Luxury and the arts From houses to cars and from Hockney to van Dyck, a profile of the best and the worst
1932 MG F-type Magna Salonette for sale for £70,000
In 1932, an MG F-type Magna Salonette would have set you back £289 or the equivalent of £17,602 in today’s money. Given only 390 were built and that few still exist, the one for sale through Richard Biddulph of Vintage & Prestige Fine Motorcars in Grays, Essex seems remarkable value at £70,000. (more…)
Knight Frank take an unusual tack to promote a property
Knight Frank is known as the estate agent to the rich and famous. Like other realty firms, of course, they pepper their brochures with superlatives such as “exemplary”, “spacious” and “glorious” but in the marketing of 33 Portland Place, they truly take the biscuit. (more…)
Rolls-Royce hunting vehicle for sale for £198,000
Today marks the start of the grouse season and whilst the BBC gave far too much airtime to those who are anti this fine sport, we very much join with those celebrating the Glorious Twelfth. Suitable for someone heading off to the moors is an amazing Rolls-Royce that was built as a hunting vehicle for the King of Morocco in 1980. (more…)
An opportunity to buy an American equivalent of Downton Abbey
Downton Abbey returns to our screens this autumn and one has to ask whether its writer Julian Fellowes was at all influenced by the story of the story of Peter Widener of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania whose son and grandson both died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic. (more…)
Confused.com founder puts castle on market for £1.5 million less than she spent on it
“Wild haired” Kate Armstrong, the Australian founder of Confused.com, bought the medieval Scottish castle Cassillis House in Ayrshire from the Kennedy clan in 2009 for £3 million. She spent four years and £3.5 million updating and improving it but is now selling it at a loss for just £5 million. (more…)
Former residence of Leona Helmsley comes to the market
Leona Helmsley didn’t do “little”. She lived by the belief that “only the little people pay taxes” and housed herself in a vast mansion on a 40-acre plot in Connecticut. Helmsley died at the house in 2007 and it is now once again for sale (more…)
Third gold wrapped vehicle spotted in Knightsbridge
The Ferrari wrapped in gold foil that bubbled up and peeled off was eclipsed in its ridiculousness last week by a gold and black Bugatti Veyron. Now, the collection has expanded with the arrival of a gold Range Rover. (more…)
Businessman Peter Burrell solves the problem of keeping gravel level
Gravel drives are a joy and a nightmare at the same time. A crunchy drive, according to The Independent’s Jeff Howell is something that most would have on their bucket list at a “dream home” but with one, you get the problem of weeds and moss and the need to rake constantly. Now, there’s a solution – The Gillhams Gravel Rake. (more…)
Skin care muggers shockingly set up shop the Kings Road
What on earth is Earl Cadogan thinking? Two companies anyone sensible would avoid have been allowed to open up opposite one another on the Kings Road. How on earth did the area’s biggest landlord allow this travesty to happen? (more…)
A gold and black Bugatti Veyron has eclipsed the gold Ferrari owned by Iraqi kick-boxer named Riyadh Al-Azzawi in terms of being the most gaudy car on the roads in London this summer
This summer Iraqi kick-boxer Riyadh Al-Azzawi has reveled in the attention he’s received as he drove around the streets of Chelsea and Knightsbridge in his gold Ferrari. Despite the £4,000 foil wrap bubbling up and peeling off, the Iraqi kick-boxer cruised around thinking he was the King of the Hill. His reign is over as now the mantle for London’s most gaudy car has been stolen by a gold and black Bugatti Veyron. (more…)