The Luxury Automotive Brands Making Waves with Things that Aren’t, Well, Cars.
Enter a world of opulence and beauty, where luxury automotive brands turn their discerning eye from four wheels to favored possessions. Here, we examine the luxury lifestyle masterpieces of the motoring world’s finest design teams—from Aston Martin to Mercedes-AMG, sports car soundbars to handcrafted cellarettes. It is where beauty and perfection collide, away from the road and into the destination.
Porsche Design
Porsche HEAD 8 Series Rally Skis, 911 Soundbar 2.0, Porsche eBike Sport
Think of Porsche, and you think of power, beauty and refined luxury. Porsche Design takes all of this and carefully applies it to the luxury lifestyle products it knows you yearn for. Take its Porsche HEAD 8 Series Rally Skis—all-mountain skis that can take it all, based on the Dakar design of the Porsche 953. Fast, stable and fat at tip and tail, they use a World Cup sandwich construction with a solid wood core, strengthened by carbon and Titanal layers. But you can also take Porsche into the study or the living room, with the 911 Soundbar 2.0—made from the original air intake grille on a 911 GT3 Touring.
Among a plethora of other luxury goods, for instance its high-end fashion collab with Puma, Porsche Design also makes a high-performance electric mountain bike, with lashings of carbon fiber, Fox Factory suspension and Crankbrothers Carbon wheels, which means you can now take your Porsche off-road. And there’s also the 718 Spyder RS Chronograph watch for those that prefer to wear Porsche on their wrist, inspired by its namesake with Spyder RS embossing on the strap, a carbon dial, lightweight titanium case and a rotor styled like a Spyder RS wheel.
Mercedes-Benz Style
AMG GT², Maybach Eyewear, VIP Aircraft Cabins
The German manufacturer has taken the same unflinching approach to its design as it has its motoring, which spans pillowy comfort all the way through to buttock-clenching adrenaline. If you want all of that in a boat, you’re in luck—the “Silver Arrows of the Sea” is a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz Style and world-renowned marine architects. The 14m Arrow 460 Granturismo has 906hp, luxurious curves and flowing lines and windows that tint in the sun.
Though it has space for 10, it might not be your scene with a young family in tow but fear not—Mercedes also makes a baby stroller. The limited-edition AMG GT² boasts “sportiness and maximum ride comfort,” and is made in collaboration with Hartan. It sports swiveling wheels, cross-spoke wheels, the AMG pattern in “hyper-blue,” even a handbrake. For parents unwilling to release their grip on motorsport, this is a pushchair that turns heads. But the design department at Mercedes-Benz has also had its hands on eyewear, creating a bespoke collection under the MAYBACH umbrella including shades that feature turquoise-marbled, natural horn and 22-carat gold titanium. And, of course, Mercedes-Benz has also taken on all manners of luxury throughout its past, from VIP aircraft cabins to even private helicopter design.
Aston Martin
Aston Martin Residences, Aston Martin .1R, AM37 Speedboat
You’ve long known Aston Martin for its suave, leather-clad supercars, unleashing devastating horsepower in a way only a refined Aston Martin can. Using this charming sex appeal, its design team has approached real estate, speedboats and road bikes. New for 2024, are the Aston Martin Residences in Miami, an ultra-luxury, 66-story architectural masterpiece home to 391 condos on Miami Waterfront. The sail-shaped building has been immaculately created with the same Aston Martin design philosophy. Bespoke Aston Martin handles, number plinths and kestrel tan leather line each floor, and a “Sky Amenities” common area features a striking glass staircase, art gallery, two movie theaters, virtual golf sim, spa and two-floor gym. The British marque has also been at work on the Aston Martin .1R, a 3D-printed titanium and carbon fiber road bike made bespoke for every rider using the same colors and materials on offer for its high-performance sports cars. And, who could ever forget, the AM37—a luxury powerboat with all the understated elegance and ferocious power of an Aston Martin on water.
Lamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini 60°, Strada x Automobili Lamborghini Bike
For the Italian luxury supercar brand’s 60th anniversary, it made the Automobili Lamborghini 60° in collaboration with Montegrappa—a fountain pen that puts Lamborghini in your fingertips. Inspired by super sports cars in the sixties, the pen is handcrafted in an ultra-light hexagonal shape numerically-milled with aerospace aluminum and covered in forged carbon fiber. The automotive maker has also been busy creating its own high-end performance road bikes with 3T carbon components—fast, light and completely Italian. Its Racemax x Automobili Lamborghini gravel bike and Strada x Automobili Lamborghini bike come in a set of striking colors, as any Lambo would. Of course, the heady scent of leather is never far away, and Lamborghini’s set of leather goods ensures you can carry it with you, while its partnership with Master & Dynamic takes Italian supercar luxury and places it all up in your ears with a set of wireless active noise-canceling headphones and earphones. These stylish, lightweight aluminum, Kevlar fiber headphones are made with the best of the best, just like a Lamborghini.
Bentley Design Collaborations
Bentley Home
At Milan Design Week, Bentley unveiled its latest collection of luxury homeware for those that want to take the brand into their living rooms. This year, a first foray into the home office, with a new take on the Bentley Desk. It’s sleek, minimalist design hides two drawers inside the shell, with a “Liquid Amber” finish across the piece. Among the collection is also the modular Loftus Sofa, with flowing lines and floating cushions that seem to sit on thin air, much like the comfort of its motorcars.
The Langport Bed is completely customizable, with veneer, black lacquer, fabric or sustainable leather all in play. Smart reading lights sit seamlessly in the headboard, inviting warmth, relaxation and quiet mindfulness. The British automaker has also partnered with Ducatti to deliver the light, richly crafted Ducati Diavel For Bentley, one of only 500 exclusive motorbikes based on the ultra-rare 740 PS W12 Bentley Batur. Then there’s a swath of high-end luggage, eyewear and wireless speaker technology reimagined with the Naim for Bentley Mu-so Special Edition, featuring design elements inspired by Bentley’s high-performance luxury vehicles.
House of Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Cellarette
Its opulent motor cars are treasured collectables, and the luxury design products the British manufacturer creates are no different. The brand’s artisanal design collective can turn its hand to anything, elevating beyond the ordinary. Take the Rolls-Royce Cellarette, an indulgent whisky and cigar chest created for the most glorious of gatherings. Crafted with the most exclusive materials, its polished aluminum and Rolls-Royce Havan leather-clad body mechanically opens to reveal two hand-blown lowball glasses finished with the “RR” monogram, which rotate outwards as it does so. Surrounded by Armagnac leather inside, soft lighting sets the mood—and a leather-lined bottle holder reveals itself in unison, while on the other side a humidor offers cigars protected in Spanish Cedarwood and monitored by its in-built hygrometer.
The Cellarette’s accompanying accessories are as intricately made as the main event, with a cigar cutter and lighter crafted by S.T. Dupont, Paris. Of course, the British automaker turns its hand to far more as well, like its Kinetic Luggage Collection—based on the techniques of a top London Head Butler—and its Escapism Luggage Collection, designed for the “wandering spirit” with bespoke leather and canvas.
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