The New American Roadster

When we pleaded in the November 2002 issue (Personal Technology) for electronics manufacturers to produce universal disc players—machines that read CD, SACD, and DVD-Audio formats—we had no idea how quickly they would respond. At the time, only Pioneer and Marantz offered equipment that could play all three formats, but since then 10 more brands have […]

As highly prized as the gifts of the grape are, there is more to the world’s great wine regions than simply the wine. Natural beauty, rich history, and cultural and culinary traditions, it seems, thrive wherever the vines do, enriching the life of the mind as well as that of the palate. Our “Guide to […]

Jim Rogers believes Angola is one of the world’s greatest investment opportunities and that Paraguay, buoyed only by its black market, should not even exist as a country. Rogers, author of Adventure Capitalist (Random House, 2003), drove through both countries and 114 others with Paige Parker—who began the journey as Rogers’ fiancée and completed it […]

Simulated golf computer games have never been top-sellers, mainly because hardcore gamers prefer shoot-’em-ups, and hardcore golfers prefer the real thing. But on those days when the only birdies on the links are ducks or when the greens are carpeted in white, you can while away an hour or two with EA Sports’ Tiger Woods […]

TO BIND OR NOT TO BIND, that is the question. “Essentially it’s a matter of restoration or preservation,” says Darren S. Winston, manager of the fine and rare book department at Asprey (212.688.1811, 800.883.2777). Winston serves as both appraiser and adviser to collectors of rare books who are considering re-dressing their literary treasures in custom-made […]

Much of what the english writer’s moving finger wrote when he undertook his rather creative adaptation of the 12th-century Persian poet’s verses has passed into the rarefied stratum of the constantly quoted; yet few cut to the heart of the matter at hand as does this passage, which hints at the greater mystery that underlies […]

Professional golfers—the recipients of gratis shoes, balls, gloves, clubs, clothes, and often club memberships— are not noted for being fast with the wallet. However, in a desert valley chockablock with great places to play golf, 11 touring professionals paid the $100,000 initiation fee to become members at Whisper Rock in Scottsdale, Ariz., a relatively new […]

Although one of the newest Mercedes-Benz models tops out at just 10 mph and produces only 0.75 hp, the history behind it accounts for the $50,000 price tag: It is the marque’s oldest machine, a three-wheeler that Karl Benz first drove in 1886. In 2002, Mercedes-Benz is producing 85 replicas of the 1886 Benz, which […]

When the legendary watchmaker Breguet (212.288. 4014) set out to create a collection of fine jewelry, it looked no further than its own timepieces for inspiration. The curvaceous gold, diamond, and Tahitian pearl Tourbillon collection was inspired by the circular motion of the tourbillon regulator, for which the company’s founder, Abraham-Louis Breguet, gained a patent […]

Bequeathing wealth and valuables to children is one matter, but conferring values is quite another challenge. Large sums of money and numerous assets in a family estate can easily obscure what many of the people who create wealth consider far more important: handing down their guiding principles, ideals, and beliefs. Such a problem faced the […]

In all walks of life, certain name pairings guarantee results that transcend the ordinary. Think Astaire and Rogers, Hope and Crosby, Lennon and McCartney, Montana and Rice, and—for auto enthusiasts—Aston Martin and Zagato. When the talents of the venerable English auto firm and the renowned Italian coachbuilder are combined, car collectors immediately line up, checkbooks […]

I had no idea what was in store when the people from Mosler called and offered me a drive in their new $209,000 MT900 Photon. I’d heard about the company’s latest efforts and thought it would be a hoot to pester my neighbors with what had been described as the closest thing ever to a […]

Guy Webster’s red wooden barn, ringed with weeds and scattered gardening tools, has become a pilgrimage destination for motorcycle cognoscenti. Several years ago, Webster received a surprise visit from one of these connoisseurs, the daughter of MV Agusta founder Count Domenico Agusta. The countess, having heard fables of an incomparable Italian motorcycle collection in Southern […]

Slammer Brash and brutish, the American IronHorse Slammer, with its flaming paint job, stretched tank, and brilliant chrome accents, excels in catching eyes and stealing breath. One feature, however, stands out from the rest: the rear tire. The plump 240mm Metzler secures the back of the bike firmly to the ground, seemingly driving the machine […]

Wind-chapped cheeks and the occasional skinned knee only enhance the essence of motorcycling. It is the state of being one with the elements that invokes our passion for the pastime. Even better, the machines we ride today—and the best of those from past eras—boast aesthetic and technological wizardry that heighten the two-wheeled experience. ENJOY THE […]

Several years ago at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, Ben Price, a Sarasota, Fla., resident, spent six long days walking the crowded Florida docks and speaking with boatbuilders, both custom and semicustom, about creating a new yacht. Price, who owned a 55-foot Sea Ray, had specific requirements. He wanted a larger yacht that would […]

“I’m addicted to simple forms—ovals, spheres, and squares,” says John Eric Byers. His furniture is strikingly elementary in shape, but the surfaces are tightly coordinated arrangements of incised and painted patterns. About a year ago, Byers moved from Oregon back to upstate New York, where he grew up. He still gravitates to painted wood pieces, […]

It is easy to walk right past the Gioia jewelry salon on New York’s Park Avenue without giving it a second glance. There are no tantalizing display windows to gaze into, no open doorway offering a peek inside, only a few jewels displayed in a diminutive glass case that is built into the exterior wall. […]

You are not sure exactly when it happened. You have always enjoyed cigars—the aroma, the relaxation, the camaraderie. It began with your stocking up on a few select brands, buying them from your favorite tobacconist and during your travels, perhaps on a memorable trip to a country off the Florida Keys. Then one day it […]

For anyone who has considered adding astronomy to his or her list of hobbies, now is as good a time as ever to take the first step. Late this summer, Mars will pass closer to Earth than at any time during the past 73,000 years, but even this rare event will not match the nightly […]

The vehicle is an ultraluxury automobile that is 6.2 meters long, powered by a 12-cylinder engine, costs several hundred thousand dollars, and is constructed at the Mercedes-Benz factory in Sindelfingen, Germany. And it is not the Maybach, the new top-of-the-line 155-mph first-class cabin, but rather the V-12 S600 Pullman. This car is not merely an […]

Kevin Russell, executive vice president of NetJets, the leading fractional ownership provider, has always admired Gulfstream airplanes. “The most highly desirable jet to own in the world is a Gulfstream,” Russell says. In recent years, however, Gulfstream’s strategy was to build bigger and faster intercontinental jets such as the 19-passenger G-V, leaving behind clients who […]

Luxury bed linens are not a high priority for many men, but they should be. Creating a deluxe zone in bed is really the best way to separate the men from the boys. “If a man spends $2,000 or more on a suit, he should spend $2,000 on a sheet set that will make his […]

A home-cooked meal is a source of comfort rarely found while traveling. However, the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills has successfully fused home and hotel by installing a high-end kitchen in its Grand Premier Suite. Guests, many with personal chefs in tow, have been booking the $2,500-a-night room months in advance since it opened […]

A high-tech first loom resides in Gran Sasso’s massive industrial factory in the central Italian town of Sant’Egidio alla Vibrata. Once the yarns are set in place, this state-of-the-art machine can knit an entire sweater without the help of human hands. Most knitwear requires a variety of machines to create individual parts—sleeves, body, collar, cuffs—which are […]

An apricot sunset slants across the terrace at Chanteduc as eight Americans assemble for a weeklong cooking class in Provence with author, food critic, and teacher Patricia Wells. “This is my romantic dream of France,” Wells declares as she pours flutes of Veuve Clicquot Brut. “All of us doing what we love: cooking, learning about, and […]

Platinum equity’s exterior, what little there is of it, could not be more generic: an unassuming door in an office building in Century City, a commercial cluster of high-rises in West Los Angeles. But employees and visitors are buzzed into a different world, one that both embraces and challenges assumptions about what workplaces should look […]

In the heart of Switzerland’s Jura Mountains lies the Vallée de Joux, a small basin that is encircled by dense forests and blanketed with a heavy coat of snow and ice for nearly six months of the year. Every winter, ducks gather in the same spot near the edge of the valley’s frozen lake, where […]

Very old spirits are always very expensive, which is not surprising, considering that their maker’s capital is tied up in a wooden cask for many years. Some people admire aged spirits and assume that, because of their rarity and cost, they must have a fine flavor. That, alas, is not always the case. Maturing spirits […]