Eclipse, a 557-footer reported to have cost a staggering £300million

It is the biggest private yacht in existence and comes with a missile-detection system, two helipads, a luxury spa, swimming pool and a miniature submarine.

But when you're Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, only the most ostentatious displays of wealth will do.

His latest baby is the Eclipse, a 557-footer reported to have cost a staggering £300million.

Eclipsing the opposition: Roman Abramovich's new yacht slides out of the ship-yard in Hamburg, Germany. It comes with a raft of features including two heli-pads, a pool and a missile-detection system

 

As it glided out of the Blohm & Voss shipyard, in Hamburg, Germany

Read More

Spain to bring back Patrimonial Tax

 

The Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, will bring back Patrimonial Tax at next Friday’s cabinet meeting, following a request to do so from the Socialist candidate for the November General Election, Alfredo Pérez-Rubalcaba. A Royal Decree will be used, and no new law will be needed to reactivate the tax, although the new tax will be modified so as not to affect the middle classes. However press reports indicate that Rubalcaba is not entirely happy with the tax which will result, although it is the only option which can be introduced so quickly. The new Socialist manifesto was to promise that Patrimonial Tax would become a state controlled and not regional tax as present. Even so Rubalcaba considers the re-introduction of the tax as ‘just’. It is expected to generate 1.4 billion €.

Read More

Tamara Ecclestone lifts the lid on her extravagant lifestyle

 

For a woman who has just spent £1 million on a bath tub, Tamara Ecclestone is remarkably likeable. The daughter of Britain’s fourth richest person, billionaire Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, slinks across the lobby of Beverly Hills’ grandest hotel, the Peninsula. But she is seemingly oblivious to the open-mouthed stares that follow her perfectly tanned-and-toned body clad in a tiny black romper suit. As she curls up on a luxury sofa in the lobby, it is clear that even in a town used to excess, Tamara and her equally flamboyant sister Petra, who recently dominated the headlines with her extravagant £5 million wedding complete with a private performance by the Black Eyed Peas, have set tongues wagging. For years, Tamara, 27, and Petra, 22, remained pretty much under the media radar. By all accounts, they were kept on a tight rein by their 6ft 2in mother Slavica, who worked hard to escape her tough, penniless upbringing in the Croatian port of Rijeka and was determined to keep her girls grounded.  But after becoming fixtures on the London social scene, the two Ecclestone girls have become embroiled in an extraordinary – and outrageously expensive – display of trans¬atlantic sibling rivalry that even the most creative Hollywood scriptwriter would be hard-pressed to dream up. First, younger sister Petra splashed out £91 million – in cash – to buy the 57,000 sq ft Los Angeles hilltop mansion of the late Dynasty creator Aaron Spelling three months ago. Then, two weeks ago, Tamara was maid-of-honour at Petra’s breathtakingly ostentatious wedding at the medieval Castello Orsini-Odescalchi outside Rome. The scale of the nuptials was mind-blowing.  Petra’s Vera Wang dress cost a reputed £80,000, the evening entertainment alone – including the Black Eyed Peas, Alicia Keys, Andrea Bocelli, DJ David Guetta and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – cost more than £3 million.  Eric Clapton played for the couple’s first dance and Formula 1 driver Jean Alesi drove the bride’s vintage Rolls-Royce.  Even the fireworks display saw £100,000 go up in smoke. Perhaps tellingly, among the guests were another pair of unimaginably wealthy and high-profile siblings, Paris and Nicky Hilton. As elder sister, Tamara was a suitably gracious bridesmaid. But it is clear she feels the need to catch up in the publicity stakes.  She arrived in LA last week with an entourage including Katie Price’s hair and make-up man and blithely announced that she would be perusing homes ‘starting at the £100 million mark’. She also embarked on a series of meetings at major Hollywood studios in a bid to promote her upcoming show Tamara Ecclestone: Billion Dollar Girl (which starts in the UK on Channel 5 on November 4). And she is telling all who will listen that she recently ‘dispatched’ five minions on an expedition ‘up the Amazon’ to gather crystal that will be used to create a state-of- the-art bathtub in her £47 million London home. Splashing out: Tamara is spending £1m on rock crystal from the Amazon to make a bath similar to this It was a story, I venture, that is surely a tabloid fabrication?  She looks askance. ‘No, it’s completely true. They’ve gone to find this crystal which will be turned into my bathtub. It’s costing £1 million because I’ve got to reinforce the floor and I’ve had to pay for everyone’s travel and the hauling back and polishing of the crystal.  ‘But I spend a lot of time in the bath so it’s worth it.’ Little wonder that one Hollywood producer told me: ‘The whole town is talking about these girls. ‘There is nothing that Hollywood loves more than money, vulgarity and ambition. And these two have it in spades.’ It is a charge Tamara, who still looks impeccable despite starting her day at 5am to appear on America’s top-rated Entertainment Tonight show, rolls her eyes at.  ‘Listen, people will always try and make something of the rivalry between me and my sister,’ she tells me. ‘We are siblings and we fight and compete like any sisters would.  ‘But we are very close. Of course there is competition between us but it is healthy competition. There is room in this town for both of us.’ I ask her about reports that she stomped out of a Japanese restaurant earlier in the week after a row with her sister over who ‘got’ to LA first? Sibling rivalry: Tamara says that the relationship with Petra is like that of any sisters - and while the do disagree and there is competition, they are both still close Tamara shrugs: ‘We’d had a drink. Yes, there were a few words. I went outside to have a cigarette, which is something I only do when I’m drinking. I was in a bit of a bad mood. The Press saw that and blew it up into something it’s not.’ Are they at war? She says: ‘You’ll have to ask Petra about that. She’s in New York at Fashion Week. There’s certainly no problem between us as far as I am concerned.’ As she speaks it is obvious that, despite her daddy’s billions, Tamara has a steely determination to succeed on her own merits.  She credits her 80-year-old father, the son of a humble fisherman who started out working in a gasworks before building a £2.4 billion fortune as the Formula 1 supremo, for keeping her ‘grounded’. 'My father started with nothing and is a self-made man. No matter what I do with my life I can never match his accomplishments.' Tamara explains: ‘My father started with nothing and is a self-made man. No matter what I do with my life I can never match his accomplishments. He is someone that even now, at 80, loves what he does and is still making deals and making money, and he enjoys it. He raised me to appreciate money and not to take it for granted.  ‘I was raised to want to work for a living. The idea of just sitting around or going shopping every day appals me. I want to accomplish something in my own right. ‘Dad taught me to always go for the deal. When you are rich, people try to take advantage of you. I got a deal on the flights over here. My mother flew easyJet recently.  Relationship: Tamara has been with stockbroker Omar Kyhami for 18 months - and says they have discussed marriage and children ‘We are a family that likes a bargain. I love the fact that I can spend ten quid and get my nails done in LA at a little corner shop rather than at an expensive salon.’ She says her mother Slavica, who acrimoniously divorced her 5ft 4in father in 2009 after 24 years of marriage, pounded home the message: ‘Mum cooked for me and my sister every night. My father would come home and we would have dinner together, as a family, at 6.30 every night. ‘Both my parents came from humble beginnings. Yes, we had money but it was never something we took for granted.  ‘Dad would drop us at school and Mum would collect us. They came from nothing and were determined not to spoil us.  I had to work for my pocket money, walking the dog and picking up his poop. We were never surrounded by servants. When we wanted things we were never just given them. Money wasn’t easy.’ In person Tamara is charming. She speaks in a modulated but not super-posh voice. But it’s hard to credit the down-to-earth credentials of a woman who would blow £1 million on a crystal bath.  She insists, repeatedly, that she and Petra were raised to appreciate the value of money. ‘We were never spoiled. We were never given too much,’ she says. So what, then, has precipitated this sudden rush to compete in a multi-million-pound house property contest? Perhaps their parents’ divorce, with all the bitter recriminations, has affected the girls’ judgment? ‘The divorce was the hardest thing ever,’ she concedes. ‘Dad has a new girlfriend [Fabiana Flosi, a Brazilian 49 years his junior] but Mum is enjoying being single. I don’t think she will date anyone for a while.  ‘She’s enjoying being free. I’d never thought of the money [rivalry] starting after that. But maybe it did.’ Tamara says she finds Los Angeles, with its endless sunshine and endless positivity ‘liberating’. ‘I’ve been here before but only to Disneyland,’ she says with a grin. ‘I’ve totally fallen in love with the place. People here don’t judge you or have any jealousy about money.  'In England, there is a certain negativity. Here everyone is positive. There isn’t so much jealousy here. I’d rather have a fake smile than a nasty stare.' ‘In England, there is a certain negativity. Here everyone is positive. There isn’t so much jealousy here. I’d rather have a fake smile than a nasty stare.’ Her boyfriend of 18 months, stockbroker Omar Kyhami, arrives at the table. He is in charge of the house-hunting which will begin in earnest in the morning. ‘We’re not going through a broker,’ he says. ‘When people hear the Ecclestone name they automatically add a zero to the price. We are looking at a place in Beverly Hills in the morning which has 27 acres and isn’t even on the market.  ‘We are looking at houses which aren’t officially for sale. When you get to a certain level, you don’t want to deal with brokers. The people we are talking to don’t want any publicity. The house we are looking at will make Petra’s house look like a guest house.’ Tamara squeals: ‘No! You shouldn’t say that!’ Role model: Tamara, pictured in 1998 on a skiing holiday, says her parents kept her 'grounded' and were determined not to spoil her, despite their wealth Omar adds: ‘We’re going to do it in a way that isn’t a disaster. The house we are looking at hasn’t been on the market for years without selling.’ (The Spelling house was on the market for three years before Petra bought it.) ‘That other house [Spelling’s] was a disaster. We’re doing it properly.’ Tamara is clearly smitten with her slightly indiscreet boyfriend: ‘We’ve been together for 18 months and we’ve rowed and it’s all on camera. We have talked about marriage and children but that’s something my sister, even though she is much younger, has always had clearer views on.  ‘This was her year for getting married. I wouldn’t do anything to try and muscle in on that. I want to have a career and make something of myself. I have earned my own money and I like the feeling it gives me. When you buy something with your own money it means more.’ 'I desperately want to have a career. I feel I have something to prove. I want to accomplish something on my own and build my own business.' Does it worry her that she will be able to afford a £100 million-plus home in Hollywood only thanks to Daddy’s billions? ‘No, not at all.’ How does it work? Does her father simply sign a cheque? ‘No, no, it’s far more complicated than that. You get into trust funds and such. When I bought my place in Kensington (for £45 million) it’s in an area that is super-rich.  ‘I talked to Mum and Dad and they agreed to finance it because even if I never live there it’s a good investment. Neither Petra nor I would be allowed to buy anything that was a dud.’  I ask what is the worst thing that has ever happened to her.  ‘My parents’ divorce, without question,’ she says. ‘I didn’t see it coming. I thought they would work things out. I think my mum decided. She wanted to be free. It was a real shock. I cried a lot. ‘When you have money, people think life must be perfect. But I still have the same issues as anyone else. I wake up and feel fat and ugly. I feel insecure. I row with my boyfriend. We have family problems.’  Producer Melanie Leach, the managing director of TwoFour, the company behind Tamara’s TV show, had cameras following Tamara for six months. ‘She is someone who is so different from what you expect,’ said Leach, who also made Harry’s Arctic Heroes, the recently broadcast programme about Prince ¬Harry’s Arctic expedition.‘People have a certain expectation of what Tamara is like and, of course, she lives in a different world. The first show has her taking her five dogs to the Harrods day spa. It costs hundreds of pounds and the dogs are getting their nails painted pink. Luxury: Tamara has access to a wide range of spectacular cars, including this convertible Rolls Royce, a Mercedes 500 and a Ferrari - plus also flies using a private jet ‘But there is another side of Tamara that is deadly serious and very ambitious. We have been taking meetings with some of the biggest people in Hollywood and I have never seen such a reaction. Tamara has something that people just relate to.’ Tamara insists she wants to be seen as ‘normal’ yet she has five cars at her disposal in LA,  including a black convertible Rolls-Royce, a Mercedes 500 and a Ferrari. She also casually mentions she is flying to Las Vegas this weekend in a private jet. Tamara says: ‘I have a strong built-in b-s detector. I know who my real friends are and I like to think I’ve not become cynical. Of course, some people want to be my friend because of the money. But the people I have around me are a tight-knit group. ‘I desperately want to have a career. I feel I have something to prove. I want to accomplish something on my own and build my own business.’ That’s why in LA she has maximised what she calls her ‘publicity potential’. Lunch at the Ivy – where paparazzi stalk the pavements – was followed by dinners at Madeo, Katsuya, STK and Boa . . . all high-profile hang-outs.  As the Rolls arrives to take her from her £2,000-a-night hotel suite, I ask her: ‘Do you have any idea how much your lifestyle really costs?’ She smiles and says: ‘Yes, I think I do. Well, not really, not exactly. But I am not stupid. I have a good idea of my income and outgoings and, yes, I definitely know what things cost.  ‘I will make it. Just watch me. Money isn’t everything.’

Read More

brand new car from the world’s latest car manufacturer.

• Image Credit: Supplied picture
• Look familiar? Yes, it’s just like any other pumped-up Cayenne on the streets of the UAE.

Don’t adjust your screens, that unmistakeable Porsche Cayenne silhouette is in fact what London’s Eterniti Motors calls a brand new car from the world’s latest car manufacturer.

The joke, of course, is that underneath the make up the “world’s first super-SUV,” as Eterniti’s press material puts it, is basically just a Porsche Cayenne. So the newest car manufacturer merely makes bodykits and blings up interiors.
The British ‘carmaker’ is showing off the Hemera SUV at this week’s Frankfurt motor show, but make sure you pay attention or you might miss it in the sea of Lumma Design, Hamann, Speedart, Gemballa and other Cayennes, including, of course, Porsche’s own.

To be fair, Eterniti motors promises new levels of luxury and performance, starting with a limousine-like rear cabin, including twin electric reclining seats, iPads and a drinks chiller. The company also hikes power up to 620bhp. Presumably with a TechArt remap. 

Read More

Apple to open a new store in Marbella

 

Apple has chosen Marbella for a new store which Diario Sur reports will be the company’s largest in Spain. The paper says it will open in La Cañada in November and will cover an area of 1,700 square metres. It’s understood that work is already underway on preparing the premises. There has been no official confirmation from the company as yet, but Diario Sur notes that Apple includes the Marbella store on its web page under its job offers in Spain. The paper however reports that the selection process for Apple’s 65 Marbella staff began in June and is close to conclusion.

Read More

Puerto Banús bar owner has set himself his biggest ever charity challenge – to climb La Concha 40 times in 40 days.

Russell Soden

 

Russell Soden, a co-proprietor of Terra Blues in the port and Lick FM DJ, is taking on the mammoth trek to raise funds in memory of his daughter Coral, who he lost to cot death 14 years ago.

The money raised will go to the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID), the UK's leading baby charity aiming to prevent unexpected deaths in infancy and promote infant health.

Russell, who has lived on the Costa del Sol for 11 years, is no stranger to fundraising challenges. In previous years he has trekked up Kilimanjaro, built a school in Africa and earlier this summer leapt out of an airplane with 14 other Marbella area bar owners in a sponsored skydive to raise 2600€

But the 40-day hike could be his biggest yet and he hopes to have raised 4000€ at the end of it all.

“Obviously, this cause is one that couldn’t be closer to my heart and over the last few years I have picked one big charity push each year, usually by getting involved in organised expeditions, to help raise money for it,” said Russell, aged 40, originally from Leamington Spa in the UK.

“I was struggling to find something different to do this year so first I managed to rope some other local bar owners into jumping out of an airplane. Then I thought I would try and do a more physical challenge close to home rather than flying halfway round the world.

“My initial idea was to climb La Concha twice a day for 20 days but then I thought that was a bit much – so I’ve made it a little gentler at 40 times in 40 days!

“It does seem like a huge task that will go on for well over a month but it’s too late to back out now. I have climbed La Concha a few times before so know what I am a letting myself in for but it is still a little daunting.

“I really hope that people can get behind me and support me on this and that we can raise a significant amount for this vital research and support from FSID which I know from first hand experience can be a huge help at a very difficult time.”

La Concha is 1,215 metres high at the western end of the Sierra Blanca mountain range. Russell will start his first ascent on 19 September from Refugio de Juanar. It is 11 kilometres to the summit and back and expects it to take about six hours each time.

You can sponsor Russell by www.justgiving.com/russell-sodeno or find out more on the terra Blues website at www.terra-blues.com, or call 686 908 016

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_31881.shtml#ixzz1XXh5I0DG

Read More

If Simon Cowell needed convincing that dropping Cheryl Cole from the U.S. version of The X Factor could have been a mistake, these pictures might do the trick.

If Simon Cowell needed convincing that dropping Cheryl Cole from the U.S. version of The X Factor could have been a mistake, these pictures might do the trick.

The singer posed for the shots – some of her most provocative to date – in various locations in the South of France for her official 2012 calendar.

In July’s photograph, a tousle-haired and pouting Mrs Cole poses on all fours on a bed.

Thorny issue:Cheryl shows off her barbed wire tattoo in the September page

A black-and-white image for March features her in bikini top and hotpants with a cascading, diaphanous trail.

 

More...

• It's a no Tulisa! Miss Contostavlos fails to bring the X Factor in bizarre dress at high-fashion event
• A step too far? Peaches Geldof appears to have lost even more weight at Fashion's Night Out

 

August sees her playing up to a boho-chic look as she stands at the door of a caravan, while several of the pictures show off the barbed wire rose tattoo on her thigh.

The singer, said to be close  to being reconciled with her former husband, England footballer Ashley Cole, was unceremoniously jettisoned by X Factor boss Cowell in May, after just four days’ work as a judge on the show’s U.S. version.

New beginning: Cheryl poses for teh January page. She travelled to various locations including teh South of France for her official 2012 calender

■ The Official Cheryl Cole Calendar is on sale in stationery stores, or online at www.danilo.com.

Photographer: Sandrine Dulermo & Michael Labica.

Glamour: The Official Cheryl Cole Calendar is on sale in stationery stores, or online at www.danilo.com

Read More

Music mogul Simon Cowell's fiancee moves into his ex's LA hideaway

 

SIMON Cowell’s fiancee Mezhgan Hussainy has moved out of his Beverly Hills mansion amid rumours their relationship is cooling. The make-up artist is now living in Cowell’s hillside retreat – where his ex Terri Seymour stayed after splitting from the X Factor judge in 2008. Cowell’s pals jokily nicknamed the £3.5million house in the Hollywood Hills “the girlfriend graveyard”. A worker at the house said: “Yes, Mezhgan is living here. She is here now.” She refused to confirm if the pair had broken up but one insider said: “It looks like history is repeating itself. “When Simon split with Terri, she moved to the hillside house for about 18 months before moving to a pad which Simon is supposed to have paid for. “Some people have joked that the other house is his girlfriend graveyard – it’s almost as though the girls get sent there when the relationship has died.” Neighbours said they have not seen the music mogul – who used to date 1980s singer Sinitta – recently, and believe the Afghan-born beauty is living alone. And Simon’s mum, Julie, says she has not heard from Mezhgan for “weeks”, although the pair used to speak regularly. Rumours that the couple have split after an 18-month engagement went into overdrive this week after Simon told a US radio station he was “not sure” whether they were an item. Simon, 51, said last year he would like children with Mezhgan saying he was “smitten” and was looking forward to having “little Simons around”. But in a recent interview with American GQ magazine, he appeared to change heart, saying: “Truthfully, with the schedule, the crazy hours, I don’t think it would work.” And the 51-year-old has been lavishing praise on his American X Factor co-star Paula Abdul. He said: “There is something about her. I find her fascinating.” Reports in the US claim the pair spend hours on the phone.

Read More

FLOTILLA of the world's most luxurious super-yachts converged on the Balearic Islands off Spain on Thursday for a very special celebration with a distinctly Australian flavour.

 

The Packer family's luxury tinnie, the converted icebreaker the Arctic P, was joined by Rupert Murdoch's huge yacht Rosehearty, just off the picturesque island of Formentera for the combined birthday celebrations of scions Lachlan Murdoch and his old buddy, James Packer.

A couple of Virgos, Murdoch turned 40, while Packer notched up 44 years.

Sarah and Lachlan Murdoch.

Murdoch has also taken delivery of a brand new super-yacht, which has been under construction for the past two years. He was joined by his former supermodel wife turned television personality and yoghurt spruiker, Sarah, along with their three children, Aiden, Kalan and Aerin, while Packer was with his former model-singer wife, Erica, and their two children, Indigo and Jackson.

In recent days, Rupert Murdoch and his wife-bodyguard, Wendi, were spotted in nearby Majorca. They were with Murdoch's trusted The Wall Street Journal lieutenant Robert Thomson and dined with one of Spain's most influential newspaper editors, Peter J. Ramirez, of El Mundo.

PS hears the Murdochs wanted a ''low key'' affair following their most recent tribulations of the phone hacking scandal.

The old chums marked their milestones with the obligatory water sports and fine dining one is accustomed to on board a floating gin palace teeming with staff.

The Arctic P has spent several months in southern Spain, where Packer and his Ellerston polo team have been competing.

Formentera is famous for its fine white sand, bright turquoise waters, fishing villages, dramatic cliffs and caves. Over the past few weeks it has hosted the likes of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, along with their small village of children.

Packer has also been making frequent visits to England to inspect the almost completed works being undertaken at his new $40 million polo complex.

For more than a year, contractors have been levelling, draining, seeding and rebuilding at Manor Farm in the Sussex village of Selham,

a former dairy that is being leased by Packer from the Cowdray Estate.

Packer will launch an assault on the English polo season next year, just as his late father Kerry Packer did 30 years ago, when he bulldozed his way into the sleepy West Sussex village of Stedham to set up a "turf farm".

For years, Packer's grand English estate hosted the rich and famous of Europe during polo matches, complete with lavish marquees and white-gloved waiters

Read More

Marbella Casino board face charges of document falsification

 

TWELVE of the Marbella Casino’s 14-strong board face charges of document falsification. The Casino, one of the town’s oldest but with no links to the Casino de Marbella in Nueva Andalucia, has been at the centre of internal conflict for several years. Differences over renting out of part of its La Alameda installation to a restaurant business resulted in the sacking of the Casino’s former president Antonio Ric and ex-secretary Manuel Porras in April 2010. Both started legal proceedings against the remaining board members, claiming that their rights had been violated and they were excluded from the meeting which decided to remove them. After examining the dismissal document, the judge from Marbella’s Number Two Court decided there were grounds for suspecting forgery. He has now summonsed 12 board members, including the current president, Agustín de la Fuente Perucho, for questioning on September 19.

Read More

Spanish site crashes as lawmakers reveal worth

 

In a country with 21 percent unemployment, learning the net worth of lawmakers plugging austerity right and left is turning out to be irresistible. Spanish parliament released such numbers for the first time and its website immediately crashed. Hours later access was still spotty. Highlights of Thursday's revelations: Mariano Rajoy, the conservative likely to be the next prime minister, reports having nearly euro600,000 ($843,000) in bank accounts and shares, plus properties in Madrid, the Canary Islands and his native Galicia. His Socialist opponent Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba reports having about euro1 million ($1.4 million), a Madrid apartment, a parking place and no debts. This transparency stems from a reform approved July 10.

Read More

Rock and roll legend Slash set to jet into Epsom

 

Rock and roll legend, Slash, of Guns and Roses fame will be jetting into the UK to be at the grand opening of GuitarGuitar in Epsom later this month. The guitar hero, famed for his aviator glasses, top hat and legendary licks, will be in store for a special autograph signing and to slash the sash to open the largest guitar emporium in the UK. A handful of lucky competition winners will be invited to meet the man himself at this exclusive event which will take place on Thursday, September 15 from 2.30 to 5pm. Five exclusive Dunlop pedals, signed by Slash, made available in partnership with the not for profit Surrey organisation, Love of Learning, will also be available to purchase at a cost of £200.

Read More

Jaguar C-X16 hybrid concept

Jaguar has released new details of a hybrid sports model it is working on as a potential successor to the legendary E-Type.

The new C-X16 two-seater uses a new 3.0-liter V6 engine along with a 70kW hybrid motor and is described as an ‘exploration’ of future performance hybrid options.

Using a combination of gasoline and batteries, the C-X16 offers a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) and a 0-100 km/h time of 4.4 seconds, with an electric-only top-speed of 50 mph (80 km/h)

The electric motor can also be activated using a steering wheel button for a power boost, inspired by the recently-introduced Formula One KERS system, charged through a brake regeneration system.

The C-X16 picks up on a couple of new Jaguar styling signals such as the front trapezoidal grille, although Jaguar says that it is intended to showcase the evolution of its design direction, with sharp creases on the hood and a sweeping roofline.

Inside, it is finished in ‘vermillion red’ and uses a climate control system which Jaguar says is inspired by the Typhoon fighter jet, with dash-mounted vents that appear from the dash to provide a blast of air as necessary, retracting afterwards.

The model will go on show for the first time at the Frankfurt Motor Show (september 15-25), where it will compete for attention with the upgraded Porsche 911 Carrera, the Maserati GranCabrio Fendi and the Ferrari 458 Spider

 

 

Read More

Harry Winston Diamond Corp. saw its luxury retail sales nearly double along with a modest increase in rough diamond sales

Harry Winston Diamond Corp. saw its luxury retail sales nearly double along with a modest increase in rough diamond sales, but it wasn’t enough to lift profits for the Toronto-based company.

The company said Wednesday that second quarter consolidated sales increased 44.7 percent percent to 222.4 million year-over year, resulting in a 6 percent increase in gross margin to $72.2 million and an operating profit of $23.1 million, compared to an operating profit of $29.9 million in the comparable quarter of the prior year. Consolidated EBITDA was $43.8 million compared to $49.4 million in the comparable quarter of the prior year.

Despite the sales increase, net profits in second quarter fell 23 percent to $10 million.

Harry Winston consists of two businesses. The first supplies rough diamonds to the global market from its 40 percent ownership interest in the Diavik Diamond Mine. The company, however, is internationally known for its second business as a premier diamond jeweler and luxury timepiece retailer with salons in key locations throughout the world, including New York, Paris, London, Beijing, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Beverly Hills.

The luxury brand segment reported a 98 percent increase in sales to $132.8 million for the period, year-over-year. At constant exchange rates, the increase was 81 percent. Included in the second quarter was $55.6 million of high-value transactions, which generally carry lower-than-average gross margins. Operating profit was $6.8 million for the quarter compared to $2.3 million in the same quarter of the prior year. EBITDA for the luxury brand segment was $10.1 million compared to $5.5 million in the comparable quarter of the prior year.

“Global retail demand, especially in the emerging economies such as China and India, has delivered both strong retail sales growth and strong rough diamond prices. Seeing through the effect of a small number of high-value, lower margin sales, our own jewelry and timepiece business shows solid growth in both sales and margin in the core bridal, timepiece and designed jewelry segments,” said Robert Gannicott, Harry Winston chairman and CEO.

Meanwhile, sales from its mining segment increased 3 percent to $89.6 million for the second quarter, year-over-year, resulting primarily from a 41 percent increase achieved in rough diamond prices, offset by a 27 percent decrease in volume of carats sold. The mining segment recorded operating profit of $16.3 million compared to $27.6 million in the comparable quarter of the prior year. EBITDA for the mining segment was $33.7 million compared to $44 million in the comparable quarter of the prior year.

“The market price increase in rough diamonds has more than compensated for two complete sales versus three in the comparable prior year quarter as well as the lower quality diamonds mined from the upper part of the current open pit,” Gannicott said

“Looking forward we continue to see strong global jewelry and timepiece demand from China while Japan and the Middle East improve and the U.S. remains subdued. On this basis we expect to continue to grow our own jewelry and timepiece business despite challenging economic conditions in the U.S. and Europe. Although we do not predict further near-term rough diamond market price increases we do see our own rough diamond sales price already improving.”

Read More

Luxury Home Foreclosures a Deal for Well-Heeled

 

Luxurious real estate doesn’t look — or cost — what it used to. “There are $4 million estates in Lutz and the Riverview area that are now less than $1 million,” said Keller Williams real estate agent Rande Friedman. “There’s a condo in Channelside that was $1.5 million, and now it’s $700,000.” Most homeowners have seen values drop, but these prices are so low because the homes are owned by a bank. And the bank wants to get rid of them. There are so many foreclosed luxury homes that Friedman created a website to list them. In three weeks, PoshForeclosures.com already has about 400 local listings. The Tampa Bay area and Florida are among the hardest-hit by foreclosures in the country. Friedman has a theory on why the foreclosure crisis finally caught up to the rich. “A lot of the people who got into the luxury market in 2005, 2006 were making their money from real estate,” he said. When the market crashed, so did their incomes. Plus, just like the rest of the population, many luxury buyers took out adjustable-rate mortgages. Many of them have come due recently. That, combined with job loss and sinking home prices, led to an uptick in foreclosures of luxury homes. That means hundreds of high-end homes sit abandoned. But that could be good news for those ready to buy. Homes and condos along the beaches and downtown condos are among the most-popular luxury foreclosures, Friedman said. Potential buyers of luxury foreclosures also don’t have to worry about trashed homes as much as buyers of lower-end houses. That’s because banks usually take better care of them, Friedman said. “People are still living in them, maintaining them, so they’re not the deserted, desolate foreclosure feeling,” Friedman said. “They really are truly nice properties.” That’s true, said Daren Blomquist, spokesman for RealtyTrac, which tracks foreclosure activity nationwide. “It’s in the bank’s best interest to fix up the home and get in the best shape possible before trying to sell it,” Blomquist said. “That way, they may get a better price.”

Read More

24-Hour Film Challenge in Marbella

 

MARBELLA Film Festival has announced the launch of its annual 24-hour film challenge, as part of the 2011 festival which will be held from October 15 to 17. The event which is organised by Marbella International Film Festival, in association with New World Trust and with the support of “The Marbella Film Office”, offers a great opportunity for filmmakers to add to their credits and demonstrate their talent to world audiences. This year the Festival is aiming to increase the participation by offering a subsidised package for accommodation and accreditations to the festival, attracting film makers from all over the world, to make movies, and show off their talent. The Filmmaker with cast and crew is challenged to make a three to four minute short film on a given subject matter, the task is to write a script, direct the actors, shoot the film, edit, sound and music, and deliver the film in 24 hours. All films will be screened and judged as part of Marbella International Film Festival, and the best film will receive the prestigious Marbella 24 hour film challenge 2011 Award. The runners up will receive a certificate of recognition and all participants will receive a certificate of participation.

Read More

The Ecclestone Sisters Have Been Cruising Around Monaco In Their Dad's $150 Million Yacht

Image: via James Spotting

Tamara and Petra, bodacious daughters of F1 billionaire Bernie Ecclestone, have been carving out a name for themselves in the annals of conspicuous consumption.

Lately the pair have been cavorting off the coast of Monaco on their dad’s new toy, the 177-ft., $150 million super yacht Sea Force One. The stylish vessel was built by A.M.Y. Yachts, a joint venture between CNL and T.Mariotti of Genoa with interior design by Luca Dini Design.

The yacht was designed to epitomize style, luxury, comfort, elegance and “absolute entertainment”. With accommodation of up to 10 guests in 5 cabins, along with separate quarters for 12 crew members, the spacious craft expands over four decks.

Key features include an automatically folding private owner’s balcony adjoining the spacious master suite; an impressive private cinema and a discotheque; leather floors and other lavish interior treatments; the aft swimming area with beach platform; and the impressive sundeck with Jacuzzi pool.

Generous interior spaces are connected to exterior sun, breeze and entertainment areas via wide floor-to-ceiling doors, balconies and skylights. The latest in sophisticated LED lighting and music systems are integrated throughout the superyacht as well for a truly moving experience.

Read More

Puerto Banus Saturday market Marbella shopping

 

The Puerto Banus street market in Marbella is on every Saturday from 9am to 2-3pm. It’s next to the Plaza de Toros (bullring), 10 minute walk from the port.

Read More

Marbella Town Hall debt continues to increase

 

Despite paying off a million € every month to Hacienda and Social Security, the debt at Marbella Town Hall is continuing to increase. The million € payment is only covering the interest generated on the debt amassed in the 15 years of the GIL administration in the town when the Mayor was the late Jesús Gil y Gil. The debt which remains is put at some 300 million €, and the administration led by the PP Mayor, Ángeles Muñoz, says the Town Hall is suffocated. Three moratoria and different agreements reached between the Town Hall and Central Government have not solved the matter. Hacienda and Personal coordinator, Carlos Rubio, has said that there are already judicial sentences in favour of the Town Hall worth some 400 million €, and he told La Opinión de Málaga that this should be taken into account. The Mayor travelled to Madrid on Monday to meet with the PP Economy Spokesman in Congress, Cristóbal Montoro to discuss the matter. They agreed to present Congress with the proposal to allow debt payments to be linked to the judicial processes which are open, investigating the differet corruption cases which have emptied the public purse in Marbella. The PP notes however that the PSOE does not want to get implicated in the problem.

Read More

Pop legend Lulu and Harry Judd from McFly are putting on their dancing shoes for this year's Strictly Come Dancing competition.

 

Lulu is swapping singing for salsa

Ex-Neighbours stars Jason Donovan and Holly Valance have also agreed to take part in the show, according to The Sun newspaper.

It has been confirmed by show producers thatDaybreak's sport presenter Dan Lobb,Waterloo Road actress Chelsee Healey and impressionist Rory Bremner, will also be taking part in the hit TV show.

Sven-Goran Eriksson's ex Nancy Dell'Olio and ex- EastEnders star Anita Dobson plus astrologer Russell Grant are also set to be swapping their day jobs for salsa dancing.

Speaking about the line-up, a source told The Sun newspaper, "Lulu is lots of fun and will bring in viewers who remember her from the Sixties - but also younger fans who know her from her duet with Take That on Relight My Fire. Harry will tick the heartthrob box."

The BBC will officially confirm the Strictly Come Dancing line-up on The One Show on Tuesday.

Read More