Join us as we interview some of the worlds most prolific collectors from infancy to the collections zenith. This time we sit down with Alex Clark, founder of Bitstew to talk about his burgeoning Ferrari collection whilst he hunts down a new addition to his collection, The Ferrari Monza SP1.
As the sun rose on Saturday the 7th of September after an up and down year in the classic car world I was interested to see what the turnout and appetite would be for prestigious events such as the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace. For the uninitiated; these events consist of horribly wealthy older gentlemen with Panama hats and considerably younger partners. There appears to be an unspoken and unofficial competition each year for depth of tan, size of wristwatch and age gap betwixt partners. I quietly judged this year’s winner to be an American fellow in his eighties who was a deeply nurtured shade of mahogany whilst…
It has been proclaimed in many instances throughout history that when two worlds collide, a star is born. Whilst the physicist in me knows that this statement is not scientifically accurate, there couldn’t be a more suitable description for a project of this nature coming to fruition – enter the Jack Barclay and Huntsman Bentley Bentayga. Jack Barclay shouldn’t require an introduction. The iconic dealership in Mayfair can even afford to drop the automotive brand name without ever worrying about ambiguity. Regardless, their showroom designs continue to evolve as they constantly seek to improve the patron experience; such is the commitment to customer service from the oldest Bentley showroom on…
It had been almost a decade since I strapped into a Ferrari for anything other than a brisk weekend jaunt. In reverse order, The Ferrari 488 Pista in San Francisco, the F12 Berlinetta and GTC4Lusso in Vancouver, and the 2012 California 30 in the Loire Valley. Considering the amount of time and craftsmanship that goes into fettling a Ferrari to life, 48 hours seems like an affront to the great and the good in Maranello. Not wanting to appear obtuse, I boarded the earliest train from Cheltenham bound for the ‘Welsh Riviera’ to seek out the Ferrari Portofino. Ideally to ‘take her a prize’.
In a world of multi-billion pound, purpose-built motorsport complexes, bejewelled with high-end boutiques and luxury accommodation; Croft is a decidedly more down-to-earth, quintessentially Yorkshire-type affair. There’s no dedicated in-house driver development facilities or state-of-the-art media suites, but there’s always a cracking cup of tea on-hand, and all the folk are dead nice. Situated near Darlington, Croft is a circuit that’s particularly close to my heart.
As part of our series of films with Cooke lenses, we asked the ladies and gents in white coats at Rolls-Royce if they could make available a marque that would befit our interest in helping them get ‘The Cooke Look’. What the team suggested wildly exceeded our expectations.
