The Steeple Times

Tag: German

  • Rolls-Royce isn’t Rolls-Royce but it is Rolls-Royce

    Rolls-Royce isn’t Rolls-Royce but it is Rolls-Royce

    Rolls-Royce issues a press release to try and stop the media mistakenly saying they are Rolls-Royce; they want to highlight the difference between PLC and Cars

    When you think of Rolls-Royce, you may think of handcrafted limousines made with the most exquisite materials. You might think of the royalty, heads of state and stars who’ve owned such vehicles, but one thing’s for sure, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, a “wholly-owned subsidiary of BMW Group (Munich)” now want to make very clear: They have nothing to do with the aircraft, ship and submarine manufacturers Rolls-Royce PLC.

     

    In a press release issued on Thursday, Andrew Ball for Goodwood, West Sussex based Rolls-Royce Motor Cars pointedly remarked:

     

    “Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has issued a statement in response to continuing media confusion and misreporting concerning its assumed or implied connection to Rolls-Royce PLC.”

     

    “Media are kindly asked to note that images of Rolls-Royce motor cars, the black and silver ‘Double R’ logo, the ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ (‘Flying Lady’) mascot, the Rolls-Royce Pantheon Grille and other related content are all signifiers of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and its Brand.”

     

    “The use of these images to illustrate stories relating to Rolls-Royce plc together with copy that unnecessarily confuses or conflates the two companies, is incorrect and leads to public confusion.”

     

    Given “recent announcements” have led to the “media confusing and misreporting” the two, one thing’s for sure: A Rolls-Royce car is a Rolls-Royce car when it’s a Rolls-Royce Motor Car; when it’s not, it’s just not. “Now Jeeves, be a darling, go fetch the Toyota.”

     

    Some quotes about Rolls-Royces

     

    “Greatness takes time: It takes 13 hours to build a Toyota, but it takes 6 months to build a Rolls-Royce.”

    Unknown.

     

    “Wall Street is the only place that people ride to in a Rolls-Royce to get advice from those who take the subway.”

    ‘Most successful investor in the world’ Warren Buffett.

     

    “At 60 miles per hour, the loudest noise in this Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.”

    ‘Father of Advertising’ David Ogilvy CBE.

     

    “When you are a rich man, you are proud to own a Rolls-Royce and when you are a poor man, you are proud to own a Renault.”

    Charismatic footballer Eric Cantona.

     

    “If a working-class Englishman saw a bloke drive past in a Rolls-Royce, he’d say to himself: ‘Come the social revolution and we’ll take that away from you, mate.’ Whereas, if his American counterpart saw a bloke drive past in a Cadillac, he’d say: ‘One day, I’m going to own one of those.’ To my way of thinking, the first attitude is wrong. The latter is right.”

    Media tycoon Kerry Packer.

     

    Pictured top: A selection of models currently available in Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ current line-up.

     

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    Rolls-Royce isn’t Rolls-Royce but it is Rolls-Royce – Rolls-Royce issues a press release to try and stop the media mistakenly saying they are Rolls-Royce; they want to highlight the difference between PLC and Cars.
    Rolls-Royce Motor Cars want to remind the world that they produce motor cars. They most certainly don’t want people thinking they produce flying hairdryers.
    Rolls-Royce isn’t Rolls-Royce but it is Rolls-Royce – Rolls-Royce issues a press release to try and stop the media mistakenly saying they are Rolls-Royce; they want to highlight the difference between PLC and Cars.
    In October 2016, ‘The Steeple Times’ featured this 1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom I by Brougham De Ville. It has an interior inspired by Versailles and the interior was described as “like stepping inside a very fine Georgian manor house.”
    Rolls-Royce isn’t Rolls-Royce but it is Rolls-Royce – Rolls-Royce issues a press release to try and stop the media mistakenly saying they are Rolls-Royce; they want to highlight the difference between PLC and Cars.
    In March 2017, ‘The Steeple Times’ featured this 1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I drophead coupé. It was nicknamed ‘The Honeymoon Express’ given it seats just two and has an oversized boot capable of carrying a week’s luggage.
    Rolls-Royce isn’t Rolls-Royce but it is Rolls-Royce – Rolls-Royce issues a press release to try and stop the media mistakenly saying they are Rolls-Royce; they want to highlight the difference between PLC and Cars.
    In August 2015, ‘The Steeple Times’ featured this 1973 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI by Pietro Frua. It was described as “the largest convertible ever built,” measured over 22-foot in length and took two years to build. The giant motor was originally owned by His Excellency Consul Simon van Kempen of Switzerland and Monaco sold for £442,546 including premium as part of The Frederiksen Auction in Denmark.
    Rolls-Royce isn’t Rolls-Royce but it is Rolls-Royce – Rolls-Royce issues a press release to try and stop the media mistakenly saying they are Rolls-Royce; they want to highlight the difference between PLC and Cars.
    In February 2018, ‘The Steeple Times’ featured this special edition 1995 Rolls-Royce Flying Spur converted to an estate car from a Silver Spur III.
    Rolls-Royce isn’t Rolls-Royce but it is Rolls-Royce – Rolls-Royce issues a press release to try and stop the media mistakenly saying they are Rolls-Royce; they want to highlight the difference between PLC and Cars.
    In September 2016, ‘The Steeple Times’ joined those describing the owner of this Rolls-Royce as having “the most vulgar numberplate in Britain.” The owner of ‘SH10W OF’ plainly is a person without an ounce of modesty in their entire being.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pndoAjymnMM
  • The Murky McCann Milieu

    The Murky McCann Milieu

    Former lead investigator in Madeleine McCann case predicted latest development involving German paedophile in April 2019; he suggested the man would be made a “scapegoat” by Scotland Yard

    Amongst all the hubbub of the last 24 hours surrounding the “identification of a German sex offender as the key suspect” in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, it has been conveniently forgotten that the former lead detective in the case, Goncalo Amaral, predicted such a development back in April 2019.

     

    With nearly £12 million of public money spent on this case thus far, an ending – happy or otherwise – would bring closure for all involved. Yet, with British cops again recently grubbing around for yet more funding, this actually not so new ‘development’ actually could instead be primarily about helping that endeavour.

     

    In April last year, Amaral – who had focused his inquiries onto a German paedophile without success in 2008 – told Australia’s News 9 (through an interpreter):

     

    “Scotland Yard are preparing the end of the case. They are going to a use a German paedophile who is in jail in Germany at this time. He is going to be the scapegoat for it. I don’t how they will start it, but that will be the big ending. This will be the conclusion of the case.”

     

    Significantly, Scotland Yard and the mainstream media seem to have now forgotten all about this.

     

    The McCann Milieu – Former lead investigator in Madeleine McCann case predicted latest development involving German paedophile in April 2019; Goncalo Amaral suggested the man would be made a “scapegoat” by Scotland Yard.
    The police have yet to explain the actual significance of photographs of a 1980s Volkswagen T3 Westfalia campervan and a 1993 Jaguar XJR6.
    The McCann Milieu – Former lead investigator in Madeleine McCann case predicted latest development involving German paedophile in April 2019; Goncalo Amaral suggested the man would be made a “scapegoat” by Scotland Yard.
    The car hired by the McCanns also remains a bit of a mystery. In 2008, it was revealed that “one of them had later removed the carpet from the boot compartment in order to scrub it clean.” The boot had been “left open for several days” also.
    The McCann Milieu – Former lead investigator in Madeleine McCann case predicted latest development involving German paedophile in April 2019; Goncalo Amaral suggested the man would be made a “scapegoat” by Scotland Yard.
    More significantly, shared on ‘The Complete Mystery of Madeleine McCann’ Facebook page last month is this photograph illustrating the distribution of blood spots in the sitting room of the holiday apartment where the McCann family were staying in Praia da Luz, Portugal in May 2007. Elsewhere, analysis of the setting highlights that tiles in the room were later removed by persons unknown.

    Missing Madeleine – Questions STILL without Answers

     

    Many questions about what happened on the evening of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann remain. Some that have been highlighted by the press and discussed online include:

     

    Why did Kate McCann refuse to answer 48 questions put to her by the Portuguese police?

     

    Why were certain records of phone calls on the evening of the disappearance “whoosh-clunked”from the memories of the phones of Mr and Mrs McCann and the ‘Tapas 9’?

     

    Why did a British sniffer dog sense the smell of a corpse in a cupboard in the apartment from which Madeleine McCann disappeared?

     

    Why did a sniffer dog also supposedly sense the smell of a corpse in a vehicle hired by the couple a month after the disappearance of their daughter?

     

    Why did Mr and Mrs McCann go jogging and play tennis in the days after their daughter’s disappearance?

     

    Was it acceptable for Mr and Mrs McCann’s mortgage to be paid by the fund established to search for their missing daughter?

     

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  • A Bit Of An Enigma

    A Bit Of An Enigma

    Bonhams to auction two Enigma machines at their science and technology sale for six figure sums

    Tomorrow in Knightsbridge, Bonhams will auction two Heinsoeth Und Rinke enigma enciphering machines at a sale of instruments of science and technology.

     

    A Bit Of An Enigma – Bonhams in Knightsbridge, London to auction two Enigma machines at their science and technology sale for six figure sums. The respective reserves for the machines are £150,000 to £200,000 ($197,000 to $263,000, €169,000 to €225,000 or درهم724,000 to درهم965,000) and £100,000 to £150,000 ($131,000 to $197,000,

    Produced in Germany in 1941 and 1943, the two devices offered feature QWERTY keyboards and are housed in oak cases. They were patented by Dr Arthur Scherbius in 1918 and utilised interchangeable rotors that scrambled plain-text messages to produce a cipher text message. These were then sent by Morse code to a receiving party with an Engima set up in the same configuration as the sending Enigma.

     

    Extremely rare because most were thrown into lakes and rivers as the Germans retreated at the end of the war, around 40 examples exist in museums around the world. The ability of such people as Alan Turing to crack their codes is credited with shortening the conflict by two years.

     

    The respective reserves for the machines are £150,000 to £200,000 ($197,000 to $263,000, €169,000 to €225,000 or درهم724,000 to درهم965,000) and £100,000 to £150,000 ($131,000 to $197,000, €112,000 to €169,000 or درهم482,000 to درهم724,000).

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  • A Rental Ruin

    A Rental Ruin

    Chelsea estate agent optimistically markets an £850 per week house with unpainted walls and an exposed gas meter by announcing: “It does have a new boiler”

     

    Other than the legendary Roy Brooks, the only honest man in his game, estate agents will be optimistic about just about anything. A bit of damp: “no problem”; a nuclear power station next door: “positively charming” but John D. Wood & Co. truly take the biscuit with the marketing material for a property they are currently trying to let in chi-chi Christchurch Street, Chelsea, London.

     

    Sent to us by an eagle eyed reader, the £850 per week ($1,108, €955 or درهم4,070 per week), 867 square foot three floor aforementioned house has conventional features such as a reception room, kitchen, three bedrooms and a bathroom. It also, rather unconventionally, has walls that haven’t even been painted and are just bare plaster. Pictures show also scruffily made-up beds propped up on wooden blocks, wiring and ageing televisions discarded on the floors and a garden littered with leaves.

     

    Of this strange offering, our reader remarked: “I saw this listing and thought it was a half-finished project and up for sale, but no, it’s a rental. Buy-to-let plainly says can’t afford to finish it, says sod it and tries to rent it out in a half-finished state and describe it as a ‘unique house packed with character and charm.’ I particularly like the exposed gas meter!”

     

    When he telephoned, a member of staff at John D. Wood told our reader: “The landlord would prefer to rent the property ‘as is’ and not do further work. It would be at least £1,000 per week if it were finished. He is happy for any tenant to paint and make further improvements.”

     

    In typical estate agent fashion, she optimistically added: “It does have a new boiler.”

     

    Roy Brooks – “A painfully honest estate agent”

    “Beyond any doubt the best copywriter for property advertising in the history of the British press,” Roy Brooks (died 1971) took a “puckish delight in telling the truth” about the houses he was asked to sell.

     
    A Rental Ruin – Chelsea estate agent optimistically markets an £850 per week house with unpainted walls and an exposed gas meter by announcing: “It does have a new boiler” – 62 Christchurch Street, Chelsea, London, SW3 4AR, United Kingdom – To rent through John D. Wood & Co. for £850 per week ($1,108, €955 or درهم4,070 per week).

    An example of this Kings Road based eccentric’s advertisements read:

     

    “Do not be misled by the trim exterior of this modest period res with its dirty broken windows; all is not well with the inside. The décor of the nine rooms, some of which hangs inelegantly from the walls, is revolting. Not entirely devoid of plumbing, there is a pathetic kitchen and one cold tap. No bathroom, of course, but Chelsea has excellent public baths. Rain sadly drips through the ceiling on to the oilcloth. The pock-marked basement floor indicates a thriving community of woodworm, otherwise there is not much wrong with the property… Sacrifice £6,750.”

     

    Another announced:

     

    “Wanted: Someone with taste, means and a stomach strong enough to buy this erstwhile house of ill-repute in Pimlico. It is untouched by the 20th century as far as conveniences for even the basic human decencies are concerned. Although it reeks of damp or worse, the plaster is coming off the walls and daylight peeps through a hole in the roof, it is still habitable judging by the bed of rags, fag ends and empty bottles in one corner. Plenty of scope for the socially aspiring to express their decorative taste and get their abode in The Glossy, and nothing to stop them putting Westminster on their notepaper. Comprises 10 rather unpleasant rooms with slimy back yard, £4,650 Freehold. Tarted up, these houses make £15,000.”

     

    Justifying his reasoning for driving his Rolls-Royce from London to Russia loaded up with 1,000 pairs of shoes, Brooks – author of Brothel in Pimlico and Mud, Straw and Insults: Confessions of an Honest Estate Agent – glibly explained: “I take these for old times’ sake – Stalingrad and the defeat of the German hordes. Perhaps I could bring back in return some of their women engineers whose factories I saw prefabricating good homes by the thousands.”

     

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    A Rental Ruin – Chelsea estate agent optimistically markets an £850 per week house with unpainted walls and an exposed gas meter by announcing: “It does have a new boiler” – 62 Christchurch Street, Chelsea, London, SW3 4AR, United Kingdom – To rent through John D. Wood & Co. for £850 per week ($1,108, €955 or درهم4,070 per week). A Rental Ruin – Chelsea estate agent optimistically markets an £850 per week house with unpainted walls and an exposed gas meter by announcing: “It does have a new boiler” – 62 Christchurch Street, Chelsea, London, SW3 4AR, United Kingdom – To rent through John D. Wood & Co. for £850 per week ($1,108, €955 or درهم4,070 per week).A Rental Ruin – Chelsea estate agent optimistically markets an £850 per week house with unpainted walls and an exposed gas meter by announcing: “It does have a new boiler” – 62 Christchurch Street, Chelsea, London, SW3 4AR, United Kingdom – To rent through John D. Wood & Co. for £850 per week ($1,108, €955 or درهم4,070 per week). A Rental Ruin – Chelsea estate agent optimistically markets an £850 per week house with unpainted walls and an exposed gas meter by announcing: “It does have a new boiler” – 62 Christchurch Street, Chelsea, London, SW3 4AR, United Kingdom – To rent through John D. Wood & Co. for £850 per week ($1,108, €955 or درهم4,070 per week). A Rental Ruin – Chelsea estate agent optimistically markets an £850 per week house with unpainted walls and an exposed gas meter by announcing: “It does have a new boiler” – 62 Christchurch Street, Chelsea, London, SW3 4AR, United Kingdom – To rent through John D. Wood & Co. for £850 per week ($1,108, €955 or درهم4,070 per week). A Rental Ruin – Chelsea estate agent optimistically markets an £850 per week house with unpainted walls and an exposed gas meter by announcing: “It does have a new boiler” – 62 Christchurch Street, Chelsea, London, SW3 4AR, United Kingdom – To rent through John D. Wood & Co. for £850 per week ($1,108, €955 or درهم4,070 per week). A Rental Ruin – Chelsea estate agent optimistically markets an £850 per week house with unpainted walls and an exposed gas meter by announcing: “It does have a new boiler” – 62 Christchurch Street, Chelsea, London, SW3 4AR, United Kingdom – To rent through John D. Wood & Co. for £850 per week ($1,108, €955 or درهم4,070 per week). A Rental Ruin – Chelsea estate agent optimistically markets an £850 per week house with unpainted walls and an exposed gas meter by announcing: “It does have a new boiler” – 62 Christchurch Street, Chelsea, London, SW3 4AR, United Kingdom – To rent through John D. Wood & Co. for £850 per week ($1,108, €955 or درهم4,070 per week).

  • The Affair That Never Was

    The Affair That Never Was

    As the Mail Online makes yet another balls-up, The Steeple Times suggests that Lord Rothermere hire a decent copy checker

     

    As was the case with the amazing yet surprisingly true story of The Man Who Never Was and his affair with the woman who ultimately became the inspiration for Ian Fleming’s Bond character Miss Moneypenny, last night the Mail Online created a similarly ridiculous work of fiction by mistakenly changing a few letters in one of their main news items.

     

    In the first edition of a header for an article about a star who’d taken to the dating app Bumble to “seek someone who isn’t uptight,” the paper falsely suggested that the somewhat drippy adventurer turned television presenter Ben Fogle was divorcing a woman (a singer and ‘Hottest Female 2009’ named Una Healey) who isn’t even his wife and having an affair with another (an until now unknown PR woman named Becky Milne) he’s unlikely never met also. Instead, they meant to reference a somewhat vain rugby player who likes to get his kit off for photoshoots called Ben Foden but somehow got the surnames mixed up.

     

    Though errors happen at all levels, the Daily Mail – a paper that is part of a company with a revenue of nearly £2 billion annually and a vast staff of around 10,000 globally – could surely do better. This was not a story that was run on Page 54 in the graveyard section, but one that they have plastered as headline news and run as story number one online also.

     

    We may well be living in the era of hashtags and fake news and are certainly currently in August’s ‘silly season’, but come on Lord Rothermere – employ yourself a bloody half-decent copy checker.

     

    Pictured top: Rugby player Ben Foden (left) supposedly embarked on a relationship with PR woman Becky Milne (second left) whilst still married to ‘The Saturdays’ singer Una Healy (second from right); television presenter Ben Fogle was mistakenly brought into the mix by a rather ineffectual ‘Mail Online’ copy checker.

     

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    The Affair That Never Was – Ben Fogle, Ben Foden and the Daily Mail – As the Mail Online makes yet another balls-up, The Steeple Times suggests that Lord Rothermere hire a decent copy checker – Rugby player Ben Foden supposedly embarked on a relationship with PR woman Becky Milne whilst still married to ‘The Saturday’s’ singer Una Healy; television presenter Ben Fogle was mistakenly brought into the mix by a rather ineffectual ‘Mail Online’ copychecker – The story of The Man Who Never Was was inspired by an incident involving Dame Paddy Ridsdale, Ian Fleming’s secretary and later the inspiration for the Bond character Miss Moneypeny, during the Second World War
    The Daily Mail’s first header to the story began “Ben Fogle” (left) whilst later they were forced to amend it to the correct name: “Ben Foden”; surprisingly this mistake was made in a story that they ran as their number one headline on the Mail Online.

    The Affair That Never Was – Ben Fogle, Ben Foden and the Daily Mail – As the Mail Online makes yet another balls-up, The Steeple Times suggests that Lord Rothermere hire a decent copy checker – Rugby player Ben Foden supposedly embarked on a relationship with PR woman Becky Milne whilst still married to ‘The Saturday’s’ singer Una Healy; television presenter Ben Fogle was mistakenly brought into the mix by a rather ineffectual ‘Mail Online’ copychecker – The story of The Man Who Never Was was inspired by an incident involving Dame Paddy Ridsdale, Ian Fleming’s secretary and later the inspiration for the Bond character Miss Moneypeny, during the Second World War
    The acclaimed 1956 film ‘The Man Who Never Was’ was based on the true story of a British attempt to trick the Germans into weakening Sicily’s defenses before their 1943 attack there, using a dead man with faked papers. The late Dame Paddy Ridsdale, at one time Ian Fleming’s secretary and the inspiration for the Bond character Miss Moneypenny, formed part of the plot and pretended to be having an affair with the aforementioned dead man in order to aid the deception.

  • Oliver Ouboter – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    Oliver Ouboter – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    A 20-question interview with Oliver Ouboter; the co-founder of the imminently launching innovative Swiss ‘bubble car’ – the Microlino

     

    The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom.” What’s your guiding force?

    Passion.

     

    “Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?

    Just do it! (Thanks Nike).

     

    Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2018?

    SUVs.

     

    Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?

    Having the curiosity of a child.

     

    What might you swap all your wealth for?

    My family’s health.

     

    Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank.” What’s your view on the state of the financial system?

    It’s as fucked up as the Donald himself.

     

    What phrase or word do you most loathe?

    ‘Trivial’ as in German nobody uses it and most people don’t understand it. I loathe ‘trivial’ for being a ‘non-trivial’ word to describe something ‘trivial.’

     

    In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home.” What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?

    I support mainly environmental causes. It is not that I think that humans deserve it less, I just think sending money to developing countries won’t solve the problem and is just an easy fix for many people to feel good about themselves.

     

    The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?

    Try to use it less, fail miserably in doing so and then tell yourself you’re gonna do better next year.

     

    If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?

    My family and Barack Obama and Steve Jobs and Nelson Mandela if they were still alive.

     

    Microlino co-founder Oliver Ouboter – What’s on your mantelpiece? A 20-question interview with Oliver Ouboter; the co-founder of the imminently launching innovative Swiss ‘bubble car’ – the Microlino.
    Oliver Ouboter pictured with a Microlino (as featured in ‘The Steeple Times’ earlier this month) and his brother Merlin and father Wim.

     

    If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?

    A special home-made roast.

     

    What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?

    It depends on the situation.

     

    A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

    A Negroni of course.

     

    Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

    Parties of friends that I don’t spend too much time with. There are always new people to get to know.

     

    Who is the most positive person you know?

    My dad.

     

    What’s your most guilty pleasure?

    Chocolate of course. I’m Swiss.

     

    If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?

    It would be a Kickscooter, of course.

     

    If you were a car, what marque would you be?

    What a question: I’d be a Microlino!

     

    Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.

    I cannot operate a washing machine but that’s not surprising though.

     

    What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

    Big companies and governments. They are slow and inefficient in dealing with global warming.

     

    Oliver Ouboter is the co-founder of a start-up alongside his father and brother that has developed a small electric city-car named Microlino. He is considered one of the best guinea pigs as his dad invented the world-famous Kickscooter in 1999.

     

    Follow Microlino on Twitter at @microlinoworld, on Facebook at @Microlino.car and on Instagram at @microlino_official

     

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  • A Bargain Boat

    A Bargain Boat

    Edward Kay reports on the sale of a truly striking 1-of-1 Aguti 20-metre wooden motor yacht that cost £6.4 million to build; it is offered for just £1.4 million

     

    As most of Germany is relatively landlocked, with just the borders of the far northern cities meeting the Atlantic Ocean, it’s no surprise that some of the world’s best performance cars have come out of Deutschland. But, for a yacht building business, one generally might assume that the lack of water access would be quite a difficult hurdle to overcome. Luckily for a firm named Aguti, it set up shop on the coast of Lake Constance – one of the largest lakes in Germany – and here the company’s founder and designer Andreas Grieger has brought what truly must be considered nautical masterpieces to life.

     

    Grieger had a desire to create a yacht with all the grand old opulence of time’s past, yet also with all the benefits of modern fittings and building technologies. He began designing such a vessel in 2003, and over the next 40 months, a fabulous wooden motor yacht slowly came to life at a build cost of some £6.4 million ($8.2 million, €7 million or درهم30.1 million). Where old and new design technologies came together most were in the hull. Here, the traditional yacht construction of utilising precious woods – in this case, mahogany – was upgraded with the integration of carbon fibre and epoxy resin. This process took 50,000 hours of craftsmanship, 40 cubic metres of mahogany, 50 cubic metres of cedar, 650 square metres of carbon fibre, and two tonnes of epoxy to complete, but the end result – a ship that had the visual appeal of a traditional wooden boat with the advantages of a modern composite yacht – was most definitely worth the effort.

     

    This 20-metre, Riva-style owner’s driver yacht is, in my view, a design dream. Not only is it clean, crisp, and curvaceous, while also being angular, it cuts through the waves off the south of France like a hot knife through butter. It has twin 10-cylinder MAN engines – which each develop 1,100hp and together produce a maximum speed of 32 knots. All that power is hidden beneath a beautifully fitted heat-treated teak deck, spreading from bow to stern, including the extendable bathing platform. Elsewhere, the modern nautical technology of the cockpit is complemented by beautifully hand-stitched leather seats and a hydraulic ‘hard top’ roof, offering shade as well as airflow.

     

    The openness of the cabin below allows direct passage from the cockpit and provides the captain with a view of the opulence underneath. The saloon and kitchen lead to three spacious bedrooms (larger in size than those of most London flats) which feature red mahogany furnishings, King-sized beds, and bathrooms finished in natural stone. For those looking for an escape this summer — a private oasis for you and your eleven closest friends — you’re sure to find it on this Aguti yacht.

     

    £1.4 million ($1.8 million, €1.5 million or درهم6.5 million) is sought for the craft – a 78% discount on the cost when new.

     

    Interested parties can contact yacht broker Edward Kay of Boatshed Riviera via email at [email protected] or +44 (0) 786 780 0908.

     

     A Bargain Boat – Edward Kay reports on the sale of a striking 1-of-1 Aguti 20-metre wooden motor yacht that cost £6.4m to build; it is offered for just £1.4mA Bargain Boat – Edward Kay reports on the sale of a striking 1-of-1 Aguti 20-metre wooden motor yacht that cost £6.4m to build; it is offered for just £1.4mA Bargain Boat – Edward Kay reports on the sale of a striking 1-of-1 Aguti 20-metre wooden motor yacht that cost £6.4m to build; it is offered for just £1.4mA Bargain Boat – Edward Kay reports on the sale of a striking 1-of-1 Aguti 20-metre wooden motor yacht that cost £6.4m to build; it is offered for just £1.4mA Bargain Boat – Edward Kay reports on the sale of a striking 1-of-1 Aguti 20-metre wooden motor yacht that cost £6.4m to build; it is offered for just £1.4m A Bargain Boat – Edward Kay reports on the sale of a striking 1-of-1 Aguti 20-metre wooden motor yacht that cost £6.4m to build; it is offered for just £1.4mA Bargain Boat – Edward Kay reports on the sale of a striking 1-of-1 Aguti 20-metre wooden motor yacht that cost £6.4m to build; it is offered for just £1.4m A Bargain Boat – Edward Kay reports on the sale of a striking 1-of-1 Aguti 20-metre wooden motor yacht that cost £6.4m to build; it is offered for just £1.4mA Bargain Boat – Edward Kay reports on the sale of a striking 1-of-1 Aguti 20-metre wooden motor yacht that cost £6.4m to build; it is offered for just £1.4mA Bargain Boat – Edward Kay reports on the sale of a striking 1-of-1 Aguti 20-metre wooden motor yacht that cost £6.4m to build; it is offered for just £1.4mA Bargain Boat – Edward Kay reports on the sale of a striking 1-of-1 Aguti 20-metre wooden motor yacht that cost £6.4m to build; it is offered for just £1.4mA Bargain Boat – Edward Kay reports on the sale of a striking 1-of-1 Aguti 20-metre wooden motor yacht that cost £6.4m to build; it is offered for just £1.4mA Bargain Boat – Edward Kay reports on the sale of a striking 1-of-1 Aguti 20-metre wooden motor yacht that cost £6.4m to build; it is offered for just £1.4m

  • An Ugly Brake

    An Ugly Brake

    Rare “ugly duckling” seven-seat 1967 Mercedes-Benz shooting brake to be offered at auction; it will generate the same reaction as Marmite

     

    An extremely rare yet somewhat ugly 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230S ‘Universal’ is to be sold at auction this month with an estimate of £35,000 to £40,000 ($45,000 to $52,000, €39,000 to €45,000 or درهم167,000 to درهم191,000).

     

    Just one of three examples ever produced for the UK market and converted to a shooting brake by IMA of Mechelen, Belgium, the special-order vehicle is said to have cost “three times the price of an equivalent estate from Ford of Vauxhall” when new. It features an original Ivory steering wheel, and seating for seven.

     

    Finished in Dunkelblau dark blue with a Sky Blue leather interior, the uprated 2.8-litre car will be offered at The Silverstone Classic Sale 2017 by Silverstone Auctions on 29th and 30th July.

     

    A representative of the firm comments: “This stylish estate is a true performer… It is a beautiful, timeless classic and has to be the ultimate seven-seater estate. Original and usable, get the picnic sets out let’s get off to Goodwood!”

     

    An Ugly Brake – 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230S ‘Universal’ shooting brake estate car to be auctioned by Silverstone Classics at their Silverstone Classic Sale on 29th and 30th July 2017 – Estimate of £35,000 to £40,000 ($45,000 to $52,000, €39,000 to €45,000 or درهم167,000 to درهم191,000) An Ugly Brake – 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230S ‘Universal’ shooting brake estate car to be auctioned by Silverstone Classics at their Silverstone Classic Sale on 29th and 30th July 2017 – Estimate of £35,000 to £40,000 ($45,000 to $52,000, €39,000 to €45,000 or درهم167,000 to درهم191,000) An Ugly Brake – 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230S ‘Universal’ shooting brake estate car to be auctioned by Silverstone Classics at their Silverstone Classic Sale on 29th and 30th July 2017 – Estimate of £35,000 to £40,000 ($45,000 to $52,000, €39,000 to €45,000 or درهم167,000 to درهم191,000)An Ugly Brake – 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230S ‘Universal’ shooting brake estate car to be auctioned by Silverstone Classics at their Silverstone Classic Sale on 29th and 30th July 2017 – Estimate of £35,000 to £40,000 ($45,000 to $52,000, €39,000 to €45,000 or درهم167,000 to درهم191,000)An Ugly Brake – 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230S ‘Universal’ shooting brake estate car to be auctioned by Silverstone Classics at their Silverstone Classic Sale on 29th and 30th July 2017 – Estimate of £35,000 to £40,000 ($45,000 to $52,000, €39,000 to €45,000 or درهم167,000 to درهم191,000)

  • Empire State of Knightsbridge

    Empire State of Knightsbridge

    Penthouse with tower in prominent Knightsbridge landmark for sale for £8.25 million

     

    A penthouse with a tower in a Grade II listed landmark triangular ‘flat-iron’ building on the border of South Kensington and Knightsbridge has gone on sale for £8.25 million ($10.51 million, €9.39 million or درهم38.62 million).

     

    Created in 1991 to designs by Susan Walker Architects and involving the clever merger of two fourth floor flats as part of a £1.70 million scheme (the equivalent of £3.35 million, $4.27 million, €3.81 million or درهم15.68 million today), the 3,475 square foot apartment offered overlooks the Brompton Oratory and has a vista down the Brompton Road towards Harrods. It is within a building known as Empire House that was itself built between 1909 and 1916 to designs by Paul Hoffmann and was originally used by a German firm, the Continental Tyre Company.

     

    Currently featuring a large reception room, a dining kitchen, 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms and a laundry on the building’s fourth floor, a tower with domed reception space from the sixth to the seventh floors and a private roof terrace on its fifth floor, the apartment comes with planning permission for internal rearrangement.

     

    Held on a leasehold basis expiring 2142 and subject to a service charge of £20,550 per annum ($26,187, €23,391 or درهم96,211 per annum) according to agents JLL, a buyer will also have to pay a one-off charge of £12,054 ($15,360, €13,720 or درهم56,434) towards the cost of refurbishing the portered building’s lift.

     

    Empire State of Knightsbridge – The Penthouse, Empire House, 220 – 244 Brompton Road and 2 – 7 Thurloe Place, Brompton Quarter, Knightsbridge, London, SW7 2RU, United Kingdom – For sale for £8.25 million ($10.51 million, €9.39 million or درهم38.62 million) through JLL Empire State of Knightsbridge – The Penthouse, Empire House, 220 – 244 Brompton Road and 2 – 7 Thurloe Place, Brompton Quarter, Knightsbridge, London, SW7 2RU, United Kingdom – For sale for £8.25 million ($10.51 million, €9.39 million or درهم38.62 million) through JLL Empire State of Knightsbridge – The Penthouse, Empire House, 220 – 244 Brompton Road and 2 – 7 Thurloe Place, Brompton Quarter, Knightsbridge, London, SW7 2RU, United Kingdom – For sale for £8.25 million ($10.51 million, €9.39 million or درهم38.62 million) through JLLEmpire State of Knightsbridge – The Penthouse, Empire House, 220 – 244 Brompton Road and 2 – 7 Thurloe Place, Brompton Quarter, Knightsbridge, London, SW7 2RU, United Kingdom – For sale for £8.25 million ($10.51 million, €9.39 million or درهم38.62 million) through JLLEmpire State of Knightsbridge – The Penthouse, Empire House, 220 – 244 Brompton Road and 2 – 7 Thurloe Place, Brompton Quarter, Knightsbridge, London, SW7 2RU, United Kingdom – For sale for £8.25 million ($10.51 million, €9.39 million or درهم38.62 million) through JLLEmpire State of Knightsbridge – The Penthouse, Empire House, 220 – 244 Brompton Road and 2 – 7 Thurloe Place, Brompton Quarter, Knightsbridge, London, SW7 2RU, United Kingdom – For sale for £8.25 million ($10.51 million, €9.39 million or درهم38.62 million) through JLLEmpire State of Knightsbridge – The Penthouse, Empire House, 220 – 244 Brompton Road and 2 – 7 Thurloe Place, Brompton Quarter, Knightsbridge, London, SW7 2RU, United Kingdom – For sale for £8.25 million ($10.51 million, €9.39 million or درهم38.62 million) through JLLEmpire State of Knightsbridge – The Penthouse, Empire House, 220 – 244 Brompton Road and 2 – 7 Thurloe Place, Brompton Quarter, Knightsbridge, London, SW7 2RU, United Kingdom – For sale for £8.25 million ($10.51 million, €9.39 million or درهم38.62 million) through JLL Empire State of Knightsbridge – The Penthouse, Empire House, 220 – 244 Brompton Road and 2 – 7 Thurloe Place, Brompton Quarter, Knightsbridge, London, SW7 2RU, United Kingdom – For sale for £8.25 million ($10.51 million, €9.39 million or درهم38.62 million) through JLLEmpire State of Knightsbridge – The Penthouse, Empire House, 220 – 244 Brompton Road and 2 – 7 Thurloe Place, Brompton Quarter, Knightsbridge, London, SW7 2RU, United Kingdom – For sale for £8.25 million ($10.51 million, €9.39 million or درهم38.62 million) through JLLEmpire State of Knightsbridge – The Penthouse, Empire House, 220 – 244 Brompton Road and 2 – 7 Thurloe Place, Brompton Quarter, Knightsbridge, London, SW7 2RU, United Kingdom – For sale for £8.25 million ($10.51 million, €9.39 million or درهم38.62 million) through JLL Empire State of Knightsbridge – The Penthouse, Empire House, 220 – 244 Brompton Road and 2 – 7 Thurloe Place, Brompton Quarter, Knightsbridge, London, SW7 2RU, United Kingdom – For sale for £8.25 million ($10.51 million, €9.39 million or درهم38.62 million) through JLLEmpire State of Knightsbridge – The Penthouse, Empire House, 220 – 244 Brompton Road and 2 – 7 Thurloe Place, Brompton Quarter, Knightsbridge, London, SW7 2RU, United Kingdom – For sale for £8.25 million ($10.51 million, €9.39 million or درهم38.62 million) through JLL

  • Lawrence Van Hagen

    Lawrence Van Hagen

    Art curator Lawrence Van HagenBig haired art curator and international jetsetter Lawrence Van Hagen is based in London and Paris. (more…)