Supercars

Bentley Motors, founded 10th July 1919, is entering its 100th year of creating the world’s most iconic Grand Tourers, and the British luxury brand is honouring decades of innovation, achievement and craftsmanship by releasing a short film ‘Together we are Extraordinary: The Story of Bentley Motors.’
From W.O. Bentley himself, right up to the new Continental GT, the film touches upon the extraordinary characters, sporting achievements and successful models through the decades.

There is a quiet revolution underway in the streets around us. Silent and efficient personal electric vehicles glide through the city, the choice of more and more people as a way of getting around. They are improving congestion, improving air quality and improving people’s physical and mental well-being. Ah, you say, that’s all well and good but we can’t all afford Teslas. Revolutions rarely work top-down. Except, electric cars are not the transformation we are talking about. We mean E-bikes.

My eyeballs shook so violently the natural reaction was to close them, but nothing was going to stop me seeing this extraordinary experience.  At the same time I just thought thank goodness they are my own teeth otherwise I would have swallowed them.  Mind you it took a couple of hours before they stopped making their presence felt.  Not far off the mark is the experience of being in a rear end accident that just goes on and on.

It’s true that other regions in Italy are lusher, have taller mountains, more fertile valleys and a more temperate climate. But in Tuscany and Umbria the serenity and joy of their rolling landscapes, their winding lanes and their cypresses pointing in silhouette to the heavens are harder to challenge.

As a culinary destination Southern Africa is not only stimulating but offers some of the finest hotels, food and wine experiences going, in some of the most beautiful surroundings.  The lovely Cape Dutch architecture, some dating back to the 1600s with their period charm set in what are essentially English inspired gardens have every desirable luxury.  On offer are also tempting spas, friendly and attentive service, and every activity you could possibly wish for from great diving, whales and dolphins, boat trips, horse riding including Polo, together with excellently organised Safaris.

After a busy week touring in the Rolls Royce Black Badge Dawn we decide to finish with a relaxing day at Stoke Park Spa with a massage and lunch. Stoke Park is one of the finest country clubs in England and the location of many iconic movies including James Bond’s Goldfinger with Sean Connery, Tomorrow Never Dies with Piers Brosnan, Bridget Jones Diary with Hugh Grant and Renée Zellweger, and Layer Cake with Daniel Craig (who now of course plays James Bond).

The Alfa Romeo 4C is the car you run off with for a weekend, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is the one you marry, because you will never get that lucky again.
Alfa Romeo has its legions of loyal fans who stood by it when things weren’t going so well, now they can confidently assert that Alfa Romeo are producing cars that deserve passion and loyalty, justified by the sheer exhilarating performance of the Quadrifoglio.
Quadrifoglio stands for the four leaf clover emblem that Ugo Sivocci painted on his Alfa Romeo RL in which he won the

Santamaria Shirt Makers in Notting Hill Gate is the genteel place to have a bespoke shirt made to measure. At this lovely little boutique just off Pembridge Square Gardens you can create the ultimate shirt, choosing from a huge list of gorgeous fabrics and be fitted to perfection.

The Milan furniture fair is always an enjoyable feast of out-there work. Typically art-masquerading-as-furniture or installations of dazzling complexity and bewildering utility. Which makes it all the more interesting that over the years, a number of car manufacturers have chosen the Salone as the location for model launches or campaigns to promote their brands outside the benzine-tainted halls of motor shows. One of the most high-profile of these is MINI.

The Excellence Group recently organised a luxury event hosted by the prestigious Emsworth Polo Grounds to showcase Team Brit and their new Aston Martin Vantage V8, in which the team stormed to victory in their first ever GT4 race at Oulton Park on the 12th May. The high net worth guests were treated to the inside track on the drivers’ experiences and the inspiring story of how Team Brit was formed.