Active luxury

Revisiting the best

RML, an automotive engineering contractor, will launch its own car, presently dubbed the RML Short Wheelbase. A pre-production model has been photographed to whet appetites, and what has appeared is enticing: like the David Brown Speedback GT apeing the Aston Martin DB5 (though not enough to get lawyers charging), the Short Wheelbase is clearly inspired by the iconic 1959–63 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta short wheelbase. Thirty of RML’s version will be made, on a Ferrari 550 Maranello chassis and with that car’s V12. Price has not been announced. The car commences durability testing at UTAC (formerly Millbrook) in Bedfordshire, England.

Sporting

IWC Schaffhausen has appointed 18-year-old freestyle skiing star Eileen Gu as an ambassador to appeal to youth, with the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 the first to be promoted. The watch has a quick-change strap system, making it ideal for adventurers and athletes, and a sapphire case display on the back so you can see its inner workings. The model shown here retails at US$6,500 in the US market.

Gu is the first skier to win four consecutive freestyle World Cup competitions, and has made it a point to be a voice for women’s empowerment, making her a good fit for the watchmaker.

A more accessible Trident

Maserati was meant to début its Grecale SUV last November, but due to the semiconductor shortage, and other component supply chain issues, the launch has been postponed to March 22. Teasing the new model, a lightly disguised Grecale has been seen in public. It is Maserati’s second SUV, following the Levante. This time, it’s a mid-sized model, rivalling the Porsche Macan, and it’s expected to come with petrol, hybrid, and all-electric powertrains. US prices should begin around the US$40,000 mark.

Virtually there

Asus’s ROG Zephyrus gaming laptops shook up the industry when released, mixing power with low prices. The 2022 models might have nudged up the price (US$1,599 to US$2,499), but they address all of the major concerns tech reviewers had of the earlier models, with an infrared webcam, a brighter and taller screen (16:10 ratio), a larger touchpad, and an RGB-backlit keyboard. On the lid itself is a dot-matrix display with 1,449 LEDs that can display images and animations. Inside is AMD’s Ryzen 9 6900HS CPU and the Radeon RX 6800S for graphics. •



Related articles hand-picked by our editors

The new generation
La nouvelle génération
Twenty twenty-two could be a year where some luxury brands break free of previous limitations, and charge optimistically into the future with new concepts
Vingt-deux pourrait être une année où certaines marques de luxe s’affranchissent des limites antérieures et se projettent, avec de nouveaux concepts, dans l’avenir avec optimisme
From the January 2022 issue of Lucire KSA
Dans le numéro du janvier 2022 de Lucire KSA

One step further
Avancez d’un pas
This month’s selection of products takes something you think you know, then advances them in unexpected fashion
Les créateurs des produits de ce mois-ci les fait progresser de manière inattendue
From the October 2021 issue of Lucire KSA

Enriching alternatives
An electric car with over 2,000 PS; a honey replacement; and familiar names moving upmarket mark out this month’s lifestyle products of distinction