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Rolls-Royce Landspeed Collection honors record-breaking pioneer

The Rolls-Royce Wraith coupe and Dawn convertible might not be long for our market, but that doesn't mean they're being wholly ignored by their maker. In fact, Rolls-Royce just announced a new limited edition of the stylish pair: the Landspeed Collection. The Landspeed Collection cars honor 1930s speed record-holder Captain George Eyston, who achieved three land speed records, culminating in a run at 357.497 mph in 1938 at the Bonneville Salt Flats. The Rolls-Royce connection is that Eyston's car, the Thunderbolt, was powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce V12 aero engines. Each displaced 37 liters and produced more than 2,000 horsepower. Unlike the Thunderbolt, the Wraith and Dawn are powered by a single V12 engine, and its output is unchanged from stock. Nor do the Landspeed Collection Wraith and Dawn adopt the record-setting car's triple axles, eight wheels, and large triangular tailfin. More's the pity. Instead, the models are based on the Wraith and Dawn Black Badge. They're painted a two-tone Black Diamond Metallic and Bonneville Blue (a light silver-blue that's specific to this model). Among the unique details: dashboard engraving that mimics the fissured texture of the salt flats, an image of the Thunderbolt's silhouette embossed on the front tunnel, and a special clock that adopts some of the markings of the Thunderbolt. The Starlight Headliner is said to exactly match the night-sky appearance on the date when the final Thunderbolt speed record was set. Rolls-Royce will build 35 examples of the Wraith coupe and just 25 of the Dawn convertible. But even if you're as speedy as Captain George Eyston himself, you won't be quick enough to grab one — they're already sold out.

NBA sneakerhead P.J. Tucker has Rolls-Royce Jordan 3s that match his Cullinan

There aren't many sneakers that 33-year-old Houston Rockets forward P.J. Tucker does not own. The only sneakers he hasn't gotten his hands on are likely rare grails normal people have never even heard of. His collection surpasses 2200 shoes, and he spent more than $200,000 on sneakers just during the 2017-2018 season. For sneaker fanatics, nearly every time he steps on the court is a throwback to a moment in shoe history or the creation of a new one. Tucker debuted Jerry Lorenzo's Fear of God Nike collaboration. He wore Stewie Griffin-themed Nike LeBron 6s that are valued at about $20,000 on Christmas day. Highly sought-after Nike Off-Whites are like Converse Chucks to him. So, what can you gift the sneakerhead who has everything? Houston-based Post Oak Motors knew it couldn't just gift any old pair of kicks from Flight Club, so the dealership commissioned a pair of Rolls-Royce-themed Air Jordan 3s to match the Rolls-Royce Cullinan that Tucker had recently purchased. The custom kicks were crafted by Jake Danklefs and his crew at Dank & Co. As shown in his Instagram post below, they were made to mirror the color scheme of the Cullinan Tucker ordered, which has white paint over a red interior. From afar, they look pretty similar to the Pure White Jordan 3 retros, but the details set it far apart from that general release shoe. Aside from the red guts and icey translucent outsole, the shoe is made entirely of various textures and hues of white. It has gloss, it has matte leather, it has alligator print, and it has a secondary reptile print. It all comes together with the double-R Rolls-Royce logo on the tongue. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Tucker likes his cars, too. In addition to his Cullinan, he's flashed on Instagram a Miami Blue AWT Motorsports Porsche 911, a Rolls-Royce Phantom, a Lamborghini Aventador Roadster, and a Ferrari 488 Spider. He even has a photo of him with an old gold Nissan Maxima similar to the one his mom bought him for his first car when he was 14 years old. To some, this kind of sneaker obsession might seem frivolous or silly, but who are we to speak? We're car nerds, possibly the most money-sucking hobby there is. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: PJ Tucker via Instagram, Jake Danklefs Auto News Celebrities Rolls-Royce merchandise

Former BMW M boss and Maserati CEO killed in freak motorcycle accident

It's a tragic coincidence that on the same weekend the BMW M4 Coupe Concept was introduced in Monterey, one of the men most integral to BMW's M and Motorsports divisions, Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, was killed in England. Kalbfell, a vintage motorcycle enthusiast, was set to compete in the Lansdowne Classic Series at Brands Hatch and had an accident during a practice session. After going wide at Druids Corner and falling, he was hit by a competitor following close behind and died of his injuries after being transported to hospital.
Kalbfell, an engineer, began his career at BMW in 1977 in the communications department; a decade later he was chairman of BMW M GmbH, overseeing development of some of the cars responsible for the myth of M. In 1994 he was named chairman of BMW Motorsport, and his cap full of feathers includes getting the BMW V12 into the McLaren F1, getting the BMW V8 into two Morgan cars, along with developing BMW's Formula One engine and return to the sport. Not incidentally, he also assumed leadership of Project Rolls-Royce after BMW bought the British marque in 1998, which means he oversaw the Goodwood factory upfit and the creation of the Phantom.
He left Rolls-Royce for a brief stint at Fiat, heading Alfa Romeo and Maserati, then went into consulting for clients like Lotus and Paragon, who built the Artega GT. As Autocar notes, Kalbfell "had an abiding sense that customers needed to be attracted to cars by their aura and reputation, not just their engineering." He will be missed.