Innehållsförteckning för No. 29 från Gentlemen Drive

editorial - gentlemendrive 29

We are living through troubled, confusing times in this part of the world. The ego of a small sector wants to lay down the rules for the rest of society. Sad! Do we not all live on the same planet? We need to be aware that we are all sharing a slice of time, a time that is limited. We all have our good points and our bad points. Some favour classic cars, others prefer the new. Some like SUVs or 4x4s, others prefer family saloons or station wagons. Some are fans of red, others of British racing green. Some love German cars, others go for the American brands. Some have a thing for powerful sports cars, others go wild for electric cars. Some even keep a close eye on…

2 min

Gentlemen Drive|No. 29

MERCEDES-AMG GT-C roadster

I am sure that if our academicians had test-driven the Mercedes AMG GT/C Roadster they would now be discussing a change in the definition of “amazing” and would unanimously agree to use a picture of this car to illustrate the first definition. Because it is; the AMG GT/C has it all. All and a lot more. In spades! A truly amazing set of wheels. The first impression you get when you sit in is that this is a solid car. It’s hard to put in words, but it’s palpable. You immediately realize that you are in something special. Secondly, though no less importantly, is the view from inside, overlooking the lengthy nose. The layout is dramatic, awesome. With an extra-long bonnet and the cabin set way back, it immediately reminded…

5 min

Gentlemen Drive|No. 29

drive watches

IWC Nico Rosberg IWC Ingenieur Chronograph Edition “Tribute ti Nico Rosberg” Dedicated to German-Finnish dual citizen Nico Rosberg, who reached the pinnacle of his racing career when he became F1® world champion in 2016. The in-house chronograph features an 18-carat red gold case, and Nico personally contributed to its design. It has a slate-coloured dial and gold-plated hands. The bidirectional pawl-winding system builds up a power reserve of 46 hours. This sporty yet elegant Ingenieur is fitted with a grey calfskin strap. The transparent sapphire-glass back, which bears the words “Nico Rosberg”, is a particular highlight. Limited edition to 23 pieces. www.tagheuer.com Price: 22.100 € Chopard Superfast Porsche 919 Chopard Superfast Power Control Porsche 919 HF Edition The Superfast collection is the superlative sports collection. The imposing case of the…

2 min

Gentlemen Drive|No. 29

FINALI MONDIALI 2017

Ferrari Finali Mondiali, Mugello, 25 – 30 October 2017.. The Ferrari Challenge series world finals were held at the Mugello circuit in the Tuscan hills between 25 -30 October, bringing together some 100+ 458 and 488 Challenge cars, from the three series, Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, to do battle for the titles in the Coppa Shell and Trofeo Pirelli divisions. The event also featured Corse Clienti activity from F1 cars, F333 SPs (which run with the F1 cars), and the track only FXX, 599 XX and FXXK models. There were also sponsor activities with track demonstration runs on the Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The whole programme took place in fine ambient weather conditions, with plenty of autumn sunshine, particularly on the Saturday, the fine weather attracting around 40,000…

3 min

Gentlemen Drive|No. 29

TEA TIME

Salon Privé, Blenheim Palace, 31 August – 02 September 2017. The spectacular setting of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, played host to the 12th edition of the Salon Privé gathering for the 3rd successive year. It is hard to imagine a more appropriate setting and backdrop to what is an impressive garden party in the heart of rural England, with lobster, Pommery Champagne and a quintessential English afternoon tea de rigeur. This year the event was expanded to four days, or five if one counts the driving tour through the Cotswolds for participants on the Wednesday. The premier part of the gathering is the Chubb Insurance Concours d’Elégance on the Thursday, followed by Boodles Ladies Day on the Friday, with a new event included on the Saturday, Concours Masters, with…

7 min

Gentlemen Drive|No. 29

SEVENTH ART

2x Engine: 4 cilindros electric 83kW Power: 326 cv @ 5000-6500 rpm Torque: 500 Nm @ 1550-4400 rpm 0-100 km/h: 5,4 s Speed: 250 km/h Hay muchas maneras de valorar y analizar a un automóvil; ya sea por su diseño, por sus prestaciones o simplemente por las sensaciones que transmite al conducirlo. Sin embargo, una berlina de alta gama como el nuevo 740e iperformance requiere de un análisis diferente. Nos importan poco sus cifras, tampoco es un automóvil pensado para transmitir sensaciones; sino todo lo contrario, pues está diseñado para que uno se aísle del exterior y encuentre, al abrir sus puertas y al entrar en su habitáculo, un oasis lleno de confort, comodidad y calidez. Pero el nuevo serie 7 híbrido ofrece mucho más. A estas tres “C” hay…

1 min

Gentlemen Drive|No. 29

DriveNews

LAMBORGHINI URUS The Urus is a visionary fusion of Lamborghini DNA into the most versatile vehicle, the SUV. It is a true Lambo in terms of design, performance (4.0 liter V8 twin-turbo 650 hp), driving dynamics and emotion. El Urus es el resultado de una visionaria fusión del ADN Lamborghini con la versátil arquitectura de un SUV. Un auténtico Lambo en terminos de diseño, prestaciones (V8 biturbo de 4 litros y 650 CV), y emociones dinámicas. ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE Pure, sculptural forms create an athletic, predatory stance, while the minimal front and rear overhangs, muscular flanks and broad haunches express the agility and dynamism inherent within the car. 510PS twin-turbo V8. Las formas puras y esculturales crean una postura atlética y depredadora, mientras que sus flancos musculosos y anchas caderas…

4 min

Gentlemen Drive|No. 29

55 YEARS OF GLORY

250 GTO 55th Anniversary Tour, 25-29 September 2017. The 250 GTO 55th Anniversary Tour was organised by Ferrari, and took place between 25th and 29th September 2017, primarily in Tuscany, with the event base at the splendid 5 star Villa Cora hotel in central Florence, in its own parkland overlooking the Boboli Gardens. It is just a couple of kilometres south of the famous Ponte Vecchio, and if walking to the bridge over the River Arno from the hotel one passed the Forte di Belvedere, where the L’Idea Ferrari exhibition was held in 1990. Based from the host hotel the participants had visits to vineyards, drives on part of the original Mugello road circuit, laps of the current circuit, and a free day for shopping and sightseeing in the beautiful…

2 min

Gentlemen Drive|No. 29

TESLA MODEL S 100D

As a designer, my restive spirit and creative mentality have always pushed me towards the most original and innovative projects. I was certainly one of the first to try out a Tesla. It was in early 2009, on a visit to San Francisco to be with my then partner, working at the time on a catalogue for the fashion firm Banana Republic. I made a trip of it, seeing everything the city had to offer, from Alcatraz to the Golden Gate, until, having seen all the sights, I turned again to my passion. I visited the iconic Blackhawk Collection in Danville and one day I called a small start-up that was beginning to produce electric sports cars, using the magazine as a pretext to ask for a test drive. I…

5 min

Gentlemen Drive|No. 29

FIREMAN

I had been waiting impatiently for weeks to come to Madrid and spend a few days racing on the Jarama track. It would be my initiation into the “Spirit of Jarama”, an event created by our friend Jesús Pozo in Barcelona and Madrid, which has become a reference for classic and race driving in Spain. The night before I had butterflies in my stomach. It had been some time since I had felt that way. I put it down partly to nerves and partly to excitement. There was an absolute beauty waiting for me in the paddock of the mythical track. A 1977 Chevron B36 owned by Fund Drive Investments, Spain’s premier classic and racing car investment fund. I was to share the wheel with a truly experienced champion, Carlos…

9 min

Gentlemen Drive|No. 29

CHRONO DRIVER SANT FELIU 2017

Chronodriver - Sant Feliu de Codines - Hillclimb Revival Después de varias tentativas fallidas debido al vertiginoso clima político el pasado día 29 de Noviembre se celebró finalmente la muy esperada Chronodriver en Sant Feliu de Codines. Rememorando por octavo año consecutivo, la legendaria historia automovilística que esconden los 4,2 km de carretera que une la población de Bigues i Riells con la de Sant Feliu de Codines. Con una inscripción algo más corta que la habitual debido al cambio de fechas, las ganas de los participantes eran las mismas sino mejores para disfrutar una vez más de una jornada apasionante donde los coches clásicos y su historia volvieron a ser los protagonistas. El día amaneció despejado y el sol en seguida se unió a la fiesta para dar luz…

3 min

Gentlemen Drive|No. 29

FORD FIESTA XR2 MKII

The Ford Fiesta Mk2 appeared towards the end of summer 1983, with a revised front end and interior; the most notable change involved the new wraparound headlights.[1] The engine compartment was also wider, so as to accommodate a five-speed transmission and new engines. The front track accordingly increased by 33 mm (the rear track remained as on the Mk1), while the brakes and steering were also altered. At launch, the Mk2 Fiesta was only available with the familiar 957cc and 1117cc Kent Crossflow-based “Valencia” engine options, although they now featured variable venturi carburettors for improved fuel consumption. The more bulbous bonnet line of the Mk2 was created largely due to the need to package the taller Ford CVH engine, a 1.3 L version of which followed in 1984, and this…

1 min

Gentlemen Drive|No. 29

AUDI RS7 performance

Audi has breathed more grunt into the first generation A7 to deliver its most powerful version, the wild RS7 Performance. A savagely aggressive beast, clad in Armani-like wolf’s clothing. A sharp-lined, elegant sedan, an adulterated four-door coupé, bursting with an impressive twin turbo V8 engine. This monster shreds the asphalt when the power surges from heart to quattro® wheels. An elegant but fierce beast. A true scoundrel, though polite and refined. An astute knave, a villain of the road. In true Audi style, the RS7 boasts tight ergonomics, with the quality of the materials shining through in an interior boasting impressive amounts of carbon fibre, leather and alcantara, all set off by pretty blue contrast stitching. The exclusive exhaustive system by Akrapovic is a thunderous growl over the rock and…

3 min

Gentlemen Drive|No. 29

UNDER THE SKIN

Ferrari Under the Skin Exhibition, The Design Museum, London. The Design Museum was founded by Sir Terence Conran in 1989, and was originally housed in an old warehouse on the south bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge. In 2016 it moved to its current premises, a Grade 2 listed building, the old Commonwealth Institute, in Kensington High Street in West London. The building was redeveloped and remodelled by the renowned architect John Pawson to provide a 21st Century museum space, offering three times the exhibition area than its previous location. The Ferrari Under the Skin exhibition was the initiative of renowned Ferrari and Ferrari literature collector Ronald Stern, who worked closely with the museum curators to bring the exhibition to fruition in Ferrari’s 70th Anniversary year. It had…

3 min

Gentlemen Drive|No. 29

drive shopping

original badge t-shirt Escuderia Montjuich is considered to be one of the best private teams in motorsport. This t-shirt is a tribute to all the drivers who wear this badge in different racing competitions. La Escudería Montjuich es considerarda una de los equipos privados con más reconocimiento en competición. Esta camiseta es un tributo a todos aquellos pilotos que han defendido este escudo en competiciones automovilísticas. www.escuderia-montjuich.com Price: 20 € autodromo driving gloves Autodromo beautifully crafted driving gloves in cognac color will take you back to that simpler era every time you slip them on for a drive. Featuring a short, split cuff, these gloves will pair perfectly with your Autodromo watch, and have no annoying snaps to do up. Estos preciosos guantes de conducción en color cognac de la…

5 min

Gentlemen Drive|No. 29

RED ROAD RUNNER

Engine: 6 cilindros 2,993 c.c. Twin Power Turbo Diesel Power: 258 cv @ 4000 rpm Torque: 560 Nm @ 1500-3000 rpm 0-100 km/h: 5,8 s Speed: 234 km/h Después de una extensa prueba pana europea atravesando distintos países, tipos de carretera y una climatología muy variada; podemos asegurar que el BMW X4 es un auténtico correcaminos. Con un formato mucho más compacto que su hermano mayor (X6), el X4 mantiene la esencia de un SUV/Coupé que lo hace tan versátil como atractivo. Un segmento que creó el Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution Concept Car que se presentó en Salón de Frankfurt de 2001 y al que poco a poco se le han unido las marcas premium ampliando así la oferta de su portafolio. Incluso Lamborghini ha vuelto a las andadas...¿pero se atreverá…

1 min

Gentlemen Drive|No. 29

well done

Engine: 4 cilindros 1,798 c.c. TFSi Power: 180 cv @ 5100-6200 rpm Torque: 250 Nm @ 1250-5000 rpm 0-100 km/h: 7,2 s Speed: 237 km/h !De Diez! Sí. Así de rotundo. El nuevo Audi TT 2.0 TFSI de 180 CV y tracción delantera es un automóvil excepcional. Había probado ya otras versiones más potentes incluidas el TTS y tracción quattro, y siempre me había gustado mucho pero no esperaba que su versión más “sencilla” lograra sorprenderme tanto. Su diseño atractivo atrae a simple viste y la sutil combinación de la unidad probada en pintura gris metalizada, capota gris cálido tirando a beige y tapicería de cuero gris hielo era realmente acertada. Su ergonomía también es de sobresaliente ya que tanto los ajustes del asiento y del volante garantizan una posición…

2 min