Puerto Rio is borne out of an immensely long and diverse history. Its current social make-up and the basis for much of the social aspects of life, food, dance and art are influenced by the triumvirate of backgrounds that the population is largely made up of, those being the indigenous population.
A carbon-bodied 765LT perhaps? Or XP1, the first Le Mans F1 car, factory converted for road use and sat next to XP5, takes pride of place.
Down a Paris side street sits an ex-industrial unit housing an open vaulted studio space. First walk-in unveils the concept car in all her glory, and most notably, her size. This is no shrinking violet, but rather an instantaneously captivating creation.
I slip my slightly clammy hand gingerly into the slot, ease some pressure and pull gently skyward. That scissor-door entry is nothing less than muted pornography. So effortless in its execution, it’s part of the recipe that makes the Aventador just that little bit more special.
Nautor Swan, the boat builder of choice for the single marque extravaganza has been crafting sailing yachts since 1966 and is one of the few builders that take the process from inception through to delivery.
A one-off Bentley Continental Azure styled around the heritage R-Type Continental Fastback, celebrating its 70th anniversary and adorned with the plate, JAS 949. Bentley is a formidable force nowadays, breaking into 2023 with perhaps what is their strongest-ever lineup.
Launched in May, the Range Rover Sport enters its third iteration. With it comes a sense that it has always been there. It fits. I mean, for many of the younger generation, it actually has always been there.
Finished in a hue not dissimilar to Audi’s Nardo Grey, the Ferox-T cuts a mean silhouette. Inside, one is introduced to the Italian side of this curious combo, but an interior that is certainly one that could be classed as luxury. Through the use of high-grade materials and the liberal application of them; the cabin feels as special inside as the outside does rugged.
Fresh from four days in Scotland driving the simply astonishing Ferrari F8 Spider, there are times in one’s life where you have to sit back, take some time, and genuinely let an experience wash over you. You need to take it in. Revel in it. The smells, the sights, the sheer visceral nature of it.
The grandfather of the segment is the Land Rover Range Rover. Not the Range Rover Sport, not the Velar, not even the Discovery. The full fat, bonnet at shoulder height, wafting armchair that is the Range Rover.
As far as statements of intent go, it doesn’t get any grander or more opulent than the Boat Tail. Having been sent the pre reveal press literature, I have spent an almost alarming time since, perusing over every detail, over every curve, every fixture, every decision taken, every whim that was answered.
There is sometimes a theme in automotive tests, where, for want of entertainment, a concept is created, one that rarely showcases any usable information on the car in question. ‘We hooked a caravan to the Urus and entered the Harewood Hillclimb’. I mean, what in the hell is that telling the intended purchaser? Unless it’s an Airstream, and the hill climb is actually the Tete de Chien, it’s normally well wide of the mark.
Whether the grid of challengers will be able to break Hamilton and Mercedes dominance, only time will tell. One thing is for sure, that simply hearing the name, Aston Martin, in commentary; one can’t help but think Formula 1 could be heading back to its former glory.
The first generation of Bentley’s Bentayga didn’t do much for me at first. I think my issue was that, as a partner cog in the VAG machine, they should have learnt from Porsche’s mistakes with the straight-up-ugly original Cayenne. Then I had coffee. More specifically, I was sat on a Kensington street sipping my morning cortado, and there sat a Bentayga. Black with the large Mulliner five spoke alloy wheels (thankfully in silver).
The DBS is a car whose name leads you into the detail of its performance, intent and form. DBS were three letters first seen in 1967 in the William Towns designed original, created to replace the, by now, rather portly DB6.
I can’t quite remember when the phrase ‘things used to be better’ became a fixture in my thinking. I’m 38 but feel more and more like an octogenarian when faced by the world we live in today.