The Steeple Times

Tag: Jeep

  • Win a Knightsbridge Flat (with a Shady Past)

    Win a Knightsbridge Flat (with a Shady Past)

    Competition to win a Knightsbridge flat for £10 per ticket neglects to mention its former occupier, a convicted ‘gay sex plot’ royal blackmailer who died in 2016

     

    Increasingly, with sellers unable to offload prime properties due to Theresa May’s inability to secure any kind of Brexit deal and the ongoing effects of former Chancellor George Osborne’s increases to stamp duty, those with luxury flats and houses are turning to raffling them.

     

    An example of such comes in in the form of a ground and first floor maisonette on the corner of Walton Street and Beauchamp Place in London’s Knightsbridge. Extending to 1,063 square foot and including a large reception room, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, the aforementioned fully furnished property is ambitiously being touted as being worth £3.2 million in spite of having sold for just £1.4 million in 2007 and £575,000 in 2000.

     

    Win a Knightsbridge Flat (With A Shady Past) – Flat 1, 132 Walton Street, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1RE – Competition to win a Knightsbridge flat for £10 per ticket neglects to mention its former occupier, a convicted royal blackmailer named Ian Strachan (also known as Paul Aðalsteinsson, Paul Adalsteinsson, Paul Stein and Charles Goldstein)
    The ground floor sitting room of the flat; the property has been marketed for rental at a price of £2,750 per week in times past
    Win a Knightsbridge Flat (With A Shady Past) – Flat 1, 132 Walton Street, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1RE – Competition to win a Knightsbridge flat for £10 per ticket neglects to mention its former occupier, a convicted royal blackmailer named Ian Strachan (also known as Paul Aðalsteinsson, Paul Adalsteinsson, Paul Stein and Charles Goldstein)
    Bisexual ‘royal blackmailer’ Ian Strachan lived in the flat for a period following his release from jail

     

    Now marketed in a competition by a company named Your Laddr – run by a former Alexander McQueen merchandiser named Santa Agolli – for £10 a ticket, Flat 1 at 132 Walton Street, SW3 is being promoted without mention of one of its most recent occupants, a controversial and now deceased ‘royal blackmailer’ who’d sought £50,000 for a set of recordings from various national newspapers in 2007.

     

    Tried under the name of Paul Aðalsteinsson (other aliases included Paul Adalsteinsson, Paul Stein and Charles Goldstein), Grimsby trawlerman’s son turned “playboy” Ian Strachan lived at 132 Walton Street after being released following serving a sentence of five years for a gay sex blackmail plot against an unnamed, married member of the royal family.  He subsequently had his left leg amputated following a 30-foot fall from a balcony in Imperial Wharf, SW6 in 2013 and then spent 10 months in jail in Dubai in 2015 after crashing an Audi R8. He died aged just 40 of a drug overdose in South Kensington on Christmas Eve 2016.

     

    The winner of Flat 132, Walton Street will have their stamp duty, legal fees and council tax for one year paid as part of the prize. In addition, they will be ‘given’ a 2017 Jeep Wrangler Black Hawk with 800 miles on the clock, a cash amount of upto £4,000 to cover insurance for one year and a cash payment to cover a Kensington and Chelsea parking permit for one year also. Hopefully they’ll have better luck than the tragic Mr Strachan; may he rest in peace.

     

    To enter the competition, click here.

     

    Flat 1, 132 Walton Street, Knightsbridge London, SW3 1RE – The Numbers

     

    August 2018 – Prize draw remains open indicating that ticket sales must be rather slow.

     

    December 2017 – Offered in a raffle for £10 per ticket with a minimum of 380,000 tickets needed to be sold. This would equate to a return of £3.8 million ($4.9 million, €4.2 million or درهم17.9 million) in ticket sales.

     

    November 2007 – Sold for £1.436 million ($1.845 million, €1.581 million or درهم6.776 million).

     

    October 2000 – Sold for £575,000 ($739,000, €633,000 or درهم2.713 million).

     

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    Win a Knightsbridge Flat (With A Shady Past) – Flat 1, 132 Walton Street, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1RE – Competition to win a Knightsbridge flat for £10 per ticket neglects to mention its former occupier, a convicted royal blackmailer named Ian Strachan (also known as Paul Aðalsteinsson, Paul Adalsteinsson, Paul Stein and Charles Goldstein)Win a Knightsbridge Flat (With A Shady Past) – Flat 1, 132 Walton Street, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1RE – Competition to win a Knightsbridge flat for £10 per ticket neglects to mention its former occupier, a convicted royal blackmailer named Ian Strachan (also known as Paul Aðalsteinsson, Paul Adalsteinsson, Paul Stein and Charles Goldstein)Win a Knightsbridge Flat (With A Shady Past) – Flat 1, 132 Walton Street, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1RE – Competition to win a Knightsbridge flat for £10 per ticket neglects to mention its former occupier, a convicted royal blackmailer named Ian Strachan (also known as Paul Aðalsteinsson, Paul Adalsteinsson, Paul Stein and Charles Goldstein)Win a Knightsbridge Flat (With A Shady Past) – Flat 1, 132 Walton Street, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1RE – Competition to win a Knightsbridge flat for £10 per ticket neglects to mention its former occupier, a convicted royal blackmailer named Ian Strachan (also known as Paul Aðalsteinsson, Paul Adalsteinsson, Paul Stein and Charles Goldstein) Win a Knightsbridge Flat (With A Shady Past) – Flat 1, 132 Walton Street, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1RE – Competition to win a Knightsbridge flat for £10 per ticket neglects to mention its former occupier, a convicted royal blackmailer named Ian Strachan (also known as Paul Aðalsteinsson, Paul Adalsteinsson, Paul Stein and Charles Goldstein) Win a Knightsbridge Flat (With A Shady Past) – Flat 1, 132 Walton Street, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1RE – Competition to win a Knightsbridge flat for £10 per ticket neglects to mention its former occupier, a convicted royal blackmailer named Ian Strachan (also known as Paul Aðalsteinsson, Paul Adalsteinsson, Paul Stein and Charles Goldstein)Win a Knightsbridge Flat (With A Shady Past) – Flat 1, 132 Walton Street, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1RE – Competition to win a Knightsbridge flat for £10 per ticket neglects to mention its former occupier, a convicted royal blackmailer named Ian Strachan (also known as Paul Aðalsteinsson, Paul Adalsteinsson, Paul Stein and Charles Goldstein)

  • The World’s Most Flirtatious Car

    The World’s Most Flirtatious Car

    Off-the-wall 24-carat gold 1958 Austin Healey that would appeal to Liberace to be sold at auction in New York with an estimate of £420,000

     

    A truly bonkers one-off 1958 Austin-Healey 100-Six that was given the monikers ‘Goldie’ and ‘The Golden Child’ is to be sold at auction in December.

     

    For sale for 165% less than it was offered for in 2013 but 781% more than it was valued at in 1958, ‘Goldie’ is capable of speeds of upto 120 miles per hour but what makes her unique is that all brightwork – including the trimming washers and screws, wire wheels, disc brakes, bumpers and instruments – are plated in 24-carat gold.

     

    The car’s interior is trimmed in champagne Connolly kid leather and champagne diadem mink by London furrier Lorna Doon Snow adorn the inserts and back squabs of the bucket seats and the key ring comes complete with a solid-gold scale replica of the car itself.

     

    The brainchild of Donald Healey’s then PR manager, Ken Gregory, in association with the Daily Express’s then motoring correspondent, Basil Cardew, ‘Goldie’ was the show-stopping car exhibited at the entrance to the 1958 London Motor Show at Earl’s Court. She reportedly wowed audiences and no doubt would have been dubbed a ‘dream machine’ by the motoring world’s most extravagant doyenne, Lady Docker.

     

    Sold immediately to the paper the Daily Express dedicated a page to the promotion of a reader competition to win ‘Goldie’ on 22nd October 1958. Of her, they remarked:

     

    “[This is] the world’s most flirtatious car… The Daily Express has bought it… You can win it. She’s elegant… she wears mink… and she adores champagne. No, not the girl… the car!”

     

    “The real stuff… The most sumptuous… A vintage squirt… The biggest sensation of the [Motor Show at Earl’s Court]… Yes, you could call it the car that was born with a golden spoon in its mouth!”

     

    “In the whole of the land there isn’t anything to match it.”

     

    Surprisingly, the winner of the competition decided to sell the vehicle immediately. She was first road-registered in February 1959 and then passed through various owners until being completely restored by Bruce and Inan Phillips of Healey Surgeons of Washington, D.C. between 1983 and 1986.

     

    Speaking of what the current marketing catalogue entry describes as “the most spectacular Austin Healey ever produced,” Inan Phillips is said to have remarked: “[‘Goldie’ was] one fantastic running and driving car… The smoothest driving Austin Healey we’ve ever owned.”

     

    In time sold to a wealthy businessman and Jeep restorer named Dennis Collins from Wylie, Texas, ‘Goldie’ was offered for sale first on eBay and then at auction in Houston, Texas for £758,000 in 2013 and 2014. It appears no sale went through and now an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 has been set for this striking creation.

     

    RM Sotheby’s will sell ‘Goldie’ at their annual New York ‘Icons’ sale on 6th December. They list the vehicle as being “without reserve.” If only Liberace were still around to put in a bid.

     

    ‘Goldie’ – The Numbers

     

    December 2017 – Offered for sale at auction with no reserve and an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 ($350,000 to $550,000, €300,000 to €471,000 or درهم1.3 million to درهم2 million) in New York.

     

    January 2014 – Offered for sale with a ‘buy-it-now’ price of £758,000 ($1 million, €857,000 or درهم3.7 million) on eBay.

     

    March 2013 – Offered for sale for £758,000 ($1 million, €857,000 or درهم3.7 million) in Houston, Texas by Collins Brothers Jeep owner Dennis Collins.

     

    October 1958 – Valued at £4,000 (the equivalent of £86,000, $113,000, €97,000 or درهم417,000 today) prior to being sold to the Daily Express and offered in a reader competition in London.

     

    The World’s Most Flirtatious Car – 1958 Austin-Healey 100-Six ‘Goldie’ to be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s in New York with no reserve and an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 ($350,000 to $550,000, €300,000 to €471,000 or درهم1.3 million to درهم2 million on 6th December 2017 The World’s Most Flirtatious Car – 1958 Austin-Healey 100-Six ‘Goldie’ to be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s in New York with no reserve and an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 ($350,000 to $550,000, €300,000 to €471,000 or درهم1.3 million to درهم2 million on 6th December 2017The World’s Most Flirtatious Car – 1958 Austin-Healey 100-Six ‘Goldie’ to be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s in New York with no reserve and an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 ($350,000 to $550,000, €300,000 to €471,000 or درهم1.3 million to درهم2 million on 6th December 2017The World’s Most Flirtatious Car – 1958 Austin-Healey 100-Six ‘Goldie’ to be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s in New York with no reserve and an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 ($350,000 to $550,000, €300,000 to €471,000 or درهم1.3 million to درهم2 million on 6th December 2017The World’s Most Flirtatious Car – 1958 Austin-Healey 100-Six ‘Goldie’ to be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s in New York with no reserve and an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 ($350,000 to $550,000, €300,000 to €471,000 or درهم1.3 million to درهم2 million on 6th December 2017 The World’s Most Flirtatious Car – 1958 Austin-Healey 100-Six ‘Goldie’ to be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s in New York with no reserve and an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 ($350,000 to $550,000, €300,000 to €471,000 or درهم1.3 million to درهم2 million on 6th December 2017The World’s Most Flirtatious Car – 1958 Austin-Healey 100-Six ‘Goldie’ to be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s in New York with no reserve and an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 ($350,000 to $550,000, €300,000 to €471,000 or درهم1.3 million to درهم2 million on 6th December 2017The World’s Most Flirtatious Car – 1958 Austin-Healey 100-Six ‘Goldie’ to be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s in New York with no reserve and an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 ($350,000 to $550,000, €300,000 to €471,000 or درهم1.3 million to درهم2 million on 6th December 2017

  • Kevin Wheatcroft

    Kevin Wheatcroft

    Kevin WheatcroftThe owner of Donington Park Racetrack, Kevin Wheatcroft is estranged from his six siblings and is bizarrely also the world’s leading collector of Nazi memorabilia. (more…)

  • Thomas Gilbert Jr.

    Thomas Gilbert Jr.

    Thomas Gilbert Jr. (AKA “Tommy Gilbert Jr.”)Privileged and 6’3” tall, Princeton graduate Thomas Gilbert Jr. stands accused of the January 2015 slaying of his hedge fund manager father Thomas Gilbert Sr. (more…)

  • Ruthann Aron (AKA “Ruth Aron”, née Ruthann Greenzweig)

    Ruthann Aron (AKA “Ruth Aron”, née Ruthann Greenzweig)

    Ruthann AronSo desperate was “exquisitely sensitive” Ruthann Aron to be a politician that she hired a hitman to deal with those who had hindered her prospects.  (more…)

  • Where’s Jack?

    Where’s Jack?

    Readers who spot and photograph Charles Mitford Cust’s van will be sent a free signed copy of his novel ‘Union Jack’ (more…)

  • Ben Goldsmith: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    Ben Goldsmith: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    20 questions with leading clean technology investor Ben Goldsmith

     

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

    My love of the natural world.

     

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

    “Behold the turtle. He sticks his neck out”.

      (more…)

  • Nik Thakkar: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    Nik Thakkar: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    The Steeple Times asks fashion creative, writer and television host Nik Thakkar: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

     

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

    I fear there isn’t time to accomplish the things I must.

     

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

    I am my past all played at once. Be present in every action, it dictates the man you become.

      (more…)

  • Dale Thomson: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    Dale Thomson: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    The Steeple Times asks The Palm’s barman Dale Thomson: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

     

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

    “A positive attitude”.

     

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

    “Live and let others live”.

     

    Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2013?

    The way we continue to treat one another.

     

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

    Home.

     

    What might you swap all your wealth for?

    Health is my wealth. I wouldn’t want to swap it.

     

    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 banking crisis?

    I would prefer it if the banks made it easier for young people to get on their paths as entrepreneurs as well as to buy their first home.

     

    What phrase or word do you most loathe?

    “I can’t”.

     

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

    I find charity does a very good job and I think those who help people who need a hot plate of food are to be admired. I support what I can, when I can.

     

    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?

    Mobile phones should be used at your own risk. Don’t use them around other people. They’re just like smoking. It’s about choice.

     

    Dale Thomson
    Dale Thomson

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

    My daughter, my mum, Angelina Jolie, Robert Kiyosaki, 50 Cent, NAS, my brother Larry and my cousin Kerry. I’d like Bob Marley too and my boi, Colly.

     

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

    I’d like some traditional Caribbean food. It wouldn’t be peas and rice but it would coo-coo callallo and wild meat.

     

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

    Anytime in the afternoon unless you’ve been up all night.

     

    A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

    The original classic champagne cocktail.

     

    Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

    Backyard parties with a grill and music and conversation. “Lime” is what we call it.

     

    Who is the most positive person you know?

    Bob Marley as he’s always preaching about love.

     

    What’s your most guilty pleasure?

    A caramel bar.

     

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

    I already have one. It’s of a lion’s head. I’m courageous. The next one I want is of Leah, my daughter, on my chest.

     

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

    A Jeep.

     

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

    I like bad girls.

     

    What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

    I don’t have one.

     

    Dale Thomson is the barman at The Palm, 1 – 3 Pont Street, London, SW1X 9EJ. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7201 0710. Website: http://www.thepalm.com/London

     

    Follow The Palm London on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/PalmLondon

     

  • A Devonshire pub with a Scottish twist

    A Devonshire pub with a Scottish twist

    A review of The New Inn at Roborough, North Devon

     

    The New Inn at Roborough in North Devon isn’t the easiest place to find. It’s hidden away in a rural backwater, so be sure not to rely on your Sat-Nav to get you to this traditional Devonshire pub. If you do, you’ll be taken on a wild goose chase up hill and down dale but when you eventually arrive you’ll find a warm welcome and a menu that’s a little out of the ordinary.

      (more…)