Time is money: Why are watches so expensive? December 3, 2014 There’s a very good reason top quality watches can set you back six figures. Let us start with a description of two dramatically different approaches to highend mechanical watchmaking. Bear with me. Firstly: “At certain moments you might leave the drawing and let the metal guide you… I really value the fact that I can [...]
Lamborghini bullish on US and India as crackdown hits China September 23, 2013 ITALIAN car maker Lamborghini will struggle to find another China as sales of its super-sports cars in the world’s biggest auto market have hit the skids due to a government campaign against conspicuous spending, chief executive Stephan Winkelmann said yesterday. However, Automobili Lamborghini, owned by Germany’s Volkswagen, sees long-term potential in the nascent Indian market [...]
Should have stayed in bed: Sleeping Beauty update is luke-warm May 29, 2014 FILM MALEFICENT Cert PG | Two Stars DISNEY’S live action remake of Sleeping Beauty is an inversion of the fairytale told from the perspective of Maleficent. The cackling horned villain, who spends most of the animated version glowing green and plotting with a raven, is reimagined as a vengeful fairy who curses princess Aurora to [...]
Car review: The BMW i8 July 21, 2014 We'd stopped the BMW i8 alongside Loch a’ Chroisg to swap drivers and stretch our legs. A bunch of us had flown up from Farnborough that morning to Inverness, and we were heading around the top of Scotland in a crazy five-hour drive, before flying south again mid-afternoon. Minutes later, the Land Rover Discovery that [...]
Not convinced? April 14, 2014 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… FERRARI 458 SPECIALE PRICE: £208,000 0-62MPH: 3.0 secs TOP SPEED: 202+ mph CO2 G/KM: 275g/km MPG COMBINED: 23.9mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four Stars PERFORMANCE Five Stars PRACTICALITY Two Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Three Stars LAMBORGHINI HURACAN PRICE: £200,000 (est) 0-62MPH: 3.2 secs TOP SPEED: 202mph CO2 G/KM: 290g/km MPG COMBINED: 22.3mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Three [...]
Trust the people: Whitehall really doesn’t know best April 9, 2014 THE GOVERNMENT is relaxed about people cashing in their pension schemes to buy a Lamborghini. But the left-leaning liberal commentariat is certainly not. Abuse has been heaped onto George Osborne’s Budget measure of removing the requirement for people to buy an annuity. The main thrust of the attacks is that individuals may act irresponsibly, by [...]
Labour in turmoil over pensions plan March 20, 2014 LABOUR was in turmoil last night as senior party officials failed to respond to the coalition’s radical liberalisation of UK pensions, more than 24 hours after the revolutionary shake-up was announced in the Budget. Neither leader Ed Miliband, shadow chancellor Ed Balls, or shadow pensions minister Gregg McClymont, set out a clear position on the [...]
Dassault takes over 3D brand company RTT December 5, 2013 DASSAULT Systèmes, one of the biggest players in 3D design and printing, yesterday agreed to buy Realtime Technology (RTT), a 3D visual branding company, in an all-cash deal. Munich-based RTT provides 3D visualisation for clients including BMW, GM, Porsche and Lamborghini. Paris-listed Dassault will take an 84 per cent controlling stake in RTT, including its [...]
Bitcoin wins the heart of libertarian CEO January 10, 2014 Encouraged by positive Senate hearings in November and enthusiastic Bitcoin processors, online retailer Overstock.com has decided to take the plunge and accept the cryptocurrency. In the first 90 minutes of Bitcoin sales, the site received around 150 orders. Overstock took the decision several months earlier than had been planned. The libertarian chief executive of Overstock.com, [...]
HR Owen turns down investor’s takeover offer July 18, 2013 LUXURY car dealership HR Owen yesterday spurned a takeover offer from its biggest shareholder, claiming the £32.5m bid was “unsolicited and unacceptable”. HR Owen said Berjaya Philippines’ offer of 130p per share represented a premium of just 7.4 per cent on the share price before the bid was announced. “The board believes the offer by [...]