. From driving to driving forces: as this issue previews 2017, we’ve asked our seven brand directors to tell us a little about themselves and what the new year will bring… the answers include anniversaries at Jack Barclay and Ferrari, while one director owns up to having had an Austin Allegro as his first car. If you have any comments on this issue, don’t hesitate to drop me an e-mail at the address below.

CONTACTS & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS DRIVE Magazine is published on behalf of H.R. Owen PLC by RWMG Bespoke. For all publishing and advertising enquiries please contact: RWMG Bespoke 6th Floor, One Canada Square Canary Wharf London, E14 5AX T: +44 (0)20 7987 4320 E: info@rwmg.co.uk www.rwmg.co.uk DRIVE EDITORIAL TEAM Tom King: Marketing Director Matthew Carter: Managing Editor H.R. OWEN PLC Melton Court Old Brompton Road London SW7 3TD T: +44 (0)20 7245 1122 F: +44 (0)20 7245 1123 E: enquiries@hrowen.co.uk www.hrowen.co.uk RWMG BESPOKE Alan Cooke: Managing Director Laura Marshall: Creative Director Joe Ross: Senior Designer Adam Garwood: Project Manager PUBLSIHING ENQUIRIES Call Alan Cooke on +44 (0)20 7987 4320 or email a.cooke@rwmgbespoke.co.uk ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Call Rachel Eden on +44 (0)7793 380 012 or email r.eden@hrowenmagazine.co.uk

MATTHEW CARTER Editor drive@hrowen.co.uk

CONTRIBUTORS Words: Alex Doak, George Chapman, Giles Chapman, Jason Barlow, Julian Rendell, Jennifer Mason, Chris Hall Images: Art Direction: Adele Chidwick Sven Eselgroth, Amy Shore, G. F. Williams, Matt Howell, Rob Cadman, Drew Gibson

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©COPYRIGHT 2016 H.R.OWEN PLC 2016 Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the data in this publication is accurate, neither the publisher nor H.R. Owen PLC nor any of its subsidiary or affiliated companies can accept, and hereby disclaim to the maximum extent permitted by law, any liability for any loss or damage that may be caused by any errors or omissions this publication may contain. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission of the publisher. Information correct at time of going to press. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher or H.R. Owen PLC. Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders of material used in this publication. If any copyright holder has been overlooked, we should be pleased to make any necessary arrangements.

WINTER 2016

VOLUME #16

CONTENTS

COVER STORY SINGLE MINDED PROPOSITION Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a singleseater road car with a four-cylinder engine that just happens to outperform a McLaren P1. Matthew Carter introduces H.R. Owen’s latest car, the BAC Mono, to London and talks to the men behind the marque

17 FRONT SEAT NEWS, REVIEWS, CULTURE We bring you up to date on the latest from Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari and Maserati; find out what’s happening at the Bloodhound LSR attempt; check out three of the best driver’s watches; investigate factory architecture and go rat running

MID ENGINE REGULARS 42

ROAD TRIP: ROLLS-ROYCE DAWN From dawn to dawn in a Dawn, George

NDER LOCK & KEY: U GEORGE BAMFORD

Chapman drives the elegant Rolls-Royce

The Bamfords – the JCB family – love

just paint cars, he paints with them,

convertible from the tip of Cornwall to

their cars. Alex Doak talks to George

using radio-controlled models as his

the Kent coast to catch sunrise at either

about Jags, Ferraris, watches and

brushes. We braved his chaotic studio

end of the country

‘… the stuff with soul and a story.’

to bring the story back

A SUPERCAR SOCIAL LIFE

FIRST RIDE: ASTON AM37

ART + CRAFT: POPBANGCOLOUR Motoring artist Ian Cook doesn’t

Come one, come all; owners and

If you’re going to launch a £1.6

T YOUR SERVICE: A ACCIDENT EXCHANGE

super-fans alike. We delve into the

million Aston Martin powerboat,

The knock-on effect after an accident

world of video blogging and how

Monaco provides the perfect

can be almost as traumatic as the

it’s revolutionising the way brands

backdrop. Jason Barlow goes

shunt itself. Accident Exchange aims to

communicate with their audiences

along for a ride

take away the pain

C O N T E N TS

FEATURE FIRST DRIVE: MASERATI LEVANTE The most important car from Maserati in a decade, the Levante SUV has blown into the UK. Matthew Carter muddies its wheels

FEATURES 67

SCI FI CAR TECH Talking cars; cars that can drive themselves; flying cars… new? Not a bit of it. If you’re a movie fan like Giles Chapman, you’ve been aware of this technology for years

REAR VIEW 78

BRAND DIRECTORS the H.R. Owen retail division

ODERN CLASSIC: M LAMBORGHINI MURCIÉLAGO SV

introduce themselves and talk

Lamborghini only made 186 examples

customers behind the scenes at their

The magnificent seven who head

99 CHEQUERED FLAG This season H.R. Owen took its

about what their marques are

ON THE COVER:

of the mighty Murciélago SV, where

School Road Facility, round the numerous

planning in the 12 months ahead

BAC MONO

the initials stood for Super Veloce

corners of the Nürburgring and into the

PHOTOGRAPHY: G.F. WILLIAMS

referencing its top speed of 212mph.

digital arena with Bentley’s virtual reality

A modern classic without doubt

GT3 simulator

CHAMELEON CARS The Jaguar that became Aston; S U M M E R

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the Bentley that inspired a Bugatti;

FUTURE FORECOURT

101 I WAS THERE…

the, ahem, Daewoo that begat a

Ferrari opens up LaFerrari to create

The Bugatti Veyron remains the fastest

Maserati. Julian Rendell reveals

the Aperta while Lamborghini goes

standard production car in the world.

the chameleon cars that started

for rear-wheel-drive only for the

Bugatti pilote and former racer Pierre-Henri

life as one thing, but we know as

Huracán Spyder and Aston boosts

Raphanel remembers the day he topped

Vanquish with an S

267mph. It wasn’t as easy as it looked…

something else entirely

T H E

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F R O M

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THE THE ETTORE ETTORE BUGATTI BUGATTI COLLECTION COLLECTION ETTORE ETTORE BUGATTI BUGATTI BOUTIQUE BOUTIQUE 24-2624-26 BROMPTON BROMPTON ROAD, ROAD, LONDON LONDON MONTE-CARLO MONTE-CARLO MUNICH MUNICH TOKYO TOKYO MILAN MILAN SHOWROOM SHOWROOM

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L A

R E C H E R C H E

D E

L ’ Œ U V R E

L A

R E C H E R C H E

D E

L ’ Œ U V R E

P l e a s e

d r i n k

r e s P o n s i b l y

P l e a s e

d r i n k

r e s P o n s i b l y

F R O N T S E AT

“SMALL THINGS MAKE PERFECTION, BUT PERFECTION IS NO SMALL THING” SIR FREDERICK HENRY ROYCE

CHAPTER 01

FRONT SEAT 18

F R O N T S E AT

70 DESIGNS FOR 70 YEARS FERRARI TAILOR-MADE HAS CREATED SOME ICONIC RETRO DESIGNS TO CELEBRATE THE PRANCING HORSE’S BIRTHDAY The end of September and the start of the

new “70” logo (in between the headrests,

unique cars, where each can only be used

Paris Motor Show saw the beginning of

in fact) is an unprecedented release of 70

once on one example of five models in the

Ferrari’s 70th-anniversary celebrations, at a

individual liveries created by the Tailor Made

current range. Here’s our guide to the five

time when in spite of global economic unease

atelier and inspired by iconic models from

that were displayed on Ferrari’s “Tailor Made”

the marque has never been stronger or more

Ferrari history. These different configurations

stand in Porte de Versailles, likely to be

in demand. The biggest initiative to bear the

will be used to create a maximum of 350

contested the most by collectors.

“The 375 MM”, as worn by 488 Spider. Inspired by the 1953 375 MM bodied by PininFarina, it features an elegant three-layer Bianco Italia exterior colour.

FIRST FOR BENTLEY

DIESEL DASHES IN Bentley makes history in more ways than

roader now boasts a range of over 1,000 km

one with the newly launched Bentayga

(621 miles) – allowing owners to, for example,

Diesel. Not only is it the first-ever diesel

drive from London to Verbier, Bordeaux or the

car to exit the Crewe factory doors, but it is

Scottish Highlands on a single tank.

blessed with the lowest CO2 output of any

are ensconced just as luxuriously as the

to be the fastest diesel SUV in the world,

Bentayga Diesel’s W12-powered stablemate

topping out at 168mph with a 0–62mph time

(a spec that now includes a new Liquid

of just 4.8 seconds.

Amber veneer) while outside, a number of

It’s all down to a new-generation, triple-

Inside of course, you and your passengers

Bentley (210g/km) and can safely lay claim

styling tweaks remind you of the new engine.

charged 4.0-litre V8 capable of developing

Our favourite? A distinctive new ‘twin-quad’

class-leading power of 429bhp and 900Nm

exhaust tailpipe, seemingly straight from the

of torque. More efficiency means this new

Dan Dare pages of Eagle.

version of an already hugely capable off-

HROWEN.CO.UK/BENTLEY/BENTAYGA-DIESEL

F R O N T S E AT

NEW LOOK TRIDENTS

MASERATI MAKEOVER Paris wasn’t all about Ferrari’s 70th, as the

however, Maserati is launching a new range

flurry of MY17 newness over on Maserati’s

strategy: a choice of refined and opulent

stand proved. Maserati took its entire range to

‘GranLusso’ trim or racy and angular

the Paris Motor Show in October, with some

‘GranSport’, each representing the dual pillars

crucial updates and killer re-styling. Inside

underpinning Maserati’s brand. These two

Quattroporte, there’s a new central dashboard,

highly distinctive trims are available as an

redesigned to accommodate a high-resolution

upgrade for all Quattroporte V6 versions, with

“The Stirling” as shown on F12berlinetta. Inspired by the 250 GT

8.4” touchscreen, plus a whole new package of

either coming as standard for the top-of-the-

Berlinetta SWB, winner of the 1961 Tourist Trophy with Stirling

Advanced Driver Assistance systems. But it’s the

range Quattroporte GTS twin-turbo V8.

Moss. Sports a characteristic Blu Scuro racing livery complete

outside where things step up a gear.

with horizontal white stripe and number roundel.

The front grille is sharper and more

Similarly, Ghibli MY17 benefits from two new ‘Luxury’ and ‘Sport’ packages. With the former,

imposing, introducing new vertical chrome

Ghibli’s cabin is even more refined thanks to

elements which contrasts with the depth of

the Zegna Edition Silk and Premium Leather

the shark-nose effect. Just behind, a new

upholstery, while Sport instead reflects the

Air Shutter optimizes coolant temperature

legendary racing heritage of every Maserati.

and reduces drag by 10%. Most significantly,

HROWEN.CO.UK/MASERATI

“The Steve McQueen” as sported by California. Inspired by the 1963 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso, one of the most elegant Ferraris ever built, which was a gift to the American actor from his first wife, Neile Adams. It features brown body paintwork and a cabin in camel leather with elegant stitching.

THE GT DEFINED “The Green Jewel” as shown on 488 Spider. Sports the signature green livery of the 365 P2 fielded by the British David Piper

FERRARI TO A TEE

Racing team. Piper was a regular and very well-known Ferrari privateer and drove the car to victory in the Nine Hours of

It’s the first four-seater in Ferrari history to

Kyalami in both 1965 and 1966 and, in 1966, in the prestigious

sport a turbo-charged V8 engine, and it’s

Trophée d’Auvergne at Clermont-Ferrand.

fair to say the Ferrari GTC4Lusso T hails a whole new Ferrari GT idea, aimed squarely at owners seeking a car that is sporty, yet

has been enhanced at low speeds by Variable

versatile. Ideal for driving on a daily basis in

Boost Management, with torque curves

other words, without sacrificing any of the

mapped so perfectly through the gear ratios

Prancing Horse’s trademark thrills.

that with foot down, all you get is vivid and

The 3.9-litre V8 turbo powering Ferrari’s formidable shooting-brake coupé is the

superbly progressive acceleration. The GTC4Lusso T’s dynamic control

latest evolution to emerge from the 2016

systems have also been specifically

International Engine of the Year, after

calibrated to boost responsiveness. In

“The Schumacher” as sported by 488 GTB. An homage to the

previous appearances in the California

particular the ‘4WS’ (rear-wheel steering) in

F2003-GA single-seater, winner of the F1 Drivers’ and Constructors’

roadster and 488 GTB coupé – richly

combination with integrated Side Slip Control

World Championships in 2003, in which the legendary German

sonorous in acceleration, with rapid pick-up

(SSC3), meaning the rear wheels steer in the

driver took no fewer than six grand prix victories.

from low revs. And simply put, with this

same direction as the front ones to enter and

potent new set-up, a feeling of silky-smooth

exit corners with precision and panache. >

‘longitudinal’ performance in this new model

HROWEN.CO.UK/FERRARI

F R O N T S E AT

KNOWLEDGE = POWER

BLOODHOUND SUPERSONIC CAR

It’s back on! With China’s largest auto group Geely signing on as Bloodhound SSC’s new principal partner, things are gearing up once again to smash Andy Green’s supersonic 763mph record of 1997 by hitting 1,000mph on four wheels. Billed as an ‘international education initiative focused around a 1,600km/h World Land Speed Record attempt’, Wing Commander Green is back in the saddle once again, with the backing of fellow LSR pioneer Sir Richard Noble, who piloted the previous recordbreaker, Thrust2 in 1983. Engineers are returning to the project, and a major programme of work to become ‘race ready’ now begins in earnest, with less than a year before trial runs commence in South Africa.

EJ200 A Rolls-Royce jet from a Eurofighter Typhoon provides most of the thrust, complemented by a cluster of Nammo hybrid rockets – development of which will culminate in ‘tie-down tests’ at Newquay Aerohub in July 2017. The team will then do a 220mph shakedown along Newquay’s runway.

LONDON’S TOP FIVE

1. Cut the delays

INSIDER RAT RUNS

around Green Park

Bus lanes, parking restrictions,

central London on the

the Congestion Charge, one-way

A4, take a left onto

systems and congestion, congestion,

Queen’s Gate before the

congestion… None of them have

Natural History Museum

abated our unquenchable desire to

and head into Hyde

navigate London by car. So, instead of

Park and take the South

hanging it all and dusting off that old

Carriage route that goes

Oyster card, allow Hasan Al-Farabi,

to Park lane. Bear to the

luxury hire and chauffeur coordinator

right and take the right

of H.R. Owen’s VIP Services to let

next to Stanhope Gate,

you in on a few of his closely guarded

then left onto Curzon

back routes and rat runs. Über

Street, which leads to

drivers, look away now…

Berkeley Square

HROWEN.CO.UK/LUXURY-HIRE

Heading towards

F R O N T S E AT

3,500 The car’s number of components, making it one of the most complicated ever built. The team has now largely disassembled the 13.5m long streamliner, documenting the process in fine detail to create the Bloodhound User Manual.

550BHP A supercharged V8 engine from Jaguar drives the rocket oxidiser pump alone, mounted in the nose.

THE COCKPIT

SUPERSONIC OFFICE This is Andy Green’s tiny cockpit inside Bloodhound SSC, particularly notable for the fact that the former Tornado pilot will be

.357 The variety of Magnum handgun

referring to two bespoke instruments engineered

whose muzzle velocity will be

by Rolex: an analogue speedometer and

exceeded by Bloodhound SSC at full

chronograph, sitting either side of the dashboard

chat (around 1,050mph in theory).

– independently controlled from the central electronic screens. Analogue rather than digital readouts are essential to Wing Commander

–195ºC

Green as he can read them in an instant and flick

Temperature of liquid nitrogen

his eyes back to the task in hand. Elsewhere, the

required for precision assembly.

left pedal operates the wheel brakes, once under

The tolerances for components

22 MILLION

such as the wheel bearing carriers

The area of South African desert in square metres

200mph and the right pedal throttles the EJ200

for the suspension uprights are

that has taken a team of 317 locals seven years to

jet engine. Meanwhile, the two levers on the left

so small that they can only be

clear of stones; a 12-mile-long, 3km-wide perfectly

release the parachutes manually, and the right-

assembled when they are extremely

flat strip, whose area is equivalent to a two-lane road from Bristol to Moscow. The Hakskeen Pan in

hand lever manually cuts off the jet engine fuel.

cold, warming back up to hold fast.

Northern Cape is now ready for Bloodhound.

2. Get to Heathrow the quickest

3. Dodge the A40 traffic

5. On the ball,

From the Baglioni Hotel on

On the A4 towards central

to Stamford Bridge

Kensington High Street, take a

London, just before the Natural

From Belgravia Square, go right

right onto Queen’s Gate, pass

History Museum take a left onto

onto Eaton Place towards Sloane

the Natural History Museum on

Queen’s Gate and head into Hyde

Square onto Kings Road. Take the

the left-hand side, take a right

Park and take the West Carriage

right onto Beaufort Street leading

onto Cromwell Road (A4) heading

route that goes to Lancaster Gate,

to Fulham Road and Chelsea FC.

towards the M4 via Earl’s Court

onto Sussex Gardens, only joining

This will avoid the traffic coming

and Hammersmith Flyover.

the A40 nearer Baker Street.

in from Brompton Road.

4. Bypass Piccadilly to the Ritz Leaving the Jumeirah Carlton Towers on Sloane Street, go left onto Eaton Terrace, then Lower Grosvenor Place, onto Buckingham Palace Road. Passing Buckingham Palace on your left, head up The Mall and take a left onto Marlborough Road, which leads onto Pall Mall then St James’s Street.

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F R O N T S E AT

COLLABOR ATION

FASHION FORWARD It’s no wonder the Walpole British Luxury

talented designers have been pooled from

Awards named Rolls-Royce Best for British

within the Rolls-Royce family at Goodwood

designers have selected a neutral, Andalucian

Luxury Caftsmanship – just look at the

to bring these two worlds together in car

White canvas for the droptop Dawn, on which

Spring/Summer 2017 Couture editions of the

form. They include textile specialist Cherica

they’ve based subtle but vibrant accents

Dawn droptop…

Haye who studied at the Royal College of

in keeping with 2017’s Spring/Summer

Almost without knowing it, Rolls-Royce

Art, and Michelle Lusby Colour & Materials

trends; namely Mugello Red, Cobalto Blue

and the increasingly rarefied world of haute

designer who gained experience working at

or Mandarin. These colours adorn interior

couture have long been bound by a common

Mulberry. Their work has already seen the

aspects of each Dawn such as piping and

philosophy – taking the finest materials

incorporation of fine silks and unexpected

stitching, whilst the ‘Silent Ballet’ of the

and crafting them with unparalleled skill as

textures into the interior environments of

roof as it rises to provide shelter from the

expressions of their clients’ taste and lifestyle.

bespoke commissions, but their talents are

paparazzo’s lens unleashes a brushstroke of

now writ large in this season’s stars of the

colour to catch the style-spotter’s eye.

dual-carriageway catwalk.

ROLLS-ROYCEMOTORCARS.COM

Now, under the stewardship of Rolls’ design director Giles Taylor, a team of

With ‘Dawn – Inspired by Fashion’, the

SHOREDITCH SHED

BIKER NIRVANA OUT EAST If two wheels are your thing, as well as

and growing into a bricks-and-mortar

four, then a remarkable new space in east

community via some pop-up events. The

London has recently become the place to

BSMC at 384 Old Street now features a 100-

gather in the capital, without resorting to

seat cafe and restaurant, with bike parking

the Ace Café on the North Circular or that

on a private street for 60 bikes, along with

car park in Epping Forest. After all, as the

a curated retail space, galleries for bikes

founders of the Bike Shed note, “Not all

and art, a barbershop and an event space.

bikers want spit-and-sawdust meeting

It’s impressive stuff, and prides itself on

places or to drink lukewarm builder’s tea in

being inclusive – “non-bikers”, WAGs and

a motorway cafe with nothing but a melted

children are all made to feel very welcome.

KitKat to keep hunger at bay…” BSMC tentatively opened its doors on

What’s more, while at the moment the BSMC only has an A3 “Restaurant” licence,

a 12,000 square-foot venue across four

meaning drinks can only be served with

renovated railway arches in the heart of

food, this does have a rather tempting

trendy Shoreditch in November 2015 – the

upside: “we can turn people away,” they

extraordinary culmination of a blog devoted

note wryly, but very sensibly, “as Shoreditch

to custom-bike culture simply growing

can be a zoo on a Friday night.”

MID ENGINE

“I ALWAYS WANT TO REACH THE NUMBER OF SEATS AT WEMBLEY IN THE FIRST WEEK THAT A VIDEO GOES LIVE”

CHAPTER 02

MID ENGINE 35

XY XY XY XY XY XY X

THE DIRTY WEEKENDER MASERATI’S FIRST SUV, LEVANTE, IS READY TO GET ITS WHEELS MUDDY… AND TO DOUBLE THE COMPANY’S ANNUAL SALES FIGURES WORDS: MATTHEW CARTER

M A S E R AT I L E VA N T E

he weather is filthy. It seems to

no wheelspin as the Q4 all-wheel drive

have been raining for days and the

system does its bit. It’s made a huge mess

ground is not just wet but sodden. And

of the car, though, with thick gloopy mud

very slippery.

coating the tyres and covering much of the

And to make matters worse, we are at the

top of a once grassy, now extremely muddy,

bodywork. It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘a dirty weekend’.

hill ready to discover how much grip there

We are in a small wood on the edge

is. To give us a sporting chance, the off-

of the Cirencester polo pitch near the

road setting on this new Maserati Levante

Agricultural College and we are driving up

has been engaged to split the engine

and down a steep-ish but treacherous hill.

torque 50/50 between front and rear axles

OK, so it’s not the most demanding of off-

while the hill descent control will ensure a

road courses, but it does show that Levante

set speed is maintained to prevent the car

is more than a pretty face.

running away.

which is named after an easterly wind that

the next couple of paragraphs with tales

blows through the Mediterranean. It’s the

of derring-do, of scrabbling for grip, of

car that will double Maserati sales in the

heart-in-mouth action. But I can’t. The

UK from around 1,500 units to 3,000 a year

car simply drives itself down the hill,

and, indeed, is expected to take 50 per cent

needing just a light touch on the steering

of all Maserati sales globally.

straight and narrow.

Behind the grill is Maserati’s Air Shutter which optimises air flow around the car

There’s an awful lot resting on Levante,

And we set off. I’d like to be able to fill

wheel from me to keep it on the

WIND CHEATER

For a company with a heritage steeped in sports cars and luxury saloons, the concept

It’s the same story going

of producing an SUV might seem an odd

back up – no fuss, no drama,

one. We certainly thought it odd when >

FIRST DRIVE

Porsche introduced the Cayenne some 14

and around the Cotswolds are slippery,

years ago and now look: today’s Porsche is

covered with wet leaves and, yes, mud,

an SUV company and making a few sports

and Levante is reassuringly sure-footed.

cars on the side.

The intelligent Q4 all-wheel drive system

In other words, you need an SUV in the

incorporates a mechanical limited slip

model line-up if you are going to remain

differential as standard – the only car in

competitive. It’s why Bentley has the

the class so equipped – while the software

Bentayga, Jaguar has the F-Pace and why

delivers 100 per cent of the engine torque

Alfa is readying the Stelvio for sale.

to the rear wheels under normal driving

So does Levante pass muster as an

conditions, but can switch up to 50 per

SUV? And, more importantly, does it pass

cent to the front wheels if a break in

muster as a Maserati? The answer to both

traction is detected. It takes all of 150

questions is ‘yes’.

milliseconds to make up its mind to do

Off-road

clearly capable

that. Torque vectoring is another standard

handling the most that owners are

feature

likely to throw at it. ‘Our’ car was totally

sporting appeal by distributing more

standard bar the fitment of winter tyres,

torque to the outside wheels (and gently

but the combination of an effective four-

braking the inner ones) under cornering

wheel drive chassis and air suspension,

which

underlines

Levante’s

to sharpen chassis response.

which allows the ride height to be raised

The remaining chassis settings will be

by 40mm, means Levante doesn’t disgrace

familiar to any Ghibli owner – the cars

itself off-road.

share much of their running gear – and

SPORTING LUXURY

In truth, most Levantes will spend

include Normal, Sport and I. C. E settings:

most of their time on-road and it’s

the latter has nothing to do with winter

buyers can choose to go

here where the Maserati works

but stands for Increased Control and

the luxury route or opt for

Efficiency… effectively a Comfort setting.

a more sporting look

really well. The roads in

REGARDLESS OF WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET THERE CAN BE NO DENYING THE LEVANTE HAS MASSES OF ON-ROAD PRESENCE

Option packs mean

M A S E R AT I L E VA N T E

The bulk of Levantes sold in the UK

Maserati to be fitted with Air Shutter also

found

Quattroporte)

BOLD LOOK

will be powered by the familiar 3.0-litre

(now

V6 diesel made for Maserati by VM and

behind the grille which optimises air

as used in Ghibli and Quattroporte.

flow around the car when it’s not needed

by the new Maserati

It develops a healthy 275hp and a huge

for cooling.

grille... it looks positively

emissions

Inside it’s a case of typical Maserati

have been reduced to 189 g/km of CO2.

luxury with premium wood and leather

Transmission is via a smooth-shifting

in abundance. Although well-equipped

eight-speed ZF automatic.

as standard, Levante buyers can also

600Nm

torque

while

Maserati

choose from a number of packs which

expectations with a top speed of 142

bag together various options, such as

mph and 0-62mph taking 6.9 seconds.

the Driver Assistance Pack Plus which

Automatic

includes advanced safety features such as

standard as is the Maserati Active Sound

adaptive cruise control, forward collision

System – in Sport mode, the sound from

warning, lane departure warning, blind

the exhausts is decidedly non-diesel like.

spot alert and a surround view camera.

Performance

stop/start

technology

Regardless of what’s under the bonnet

There are also luxury and sport packs

there can be no denying that Levante has

and, at the top of the tree, a luxury Zegna

masses of on-road presence. Dominated

edition with Zegna silk detailing on

by the large grille and with several

the seats’ headlining, sun visors and

Maserati signature touches, such as

door panels.

the three air vents on either front wing

Best of all, every Levante comes

and the frameless doors, Levante is as

with one feature that won’t be found

curvaceous as most rival SUVs are boxy.

on any other SUV – the Trident badge.

Efficient, too, with a best in class Cd

As the company says, this really is the

figure of 0.31. Levante is also the first

Maserati of SUVs. >

The front is dominated

intimidating in the rear view mirror

FIRST DRIVE

RISOTTO PRIMAVERA INGREDIENTS 1 small red onion finely chopped 6-8 baby carrots, scrubbed & sliced 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 250g risotto rice 50ml dry white wine 600-750g chicken stock 50g shelled peas 50g sugar snaps sliced 50g shelled/podded broad beans 2 small courgettes, sliced 6 basil leaves

WEEKEND AWAY

50g Parmigiano Reggiano

HAVE THE THYME OF YOUR LIFE

25g butter

NESTLING DEEP IN THE COTSWOLDS, THYME IS A FOODIE PARADISE AND AN IDEAL BASE FOR A DRIVING WEEKEND

1. Soften the red onion and carrot in the olive oil with a

1 ripe tomato, blanched, peeled, deseeded & dried (optional)

METHOD pinch of salt. 2. In a separate pan heat the stock. 3. Add the rice to the onions and toast briefly, add the

Maserati chose to launch Levante to the UK

Thyme’s cookery school is just one

wine & boil off the alcohol.

press at Thyme in Southrop in the Cotswolds.

element that sets the place apart. Based in

4. Gradually add the hot stock stirring continuously, after

Like the car, Thyme does more than one

the state-of-the-art kitchen – with the fruits

10 mins add the remaining vegetables and continue

thing: it’s a luxury boutique hotel, a retreat, a

of the kitchen eaten in the impressive tithe

to cook adding stock when required, until the rice is

restaurant, a cocktail bar, pub and a cookery

barn alongside – the school runs a series of

school all rolled into one. Tatler recently

themed classes throughout the year, with

included Thyme in its 101 Best Hotels in the

the occasional masterclass from a respected

World, 2017.

chef. Bespoke classes can also be arranged

Better still, it’s bang in the middle of a

for groups of friends, family or colleagues.

sleepy Cotswolds village and nestles in a

Among the house chefs is former BBC

country estate of 150 acres with a kitchen

Masterchef winner Majorie Lang, while head

garden and farm providing many of the

chef (and bee-keeper) is Daryll Taylor.

seasonal ingredients used in the kitchens. It is also in the heart of some great driving

For anyone into Italian things – cars, food, wines – Thursday 13 April 2017

country, especially if you have the benefit of a

is a date to mark in the diary when the

four-wheel drive SUV like Levante and don’t

‘Flavours of Tuscany and Umbria’ will be

mind getting its tyres muddy. It is the perfect

taught and enjoyed.

place for a dirty weekend in every sense.

WWW.THYME.CO.UK

tender but firm to the bite. 5. O nce cooked add seasoning, the butter, the parmesan and tomato (if using) remove from the heat and allow to sit for 3-5 minutes. 6. Serve with torn basil scattered over the risotto.

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R OA D T R I P

COAST-TO-COAST

DAWN-TO-DAWN 42

DAW N -TO - DAW N

THE NEW ROLLS-ROYCE DAWN DROPHEAD PROMISES TO BE THE SEXIEST BUT ALSO THE MOST REFINED CONVERTIBLE EVER PRODUCED BY THE GOODWOOD-BASED CAR MAKER. GOING FROM COAST-TO-COAST AND FROM DAWN-TO-DAWN, DRIVE TRAVERSES SOUTHERN ENGLAND IN 1ST CLASS

eering

the

rejuvenate each and every breath. The

mysterious outline of Cape Cornwall,

out

sea

towards

Rolls-Royce Dawn, and this moment in

the dashboard clock barely shows

time, are incredibly special.

06.45. Stereophonically still and with

Billed as the world’s most luxurious,

no hint of daylight, the darkness clings

true four-seater, super luxury drophead,

to the rocky coastline. These precious

the Dawn is unquestionably better suited

moments before dawn are said to be the

to sunnier and more glamourous locations

darkest time of night, but as the minutes

than the tip of Cornwall in late November,

WORDS: GEORGE CHAPMAN

pass, the mystique of morning twilight

after all, it was presented to the world’s

IMAGES: SVEN ESELGROTH

grows and a new sea breeze begins to

media on the Southern Cape in South >

R OA D T R I P

Africa. But nevermind, today is a new day

column-mounted gear-selector stalk into

and the thrill of the drive on Rolls-Royce’s

the ‘D’ position to allow the Satellite Aided

home turf awaits.

Transmission to manage the physics at

TWIN TURBO

As the daylight spreads into the Mugello

play. The clotted-cream smooth, 6.6-litre

Red leather-trimmed cabin at around

V12 twin-turbocharged powerhouse then

07.15 and across the mile-deep Gunmetal

surges up the steep road past Porthledden

the bonnet, the 400

paintwork, the challenge of a west-to-

guest

miles trip ahead will be

east,

appointment at the Jackson Foundation

southern

England

coast-to-coast

route begins to dwell on my mind. This

house

and

onto

our

cultural

Home to the works of celebrated local

were originally designed for and I am very

artist Kurt Jackson, and located in a

eager to get going. With a plan to reach the

stylishly restored traction engine shed, we

east coast for a second dawn experience,

meet gallery manager Fynn Tucker who

24 hours and 400 miles later, reaching

has kindly opened the gallery especially

Broadstairs in Kent in time for last orders

for us. “Kurt’s depictions of breaking

at the hotel bar seems a realistic approach,

waves and the surfers that ride them are

savouring a few hours sleep before

powerful reminders of the connection to

daybreak in Margate on Sunday. Dawn

our environment,” he informs us. He’s

waits for no man!

absolutely

right,

and

unsurprisingly

many of the highly sought after works are already sold.

CAPE CORNWALL

A35

SANDBANKS

A30

LITTON CHENEY

5.7000° W

A30

EXETER

50.1333° N

BOLVENTOR

A338

SOUTHAMPTON

BEST STRETCH

shots securely in the bag, I slide the

dispatched with ease

Gallery in St Just.

is the sort of road trip that Rolls-Royces

With the photographer Sven’s opening

With a 6.6-litre V12 under

DAW N -TO - DAW N

REFINEMENT AND NOISE LEVELS ARE LIKE NOTHING I’VE EVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE – THIS IS FANTASTICALLY COMPETENT

CORNISH CREAM

The buzzing local community of St

for a very brief stop. I watch the midday

Just is home to a new breed of artists,

sun burn through the cloud on this

craftsmen and surfers who are typical

patch of higher ground, as Sven captures

of the communities who have breathed

the moment. Pulling the assisted rear-

Fresh and warm

much-needed life into many UK coastal

hinged coach doors closed, we’re soon

pasties make an ideal

towns in recent times. Opting to forgo our

underway again, searing up the short slip

breakfast; surfer art

hotel breakfast in favour of an ungodly

road and reaching 60mph in a whisker

from Kurt Jackson;

early start, we take the chance to enjoy

under five seconds.

iconic Jamaica Inn

some local delicacies in the town square –

With Exeter behind us and East Devon’s

fresh and warm Cornish pasties served by a

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty now

company that claim to be the oldest makers

coming into view, an impromptu but

in the world.

admittedly reluctant Little Chef pit-stop

MAIDSTONE

WOKING

Leaving St Just, I thread the mighty

MARGATE

near Axminster is too hard to resist.

Dawn carefully along the local Cornish

Rejoining the swift A5 coast road,

roads towards Penzance, well aware of the

the afternoon sun blazes into my wing

freedom from obstacles and 30mph speed

mirror and jogs my memory of a friend’s

limits the A30 offers, only a few miles up

recommendation, I take a narrow lane

the road. The convertible’s blend of 563 bhp

that drops down into the quintessentially

and 730 Nm now fully come into play and

English village of Litton Cheney. My friend

the miles begin to tumble away. Crusing at

is right, it’s a charming little place, but does

70mph, the illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy

the mighty Dawn feel at home here? There’s

leading the way, refinement and noise

only one way to find out... keeping the

levels are like nothing I’ve ever experienced

speed below 30mph, I lower the six-layer

before – this is a fantastically competent

canvas hood whilst still in motion, a near-

long distance or indeed social posing tool.

silent performance which lasts around

The Dawn’s air suspension and optional

22 seconds. As we explore the village and

massage seats are also clearly working their

meet a handful of the locals going about

magic on my lower back.

their

As the fast stretch of dual carriageway

Saturday

afternoon

routines,

the Rolls-Royce’s ‘Pantheon’ grille

rises up onto Bodmin Moor the iconic

Jamaica Inn draws into view. There’s time

open arms. “You have a >

pleasingly

accepted

with

R OA D T R I P

THE ROOF STAYS DOWN FOR AS LONG AS THE HEATER AND HEATED SEATS CAN BLOCK OUT THE COLD NIGHT SKY

DAW N -TO - DAW N

UP OR DOWN Roof raised or lowered, Dawn looks markedly different to its Ghost and Wraith siblings

most beautiful car,” states an elderly gent

bus stop once on dry land and hop out

the cold night sky. Feeling remarkably

pushing a wheelbarrow full of leaves. “Why,

to enjoy some backward glances and the

upbeat, no doubt high on the glorious

thank you,” I reply.

last remaining minutes of light from

Rolls-Royce effect, I settle in for a few

Sven’s memory card is full once again,

the tops of the sand dunes. Roof up

hours of monotonous driving by instinct,

so I input ‘Sandbanks, Bournemouth’

or down, the car’s unique body design

albeit in super-luxury comfort.

into the sat-nav and focus on enjoying

is markedly different from both the

In quick, dark succession the A3, M25,

the remaining hours and minutes of

Wraith and the Ghost, even if there are

M20 and M2 all pass by in a blur of red

daylight in this part of southern England.

obvious similarities.

and white car lights, as Sven’s stories of

As I do so, I lose myself in a daydream,

Turning on our heels in the sand, we

a misspent youth spent sailing the world

wondering if Rolls-Royce ever considered

cross back over to the mainland, refuel

prevent my mind from wandering too

calling it the ‘Dusk’ instead.

and head north east towards the South

far from the job in hand. Our hotel in

Boarding the chain ferry at Sandbanks

Downs and the frenzy of the motorway.

Broadstairs draws into view at around ten

just as the sun is beginning to set, the

Already it feels as if the best part of the

o’clock, and despite my eyes feeling heavy

Dawn is inspected by the ferry crew and

road trip is behind us, but despite this

from the continued time behind the

single-handedly raises the profile of this

the roof stays down for as long as the

wheel, my body is ready for plenty more.

particular crossing. I park in a disused

heater and heated seats can block out

As the alarm sounds the next >

R OA D T R I P

IT’S A FANTASTIC LONG DISTANCE CAR – I JUST HOPE OWNERS REMEMBER TO TAKE THE COAST ROAD, TURN UP THE HEATERS AND FOLD THE ROOF FROM TIME TO TIME

TIME TURNER

our

the start of the new day signifies the

inclusive breakfast and head back to the

morning

once

again

miss

end of their night. The town fizzes

Dawn in the hotel carpark. Whose crazy

behind us as it dissolves the night into

idea was this? Dripping in morning dew,

the clarity of day.

Margate is Kent’s

the machine still manages to hold my

I’ve learned a lot on this trip; dawn is

artistic hub with the

gaze. It was my idea. Heading for the sea

a very fleeting time of day that does not

Turner Contemporary

wall in Margate, we glide silently past

exist for long, it’s part of what makes it so

gallery at its centre

the Turner Contemporary gallery that in

special. The Rolls-Royce Dawn however

this light is a minty pale blue and take a

remains in its element wherever it goes,

prime position looking out to sea among

producing these types of feelings on a

the bunches of seaweed placed there

daily basis. It’s a fantastic long distance

by a recent storm. Similarly overcast,

car too – I just hope owners remember to

the dawn light is definitely brighter

take the coast road, turn the heaters up to

and more sudden here. Some revellers

full power and fold the roof down from

are only heading home at this hour, as

time to time.

S U P E R C A R B LO G G E R

A SUPERCAR SOCIAL LIFE FOR MANY SUPERCAR OWNERS, SOCIAL MEDIA CATERS MORE FOR CAMERA-PHONE WIELDING FANS, AS OPPOSED TO FULLY SIGNED-UP OWNERS. SMARTPHONE IN HAND, GEORGE CHAPMAN MEETS AN ONLINE INFLUENCER AND CREATOR OF HIGHLY POPULAR SUPERCAR VIDEOS WHO IS DISPELLING THE MYTH WITH STYLE >

A U TO C U LT U R E

ith

smartphone

and

tablet

for ‘HROwen’.

ownership at an all-time high and

Another route that brands can take

our appetite for online content

in order to maintain a large following

seemingly insatiable, social media

is by working closely with influencers –

has reshaped and revolutionised the

individuals with large online audiences

way in which we communicate. For the

who can help to promote key brand or

automotive industry, it has provided a

product messages.

direct link between manufacturers, dealers,

Video blogger or ‘vlogger’ James of

journalists, fans and consumers that can

supercar lifestyle YouTube channel Mr

benefit all parties.

JWW, is a self-made influencer who is quick

Fully aware of the benefits of the various

to inform that he does not class himself as

platforms and keen to maintain a strong

a journalist. “I simply try to give people

presence, H.R. Owen posts regular updates

the feeling of what it’s like to experience

as well as all the new official images of the

some of the world’s finest supercars. I’m

latest models. To view the images and to

an immersion specialist,” he insists. On

join in the conversations, visit Facebook,

visiting his YouTube channel and watching

Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, searching

a selection of his content, it’s an accurate

100,000 FOLLOWERS In early December, James’s mrjww Instagram

description; his style of presenting is upbeat and candid. He continues, “I have to turn the passion up to eleven as this is what encourages my viewers to keep watching the films.” At least he’s honest. And watch them people certainly do.

account notched up an

The Mr JWW YouTube channel currently

impressive milestone

has over 150,000 subscribers, (BMW UK’s official channel has just 20,000) and his audiences watching habits are equally impressive. “The average watch time of my videos is around seven minutes. Across the entire channel, this translates to around 14 million minutes of my videos being watched every month.” With an audience this large, it’s no wonder James often measures the success of his film in sports stadiums. “I always want to reach the number of seats at Wembley in the first week that a video goes live,” he adds.

S U P E R C A R B LO G G E R

“I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT YOUTUBE AND ONLINE VIDEO CHANNELS WILL REPLACE PROVIDERS SUCH AS SKY TV”

At time of press, his most recent upload Living with Porsche 991 GT3 - 18,000 miles in 9 months, amassed over 50,000 views during its first three days online. So how has James managed to create such a successful channel in the space of just twelve months? He insists that the secret is quite straightforward, “Obviously, it’s about the cars. My viewers want to know what the acceleration feels like, how it sounds and what it feels like to drive. I deliver these feelings to them in an honest and passionate way. I strongly believe that YouTube and online video channels will

14,000

eventually replace providers such as Sky TV, where there are so many channels that you never watch.” He continues, “My videos also

H.R. Owen’s VIP Services

speak to a captive audience who are hugely

business alone has

interested in the subject matter. They come

notched up its own

directly to me and I can target them with

healthy Instagram

content that I know will be well received.”

community

Although

committed

Ferrari

A U TO C U LT U R E

RECENT H.R. OWEN SOCIAL HIGHLIGHTS BAC MONO ON THE ROAD This purpose-designed social activity saw H.R. Owen host a mini roadshow in London and Manchester, so that fans could get up close to the new supercar from BAC. The content

“I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO MAKE ENOUGH MONEY TO ALLOW ME TO ENJOY MY PASSION. I’M A GREAT BELIEVER IN DOING SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY AND SHARING IT WITH OTHERS.”

was posted across H.R. Owen’s Instagram, Twitter and Facebook channels. Meanwhile, the official BAC team (@DiscoverMono) and racing driver and official BAC test driver Oliver Webb encouraged fans to engage and share images of

aficionado, James owns an exotic handful

other hand, last week I flew a Pagani

of different supercars and is adamant

Zonda F from Dubai to Italy in a day on

that they are all used and enjoyed, with

the maiden flight of a Boeing 777.”

as many people as possible. Outside of

So what’s the next challenge for this

being a full-time automotive vlogger,

confident young gent who seems to

James also owns underwear, swimwear

have it all? Well, purchasing cars and

and clothing manufacturing companies,

populating his YouTube channel mostly,

employing over 100 employees. Nine years

but James also launches the new MrJWW.

ago he invented TanThrough, a worldwide

com website in early 2017 in in order to

patented fabric which allows you to tan

provide his audience with more in-depth

through your swimwear. It’s now also used

content, expanding on the places he visits

for medical and agricultural applications.

and providing details of his favourite

So which of the H.R. Owen stable of

roads around the world. Given his track

supercars is Mr JWW most impressed

record and fine taste in cars, I wouldn’t

with? ”I’ve owned two 458’s, the 458

bet against it succeeding.

the BAC Mono if they spotted it.

Speciale, a 430 Scuderia and currently special cars, but I’d definitely choose

H.R. OWEN

GORDON RAMSAY’S LAFERRARI APERTA

the F12 TDF next! The Ferrari brand is

facebook.com/hrowen

The H.R. Owen Ferrari team recently captured

built on passion and those cars have it in

twitter.com/HROwenOfficial

a short video and image of Gordon during the

spades. I would also like to try the Bentley

instagram.com/hrowen

handover of his new LaFerrari Aperta. Once

GT3-R. I prefer to drive the most visceral

linkedin.com/company/hr-owen

Gordon and H.R. Owen Ferrari had shared

have an F12 Berlinetta – they are all

performance cars.” As you can imagine, James has had some

this on their social channels, the event went

MR JWW

viral shortly after, as it was also picked up by

incredible and rather varied experiences:

youtube.com/MrJWW

several car-spotters, influencers and fans. The

“I’ve completed the Gumball 3000 rally

mrjww.com

engagement and reach of these posts were

on five occasions, including 2016’s from

instagram.com/mrjww

incredible – a definite stand out piece of social

Dublin to Bucharest, all of which have

twitter.com/mrjww

media activity for the brand so far.

been life changing experiences. On the

facebook.com/mrjww

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U N D E R LO C K & K E Y

he story goes that, after receiving a prized steel Rolex Daytona for his 21st, George Bamford’s pride quickly dissolved into disappointment, realising that several

others around the dinner table were wearing the very same luxury chronograph. All of a WORDS: ALEX DOAK

sudden, it didn’t seem so special. So he vowed

IMAGES: AMY SHORE

to customise two watches – said Daytona, and his father’s own Rolex – and imbue them with

ESCHEWING THE FAMILY FORTUNE, GEORGE BAMFORD HAS GONE HIS OWN WAY CUSTOMISING ROLEX WATCHES – A BREATHTAKINGLY SUCCESSFUL VENTURE THAT HAS POPULATED HIS COTSWOLDS LOCK-UP IN SPECTACULAR FASHION

RUNNING FAST

something genuinely personal and unique. “Fourteen years ago, I didn’t want to just ‘bling something up’,” the now-35-year-old Bamford explains. “Back then, the likes of Jacob & Co. were putting diamonds on everything. I have an obsession with black – black cars, black shoes, black everything – so I went to the R&D department at JCB.” That may seem rather a random course of action, until you realise that Bamford is the ‘B’ in that aforementioned three-letter abbreviation. His grandfather Joseph Cyril founded the famous digger brand in 1948 >

GEORGE BAMFORD

U N D E R LO C K & K E Y

by making Europe’s first hydraulic tipping

In the space of 14 years (a blink of an

trailer, going on to revolutionise the

eye for the watch industry) the boyishly

construction industry with 1953’s articulated

passionate George has grown his Bamford

Backhoe Loader – an innovation still

Watch Department in leaps and bounds,

commonly referred to as a ‘JCB’.

expanding from Rolex (still 90% of his

BLACK BEAUTY

own two Ferrari 250 GTOs, both of which he races enthusiastically. As you can see here, his family’s Cotswolds smallholding (or the “country cottage” as

It has taken 11 years

Bamford calls it) has an enviable garage of

“When I asked about applying a black

output) to Patek Philippe and Audemars

to restore Bamford’s

modern metal, from a Bentley Mulsanne, to

coat to my and father’s Rolexes,” Bamford

Piguet watches. Headquarters are now a

275GTB

a 599 GTO, Ford GT, R8, even a LaFerrari up

continues, “they said there was this mining

multistorey, fully armoured townhouse

until very recently. The watch business has

application: an anti-friction, anti-lubrication

on Mayfair’s South Audley Street, with

clearly done well. But Bamford’s conversation

coating for drills called diamond-like-

a team of Rolex-qualified watchmakers

always comes back to the old stuff – the stuff

carbon or ‘DLC’. You get a rock-hard, bluey-

beavering away on the top floor and a

with soul and a story. The way he talks about

black finish like nothing else. So we coated

man cave in the middle, where clients can

restoring and driving his Ferrari 275 GTB is

those two Rolexes.

spec-up their watch in the lap of luxury.

with a tangible air of devotion.

“Then, that summer, we got 25 orders.”

In terms of process, BWD has moved on

“I bought it eleven years ago for not much

Things mushroomed from then onwards,

from DLC black coating to his universal

– there are a lot of watches that are more

and Bamford was faced with a stark choice:

and proprietary ‘Military Grade Titanium

expensive than what I spent. It was tangerine

call time on the black watches thing and

Coating’, developed in secrecy with an un-

orange, for god’s sake! Everything was wrong

take the steady, lucrative course with the

named technology partner, by seven full-

with it. So it went back to Ferrari Classiche

family firm; or continue to plough his own

time-employed “boffins” (sic.), somewhere

and had everything done. It’s taken me 11

furrow (pun intended). Given that his father,

on the outskirts of

years to rebuild it, and now the kids have

Lord Anthony’s personal wealth is estimated

underground bunker.

London, in an

nicknamed it ‘Black Beauty’.

somewhere around the £3 billion mark, you’d

What started as a passion project has

“It just makes me smile – it is my baby. I

think it was an easy choice, but it was the

become an obsession, which as readers will

bring it up to London a lot, I drive it a lot. It’s

Lord himself who made it even easier to take

relate to, is a trait that translates to Bamford’s

just so much fun to drive.

the riskier path.

love of cars. A love that, diggers aside, he

“On the other hand,” he says, on a roll,

“My father simply said to me, ‘You can go

most definitely has inherited from his

“I’ve got this beautiful Jag XK120. I can’t

and screw up on your own dime.’ He hates

father. Lord Anthony is a man who, we must

drive fast in it, but Jesus Christ I get a

the idea of being born with a silver spoon.”

remember, is the only person in the world to

driver’s experience. I’ve got a big steering

GEORGE BAMFORD

wheel, my legs don’t quite fit under it…

champion their products, show you how

Last weekend I went round a corner over

great they are, or have a great story behind

a bump, the chassis flexed and the door

them. Like Aston Martin. I looked at the

opened! But it was such fun.”

new DB11 and ordered one immediately.

And if that all sounds rather selfish, you’d

What they’re doing is just awesome. And

be mistaken, as one of Bamford most prized

they look after you. Bentley does too.

automotive possessions is entirely about the

With so many other luxury brands, you’ve

shared driving experience: his Land Rover

become a number. You go to any store on

101 Forward Control army truck, complete

Bond Street and they will say you’re lucky

with 3.5 litre Range Rover V8. Snapped up

to own one of our products. I feel that some

for a song (£10,000, believe it or not), he

car companies have become the same.”

bought this boxy beauty for its sheer,

It’s easy to think Bamford is blasé when

unabashed functionality, but also to do his

it comes to luxury – above it, even. But

mates a bit of a favour.

the impressive thing about this young

“We call it the ‘Pub Truck’! I can drive

man is that he seems to have remained as

us all to the local without them needing

grounded as one of his father’s excavators

to worry about leaving their cars parked

throughout every success. And it seems that

overnight. I’m not a big drinker, so I tend to

just about the only thing to still leave him

be the designated driver and everyone else

speechless is exactly that – JCB.

can drink as much as they like. On the way

“I still visit the Staffordshire factory

home, I often take the bumpy route across

about twice a month. Just to get inspired.

the fields for a bit of fun…”

I’ve seen what future-looking products

So, despite his passion for vintage, just what is it that draws Bamford back to the modern world?

they’ve got in store and it’s just...” He trails off in awe. “You’ve always got to take a different

“The car brands that are fighting for

stance on the watch business to then realise

your money,” he says firmly, “are the ones

you can do something new. JCB does that.

you really should support. The ones who

It gives me a re-set button.”

“I’VE GOT THIS BEAUTIFUL JAG XK120. LAST WEEKEND I WENT ROUND A CORNER OVER A BUMP, THE CHASSIS FLEXED AND THE DOOR OPENED! BUT IT WAS SUCH FUN.”

CLASSIC & MODERN Bamford’s collection includes Bentleys, Ferraris and even a venerable army-spec Land Rover Defender

INTRODUCING

SINGLE MINDED PROPOSITION

SELFISH? POSSIBLY… BUT THERE’S NO DENYING THE ADRENALINE RUSH PROMISED BY MONO, THE ROAD-GOING SINGLE-SEATER FROM BAC >

WORDS: MATTHEW CARTER IMAGES: G.F. WILLIAMS

BAC MONO

INTRODUCING

ou’ve heard of Rolls-Royce and Bentley.

comparatively modest 305bhp under its

maximum thrills. BAC calls it ‘one of a kind’.

You know Aston, Bugatti, Ferrari,

bonnet. Actually, it doesn’t have a bonnet,

Jeremy Clarkson calls it ‘amazing’.

Maserati and Lamborghini.

either, but you know what I mean.

At its heart is a complex tubular

But I’d wager that not everyone reading

And that’s the point of the Mono and the

spaceframe which gives the car its strength

this issue of DRIVE will have heard of BAC.

reason why it is has joined the H.R. Owen

(and crash protection) and onto which

And fewer still will be aware that BAC is the

stable in Cheltenham where it nestles next

is attached the bodywork which is made

latest manufacturer to be represented by

to new and used Aston Martins and rubs

from a lightweight carbon fibre/foam

H.R. Owen – and the only main dealer in the

shoulders with previously owned models

‘sandwich’. Cleverly, the sculpted body has a

UK to handle the car.

from various marques at H.R. Owen Ecurie.

distinct cutaway waist to ease access to the

In some ways, the Mono – the only model

It’s not so much a car as an item of sports

centrally mounted seat. Unlike a formula

produced by the Liverpool-based Briggs

equipment, the automotive equivalent of the

car, the wheels are enclosed but much of

Automotive Company – is the complete

ultimate road bike, and perfect for anyone

the workings of the car remain exposed,

antithesis of the others cars sold by the group.

serious about driving.

superbike style.

In terms of creature comforts, it’s as basic

And don’t get the idea it’s a track day

At the front, for example, a cutaway

as you get… it doesn’t even have a heater.

special and nothing else. The BAC Mono

element in the bodywork reveals the

Nor is it a car for a couple’s weekend away

is road legal and not in the least bit

pushrod suspension and gives access to

as it has no luggage space to speak of. More

temperamental. In other words, it can cope

the adjustable dampers, while much of the

significantly, neither does it have a passenger

with a London rush hour just as easily as it

engine and rear suspension is on show at the

seat (the clue’s in the name, Mono).

can cope with the demanding high speed

back. The design might follow the emotional

School Corner at Anglesey.

appeal of a superbike but was inspired by –

But in other respects, it’s right up there

RUSH

believe it or not – an award-winning music

with all of them. It’s exclusive, it turns

What exactly is the BAC Mono? Essentially

heads, it’s a real driver’s car and it is quick.

it’s a single seat formula car for the road. It’s

Very quick. Faster than a slick-shod 1,000PS

the brainchild of brothers Neill and Ian

McLaren P1 GTR track-only hybrid supercar

Briggs, automotive engineer and designer

adrenaline rush or

around the Anglesey Coastal Circuit in

respectively, who were driven to produce

rush hour traffic,

can be specially formed to fit your own

Wales, in fact… not bad for a car with a

a no compromise car that guaranteed

Mono handles both

backside – is covered with a waterproof

IT’S A NO COMPROMISE CAR THAT GUARANTEES MAXIMUM THRILLS. JEREMY CLARKSON CALLS IT AMAZING

Whether it’s an

video, Bjork’s All Is Full Of Love in which she becomes a robot, clad with ‘body’ panels. The single seat – which, racing-style,

XY XY XY XY XY XY X

HEAD TURNER Nothing matches the impact made by the BAC Mono on the streets of London

suede-like material and comes with a full racing harness while the hugely impressive carbon fibre quick-release steering wheel houses the car’s dashboard and controls, including such road going necessities as a horn, lights and indicators. Changing gears in the six-speed Hewland ’box is by paddles on the back of the wheel. The engine is a Ford-based 2.5-litre four-cylinder

normally

aspirated

dry

sump Duratec unit that forms part of the structure of the car – again, taking a leaf out of the motor racing book – which has been breathed upon by Mountune to give a top speed of 170mph and a 0-60mph time of just 2.8 seconds. But it’s not the ultimate power output that’s the important thing here, it’s how much it weighs – at just 580kg, the Mono >

INTRODUCING

THE ULTIMATE POWER OUTPUT IS NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING HERE, IT’S HOW MUCH IT WEIGHS

ICONIC As tourist attractions go, the Mono has the edge on Big Ben

has a power to weight ratio of 525bhp per

that BAC has established a small factory

tonne. And that’s one reason why it can

there to build up SKD kits.

show a clean pair of wheels to the likes of a P1 around the twisty Anglesey circuit.

The company is currently making around three examples a month, though

Journalist and racing driver Richard

intends to increase that to four a month in

Meaden of evo magazine drove the Mono

the new year. There have been a few changes

around the track, beating the time he set in

since launch, including a power increase, a

the P1 GTR and putting the car at the top of

wider chassis and the use of innovative new

the magazine’s leaderboard. It’s just one of

materials, such as carbon hybrid rims that

the string of awards the car has won since

reduce the weight still further.

it was launched in 2011, when it was Top

Another recent innovation has been

Gear’s Car of the Year according to The Stig.

the introduction of Mono Bespoke which

This year, Top Gear reckons it’s the Best for

allows every owner to personalise his or

Selfish Sundays…

her car with special liveries, body wraps,

And if DRIVE’s experience is anything to

exposed carbon elements and a made-to-

go by, it should also win an award for its

measure steering wheel to match the made-

head-turning ability. Introducing the car

to-measure seat.

to the capital, via The Mall, left Londoners open-mouthed…

Although it’s all about fun, the BAC Mono is a serious piece of kit… and that’s

To date, 65 Monos have been built

as it should be. As Neill Briggs says: “The

and delivered to customers around the

Mono is equally at home on the road or the

globe, with sales in a total of 28 different

track and is aimed at anyone who is serious

countries. So popular is the car in America,

about the hobby of driving.”

BAC MONO

THE MEN BEHIND MONO MONO STARTED AS A DREAM, BUT QUICKLY TURNED INTO AN ACCLAIMED REALITY AS TWO BROTHERS MORTGAGED EVERYTHING TO CREATE THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE

WORDS: MATTHEW CARTER IMAGES: MATT HOWELL

NEILL BRIGGS

DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Given that the Briggs family hails from the area, it is perhaps not so surprising that BAC is based in Speke, a stone’s throw from Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport where every BAC is given its shakedown test. But the real reason is more prosaic: as far as Neill Briggs is concerned, the family firm is in the middle of a centre of automotive excellence. “We are close to Halewood and not far from Ellesmere Port. Oulton Park is just down the road and the Lombard RAC Rally – when it was the proper RAC – was always held around here,” he said. Not that Neill, nor brother Ian, have spent all their lives in the area. Enthused by a father who liked cars and working with his hands, the brothers took degrees in engineering and transport design and became immersed in the motor industry. After working with various large OEMs in the UK and Europe, the brothers established their own consultancy with offices in Stuttgart and Cologne. Most of the projects they worked on remain secret, though the >

INTRODUCING

EXCLUSIVE The Liverpool factory employs 25 people producing three bespoke cars a month

location of the offices will give a clue as to which companies they worked for… BAC’s credentials are exemplary.

Briggs Automotive Company.” The company was incorporated in 2009 and work began on the first Mono which

But after several years working for others,

was displayed at a 2011 classic car show

Neill – a one-time kart racer and enthusiastic

in Germany. Despite the low-key reveal,

motor sport fan – and his brother hatched a

the response was overwhelming and the

plan to build their own car.

Briggs brothers knew they had a hit on

“Our idea was to create the ultimate

their hands.

for

The first cars were built in ‘a humble

maximum thrills. It seemed to us that a

space in Cheshire’ before the move to

single-seat formula car had the best layout.

Speke was made. Here the company has

“Quite apart from upsetting the weight

created 20 new jobs – head count is now

distribution, a passenger adds, say, 90kg

25 – and is responsible for 40 more in

to the weight of a car. And when you bear

the local supply chain. As much as 98 per

in mind the Mono only weighs 580kg, that

cent of the company’s supply chain is UK-

makes quite a difference.”

based, with 45 per cent of the car’s content

driving

machine,

one

designed

The Mono was designed, in time

sourced locally.

CONCEALED

honoured style, on the kitchen table by

The 11,000-square metre facility has

personalisation. Pressed on a possible

Design Director Ian Briggs and Murray

three jigs for car assembly with each car

second BAC model, though, Briggs is less

Adams, now BAC’s Senior Designer…

taking about 160 man hours to build.

forthcoming. Eventually he concedes that if

though at that stage it was little more than

Currently

eight-month

the company were to look at a second model

compartment and

a fantasy.

waiting time but that should reduce when

it would probably involve a move upmarket.

adjustable pushrod

production increases in 2017.

“A hyper car with one, two or even three seats

suspension

“The more we looked at it, though,

there

the more we realised we could make it

As to the future, BAC is concentrating

work. We produced a business case, re-

on further refinement to the Mono

he muses. Watch this space.

mortgaged our homes and started the

including even greater opportunities for

HROWEN.CO.UK/BAC

would be an interesting design challenge,”

Front storage

BAC MONO

OLI WEBB TEST AND DEVELOPMENT DRIVER Despite being only 25 years old, Oli Webb has already made a sizeable mark on the motor racing world. After winning races and titles in karts, he moved to single-seat formulae, finishing third in the 2010 British Formula 3 championship before moving up to the Renault World Series, British GTs and even the Indy Lights series in America. He finished third in the LMP2 category (seventh overall) in his first ever Le Mans (2014) and is currently racing an LMP1 prototype in the World Endurance Championship. When not racing, however, he can be found at the BAC Speke factory either testing new cars, working on future developments or demonstrating the Mono to potential customers or at events such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed. “Neill came up to me when I was racing in British F3 and asked whether I would be interested in shaking down a new car he was developing. Apparently, he had been watching me all season and thought I would be perfect for the job. I said ‘yes’ and here we are!” Every car built by BAC is given a thorough shakedown, including high speed runs, before it is passed to its new owner meaning that Oli is the only man in the world to have driven all 65 Monos built to date.

TECH SPECS £165,125 basic price

2.8S to reach 60mph

170MPH top speed

525BHP Power per tonne

1.07.7S evo at Anglesey (fastest ever lap)

540KG dry weight

“I might be a bit biased, but I really think this is a fantastic car. In dynamic terms, it is remarkable whether it’s being driven on track or on the road and I still get a buzz from the reactions of passers-by when I drive in towns and cities. There is nothing quite like it.” As well as testing and demonstrating the car, Oli has provided practical input into the car’s development, especially when used on the road. “I’ve driven it into countless underground and municipal car parks to make sure it fits and helped to establish the perfect ride height so it can cope with speed bumps without compromising its dynamic performance.” Is there anything he would like to change on the car? “Just about the only thing I’d like to see is a heated seat for when I’m out testing in the winter months. But the boss won’t allow anything that adds weight!” If that’s the only compromise an owner needs to make when enjoying his Mono, well that’s some achievement.

100MM ground clearance

>2G lateral cornering force

FA C T O R F I C T I O N

Audi RSQ from the film I, Robot

SCI-FI TO SCI-FACT YOU BELIEVE THAT AUTONOMOUS CARS ARE COMING? WELL WE HAVE NEWS FOR YOU: THEY’VE BEEN HERE FOR YEARS, AT LEAST AS FAR AS MOVIE MAKERS ARE CONCERNED WORDS: GILES CHAPMAN

or lovers of motoring exhilaration, the

when you could be gaming or texting or

front door (no need to use the phrase ‘on

whole idea of driverless cars must seem

watching videos of kittens tottering along

every drive’; you won’t own the things, so

like a blanket of depression slowly

mantelpieces?

you can extend the house, or have more

descending over a world of mountain

Love them or loathe them, driver-less

garden, as hard standing returns to soft

passes, sweeping bends and swift, majestic

cars are heading – self-empowered – our

and garages are demolished). But it’s been

highways. For our kids, though, they are

way. In truth, though, we should be used to

a feature of comic strips, movies and TV

looking like a sure-fire reality.

the idea by now.

adventure shows for as long as jet travel has

After all, who would want to expend

The technology for auto-motivation

opened up the skies. You may only just be

precious concentration on things like road

is only now taking its first steps along

glimpsing the future now, but you’ve been

signs, sleeping policemen or traffic lights

the road to delivering a robot car to any

there many times already… >

XY XY XY XY XY XY X

KITT

LEXUS 2054 In 2004’s Minority Report, much of Tom Cruise’s

promotional tie-in). But, as with his

According to its creator Glen Larson, hit

time was devoted to future prediction. Running

whole vision of the future for this film,

‘80s US adventure show Knight Rider was

the Precrime department in a Washington

he was adamant that the technology had

conceived as, “The Lone Ranger with a

cityscape set 50 years in the future, he employed

to be feasible. Interestingly, the interior

car… a kind of sci-fi thing with the soul

psychic technology to decide which maniacs

appointment of each pod matched the

of a Western.” With that in mind, lots of

were going to kill and then nabbed them before

owner’s home in terms of décor –

the usual action-show features were also

they committed their terrible deeds.

perhaps an interesting upside to the

wound in, such as a secret crime-fighting

driverless cars that are reckoned soon to

organisation run by an ailing millionaire

be a reality.

who sends a rescued soul into battle.

Tom inhabited a Steven Spielberg-imagined world where urban and long-distance transport both have dedicated solutions. In the city, small

That man, of course, was Michael Knight,

pod-like cars navigated a digital magnetic-

Sports Car’ – literally built around him as

played by David ‘The Hoff’ Hasselhoff.

levitation, or ‘mag-lev’ grid spread in every

he is chased through the Lexus factory –

So far, so improbable. But the saintly

horizontal and vertical direction. Instead of

offered more of the conventional supercar

Mike was dispatched on his missions

wheels, they sported supple, rotating pods.

wow-factor. Four huge wheels, waist-high

with Knight Industries Two Thousand,

stance, and a cab-forward cockpit – all

the ultimate in high-tech cars. No

compact travel pods could scale skyscraper

stuff you’d want in a Ferrari or Lamborghini

shoot-’em-up guns for Knight; KITT,

apartment blocks at up to 80mph, and attach

of any era. But much more in-tune with

which inhabited the-then-cutting-edge

to the balcony of your flat so you could walk

the probable future was its ability to take

shell of the latest Pontiac Firebird, used

right in.

orders for dinner, all-electric fuel-cell

its phenomenal electronic brainpower

drivetrain, not to mention the ability to slide

and stunt-car dynamics to outwit its

time, called in designers at the Japanese

silently off to find its own parking space

opponents. A red flashing bonnet

luxury marque to help work with conceptual

and recharging point. Even Philip K. Dick,

scanner, said to be inspired by the

artist Harald Belker and shape the film’s

on whose short story Minority Report was

HAL computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey

personal transport (although the carmaker

based, might not have quite believed that bit

surveyed all before it, making a routine,

did have to pay $5m to be part of the

of future-proofing.

KITT-monitored 200mph (300mph in

There could never be an accident, and the

Spielberg, himself a Lexus driver at the

For longer trips, Cruise’s ‘Off-System

XY XY XY XY XY XY X

series four) nothing for the preoccupied

MACH 5

driver to fret about. The car was

Never mind what Ferrari, McLaren

Martin DBR1 and, indeed, the recent

armoured to withstand anything up to

and Williams have done over the

three-nosed Lamborghini Egoista.

heavy artillery, and could use its ‘Turbo

years, Mach 5 is arguably the best-

Boost’ to leapfrog over danger. Or so it

loved racing car in the world. And

was the interface, whose seven buttons

appeared on screen.

that’s despite the fact that it was born

triggered everything from an in-built

in a Japanese Manga comic strip in

jacking system, which could be used

by on-screen mythmaker Jack Gill,

the 1960s and, of course, doesn’t exist

for short, springy hops, to instant

used four Firebirds over the show’s

in the way it’s since been portrayed in

bullet-proofing and grippier tyres.

remarkable, 90-episode run. One

its ‘anime’ cartoon series, or even in a

radically lightened version was used

full-on Hollywood film version in 2008

before digital connectivity, so to

exclusively for the jumping sequences,

(a Wachowksi Brothers turkey).

communicate with the outside world,

In fact, the stunts, coordinated

and was given a smooth plastic

Speed Racer was the name of the

The centre of the steering wheel

Mach 5 was of course from a time

a robot bird with programmed homing

underside for when it was hoisted aloft

driver, whose father built the two-

instincts could be released from the

by a crane and filmed from below.

seater roadster. If you know your cars

car’s nose, able to convey pictures or

Absolutely no CGI effects in those

then you can probably spot overtones

images whenever the driver was in

analogue days.

of Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, Aston

peril. Imaginative, if nothing else… >

XY XY XY XY XY XY X

AUDI RSQ

them from ever more intelligent robots,

the RS8 equipped with spheres instead of

Cars travelling on castors and a bionic

some of whose intentions were becoming

wheels (presumably after the car industry

man not concealed behind the dashboard

disturbingly un-benign. He would naturally

of 2035 had somehow learnt how to control

but sitting in the driver’s seat; such

need rapid transport for his investigation

supermarket-trolley waywardness).

were the aspects that in fluenced Audi’s

into automatons becoming psychopaths in

For good measure the car was packed with

RSQ, the automotive star of 2004 sci-fi

the greater Chicago area.

fictitious yet crucial sounding technology

blockbuster I, Robot.

Audi’s involvement was product placement,

such as 3 Laws Safe, Centralcore 247 and

Well, okay, Will Smith’s detective character

pure and simple, and that famous,

a Positron Brain. “I believe that the Audi

Del Spooner was only part cyber-man,

four-ringed grille got due prominence.

RSQ is a possible vision for the future,

having been rebuilt after a car crash.

Yet its designers – 15 of them, working

embedded in a fictional world,” said Audi’s

But he inhabited a world where human

flat-out for 10 weeks – still came up with

then-design chief Walter Da Silva; only

beings lived behind a firewall protecting

a spectacular, futuristic interpretation of

another 19 years to find out if he was right.

SPINNER POLICE CAR Personal transport that can take

Ford’s styling department, and

off and fly the driver to his or her

built by the cream of Hollywood’s

destination has been a Holy Grail ever

SFX royalty, the Spinners were

since the 1950s, and countless restless

used extensively to keep an eye

imaginations have predicted its arrival.

on the population of a forever

For now though, the only likely

place where Harrison Ford’s ex-

branded. Licensed use of a car that can

cop Rick Deckard was lured from

levitate, hover, survey and intercept

retirement to hunt down mutinous

was, however, imagined and created

‘replicants’, androids that resemble

some 34 years ago by film legend

real humans.

Ridley Scott for his edgy future epic

The Spinners functioned much

Blade Runner (another Philip K. Dick

like an automotive vertical-take-off

inspiration). Scott even came up with a

aircraft, the sort of car we’d all like

manufacturer’s name, Spinner, and a

for a seamless lift-and-accelerate

convincing looking chrome logo for the

commute to work. Few would have

nose of the sinister police ‘car’.

ever guessed the vehicle seen in the

darkened, smoke-laden LA – the

reality is drone-shaped and Amazon-

film used the underpinnings of a humble Volkswagen.

ALT1-C CLASSIC

TH E BR EMONT ALT 1- C WILL L AST YOU A LIFETIME. POSSIBLY LONGER . The Bremont ALT1-C is a mechanical aviation chronometer that’s 99.998% accurate. It’s painstakingly built by hand at our workshops in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. But if the inside of the ALT1-C is delicate, the outside is anything but. The case is made from steel that’s seven times harder than you’ll find in ordinary watches. (We bombard it with electrons to toughen it up.) The crystal is sapphire and scratch-resistant. (We know, we’ve tried.) And the whole thing is water resistant to 100 metres. We hope you enjoy the ALT1-C. After all, you’ll be together a long time.

MARQUE EMBARK

ASTON’S NEW MISSION AS IF BUILDING SOME OF THE WORLD’S MOST DESIRABLE CARS WASN’T ENOUGH, ASTON MARTIN IS EMBARKING ON A POWERBOAT PROGRAMME. THE RESULT IS THE AM37. PREPARE TO WANT ONE VERY BADLY INDEED…

WORDS: JASON BARLOW

he world’s premium car manufacturers

almost unfathomable nautical excess, she

are busy investigating what lies beyond

manages to be simultaneously restrained

their core business. How elastic is the

and

brand, and how far can it go before it

seamless surfacing: these are the things

snaps? Yet some things just seem obvious

car designers strive for in the search for

from the get-go.

automotive beauty. It’s no different here.

eye-popping.

Stance,

proportion,

“Wouldn’t it be great,” Aston Martin’s

“The only way I would have done this

CEO Andy Palmer recently mused during

is if we’d had the opportunity to design

the opening of Aston’s new Mayfair store,

it ourselves,” Aston’s chief creative officer

“if you were down in a luxury harbour

Marek Reichman says. “Over the years,

somewhere, staying in an Aston Martin

various boat builders have approached

apartment, with your Aston Martin parked

Aston Martin about collaborating on

in the car park, and your Aston Martin boat

something. It never felt right. But when

harboured outside.”

Quintessence Yachts came to see us in

Well, the boat now exists. The AM37 is so-named because she’s 37ft long, and in a world of

Gaydon, we liked their approach. As a new company, they were interested in doing things differently.” >

A M 37 P OW E R B OAT

MARQUE EMBARK

“IT’S A NAME THAT’S RECOGNISED AROUND THE WORLD. WHEN WE STARTED DISCUSSING THE IDEA OF AN ASTON POWERBOAT, IT WAS SOMETHING THAT SEEMED TO PRE-EXIST IN PEOPLES’ MINDS”

A M 37 P OW E R B OAT

“We wanted a similar experience to an automotive gran turismo,” Quintessence Yacht’s CEO Mariella Mengozzi continues. “The first brand our principal investor

SHARED DNA

opportunity to challenge the norms of an

fastest vessel in its class but also one that’s

industry, especially one in which tradition

genuinely comfortable. Mulder developed

governs everything you do.”

innovative

hull

and

architecture,

The project connected Aston Martin,

working closely with Reichman and his

A carbon fibre

Dutch naval architects Bas Mulder, and

team, who used all the same tools they

that’s truly recognised around the world.

backbone, fibreglass

Quintessence itself. Mengozzi has years

use when designing a new car – 40 per

Actually, when we started discussing

skin and a vacuum-

of experience at Disney and Ferrari under

cent scale models, CAD, and even a full-

the idea of an Aston powerboat, it was

infused structure

her belt, so knows how difficult it can

size clay.

something that seemed to pre-exist already

are just a few of the

be to harmonise a relationship between

in lots of peoples’ minds.”

features shared with

established partners. “There are pros and

fibre, with an outer skin in fibreglass.

Aston Martin’s road

cons, going into business with a start-

The structure is vacuum-infused, and

based creations

up,” she admits, “but sometimes when

uses resin and epoxy bonding, another

before Quintessence, a Dutch start-up,

you work with leading brands there are…

technique shared with the car industry. It’s

could get Aston, erm, on-board. “From my

constraints. They interpret the brand in

handmade, almost all of it done in-house,

perspective, it’s as important that this was

their own way, and if you are an established

and the visible carbon fibre elements in

a ground-up new boat as much the AM-

brand it still has to be highly visible. A small

the cabin significantly enhance rigidity.

RB 001 [Aston’s Red Bull collaboration]

or new company will work a lot harder, you

She weighs 7.5 tonnes ‘light ship’, while

is a new car,” Reichman states. “I didn’t

are more flexible, more committed and

the fuel tanks can swallow a monstrous

want to compromise, and the result is that

willing to accept the challenge.”

thought of was Aston Martin. It’s a name

That’s an interesting revelation, but it still took six months of patient persuasion

we’ve done some things the marine world would have said no to. It’s unusual to get an

The AM37 is a powerboat that can masquerade as a day cruiser, the

The

AM37’s

backbone

carbon

800 litres. The teak in the AM37’s bow, deck and transom is exquisite, and >

“I DIDN’T WANT TO COMPROMISE, AND THE RESULT IS THAT WE’VE DONE SOME THINGS THE MARINE WORLD WOULD HAVE SAID NO TO”

MARQUE EMBARK

“THE THROTTLE CONTROL HAS A SEAMLESS WEIGHT TO IT. IT ALSO RIDES THE WAVES WITH AN ALMOST ARISTOCRATIC CONTEMPT”

the leather that swathes the cockpit area is similar to the highly tactile material in the DB11. The steering wheel’s core structure is machined out of a single piece of stainless

PANEL SHOW

start riding the waves, and he monitors the shifting ‘sea state’. “This prototype uses two 520hp Mercury marine petrol engines. The engine choice is tailored to

The stainless-steel

usability, and standardisation of parts –

behind

foredeck coping rails

the propellers, for example. These engines

a 15 inch HD touchscreen that’s fully

have been handmade

can be serviced anywhere in the world.

waterproof and heat resistant to 120°C.

using an English Wheel

We could have more performance with a

Three carbon panels can be manoeuvred

– an old panel-beating

different engine, but servicing would be

into different positions over the boat, and

technique still found at

more difficult. To answer the question

they disappear again beneath the rear deck

Aston Martin

I know you’re going to ask, that’s why

steel, and contains nine further elements. The

digital

instruments

live

at the time-honoured push of a button (or

there’s no Aston Martin V12 in there. But

via an App). Even the anchor’s design is so

who knows for the future.”

new it has a patent pending. Best of all,

Like every fast boat I’ve ever been

though, is the curved windscreen, which

on, the AM37 adds an extra dimension

Reichman insists is a ground-breaking

simply by interacting with nature’s most

piece of design on a boat.

thrillingly

unpredictable

force.

The

Operations,

throttle control has a seamless weight to

Stefan Whitmarsh, is in charge of the test

it, and the view ahead is better than the

‘drive’. He’s worked at or consulted for most

norm. It also rides the waves with an

of the yachting world’s big players, and is also

almost aristocratic contempt, with more

a former offshore powerboat racer “She’s

emphasis on the self-discipline behind

relatively beamy, which gives you stability,

the wheel. Even at £1.5m, the AM37 makes

comfort and space, but the down side is that

an irresistible case for itself. It’s the Aston

it can reduce performance,” he says, as we

Martin of boats, after all.

Quintessence’s Head of

Rolls-Royce perfect the Art of Arrival with Preferred Hotels & Resorts and Smythson London is one of the most enchanting, varied and exciting cities in the world. Whilst we all love to drive, it’s perhaps the one place where it’s better to sit back and take in the sights while someone else plots a course through the traffic. Now you can explore the UK’s capital from the unruffled calm of a Rolls-Royce rear compartment whilst staying at one of Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ flagship London hotels for two nights and upon arrival you will be presented with an iconic Smythson currency case which can be personalised for you at a Smythson boutique. Step out of the hotel and straight into your chauffeured Rolls-Royce Ghost for a night in the West End or a day exploring London’s top boutiques. You have the choice of three exceptional London locations; the glorious Art Deco of The Beaumont Hotel in Mayfair, or ME London, the Foster & Partners boutique hotel in the heart of theatreland or The Franklin in Knightsbridge.

For reservations, please call Preferred Hotels & Resorts on 00800 7123 1030 or visit www.preferredhotels.com/rollsroyce. *Terms & Conditions Validity: until 31 March 2017 • Available for Suite bookings only, with two people sharing including breakfast, minimum of two-night stay • Three consecutive hours’ use of chauffeur driven Rolls-Royce Ghost within M25 radius. Additional hours, if required, need to be booked in advance and will be charged at an additional hourly rate • One Smythson Currency Case will be offered per suite with the option to add complimentary personalisation of up to three initials at any Smythson boutique. Terms & conditions apply • Reservations to be made at least 48 hours in advance • Offer cannot be combined with other promotions and is non-refundable • Promotion is subject to availability, blackout dates may apply.

B R A N D D I R E C TO R S

MEET THE

TEAM

BENTLEY NAME: MARTIN SEWELL CURRENT POSITION: BENTLEY BR AND DIRECTOR H.R. OWEN START DATE: NOVEMBER 2016 FIRST CAR: FORD CORTINA MK3 GT DAYTONA YELLOW DREAM CAR: BENTLEY GTC W12 SPEED (OF COURSE) LIFE MAXIM: LIFE IS TOO SHORT, LOVE AND HAPPINESS IS KEY TO ENJOYING THE JOURNEY

2017 WILL BE A BUSY YEAR FOR OUR DEALERSHIPS WITH ANNIVERSARIES TO CELEBRATE AND MANY NEW MODELS TO WELCOME

As the ‘new boy’ at H.R. Owen, I’m a little in awe of joining

IMAGES: ROB CADMAN

I am joining at a very significant time for both brands. The

this great firm – especially as my role is brand director of another great British brand, Bentley. Rest assured, though, that I am looking forward to this great new job.

game-changing Bentayga has been launched already, of course, but 2017 sees the start of sales of the first ever

diesel Bentley.

t H.R. Owen we have seven directors for seven iconic car brands, all

Next year also marks a significant milestone in the

striving to ensure that H.R. Owen

history of Jack Barclay as it was in 1927, 90 years ago,

remains the last word in providing

that John Donald “Jack” Barclay established his Rolls-

MILESTONE

unparalleled customer service. Let them

Royce and Bentley dealership in George Street, Hannover

tell you a little bit about themselves and

Square – we moved to Berkeley Square in 1953. He

90th birthday of the

their plans for their businesses over the

coined the phrase ‘service after sale’, a philosophy that

establishment of

forthcoming 12 months.

we still practice today.

Jack Barclay

2017 marks the

PROFILE

BUGATTI NAME: ANITA KRIZSAN CURRENT POSITION: BUGATTI BR AND DIRECTOR H.R. OWEN START DATE: SEPTEMBER 2011 FIRST CAR: FIAT 126 DREAM CAR: CHEVROLET CHEVELLE SS 454 LS5 LIFE MAXIM: YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU SET YOUR MIND TO

It has been a busy, hectic and exciting year… and I’m certain that 2017 will be little different! Our big news has, of course, been the opening of our dedicated Bugatti showroom in Bruton Street in London. This milestone has allowed us to increase the Bugatti team with the arrival of Art Katallozi as Brand Coordinator and Felicity Bench as Marketing Manager.

to think that the service offered by H.R. Owen Bugatti

ROLLS-ROYCE

matches that.

NAME: CLAUS ANDERSEN

The first car in the new showroom was the breath-taking Chiron and we are looking forward to overseeing first deliveries in 2017. The car is exceptional and I’d like

H.R. OWEN START DATE: AUGUST 2012

I have been in the industry for more than 16 years and

CURRENT POSITION: ROLLS-ROYCE BRAND DIRECTOR

in that time, I’ve seen many positive changes. ‘Going the

FIRST CAR: VOLKSWAGEN POLO

extra mile’ to offer great customer service and encourage

DREAM CAR: ANY CAR THAT BRINGS A SMILE TO

repeat business is more and more recognised.

THE FAMILY LIFE MAXIM: ALWAYS WORK WITH THE TEAM AND THE CUSTOMER

What I love about this business is that it’s constantly changing, and it’s one of the strengths of H.R. Owen that we have a great team who can anticipate and adapt to our customers’ needs. The next milestone from Rolls-Royce, of course, will be the new Phantom, and we will be keeping our customers up to date with news as it nears production. Rolls-Royce continues to develop limited edition models such as Dawn Inspired by Fashion, too. But whatever the new model news, we make sure our customers are the first to know. I believe our communication with customers is outstanding. It’s relatively easy to sell a car once, but the H.R. Owen difference is that we build lasting relationships that see customers come back to us for servicing, aftersales and, in time, their next new car. >

B R A N D D I R E C TO R S

FERRARI NAME: JAMES CHAMPION CURRENT POSITION: FERR ARI BR AND DIRECTOR H.R. OWEN START DATE: MAY 2001 FIRST CAR: 1985 FORD FIESTA XR2I (GUNMETAL GREY – AWESOME!) DREAM CAR: FERR ARI 430 SCUDERIA LIFE MAXIM: ENJOY LIFE! THIS IS NOT A REHEARSAL.

Electric and driverless cars are coming, but won’t be here in significant volumes until 2020 at the earliest. In the meantime Ferrari will continue to develop its hybrid KERS electric system, first seen in LaFerrari. With stricter emissions legislation coming to big cities all around the globe, it is critical that we have hybrids across the range combining supercar performance with the ability to travel as far as 30 miles in electric-only mode. If these electric motors allow Ferrari to retain its glorious

ASTON MARTIN

rev happy V12/V8 engines, we should all rejoice. In 2017 Ferrari will be celebrating its 70th Anniversary with plenty of special events. The official car to mark the anniversary is LaFerrari Aperta, but Ferrari has

NAME: CR AIG DAVISON

announced 350 bespoke Tailor-Made editions across the

CURRENT POSITION: ASTON MARTIN BRAND DIRECTOR

current range that will also carry the “70 years” badge.

H.R. OWEN START DATE: FEBRUARY 2005 FIRST CAR: AUSTIN ALLEGRO DREAM CAR: ASTON MARTIN V12S LIFE MAXIM: TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED

The rise of the smart phone and their apps are changing the way we communicate, how we do our research and even how we run our lives. But buying a new car is a big investment and the only way a customer can be certain a product fully meets all their needs is by dealing not with an app but with a fellow human. I believe that our best asset is our people and good old fashioned face to face service will win every time.

HERITAGE

With several new models coming from Aston Martin over the next seven years we are perfectly placed to help customers enjoy some fantastic machinery… and DB11,

Ferrari is 70 years

Vanquish S, Vanquish Zagato, GT12 and RB001 are just the

old and Aston is into

start. With the newly created H.R. Owen Ecurie and H.R

its second century,

Owen BAC businesses to oversee as well, I have the best job

stronger than ever

in the world.

PROFILE

LAMBORGHINI NAME: RUPESH JETHWA CURRENT POSITION: LAMBORGHINI BRAND DIRECTOR H.R. OWEN START DATE: JULY 2004 FIRST CAR: 1.1 FIESTA POP PLUS DREAM CAR: MIUR A SV LIFE MAXIM: THE ONLY MISTAKE IN LIFE IS THE LESSON NOT LEARNED

There are exciting times ahead for H.R. Owen Lamborghini with a new look, new variants and a brandnew model range on the way. The biggest news is the launch in 2017 of the new Lamborghini SUV, the third model in our line-up. The first cars will appear in 2018 but we are already taking orders for this exciting addition to the range and have started to grow our sales and aftersales teams as a result.

MASERATI

But there’s more to the future than the SUV. More power is promised for the Aventador, making this extraordinary car even more insane, while a new Rear Wheel Drive Spyder expands the regular Huracán line-up.

NAME: MARK LANGFIELD

Customers coming to South Kensington in 2017 will also

CURRENT POSITION: MASER ATI BR AND DIRECTOR

see a huge change in the look of the business as we

H.R. OWEN START DATE: APRIL 2007

introduce the new Lamborghini corporate identity.

FIRST CAR: ROVER METRO! DREAM CAR: MASER ATI 3500 GT LIFE MAXIM: DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU

I arrived at H.R. Owen Maserati from Maserati GB, the factory’s subsidiary office in the UK, which has given me a unique insight into the workings of both the manufacturer and dealership sides of the business. Maserati has seen several highlights in recent years, but the arrival of Levante is the most exciting. It opens an entirely new area of the market for us and puts us up against some very strong opposition… it’s a challenge we relish.

CHANGE

Aside from the rise in popularity of the SUV, the biggest recent change I have seen in the industry is the

A new look for

increased reliance on digital forms to buy and sell cars.

Lamborghini and

I am glad to say that H.R. Owen leads the way in this

a new market for

area with our fantastic online presence and our ability to

Maserati

reach all parts of the UK.

SPONSORED CONTENT

THE LUXURY LIFE

FLY FROM LONDON TO GENEVA AT A MOMENT’S NOTICE AND EVEN TAKE YOUR PET POOCH ON BOARD. MICHAEL O., FOUNDER OF THE LUXURY LIFE UK, TELLS US WHAT IT’S LIKE TO TRAVEL ON A LEARJET 75 WORDS: HANNAH LEMON

ired of airport security queues,

dodgy in-flight meals and waiting at

chartering, and so I got involved.” The business offers clients flexibility

crowded gates? Picture this: a quick

and

dial of the phone and you’ve arrived

schedule. Working closely with Zenith,

control

dictate

their

own

at a small, secluded airport. From the

a fleet management provider, a highly

private lounge you can see a jet parked

trained crew and experienced avian

on the runway, ready to take you to your

professionals are selected to be at your

next destination be it Paris, Moscow or

beck and call 24 hours day.

the Caribbean. Once on board, you relax,

“Our team collectively have more than

watch satellite TV and surf the internet.

17 years’ experience in luxury travel and

At your destination, a Rolls-Royce pulls

aviation,” says Michael. “We recognise

up to whisk you away to a hotel.

how vital it is that we build a strong

Welcome to The Luxury Life UK.

competent team, and I am pleased to

Set up two and a half years ago, the

admit that we have some of the best

company specialises in bespoke travel

people in the game with us.”

solutions. The founder, known rather

Among the six private jets in his

enigmatically as Michael O., originally

collection, two are Learjet 75s, which are

offered high-end chauffeur and car

currently the only two commercial Learjet

rental services, but felt the addition of

75s operating in the UK. Then there’s

aeroplanes would benefit his customers.

the Learjet 45, a Cessna Citation XLS, a

“I have always had a strong interest

Bombardier Challenger 604 and a Boeing

in luxury services, be it with cars, jets

737-300 that can seat up to 62 passengers.

or yachts,” says Michael. “By virtue

“All the aircrafts have their unique

of being in the circles of clients

features. The Learjets and Citation XLS,

who frequently charter private

for example, are great for short flights.

calls

They’re fast and can seat eight passengers

and enquiries about jet

comfortably,” explains Michael. “The

flights,

received

OUR TEAM COLLECTIVELY HAVE MORE THAN 17 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE IN LUXURY TRAVEL AND AVIATION

T H E LU X U RY L I F E U K

GET, SET, JET

Challenger 604 is more popular for long-

Bentleys and Range Rovers.

distance journeys. It can travel from

The finer touches make it all the

LEARJET 75

London to Chicago non-stop and has a

more special. On some of the shorter

Passengers: 8; Average

stand-up cabin so passengers don’t have

journeys there is a complimentary bar

cruise speed: 860 kph;

to stoop when they stretch their legs.”

service, with champagne, beers and hot

Typical route: London to

Passengers arrive at their chosen

drinks on tap. “Our clients’ requests are

Amsterdam – 35 minutes

airport and go straight to the private jet

all taken care of prior to take-off so they

CESSNA CITATION XLS

terminal handling their flight. Security

can be as comfortable as possible. We are

Passengers: 9; Average

and ID checks are a quick and seamless

now also DEFRA approved to carry dogs,

cruise speed: 796 kph

process, and in many cases people are

cats and even ferrets.”

Typical route: London to

cleared beforehand. The crew meet

But it’s not just pets that want a go. "We

Paris – 40 minutes

passengers in the lounge, take their

have had football teams use the Boeing

BOMBARDIER

bags and lead them to the aircraft.

737-300 to transport players for football

CHALLENGER 604

And there’s no worry of hour-long

matches, and the service is popular with

Passengers: 9; Average

delays – most flights depart within 15

musicians when they tour Europe.” If it’s

cruise speed: 850 kph;

minutes of arrival. Plus, there is still

good enough for them, it’s certainly good

Typical route: London to

the option of chauffeur services – you

enough for us.

Athens – 6 hours 55 minutes

can take your pick from Rolls-Royces,

LIVETHELUXURYLIFE.CO.UK

S T O RA G E REDEFINED

S TO R AG E LOGISTICS TOURS 45 MINUTES F RO M L O N D O N

Call us now to discuss how we can help: +44 (0)1635 867705 chris@v-management.com www.v-management.com

A RT & C R A F T

ARTIST IAN COOK HAD A LIGHTBULB MOMENT WHEN HE WAS GIVEN A RADIO-CONTROLLED MODEL CAR. THAT WOULD MAKE A BRILLIANT PAINT BRUSH, HE THOUGHT… WORDS: MATTHEW CARTER

he phrase ‘automotive art’ takes on a

if they’ve been caught in an eruption in a

created using tyres, either from a moving

new meaning when it involves Ian Cook.

paint factory.

model or from a hand-held die-cast toy.

A trained fine artist, Ian’s paintings

These are his brushes. To create his

Ian describes his work as a ‘friendly

are invariably of cars… but he doesn’t

artworks he pours paint onto a giant canvas

explosion of colour’, a description perfectly

just paint them, he paints with them.

and then simply picks up a handset and

captured by the name of his company,

You won’t find any brushes in his

‘drives’ one of his models backwards and

Popbangcolour, and by the man himself.

splendidly chaotic Coventry studio but you

forwards to spread the paint and create

will find hundreds – literally hundreds – of

unique pieces of art.

radio control model cars that all look as

Every element in one of his paintings is

Wearing cut-off jeans and a t-shirt despite a winter chill in the air, Cook’s clothes, hands, legs, >

P O P B A N G C O LO U R

WHEEL TRACKS Every splash of colour on one of Cook’s paintings has been put there using a model car tyre as a brush

glasses and beard are all splattered with

conversion that put him on his present

bright smears of acrylic paint. He is a

path. “My then girlfriend gave me a radio-

walking advert for his art.

controlled model of Lightening McQueen’s

“SAATCHI PHONED UP OUT OF THE BLUE AND ASKED HOW BIG I COULD DO MY PAINTINGS. TWELVE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A LUCKY NUMBER SO I SAID 12M X 8M.”

And it all began by accident. “I’ve always

car from the film Cars. Foolishly she told

had an interest in cars, thanks partly to my

me not to get paint on it… and that got

uncle, Paul Davies, who is now a director at

me wondering what results I might get if

like Gaydon, Beaulieu and Goodwood

Jaguar Land Rover.

I tried to paint with the car. If she hadn’t

where he took along a growing collection

said what she did, I’d probably never have

of model cars and turned his work into

thought of it.”

performance art.

“I was pretty hopeless at school but was good at art. I loved graphics and textiles and at one time I thought I might like to be

The rest is (almost) history. His first

Goodwood proved to be a turning point.

a car designer. My uncle, who was at Rover

paintings were a little naïve as he felt

He was given space on the lawn to do his

then, got me some work experience in the

his way but his biggest problem was one

stuff provided he did two paintings – one

design studio. And I immediately realised

of scale: he had nowhere big enough to

of Lord March in a D-type and the other

I didn’t want to be a car designer after all.

experiment with his new-found tools.

depicting Hawthorn to Hamilton, the

It’s all CAD these days, done on computers:

“This was at the start of the 2008

theme of that year’s Festival of Speed.

recession and Wolverhampton Council

A visitor to Goodwood that year was a

Leaving school, Ian headed to college to

was left with many empty shop units which

representative from the Saatchi ad agency

earn a degree. As for a career, though, Ian

they wanted occupied. I took one and at last

which had Reebok as a client. And Reebok

was still in the dark and despite graduating

had enough space to spread out and master

had just signed Lewis Hamilton as a

with a first he did what hundreds of

what I was trying to do.”

global ambassador.

there’s no drawing involved at all.”

graduates have done before him and got a job in a bar.

Born with the gift of the gab, Ian

“Saatchi phoned up out of the blue and

contacted the local television company,

asked how big I could do my paintings.

“There was a DJ in the bar and I started

Central TV, who sent a crew down to see

Twelve has always been a lucky number

taking lots of photographs of him at work.

what he was doing. A great visual story, he

so I said 12m x 8m. They said ‘great’ and

He used one of my images as an album

quickly found himself on the TV news –

I was commissioned to do a huge portrait

cover and that got me back into art.”

local and national – and in the local papers.

of Hamilton that was to be displayed near

And it was at about this time

Word continued to spread and Ian found

that he had the Damascene

himself being invited to events at places

Tower Bridge. “I had no idea if I could do it but, at last,

A RT & C R A F T

it looked as if I could make some money out of this so I set out to make it work.”

as Dubai and Las Vegas for exhibition work. Ian has even claimed a Guinness

Ian quit his job and then went looking

World Record for the largest glow-in-the-

for paints that would withstand being

dark painting, using a real Nissan LEAF

outside

as his brush.

without

cracking,

fading

running. “Up until then I’d been using

Private commissions from collectors

food colouring as ink as I couldn’t afford

usually start at around the £6,000 mark and

anything else.”

he likes to invite customers to his studio so

His ‘canvas’ for the job was made up of two large pieces of material coated in pvc

they can get a feel for what he does before starting work.

and stitched together, while Reebok found

He prefers to hand deliver his finished

him an empty shop in Regent Street to

artwork to clients – “I like to see where they

give him space to paint. The job took five

are going to be hung” – which is how he

days and the result was widely acclaimed

knows that his painting of Chitty Chitty

– Hamilton himself declared the huge

Bang Bang hangs near the actual car in the

frieze ‘incredible’.

garage of DJ Chris Evans.

THE OLD SCHOOL METHOD MICHAEL TURNER HAS BEEN PAINTING CARS FOR MORE THAN SIX DECADES… USING BRUSHES

That was eight years ago and he hasn’t

And the girlfriend whose Christmas gift

looked back. Commissions have since

started it all? She’s no longer around…

come from dozens of car makers, event

which is probably just as well. She’d have

organisers and owners. He still goes to

a fit if she saw the state of Cook’s model

shows and motor race meetings to paint in

car collection.

If Popbangcolour represents a modern way

public and regularly travels to places such

WWW.POPBANGCOLOUR.COM.

of painting cars, Michael Turner is defiantly traditional. “He paints with model cars, you say… what’s wrong with brushes?” In fact, Turner, who’s “82 and three quarters and still working” welcomes anyone who still uses paints in the digital era. “Too much is computer generated these days, so it’s good to know there is a new generation of motoring artist on the rise regardless of the medium they use,” he says. Turner began his career producing illustrations for ad agencies and his work was regularly featured on the car brochures of the 1950s. “But then they started using photographs and one line of work was cut off overnight.” Fortunately, he had already identified other avenues. “I’d got a press pass to Goodwood in 1951 and took photographs which I then painted and sold. “It was important to go to the races to get the atmosphere and to keep abreast of what was going on. Mind you, I did frighten myself

LEWIS A larger than life Lewis Hamilton dominted the

sometimes… there’s a photo of me taking a photograph of a car at Silverstone by leaning over the track with just a small breeze block wall between me and the car. Lunacy!” His work has been used on book jackets,

skyline at Tower Bridge,

race posters and, of course, purchased by

putting popbangcolour

teams, sponsors and drivers. He also came

on the map

up with a concept that, to date, has lasted more than 50 years – Christmas cards. This is the 53rd consecutive year that he has produced a series of cards with scenes from the year’s F1 series. It’s a remarkable record of the changing face of the sport. STUDIO88.CO.UK

BADGE ENGINEERING

THEY STARTED LIFE AS CONCEPT CARS FOR ONE MANUFACTURER, BUT ENDED UP WEARING A DIFFERENT BADGE COMPLETELY WORDS: JULIAN RENDELL

magine a car-maker turning down a

In fact, there are many examples of

fabulous and futuristic new car design

car designs conceived for one car-maker,

BENTLEY HUNAUDIÈRES // BUGATTI VEYRON

that will revolutionise its model range.

which for various reasons have ended-up

In a burst of acquisitive ambition in the late

That could never happen, right?

in production with a completely different

1990s, the Volkswagen Group hoovered up

Even worse, imagine the same amazing

badge on its nose.

two of the world’s most glamourous luxury

and revolutionary design falling into the

Here are five remarkable ‘chameleon’

hands of a rival, who then makes a mint

cars, concepts that changed their badge

out of it. Surely not?

when they went into production.

nameplates – Bentley and Bugatti. Safely under its wing, VW then proceeded to tease the world with new design concepts beginning with the 1999 Bentley Hunaudières, a 623bhp mid-engined supercar, a model type that resolutely old school Bentley had never built before. If the intention had been to surprise and delight, the Hunaudières did the job. Bugatti meanwhile had been raising expectation of a new super-luxury saloon. But as VW grappled with the reality of planning new models for these automobile grande dames, it switched the plan around. Bentley was allocated effortlesslypowerful luxury saloons and coupés, while Bugatti was assigned the world’s fastest, most luxurious and priciest supercar, the 1000bhp 253mph Veyron. Design of the Bugatti was entrusted to VW design legend Hartmut Warkuss, who delegated exterior design to Josef Kaban. Kaban is now chief designer of Skoda and one wall of his office in the Czech Republic was adorned with a huge mural of the Veyron. Undoubtedly Kaban penned a memorable shape for the Veyron, but the Hunaudières remains an early influence on the amazing Bugatti.

BADGE ENGINEERING

PININFARINA BMC 1800 // CITROEN GS, LANCIA GAMMA, ROVER SD1 An innovative vision of the future that

To break BMC out of its design stupor,

sleek-looking GS, a compact version of

in 1967 the Italians proposed a radical new

Pininfarina’s vision, and this was followed

family of aerodynamic models that would

by Lancia’s launch of the lookalike Gamma.

have established British cars as world

Nine years on, some of Pininfarina’s leitmotif

leaders in design and style.

influenced the Rover SD1, but too late to

Based on a BMC 1800 chassis the long,

rescue BMC.

should have changed the British Motor

swoopy and aerodynamic Pininfarina wore a

Corporation’s destiny, but instead the benefit

BMC badge on the nose, but ran into a wall

Daewoo, Matra and TWR. But the others

was enjoyed by rivals.

of British management indifference and was

live on, generally going from strength-to-

ignored, even though its slippery styling was

strength. Possibly, and we can only hope,

known as the designer of just about every

alone worth an extra 10mph on top speed,

their current custodians have learned the

Ferrari ever built — also designed stodgy

taking it past the magic ‘ton’ to 103mph.

lessons of their predecessors’ past mistakes,

Back in the day Pininfarina — now best

saloons and hatchbacks for BMC.

Three years later, Citroën unveiled the

Today, of course, BMC is gone, as are

making ‘chameleon’ cars a thing of the past.

JAG XJ41 // ASTON DB7 How two venerated British marques ended

driver Tom Walkinshaw, and most famous for running Jag’s 1980s Le Mans-winners. Always on the lookout for a new project,

up trading the design of a handsome

one of TWR’s designers, a young Scot by

luxury sports car is a story of engineering

the name of Ian Callum, suggested a re-

ineptitude, industrial intrigue and business

working of the XJ41 into a more practical

opportunism.

proposition. The XJS still needed

Early in the 1980s, Jaguar was in the

replacing after all.

throes of replacing the ageing XJS with

So TWR put Callum to work turning

a new sports car code-named XJ41 and,

the XJ41 into a more compact, lighter and

theoretically, based on the new XJ40 saloon.

sportier new Jag coupé, dubbed XX.

Successful styling was chosen, but the

Ford’s management, however, baulked at

sports car’s engineering was troubled

the idea of TWR taking control of a vital new

— to say the least — and five years into

Jaguar project and instead had the bright

the programme, the XJ41 was oversize,

idea of re-badging XX as a much-needed

overweight and underperforming.

new Aston Martin.

Jaguar’s new owners Ford were not

When it was launched in 1994, the

impressed and canned what had become

Aston Martin DB7 became the best-

known as the F-Type.

selling model in its history, in the process

Which is where TWR comes in. TWR

saving the company and setting Ian

was one of the UK’s most respected car

Callum on a trajectory to take over as

engineers, owned by energetic ex-racing

Jaguar’s chief designer. >

CONCEPT CARS

THE 3200GT WAS A MORE COMPACT, 2+2 PRODUCTION VERSION OF THE BUCRANE, IMPROVED BY AN AERODYNAMICALLY EFFICIENT ‘KAMM’ TAIL

ITALDESIGN DAEWOO BUCRANE // MASERATI 3200GT

too far for Daewoo and it disappeared

When South Korean conglomerate Daewoo

bounced back with the very similar-

took a new range of cooking hatchbacks

looking but V8-powered and rear-drive

and saloons global in the mid-1990s, it

3200GT coupé.

turned to Giorgetto Giugiaro’s Italdesign for creative inspiration. Looking to add excitement to Daewoo’s

into the back catalogue of ‘what-mighthave-beens’. Until 1998, that is, when Maserati

Sharing the concept’s classic ‘coke bottle’ body side and chisel nose, the 3200GT was a more compact, 2+2 production version of the

range of worthy-but-dull models, Italdesign

Bucrane, improved by an aerodynamically

penned the Bucrane, a curvaceous, four-

efficient ‘kamm’ tail. Officially, there’s no

seat gullwing-door coupé.

link between the two, just that Italdesign is

acknowledged as designer of both 3200GT and Bucrane. Coincidence? We think not….

MATRA PEUGEOT P18 // RENAULT ESPACE Missed open-goals in the car industry don’t come as big as the Matra P18. Cast your mind back to simpler times in the 1970s when family cars only came as saloons, hatches or estates… the Matra P18 was a revolutionary glimpse of the future – a roomy, light-filled family van designed around the passengers, not the driver. Given Matra’s historic link with Peugeot, the P18 was proposed as a successor to the Rancho, one of the very first off-road, toughlook cars. Unfortunately, Peugeot was suffering from a myopic lack-of-vision and roundly rejected the P18 as ‘having no future’. Chastened, Matra turned to Renault, who grabbed the idea with both hands, buying into the P18’s galvanised steel chassis clad with plastic body panels and rolling on a comfortable, family-oriented suspension. Renault had invented the multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) and the Espace went on to be a massive hit, enjoying booming sales for 20 years.

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AT YO U R S E RV I C E

PRESTIGE PROBLEM-SOLVING JUST OUTSIDE BIRMINGHAM THERE’S A HANGAR OF HORSEPOWER WITH HUNDREDS OF PRESTIGE CARS WAITING TO SUPPORT DRIVERS WHO’VE HAD A PRANG. PART OF THE H.R. OWEN ACCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, ACCIDENT EXCHANGE IS WAITING IN THE WINGS TO REPLACE YOUR MOTOR WHILE IT’S BEING REPAIRED. WORDS: JENNIFER MASON

ccidents happen. Isn’t that how the

that make and model.” Dealing with the insurance companies

We all know the drill. You’re driving

make the call, they’ll take all the hassle out

falls under the company’s remit, too.

along in your pride and joy, minding

of the claim process. “When a customer is

“Road accidents don’t just cause damage

your own business, when out of nowhere:

in involved in an accident, after an initial

to your car; the fallout for busy customers

bang. Your beautiful motor is a mess, and

phone call, we’ll handle the rest of the

– particularly for H.R. Owen clients – can

you’re faced with endless hours of stress on

process,” explains Accident Exchange’s

be huge in terms of time lost negotiating

the phone to insurance companies trying

Director of Operations Scott Hamilton-

with

to solve the problem.

Cooper. “We’ll take all the details, assess

Scott. “We can handle everything,

liability and make sure the car is recovered

down to having a like-for-

to the H.R. Owen designated repairer for

Not if you’re an H.R. Owen customer, you’re not.

Thanks to the dealer’s relationship with Accident Exchange, from the moment you

saying goes?

insurance

replacement

companies,”

vehicle

says

H . R . OW E N A C C I D E N T M A N A G E M E N T

“IF YOU WERE INVOLVED IN AN INCIDENT THAT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT, THEN WE’LL ALWAYS DELIVER YOU A LIKEFOR-LIKE VEHICLE WHILE YOURS IS BEING REPAIRED.”

delivered directly to your door. You never even need to leave your home.” Touring Accident Exchange’s state-ofthe-art facility at its head office (one of five branches) on the outskirts of Birmingham, the scale of the operation is immediately apparent. Strolling through the expansive main office, Scott points out the different departments, from the customer-facing teams that deal directly with customers, to the rows of negotiators whose job it is to settle claims. “There’s always someone here,” Scott tells me. “We answer the phone 24-7, 365 days a year, so whenever you have an accident, there’ll always be help at hand.” When it comes to offering its services, the service level depends on an assessment of liability in the incident giving rise to the damage. Scott breaks it down for me: “We class accidents in two ways; fault and nonfault. If you were involved in an incident that was not your fault, then we’ll always deliver you a like-for-like vehicle while yours is being repaired. So if your DB9 is written off, we’ll make sure you’re sent a replacement DB9.” The difference comes for drivers for whom the accident was of their own making. “If you’re at fault, then we can’t claim the cost of loaning you an expensive replacement vehicle back from your insurer,” Scott explains, “so you’ll be driving whatever the bodyshop gives you.” However,

Scott

assures

that

“regardless of whether or not the accident was your fault, you’ll still get the same personalised service from Accident >

AT YO U R S E RV I C E

Exchange. You’ll just be driving an Astra

a Phantom on our fleet, so with the help

rather than an Aston while your car is

of H.R. Owen, we actually bought one that

repaired,” he jokes.

morning and had it delivered to him in

The other limitation is time. While the

time for the game.” I get a real sense that

phones are answered 24-7 and the team

for Scott, job satisfaction comes from being

aims to get a replacement car on the road

able to solve those kinds of problems.

from one of its numerous depots within

“Our H.R. Owen customers are successful,

just four hours of first being notified of an

demanding individuals but there is real

accident (an impressive turn-around time);

reward in providing a bespoke claim

in extreme circumstances that’s not always

management solution for them,” he agrees.

possible, though these occasions, Scott

We move on to the hangar, or ‘the shed’

admits, are rare. “If you have an accident

as it’s affectionately known. A vast space,

on Christmas Eve, for example, there will

it stores 500 vehicles when full – though

always be someone to take your call, and we

THE SHED

I comment on the quality of the cars. It would almost be worth getting into an

Where Accident

accident to drive one of these beauties,

today, as we’re right in the middle of the

Exchange houses its

I say, half-joking, but Scott has a ready

can relieve the initial stress of dealing with

busy season (the business deals with 30%

cars is an Aladdin’s cave

comeback. “We have whole teams of people

the incident,” says Scott.

more accidents at this time of year than in

of modern exotica

whose job it is to weed out fraudsters,” he cautions. “I wouldn’t try it!”

In every situation, though, the team will

August) its numbers reach barely a fraction

do their utmost to ensure you’re not left

of that. I immediately spot a couple of shiny

After spending the morning with Scott

stranded. “We once had a call from the

Aston Martins and an unmissable bright

and his team at Accident Exchange, it’s

Chairman of a Premiership football club

orange Lamborghini Huracán, flanked by a

easy to see why this is such an essential

who’d had an accident on the motorway on

Rolls-Royce and a Bentley GT Continental.

service for H.R. Owen customers. They’re

the morning of a very important game. His

This is not your average credit-hire facility.

streamlining the response process, so your

Rolls-Royce Phantom was undriveable,”

“When we source a car for the fleet,

next accident need be little more than a

Scott recalls. “At that time we didn’t have

the spec is always high,” Scott adds, as

bump in the road.

REAR VIEW

THAT GLORIOUS NATURALLY ASPIRATED 6.0-LITRE V12 HAS BEEN TWEAKED TO DELIVER 600PS (UP FROM 573PS) THANKS IN PART TO A REVISED INTAKE SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS THE ENGINE TO BREATHE MORE FREELY.

CHAPTER 03

REAR VIEW 95

MODERN CLASSIC

LAMBORGHINI MURCIÉLAGO SV WHEN LAMBORGHINI ADDS THE ‘SV’ INITIALS TO ONE OF ITS CARS, YOU KNOW YOU’RE LOOKING AT SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL. THE MURCIÉLAGO LP670-4 SV IS JUST THAT... WORDS BY CHRIS HALL

Lamborghini, they mean serious business.

That enormous V12 was good for

Serious because Lambo is hardly a brand

propelling you forwards with great theatre;

CARBON CERAMIC BRAKES

with a reputation for pulling its punches

producing peak torque at 6500rpm and

The Murciélago SV

round corners properly at the same time.

even with its base models, and serious

peak power at 8000rpm, it would chase

came with 15-inch

It’s closer to the “modern” end of Modern

because only a few cars from Sant’Agata

down a quarter-mile from a standing

carbon ceramic brakes

Classic right now, but in years to come,

have ever been deemed worthy of these

start in 10.9 seconds, hitting 60mph in

as standard, unlike the

there’s absolutely no doubt it will deserve

two letters. It began with the Miura SV

2.8 seconds. As well as adding power,

steels of the normal

to be called a classic.

in 1971, a 186mph, 385bph upgrade to the

Lamborghini shaved 100kg off the LP640

Murciélago

Prettiest Supercar Ever. The Countach

for the SV, using more carbon fibre

never saw SV status (although there was

components where it could, and fitting

a 25th anniversary model which pretty

a lighter exhaust (pleasingly, it kept the

much was). Regular readers of DRIVE will

swallow-you-whole letterbox outlet). The

remember the existence of a Diablo SV

result is a power-to-weight ratio of well

(and the even special-er SE35). Fourteen

over 400bhp/ton - faintly insane for a car

years later, in 2009, another raging bull

that still weighed 1565kg after its diet. The

was nearing the end of its lifespan - enter

sense of theatre was felt on the outside, as

the Lamborghini Murciélago LP670-4 SV.

well, with a rear wing you could seat the

uper Veloce. Two words that you

honesty) interest you to know stands for

don’t need to have grown up in

Longitudinale Posteriore, telling you the

Bologna to understand; and when

6.5L engine sits lengthways in its vast bay

appended to the title of a V12 flagship

behind the driver.

You will probably know that 670

family around for dinner, carbon trim on

stood for the power output, up 30 on

the skirts, and a lightning-bolt graffiti tag

the predecessor’s 640PS, and 4 for four

of SV stretching up over the rear wheel

driven wheels (standard since the first Murciélago, in 2001). The LP, it may (or may not, in all

arches. Specced in the recommended Arancio Atlas orange, it didn’t need much of an introduction.

Happily, the Murciélago was generally agreed to be a masterpiece to drive, as well as to look at - assuaging fears that Lambo had “gone sensible” under VW’s ownership with an extreme turn of pace, and putting all that aerodynamic work to good use to go

MURCIÉLAGO SV

LAMBORGHINI PRODUCED ENGINE MAX POWER TOP SPEED NUMBER PRODUCED RAREST VERSION

Murciélago LP670-4 2009 - 2010 6.5L V12 661hp (670PS) 212mph 186 A Chinese Limited Edition was produced in 2010, in grey with a black and orange central racing stripe, limited to ten cars..

EXOTICA FACTOR

LIMITED EDITION

9/10

Originally, 350 cars were

TOP SPEED

slated to be made, but

The car only achieves its

production was halted

top speed when fitted

early to begin work on

with an optional smaller

the Aventador

rear spoiler; the standard wing limits it to 209mph

F U T U R E F O R E C O U RT

FER ARRI

LAFERRARI LOSES ITS HEAD THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT ITALIAN THAT MAKES EVEN THE MOST MUNDANE SOUND EXOTIC ‘Quattroporte’ works, ‘four-door’ doesn’t.

The car, designed in-house rather than

‘Aperta’ does, ‘open’ (unless we’re talking

by Pininfarina, features a carbon fibre

golf) doesn’t. And the latter works especially

monocoque for lightness and strength and

well when preceded by the word LaFerrari…

which has been lightly modified to reclaim any

One of the undoubted stars of the Paris Motor Show in October was the LaFerrari

rigidity lost when cutting away the roof. Aerodynamic improvements mean it has

Aperta, an, ahem, open version of Ferrari’s

the same drag coefficient as the coupé and

hybrid hypercar.

the same top speed of 217mph. It comes with

Like the coupé, which was launched in 2013, the Aperta develops 789bhp from its mid-mounted 6.3-litre V12 with a further

a removable carbon-fibre hardtop as well as a removable soft-top. The bad news? Just 209 will be built and

161bhp coming from its 120kW electric KERS

every example has already been sold to

unit, giving a massive total of 950bhp.

‘invited customers’.

ASTON MARTIN

MORE POWER AND PURPOSE FOR VANQUISH S

LAMBORGHINI

Gaydon centred around DB11, prepare

HURACÁN SPYDER GOES RWD

yourself for a surprise. The big story from

UNDER THE BONNET

Aston at November’s LA Motor Show was

That glorious naturally

the reveal of the Vanquish S.

aspirated 6.0-litre V12 has

If you thought all the news coming from

Light restyling comes courtesy a

been tweaked to deliver

Ferrari might have gone for Aperta but

purposeful aerodynamic package with

600PS (up from 573PS)

Lamborghini is sticking with Spyder for its

a new front splitter and rear diffuser in

thanks in part to a revised

latest model which, like the Vanquish S, was

exposed carbon-fibre that reduces frontal

intake system that allows

revealed at the LA Show.

lift with no significant increase in drag.

the engine to breathe

There are still some naming changes,

4WD Spyder) and has a top speed of 199mph

The 8-speed Touchtronic III

though, as Lamborghini has dropped the

(201mph). The lightweight soft top can be

transmission has been revised to deliver

expected LP580-2 tag from this open topped

lowered on the move, at up to speeds of 31mph,

faster gearshifts while the suspension,

newcomer, preferring to call it the Huracán

and takes 17 seconds to stow away.

damper and spring rates and anti-roll

Rear Wheel Drive Spyder. Mind you, that does

There are some bodywork changes, too,

bar bushes have been retuned to give

with revised bumpers front and rear which,

a ‘keener edge’ in sporting suspension

Lamborghini claims, increases downforce, while

modes without upsetting the car’s

naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 sends its

Pirelli has developed the 19-inch PZero tyres

supple ride.

572bhp to the rear wheels only, to complete

specifically for the car.

capture precisely what it is… Like the RWD Coupé, the mid-mounted

what Lamborghini calls its ‘core’ Huracán range. Sales start in January 2017. The new RWD Spyder takes 3.6 seconds to hit 62mph from rest (3.4 secs for the

More significant, perhaps, is the suspension

President and CEO Dr Andy Palmer said: “Vanquish S is a magnificent

which, Lamborghini says, “… has been specifically

addition to our range.” Deliveries will

tuned for maximum driving involvement and fun.”

start this month (December) with prices

You can’t say fairer than that.

starting at £199,950.

more freely.

CHEQUERED FLAG

H . R . O W E N G R O U P

N E W S

CHEQUERED FLAG Variety is the spice of life, they say, which means H.R. Owen’s events circuit this autumn was positively zinging with flavour. October alone was packed, seeing a GT3 simulator touring Bentley’s Surrey, Berkshire and Jack Barclay showrooms, bringing out the competitive side in everyone around the 154 corners of the Nürburgring, not to mention a Lamborghini Huracán test drive at Oulton Park, plus a rare “behind closed doors” opportunity on the 29th to see where said Lambo’s are serviced by H.R. Owen’s School Road facility. To get in on the action come the spring, do get in touch with your H.R. Owen business to join us on an event. We look forward to seeing you!

Bentley Berks 21st October

Bentley Surrey 19th October

BENTLEY

G T 3 S I M U L ATO R E V E N TS // O C TO B E R

Jack Baclay 22nd October

LAMBORGHINI

HUR ACAN TEST DRIVE DAY OULTON PARK // 21 OCTOBER

CHEQUERED FLAG

LAMBORGHNINI

SERVICE SCHOOL RD OPEN DAY // 29 OCTOBER

R O L L S - R OYC E

R O K S A N DA LO N D O N FA S H I O N W E E K // 17 S E P T E M B E R

H . R . OW E N

GROUP DRIVE DAY G O O DWO O D C I R C U I T // 12 T H J U LY

H . R . OW E N

S U P E R C A R S AT MINOLI TILES // 8 T H SEPTEMBER

100

I WA S T H E R E ...

I WAS THERE... …WHEN BUGATTI CLAIMED A WORLD SPEED RECORD

FORMER GRAND PRIX AND LE MANS RACER PIERRE-HENRI RAPHANEL IS A BUGATTI PILOTE OFFICIALE SO IT WAS ONLY FITTING HE WAS THE MAN CHOSEN TO DRIVE WHEN THE WORKS WENT RECORD BREAKING

ends. It is the perfect place to attempt

the record attempt I did a test run in the

such a record.

usual direction and then turned the car

It took place during a busy week of

around to come back. But on the return

Bugatti activity at the track. Part of my

trip there was a huge vibration at around

role includes demonstrating the cars to

250mph. It was not a good feeling and I was

customers and helping them get the most

sure there was something wrong with the

from their own Bugatti and we often use

tyres or the transmission. I slowed the car down and brought it

Ehra-Lessien for this. We also had the Top Gear TV team there with James May driving the Super Sport as

We then discovered that because the

km/h (259.49 mph) to beat the previous

track had only ever been used in one

World Record, then held by an American

direction, the wear pattern had created

car, the SSC Ultimate Aero TT, at 412.22

little jagged teeth in the tarmac that

km/h (256.14 mph). My target was 425 km/h

caused the vibration when driving the

to take the record as high as possible.

‘wrong’ way. You couldn’t see them with the was

naked eye – the track looked super smooth

announced, I fought hard to make sure I

– but they were definitely there and made a

was the man to do the driving. But as the

big difference.

the

record

attempt

day got closer I became nervous. I had perfect faith in the car and in its

RECORD

Well, I was certainly there. In fact, I was right in the middle of it, actually driving the car as we went for

wrong with the car.

fast as he could. He managed to hit 417.61

When

his feature is called ‘I Was There…’?

back for checking… but there was nothing

The track has three lanes and highspeed runs are always conducted in the

ON THE RETURN TRIP THERE WAS A HUGE VIBRATION AT AROUND 250MPH. IT WAS NOT A GOOD FEELING AND I WAS SURE THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE TYRES AND TRANSMISSION

the record. It was an official Guinness World Record

preparation but I knew we were going to

lane nearest the barrier to take advantage of

attempt on the record for the world’s

do something that no-one had ever done

any aerodynamic benefits there might have

Six years after the run,

fastest road-going production vehicle and

before. All the references would be new to

been. Because of the vibration problem in

Bugatti still holds the

we were using the 1,200 horsepower Veyron

us and that focuses the mind.

that lane we had to rethink that and do the

world record for a

16.4 Super Sport. The car was a completely

production car

standard production car.

For example, to claim the record we

reverse run in the middle lane.

had to do a run on the straight in both

During those trial runs I had another

The record attempt was made on the

directions with the second run taking place

problem, this time with the braking. I

26th of June 2010 and we were at the

within an hour of the first. The test track

felt that if I started braking a little later

Volkswagen high-speed test track at Ehra-

was used in one direction only: no-one had

than I had been braking I would gain an

Lessien, near Wolfsburg in Germany. The

ever driven a car at speed in the opposite

extra 1km/h in the top speed. I had not

track has a straight that’s about 8.7km (5.4

direction before.

realized that staying 3 or 4 seconds at that

miles) long with banked corners at both

On one of the preparation days before

speed would shorten my braking distance >

101

I WA S T H E R E . . .

by 500 meters or so. So the first time I

said they would be fine in the build-up to

did it, I braked later and a little bit

the top speed but only for a certain time at

harder than I had done previously and

435 km/h.

realized that this was not such a good

Could I trust him? I’d never met him

idea. Please bear in mind that at those

before and I was the one who would be out

speeds you are traveling 120 meters

there, on my own, doing this run. Not him.

every second, so you can run out of road

But this was my mission and I had to

rather quickly. So I went back to the original plan.

get on with it. For the actual runs, we worked out

I just had to re-programme my brain so

that the optimum speed to come off the

that next time I braked more progressively

banking before the straight was around 220

and kept the car in the correct lane.

km/h to ensure the engine temperatures

When it came to the day of the attempt I was super nervous. I couldn’t sleep the

were constant. Then it was full power all the way…

night before and kept waking up. I looked

On the first run I did 427.93 km/h and

at the clock and it said 4:34. I thought

on the return run I hit 434.20 km/h to

this was perhaps an omen and we would

give an average speed of 431.072 km/h

manage a speed of 434 km/h. Incredibly, we

(267.856 mph) some way ahead of our 425

did this on the return run.

km/h target.

But then I woke up again, this time at 4:55

To claim the record was fantastic and, of

and knew we couldn’t go that fast, so forgot

course, there was champagne and so on at

about the omen.

the end of the day.

At the track, I spoke to someone from

Later I felt very tired. This was

Michelin about the tyres. Throughout the

undoubtedly the biggest adventure and

whole exercise I had had supreme confidence

greatest experience of my life. And it gave

in the engineers and the preparation of

me a much greater adrenaline shot than

the car. Same with the tyres, but now I was

anything I’d experienced when racing. So

thinking about each little detail .

the comedown was hard…

I asked the Michelin engineer about

Today, more than six years later, I

what speeds the tyres could withstand. He

still hold the World Record, though the new Chiron is already faster than the Veyron and I am sure Bugatti will try to raise the record higher. Would I like to do the driving? I’d certainly consider it… Pierre-Henri Raphanel was talking to Matthew Carter.

102

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104