Bentley are embracing traditional craftsmanship and Old World refinement with their new Flying Spur. The luxury automakers are touting this new Grand Tourer model as an experience which has become lost to other carmakers, giving customers that classic ‘limousine’ feel.

Underneath the bonnet of the Flying Spur is one of world’s most advanced 12-cylinder engines with a 552bhp (560PS) 6-litre twinturbo charged powertrain, meaning this model can go from zero to sixty mph in less than five seconds, and has a top speed of 194mph (312km/h). Four camshafts and forty-eight valves help generate the torque associated with the Bentley name, meaning that from as low as 1600rpm, the W12 engine produces 650Nm (479lb ft) of torque.

Source and photos courtesy Bentley. 

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Aston Martin marks its 100th anniversary this year, and to celebrate this milestone the automaker has unveiled the CC100 speedster concept. This tribute to Aston Martin’s sports cars looks back to the legendary 1959 Le Mans and Nürburgring-winning race car DBR1 while simultaneously incorporating advanced materials and engineering.

The CC100 was revealed to the world at the ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of Nürburgring race, where it was driven by Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez. Alongside the CC100 was the historic DBR1, the same car that completed the 1000km of Nürburgring in 1959. Indeed, even the same driver, Sir Stirling Moss, was behind the wheel for this historic occasion. The CC100 lead a 100-car lap of the Nurburgring Nordschleife to celebrate Aston Martin’s centenary year. Also in the parade was DB3S, DB5, One-77 and ninety-five Aston Martins from throughout the automaker’s history.

Photos courtesy Aston Martin.

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During a recent test drive of the new 2014 Maserati Quattroporte S Q4 in Bolocco, Italy at the company’s proving grounds and test track we had a chance to put in some work behind the wheel of the 2014 European Spec GranTurismo MC Stradale. In North America the coupe will be referred to as the GranTurismo MC with 454 SAE horsepower and 383 lb.-ft of torque.

Featuring a carbon fiber hood with an embedded nostril for air intake; carbon fiber mirrors; a carbon fiber steering wheel; Brembo carbon ceramic brakes; forged 20″ alloy rims; a 4.7-liter V8; and an exhaust system that roars like grizzlies fresh from hibernation, the GranTurismo MC Stradale felt like a daydream on the narrow, swivel roads of Italy.

Instilled with DNA structure and technologies akin to the race version which competes in the Maserati Trofeo Championship, the 4-seater Italian coupe was pleasantly balanced and dramatically savvy with its MC Race Shift 6-speed electro actuated gearbox (North America receives a ZF 6 speed MC Shift Spec). Both feature a “Sport” button and race mode for enthusiastic driving. Large swan wings in the form of paddle shifters allowed us to control the vehicle’s shifts as needed. We wanted to push the GranTurismo up to its 185 mph top speed, but it was not possible since the track was only available for the aforementioned Quattroporte.

Not only is the MC Stradale utterly gorgeous, it is pure Italian in every sense. Though, we’re going to need Maserati to up the horses past 500 so the naming convention matches the coupe’s performance identity.

Photos by Kimatni Rawlins.

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Last week Porsche joined a small group of luxury green automakers with the unveiling of the 918 Spyder, a new hybrid sportscar. The 918 Spyder was designed by the Porsche engineers who build race cars based on the hybrid drive concept, and the automaker is touting this model as their car of the future.

According to the Porsche design team they gained a lot of insight from the models used during the 24 hour Le Mans race which they integrated into the 918 Spyder. The structural concept of the 918 Spyder features a rolling chassis as its basis – a basic vehicle that can be driven even without a body, wihle the concept of the V8 engine originates from the LMP2 RS Spyder race car. The load-bearing structures, the monocoque and subframe are made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer. The all-wheel drive concept combines a combustion engine and electric motor on the rear axle and the second electric motor on the front axle (a concept plucked from the Porsche race team’s 911 GT3 R Hybrid).

For those worried about how going green might effect the classic Porsche “oomph”, fret not. An advanced “boost” strategy manages the energy of the electric drive intelligently so that for every sprint with maximum acceleration, the full power of the 918 Spyder can be tapped into by simply pressing the accelerator down fully. The low center of gravity from the drivetrain is actually enhanced by some green technology; the position of the traction battery directly behind the driver supports efforts to concentrate masses and lower the center of gravity. When the vehicle is started up, the “E-Power” mode is the default operating mode as long as the battery is sufficiently charged. In ideal conditions, the 918 Spyder can cover approximately 18 miles on purely electric power. Even in pure electric mode, the 918 Spyder accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in seven seconds and can reach speeds of up to 93 mph. In this mode, the combustion engine is only used when needed. If the battery’s charge state drops below a set minimum value, the vehicle automatically switches to hybrid mode.

The Porsche 918 Spyder actually has the potential to break many records. The current lap time for the North Loop of the Nürburgring is 7:14 minutes. This time was achieved in the presence of international journalists during test drives in September 2012 – more than a year before start of production. The 918 Spyder prototype was therefore approximately 20 seconds quicker than the Porsche Carrera GT. More test drives on the Nürburgring North Loop will follow. An even more important factor is that the 918 Spyder surpasses previous models and competitors by far in its efficiency as well. As a plug-in hybrid vehicle, it systematically combines the dynamic performance of a racing machine with low fuel consumption. To sum it up: maximum driving fun with minimal fuel consumption.

Photos courtesy Porsche.

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This week Mercedes-Benz unveiled its new S-Class for 2014. According to automaker, their three engineering priorities for this model, which they tout as “the best automobile in the world”, were intelligent drive, efficient technology and essence of luxury.

Dr Dieter Zetsche, the Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, told us; “Rather than being about safety or aesthetics, power or efficiency, comfort or dynamism, our aspirations were ‘the best or nothing’ in every respect. No other car stands for the Mercedes-Benz brand promise more than the S-Class.”

The most noticeable changes can be seen in the interior: from the seats to the air conditioning, controls and infotainment. Also worth noting: the DISTRONIC PLUS system that protects by monitoring via “intelligent drive”.

Photos courtesy Mercedes-Benz.

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Haute Time is proud to announce the kick-off of Timepiece Madness 2013, a voter-driven contest where the top timepieces in haute horlogerie compete against each other to determine the hautest watch of 2013. The contest kicks off tonight, May 15, with the first three elimination rounds taking place from May 15-18. The competition really heats up with the Quarter-Finals (May 20), the Semi-Finals (May 22), and the Finals (May 24).

Haute Time managing editor Seth Semilof said “I myself am a huge watch enthusiast, and wanted to share the incredible watches I discovered at SIHH and BaselWorld this year with our readers. So we selected our 64 favorite new pieces from this year, and we’re going to let our readers fight it out to have their favorite piece selected as the best new watch,” Semilof explained. “I’m very excited to see which watch our readers pick. I have a few favorites of my own, so I’ll be keeping a close eye on the competition!”

Last year the Audemars Piguet Extra Thin Royal Oak Limited Edition took home the title. This year, all the top brands, from Patek Philippe to Richard Mille, TAG Heuer, Breguet, Chopard and more, will go toe-to-toe in our tournament-style competition. In each bracket, two watches will face off, and the watch with the most votes will move on to the next round.

“After the huge success of the debut of Timepiece Madness last year, we were very excited to launch this year’s competition. Haute Time makes reading about watches fun, and since most of our readers are avid watch collectors, they’re very passionate about voting for their favorite pieces,” Haute Living co-publisher Kamal Hotchandani said. “The competition also provides a great platform for haute horlogerie brands to get worldwide exposure.”

To vote for your favorite watch and to follow the fierce competition, visit Timepiece Madness 2013 now!

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If you’re not a member of Equinox, you might want to consider joining to score this particular members-only perk.

From May 20 to Friday, May 24, those who belong to Equinox can “Ride in Style” with complimentary rides to and from Equinox clubs using the Uber app. While most riders will be picked up in a Uber vehicle, some very select, very lucky gym-goers will be surprised with a pickup in a Tesla Model S, the world’s first premium electric sedan.

The Equinox, Uber and Tesla partnership will roll out in Los Angeles for a few select clubs, including Beverly Hills, Century City, Downtown LA, Marina del Rey, Santa Monica, South Bay, West Hollywood, West LA and Westwood.

Riders are encouraged to share their experience and post, tweet and upload pictures and videos of themselves using #ActiveRide.

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Lamborghini is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and the brand is doing it in style. The luxury automaker recently embarked upon a Grande Giro (a grand tour), departing from the Piazza Castello in Milan last week with the largest-ever gathering of cars from the “House of the Raging Bull”. The convoy traveled a distance of about 2.5 miles, with a total of 190,000 hp on the road.

The 350 cars (320 registered participants and approximately 30 courtesy cars for the press and guests) made stops at iconic locations like the Piazza Castello in front of the Sforzesco Castle, Bobbio in the Trebbia Valley, Forte dei Marmi, the base of the 4° Stormo of Air Force at Grosseto, and the Palazzo Re Enzo in Bologna. Finally, on Saturday the tour ended in Sant’Agata Bolognese, where the brand hosted a gala dinner at the headquarters of the House of the Raging Bull. During the gala, the brand unveiled the Egoista, a one-off concept car designed by Walter De Silva. While it may look different than your average Lambo (the Egoista was inspired by Apache attack helicopters), this model boasts a familiar capability under its hood – a 600-hp V-10 engine.

Nearly 700 people from 29 different countries have travelled to Italy to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Emilia Romagna-based company. The youngest driver was born in 1991 and hails from Kuwait, while the oldest is 75 and is a French national. Included in the convoy are historic Lamborghinis, including three 350 GTs, five 400 GTs, seventeen Miuras, eight Espadas, two Jaramas, six Urracos, 15 Countachs, one LM 002, 21 Diablos and 36 Murcielagos.

Photos courtesy Lamborghini and Auto Guide.

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