Design in Motion - John Lobb and Aston Martin Joint Collection

Luxury collaborations continue apace with luxury cars particularly active – and taking pole position is Aston Martin. The classic British car marque’s latest partner is elegant shoe brand John Lobb.

Put your foot down: the John Lobb's
Winner Sport co-created by Aston Martin 

  The Winner Sport is described as the ultimate lightweight driver’s shoe. Co-designed by Aston Martin’s Director of Design Marek Reichman and John Lobb’s Creative Director Andrés Hernández, this sleek aerodynamic shoe, with its finely-tuned detailing, speaks to the world of the automobile yet sits comfortably within the John Lobb collection.

  Winner Sport embodies the style, craftsmanship and quality for which both brands are

celebrated the world over. Crafted around John Lobb’s 8695 last, Winner Sport is made from full-grain calfskin and lined with supple sheepskin. Soft padding has been added at the ankle for comfort, and metallic eyelets, punched with a wheel of fine holes, reflect the automotive design cues of Aston Martin.

  Unlike the more formal, welted John Lobb shoes, Winner Sport is created with a specially engineered bonded rubber sole that wraps beneath the shoe, giving a sleek line and a sporting feel.

  Winner Sport is available in an exciting range of colour combinations: Graphite Grey, Winter Wheat, Frost White and Saddle Tan are all made with the Sporty Stratos White rubber sole. Storm Black, Bitter Chocolate, Westminster Green and Aurora Blue are made with Racy Fire Red rubber soles. Coordinating red and white laces complete the Winner Sport look.

  Winner Sport will be previewed at the opening of the new Aston Martin W-One Store in

London’s Park Lane and at John Lobb Jermyn Street this March. As of May 2012 Winner Sport will be available at all John Lobb and Aston Martin stores worldwide.

It's full speed ahead for Aston Martin and other luxury cars in India

India’s luxury car market is booming with Mercedes and BMW among those enjoying rapid expansion as India’s increasing affluent middle class look to celebrated European car marques.

Joy of the open road:
Aston Martin in India

 India’s $1 billion luxury car market is expanding at 40 per cent annually, say market analysts. Crowds gather along Mumbai’s seafront to catch a glimpse of the expanding supercar parades.

  Aston Martin and Ferrari and Maserati opened showrooms in India last year, along side BMW. Lamborghini introduced its Aventador LP 700-4 last November and has already taken more than 20 orders.

  Lalit Choudary is Managing Director of Infinity Cars Private Limited, which is Aston Martin’s exclusive dealer in India. He too is experiencing growing demand from affluent India customers for his luxury cars.

 “Aston Martins are well known given the association with James Bond,” he says. “Affluent Indians often travel to the UK and have an affinity for British built products. The cars themselves drive beautifully on our roads relative to peer group given ground clearance, smooth drive of suspension and the like.

  He adds: “Indian customers like the fact that the brand is understated, elegant and less ostentatious than some of the peers. The cars are usable and won't just sit in garages for the perfect occasion to bring one out. The cars will always remain superbly styled and exclusive. The Rapide has been best selling give its four-door functionality. Among the two doors, the top of the line DBS has been the favourite.”

Breitling's tribute to the Bentley GMT V8

Time to put your foot down:
Bentley and Breitling

Top of the range cars and luxury watches have had a long and successful partnership – think TAG Heuer and McLaren or Ferrari and Panerai among others.

  One of the most celebrated collaborations, though, is between Bentley and Breitling and to celebrate the launch of the Continental GT V8 with its ultra-powerful new 4.0 V8 engine Breitling has created a 250-piece limited series of the Bentley GMT chronograph.

  Its signature feature is the mobile inner city bezel distinguished by a metallic red shade creating a powerful and sporting contrast with the black dial. This vivid touch of colour reflects the red background of the Bentley emblem that sets the Continental GT V8 model apart from other models by the British carmaker. The original and daring design of the steel case with its asymmetrical lugs is teamed with a bracelet or a rubber strap exclusive to this model.

  The Bentley GMT boasts an ingenious multiple timezone display system. It is equipped with a red triangulartipped additional hour hand completing one rotation every 24 hours. The pushpiece housed in the left side of the case serves to move this hand forward in one-hour increments in order to display the second timezone – while distinguishing between day and night hours. Thanks to a rotating inner bezel bearing the names of the 24 cities, the user can also instantly read off the time in all the world's timezones in relation to that shown by the 24-hour hand.

  The selfwinding chronograph movement, chronometer-certified by the COSC, offers another technical asset exclusive to the Breitling for Bentley collection: a “30-second chronograph” with a sweep seconds hand making one full turn of the dial in half a minute and thus enabling readings accurate to the nearest 1/8th of a second. With the Bentley GMT “V8”, it’s definitely time for performance.