The Prime Minister’s puppet mistress Carrie Johnson’s latest PR spin campaign yet again illustrates her deviancy suggests Matthew Steeples
Let’s be frank: Carrie Symonds (AKA ‘Princess Nut Nuts,’ ‘Carrie Antoinette’ and ‘Costly Carrie’) is famous simply for being Boris Johnson’s latest baby mama, but now she’s well and truly upping her antics and most definitely wants a hell of a lot more.
This weekend, this wine chucking wench and one half of ‘The Convenient Catholic Couple’ used the G7 summit to implant not only herself but also her child firmly into a convention where no other politician foisted their brats into the photo ops. Here was a woman with one agenda: Making herself the centre of attention.
In addition, the new Mrs Boris Johnson plainly made a point of getting Downing Street spin doctors to share that she hadn’t actually bought costly clothes, but instead hired them. Was this something the public actually needed to know at an event that was meant to be about discussing global issues? I think not, but Carrie, desperate to rid herself of the ‘Antoinette’ moniker she so deserves after bingeing on expensive Daylesford delicacies, will PR on regardless.
What’s “in” for Carrie Symonds…
“Chatty rat” Henry Newman singing ABBA and dancing the tango with this particularly bonkers bestie.
Dining dashes to Daylesford (courtesy of ‘Lady Doors To Manual’ Carole Bamford’s credit card).
“Borrowed clothing” to suggest she’s “ordinary.”
Pushing her child into any photo opportunity possible so as to make a point that her kid is more important than her hubby’s other legitimate and illegitimate brats.
What’s “out” for Carrie Symonds…
Anything from “nightmarish” John Lewis. Too “Theresa Maybe Not” for our Carrie, of course.
Anything connected with her number one hater, Dominic Cummings, can take a trip to Barnard Castle via a visit to SpecSavers.
Anybody who dares to criticise the antics of her out of control dog, Dilyn will make her “go crackers” … Don’t dare make Carrie “furious” with even a single remark – even if the dastardly dog pisses all over a visitor’s handbag.
Any talk of her associations with Ghislaine Maxwell and far right ex-boyfriends involved in the Traditional Britain Group.
In December 2020, ‘The Steeple Times’ highlighted: “Whilst Denis Thatcher happily took a back seat and parked himself in a corner with a stiff G&T and Norma Major steered clear of anything to do with curried eggs, Symonds is increasingly showing herself as the Lynda Snell of Downing Street.”Aside from her obsession with attention, the former Carrie Symonds counts working for a charity that was funded by the mucky madam Ghislaine Maxwell on her somewhat dodgy CV.The then Carrie Symonds with her then boyfriend Oliver Haiste (sometimes spelt ‘Haste’), an alleged hoaxer of fake news about Russia according to the BBC. Of his then “public relations specialist” on-off lover, the ‘Mail on Sunday’ declared: “his own three-year relationship with the young woman at the centre of Britain’s latest political storm involved an electrifying dose of dramatic and often fiery conflict… ‘We had quite a tumultuous relationship,’ he admits today. ‘I found when times were good with Carrie they were great – they were fantastic. When times were bad they were awful. It was a highly passionate relationship. And I don’t mean that in a salacious, physical sense. I mean in terms of emotional context – very emotionally charged. It’s the most up and down relationship I have had,’ Haiste continues, choosing his words carefully. Today, describing their relationship for the first time, he paints an intriguing portrait of a ‘high-octane’ partnership with a woman as passionate as she is intelligent.”The Prime Minister’s spouse previously dated a man associated with spreading fake news whom was also involved in the Traditional Britain Group – a sick, far right organisation that has expressed a desire to hang Baroness Lawrence, the mother of a murder victim, from a tree. ‘Britain’s 3rd Loose Woman’ also partook in a play where she dressed as a crack whore whilst at university. Is this someone the nation really wants representing it on the world stage?
Steeply-pitched, unused mansard roof space in Manhattan heads to a slashed no reserve auction after failing to sell for £30.3 million
A currently unused roof space with an existing apartment overlooking Central Park that has bopped on and off the market since 2013 is being placed in a no reserve online auction early next month. It follows on from the fire sale of another ritzy penthouse we featured in June this year that went on the market for 64% lower than it sold for in 2014.
Featuring the existing 37th floor unit and having “pre-approved, shovel ready design, plans and permits” to extend into what was home to the mechanical systems of Hampshire House (alternatively known as ‘150 Central Park South), the potential triplex penthouse on offer could extend to 9,650 square foot.
Offered initially in 2013 for £12.7 million, the development opportunity was bought by a London based Israeli developer and artist named Arnon Katz in 2014 and 2015 for a combined total said to be £16.6 million. He attempted to sell it on for £18.9 million in June 2018 and then increased the ask to a staggering £30.3 million more recently.
Speaking of the 5-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom scheme – which also includes a “grand salon, formal living and dining rooms and an eat-in kitchen” – Katz remarked:
“Years of passion and knowledge went into the planning, design, and obtaining of the permits necessary to offer this extraordinary offering.”
“There is absolutely nothing else like it in the world, and this is what makes it truly special. I’m confident that Concierge Auctions’ incredible global reach and a team of top talent will identify the perfect buyer, an individual as unique as this property itself, who not only understands the value, but who also has the vision to complete this magnificent penthouse to its reality.”
The Concierge Auctions online sale commences on 18th December and closes on 22nd December and if sold, the buyer will get to live in a building dating to 1931 which has counted the artist Frida Kahlo and the tenor Luciano Pavarotti amongst its former occupants.
The Names & Numbers – The Penthouse, Hampshire House, 150 Central Park South, Manhattan, New York, NY 10019, United States of America
November 2020 – The roof space is to be offered for auction with “no reserve to the highest bidder” by Concierge Auctions against a previous price of £30.3 million ($40 million, €33.8 million or درهم146.9 million). The online auction commences on the 18th December and closes on 22nd December 2020.
According to a press release from Concierge Auctions, the penthouse is “appraised at £75.6 million ($100 million, €84.4 million or درهم367.3million) on completion” and finish costs are estimated at upto £15.1 million ($20 million, €16.9 million or درهم73.5 million).
Anticipated annual costs are described as “unusually low” and estimated at £45,400per year ($60,000, €50,600 or درهم220,400 per year) to include taxes and co-op fees.
2014 to 2015 – UK based artist and real estate investor Arnon Katz purchased the 1,800 square foot penthouse of Hampshire House as well as the rights to develop the two floors of roof space above it. According to Forbes, he paid £16.6 million ($22 million, €18.6 million or درهم80.8 million) in total – of which, surprisingly, just £3 million ($4 million, €3.4 million or درهم14.7 million) was for the 37th floor space according to Mansion Global.
January 2013 – Listed for sale for £12.7 million ($16.9 million, €14.2 million or درهم62.1 million) according to Zillow.
The Penthouse, Hampshire House – In what was formerly home to mechanical equipment, there is potential for some truly spectacular entertaining spaces.The Penthouse, Hampshire House – Hosting guests indoors and out with a ‘wow factor’ will be possible for the ultimate occupant.The Penthouse, Hampshire House – A dining room with a view and a striking open staircase are planned for the unit.The Penthouse, Hampshire House – Cooking with a view.The Penthouse, Hampshire House – It is proposed that the master bedroom will not only have huge windows, but also a feature fireplace.The Penthouse, Hampshire House – The master bathroom is certainly vast.The Penthouse, Hampshire House – One of several terraces.The Penthouse, Hampshire House – The view over Central Park.The Penthouse, Hampshire House – Looking towards Hampshire House from Central Park.The Penthouse, Hampshire House – The building is next door to the famous Essex House.The Penthouse, Hampshire House – An image of the penthouse and tower in its setting.The Penthouse, Hampshire House – Floor plans for the prosed 36th and 37th floors.The Penthouse, Hampshire House – Floor plans for the proposed 38th floor.The Penthouse, Hampshire House – Floor plans for the proposed 39th floor.
‘The Steeple Times’ discovers five properties that will appeal to serious sports fanatics with a desire to indulge their passions at home that are currently for sale
Whilst most would simply go to a racecourse to watch the horses or to a football ground to cheer on their heroes on the pitch, five homes follow where sports lovers can partake in their very own confines follow:
A vast 18,000 square foot house on 13.21 acres in Connecticut that is currently for sale cannot be described as a “looker,” but it comes with its own private, professional indoor hockey and skating rink (pictured top). There’s a Zamboni ice resurfacer “for perfect ice” and even heated team benches, a lighted scoreboard, home and visiting team locker rooms and a viewing ‘lounge.’ In addition, there are two guest houses and an outdoor swimming pool.
St. Clements Hall, Terrington St. Clement, Norfolk, UK
£240,000 ($316,000, €267,000 or درهم444,000) through Attik.
Most people looking for a “3-bedroom semi-detached house” are likely to be couples with 2.4 children, but for those in a somewhat different position, a 19th century, 1,873 square foot former youth hall might appeal. Primarily reconfigured to provide a 27-foot by 39-foot ‘skate bowl’ with 13-foot vertical wall, mini skate park and three 4-foot quarter pipes, the house also more conventionally has an open plan living space, 3 bedrooms and a shower room. Even the snobby girl in Avril Lavigne’s Sk8er Boi song might be impressed; the house has featured in The Sun, on the BBC and in Netflix’s Amazing Interiors.
Owned by the Kazakhstani phosphorus tycoon Nurlan Bizakov since 2010, Tourles Farm Stud has been part of Hesmonds Stud. Described in TDN Europe as “one of the best presented farms we have offered in recent years” by William Harford of Windsor Clive, the 113.78 acre property “has [only] become available due to the owner’s successful investment in France [at Monfort et Preaux in Normandy]” and comes with a 3-bedroom cottage, a stable barn with 26 boxes and a 4 furlong all-weather gallop.
On and off the market since 2018, this “one-of-a-kind” 41,000 square foot Bel Air house on 1.35 acres includes 8 bedrooms and an astounding 21 bathrooms. There are also 20 garage spaces in an “auto-gallery,” 8 bars, a 36-person screening room and not one, but two 75-foot swimming pools. The pièce de résistance for sports fanatics? A full-sized NBA basketball court.
Kinlochdamph Estate, Torridon, Scottish Highlands, UK
Extending to 4,085 acres, the Kinlochdamph Estate is perfect for those wishing to achieve a Macnab (and bag a salmon, a stag and a brace of grouse within one day). It has a recently refurbished 4-bedroom lodge, red deer stalking, trout fishing on its hill lochs and a small population of grouse, ptarmigan, woodcock and snipe. Income is provided by forestry and a hydro scheme, but any wannabe John Buchan will purely be buying this place for its sporting rights.
As groom-rider Abdul Musa Adam leads out Shadn at Royal Ascot today, he will inspire many on the eve of World Refugee Day and illustrate the positives of welcoming child refugees
Described as a “remarkable young man” by Racing TV’s Nick Luck in February, Abdulkareem Musa Adam was raised by a tribe of nomads in Darfur. When he was just 7 years old, the Sudanese army killed his entire family and burnt his home to the ground, but now, this afternoon, this groom-rider will lead out Shadn at Royal Ascot for the Commonwealth Cup.
After escaping by donkey with his 3-year old brother Yusuf, the pair survived refugee camps in Chad and then in Libya, he tried to find work aged 12. Parted from his sole surviving relative, he was captured by Colonel Gadaffi’s forces and after refusing to join his ‘child army,’ was imprisoned and tortured.
Next, after a ‘Guardian Angel’ Russian doctor helped him by disguising him as a hospital cleaner and smuggled him out via a bin and in the boot of a car, Musa Adam travelled to France aged 13. He thought he would be safe there, but ended up sleeping in industrial bins to keep warm. With no identification papers, this teenage refugee struggled for 18 months, but after being discovered by a man in a church named Antonio was not only fed tuna sandwiches daily, but also given hope for the future. Antonio ultimately helped Musa Adam in his successful attempt to smuggle himself to Britain in the wheel arch of a lorry.
Believing he was going to “England [a place that] means peaceful, you can study, you can improve your life,” the youngster spent what must have been a terrifying 15 hours in the most perilous of conditions. He totally randomly ended up “dumped at a petrol station” near Swindon in Wiltshire and was picked up by the police.
Here, granted asylum as a refugee and with the help of Social Services and then Greatwood, “a charity which uses horses to help young people facing difficulties and challenges,” Musa Adam was provided with assistance and ultimately a foster home. His “childhood passion for horses” was reignited whilst recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder and a “most remarkable journey in sport” commenced.
Musa Adam spent time with Niki Evans in Abergavenny and attended the Northern Racing College in Doncaster in 2016 subsequently. He progressed to a full-time job as a stable lad with Andrew Balding at his Kingsclere Park House Stables yard and amazingly won the ‘Young Achiever’ at the Mirror’s‘Pride of Sport Awards’ in 2016.
Referencing the “friend” whom she has “been writing a book together [with] for three years,” in the Mirror this morning, journalist Ros Wynne-Jones declared: “[Abdul Musa Adam] couldn’t be a better example of what safety and kindness can give to a human being who has escaped war, torture and trafficking after becoming a refugee at the age of eight. Britain is lucky to have him, and he is grateful to have a safe home.”
Speaking of him also, racing legend Clare Balding added: “His story shows the incredible power of sport to bring people together and help them to heal, even after the most appalling suffering.”
Hardworking Abdul Musa Adam – who is now a British citizen and whose day begins at 6am and finishes at midnight – himself concludes:
“Racing, riding, horses… After more riding, I feel more happy… I am so grateful I have found safety… I feel that this is my home now. I believe I can find [my brother] one day; I hope, I can.”
Now and still only 22 years old, today horse loving Abdul Musa Adam’s spectacular journey will continue when he leads out Shadn at Royal Ascot. We join all celebrating his remarkable progress to the paddocks of Royal Ascot.
‘The Journey: An Inspiring True Story of Courage and Hope,’ co-authored by Abdul Musa Adam with Ros Wynne-Jones, is available to pre-order on Amazon priced at £8.99.
RUNNERS & RIDERS – Day Four, ‘Royal Ascot At Home’ – ‘The Steeple Times’ analyses the selections for Day Four at ‘Royal Ascot at Home’
After delighting readers yesterday in calling both Stradivarius first (for the third time) in the Gold Cup and a place for Cross Counter also, today we are looking at:
3.00pm – Hardwicke Stakes
WIN – Ryan Moore-A.P. O’Brien combo Anthony Van Dyck at 11/4 (The Sun NAP, Daily Mail ‘Danger’, Sporting Life, Racing Post ’Spotlight Nap’, GG.co.uk).
Racing Post says: “Very good second in the Coronation Cup at Newmarket 14 days ago; big chance on that form.”
For them, Ben Hutton ’Spotlight Nap’ adds: “Back on track with very good second in the Coronation Cup at Newmarket 14 days ago and big chance on that form on this relatively quick return.”
Templegate, The Sun adds: “Ran his best race since winning the Derby when chasing home potential superstar Ghaiyyath in the Coronation Cup last time. That race was moved from its usual Epsom home to Newmarket and the Aidan O’Brien-trained four-year-old was gaining with every stride at the line. He beat some fair yardsticks like Defoe there and it’s hard to see last year’s winner of this race turning that form around. This trip is ideal for AVD and he goes on fast or slow so the weather isn’t a worry either.”
3.35pm Commonwealth Cup (16 runners)
EACH WAY – Magnier, Smith and Tabor owned Ryan Moore-A.P. O’Brien combo Lope Y Fernandez at 4/1 (Radio 4, The Telegraph).
Racing Post says: “Third in the Irish 2,000 Guineas last Friday; effective at 6f last year; not dismissed.”
Templegate for The Sun adds: “Lope Y Fernandez ran a cracker when third to Siskin in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and warrants respect.”
It’s a longshot, but with the inspirational Abdul Musa Adam leading him out, we suggest also:
EACH WAY – Oisin Murphy-Andrew Balding combo Shadn at 20/1.
Racing Post says: “Needs improvement on the figures but worth noting that she’s 3-4 over 6f.”
4.10pm – Queen’s Vase (9 runners)
EACH WAY – William Haggas trained Born With Pride at 5/2 from 3/1 earlier (Radio 4, Daily Mail Gimcrack ‘Danger’, The Telegraph).
Racing Post says: “Listed winner on debut last season and not seen to best effect on her comeback; respected.”
Daily Mail adds: “Born With Pride, a winner on heavy ground on her Newmarket debut last autumn, was a non-runner earlier this week and connections appear to have done the right thing with the ground sure to suit.”
4.40pm – Duke of Edinburgh Stakes (18 runners)
EACH WAY – William Buick-Mark Johnston combo West End Charmer at 6/1 (The Sun, At The Races – Kevin Blake).
Racing Post says: “Stamina still to prove at this trip but lightly raced colt is 5lb well-in under a penalty.”
Templegate for The Sun says: “West End Charmer was impressive when running away with a hot handicap at Newmarket 12 days ago. He was coming back from a year off so, provided that hasn’t taken too much out of him, he should improve again for this step up in distance. He is well handicapped under a 4lb penalty.”
Abdul Musa Adam celebrating becoming a British citizen and out enjoying his passion for riding.Abdul Musa Adam will lead Shadn out today at Royal Ascot for the Commonwealth Cup at 3.35pm. The horse is owned by Katsumi Yoshida, trained by Andrew Balding and will be ridden by Oisin Murphy.
At a time when her billionaire brother Sir Richard is deservedly taking a pounding for trying to rape the state, multi-millionairess Vanessa Branson could have perhaps postponed the launch of her self-indulgent autobiography
It’s not Vanessa Branson’s fault that she’s the sister of the all-round dickhead Sir Richard Branson, but it is she alone whom made the choice to gauchely publicise a book about her anything but modest life during the worst pandemic since Spanish Flu.
Serialised, as only it could be in the top paying publication for such guff, the Daily Mail, Vanessa Branson’s One Hundred Summers: A Family Story has a stench of what the Scottish would call “guff” about it. Aside from bemoaning “sulking about” buying a tidal island complete with 9 houses in the Inner Hebrides – which she terms “Neverland Found” – this privileged woman boldly touts her book as: “Taking the reader on a journey from the dying embers of Edwardian England, through the trauma of two world wars, the hedonism of London in the 1980s and ‘Cool Britannia’ in the 1990s right up to the present day.” How utterly endearing.
Just like her self-publicising brother, this constantly crying 61-year old former art gallery owner plainly cannot get enough of herself. Here is a ramble through holidays in palazzos in Venice and trips to LA; there’s an arts festival in Morocco and there’s a second home in Sussex. Life ain’t that shabby for this woman, but all she does is moan. Her husband comes and goes (and comes and goes again and again), but with such she name-drops how Grayson Perry gave her a pot charmingly featuring the words “Marriage Wrecker” next to “images of fat middle-aged men with drooping breasts and sagging scrotums” and Tracey Emin wrote her a poem for her to use on her headboard. Its read: “Oh God you made me feel so beautiful/ And then I wanted to feel it again and again. With myself, by myself/ Never forgetting.” That’s surely enough to make anyone join in blubbering with this very, very rich multi-millionairess.
With her brattish brother condemned even by that pillar of capitalism that is The Telegraph as “Now Virgin Atlantic’s biggest liability,” Vanessa Branson could not have chosen a worse time to launch her tome. Though lauded as: “A vivid and charming tapestry of English eccentricity, fortune, fate and passion,” One Hundred Summers is more likely to ultimately be remembered just as a tale of the pathetic appendage of the deservedly most loathed man of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Here is one book we most definitely will not be recommending as essential lockdown literature.
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.
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.
Kentish salad company Southern Salads tosses 260 jobs to the wolves after going into administration because of Brexit
Illustrations of the likely negative impact of Britain’s decision to leave the UK are coming from far and wide and though Nigel Farage may be crowing over an alleged £60 million film deal – though unsurprisingly no particular studio has actually announced such ‘news’ as ‘truth’ – companies are relocating staff abroad and even closing altogether. Even hardline Brexiteers are being heard to remark: “There’s going to be a heavy price to pay for the complacency… Britain is f***ed” and asking: “What the hell have we done?”
Aside from Bloomberg revealing “London could lose 10,000 banking jobs and 20,000 roles in financial services” to such cities as Dublin, Frankfurt and Paris in an article last month, a more localised illustration of the impact of Theresa May’s appallingly bad handling of this issue was provided yesterday in the form of news that a Tonbridge, Kent based firm, Southern Salads, had gone into administration due to “unprecedented pressure on cash flow in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote.”
Southern Salads, a 30-year old, family run firm which employed 260 people and whose motto was “share the passion”, ceased trading Wednesday and of why it failed, joint administrator Ian Vickers of FRP Advisory told KentLive:
“The sudden decline in sterling was not foreseen by the company, leaving the business grappling with an immediate fall of between 10% and 20% in its purchasing power for overseas-grown salads required for the winter and early spring UK market, which in turn put a severe strain on cash-flow.”
“With insufficient protection from its currency hedging arrangements, pressure increased on cash-flow as the business traded through to this spring.”
“The company was unsuccessful in negotiating any significant changes to its pricing terms with its suppliers in mainland Europe, while also being unable to pass on its cost increases to supermarkets and its other customers.”
“The company relies on European suppliers for fresh vegetables and fruit from the Netherlands and Poland in the north to France, Italy and Spain in the south.”
It’d be fascinating to know what Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson and Theresa May thinks about that.
Born in Banchory, Aberdeenshire in 1985, Pete Cashmore founded Mashable, a “one-stop-shop” digital media news and blogging site, in his bedroom in 2005 with the aim of “changing the world”. The firm now has over 120 employees, is based in New York and has 9 million followers on Twitter and achieves over 45 million unique views per month. He was once described as “one of the most influential voices of his generation – on and offline” and was also called “more than just a superb head of hair” by Hearst’s Town & Country magazine in 2016.
1959 Rolls-Royce estate car owned by late industrial tycoon Orin Smith to be auctioned; it was bizarrely designed to include beds and a loud air horn to “blast” cattle off the highway
Florida based businessman and retired CEO of the Engelhard Corporation Orin Smith (1935 – 2016) was passionate about cars and next month, those with deep pockets will be in with a chance to purchase 58 vehicles from his collection that will be sold, mostly without reserve, by RM Sotheby’s at their annual Amelia Island sale on 10th and 11th March.
Amongst the eclectic selection of classic and contemporary cars from the late industrialist’s collection is a 1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I estate car by H. J. Mulliner and Radford. One of just two examples, this immaculate short-wheelbase shooting brake was originally supplied to a Robert L. McCormick of Wichita, Kansas and transported to New York on the Cunard flagship Queen Elizabeth.
McCormick kept the car – which features a luggage space that can accommodate items up to 6-foot long – until 1965 and on selling it to a Palm Beach based judge named Lewis M. Schott, penned the new owner a letter that read:
The Radford conversion is a “complete job”. I will explain to your chauffeur and secretary how it makes into beds, etc, etc.
I’ll explain the 3-way horn switch to your employees. I used the loud horn for “blasting” livestock off the Mexican highways.
Finally, I hope you have as much fun out of the car as I have had. It should go 200,000 miles without work on it… A serious sacroiliac precludes long motor trips for me for a few years, and I’m an unhappy warrior when I think about it.
Sold again in 2007 to Florida Roll-Royce expert Richard Gorman, the shooting brake was then subject to an 18-month renovation. It is now presented in velvet green and a sage with parchment leather interior piped in velvet green and features upgraded air conditioning.
Of the overall collection to be sold on behalf of Smith’s family, Don Rose of RM Sotheby’s remarked:
I had the great pleasure of knowing Orin Smith and found him to be a true gentleman in every sense of the word.
In addition to his impressive gathering of some of the finest Rolls-Royce and Bentley automobiles, Orin displayed an eclectic taste with a keen eye for other icons of style, including sporting machinery from pre-war to the best of the contemporary.
The common thread here is beauty, in both design and engineering; fitting for a man of generous spirit devoted to excellence. Because of those qualities, Orin Smith was beloved to the Amelia Island crowd, which makes the offering of his collection at our Amelia Island venue all the more poignant.
Of the shooting brake itself, the auctioneer adds:
Numerous Rolls-Royce shooting brakes exist, but many of them are crude later conversions. This car is a true and authentic coachbuilt original, created to the exacting specifications of its original owner, and restored to that same high standard – air horns and all. Errant cattle, consider yourselves warned.
