Ralph Lauren’s Car Collection Headed to Paris

From April 28 – August 28 selections from Ralph Lauren’s incredible car collection will be on view at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.The collection, arguably the finest one in private hands on the planet, features impeccable examples of the rarest and most valuable vehicles in the world, including a 1955 Jaguar D-Type, 1938 Bugatti 57 SC Atlantic Coupé and 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, among several other stunning Ferraris. Now through April 28 at charitybuzz.com you can bid on the ultimate luxury sojourn to Paris to see the collection in situ, with proceeds benefiting the Japan Society’s Japan Earthquake Relief Fund.
From April 28 – August 28 selections from Ralph Lauren’s incredible car collection will be on view in Paris, estimated at a cool $30,000, the package includes two round trip business class tickets from NYC; two nights at the famed Bristol Hotel in a deluxe room; dinner for two at Ralph’s, the designer’s chic restaurant; a 1,000 euro (about $1,500) shopping spree at the his new flagship store on St. Germain; and two tickets to visit the exhibit.Whether you spring for that or not, you should of course head to Paris to see it all in person.
Until then however, check out this video preview of the amazing assemblage shot at Ralph’s private garage / gallery near his Bedford, New York estate. We assume it’s guarded better than Fort Knox.

Hunt with Eagles on Dunhill's Luxury Adventure Tour

Famed London luxury goods firm Dunhill is collaborating with UK adventure travel firm Black Tomato on a new series of excursions replicating a famed Dunhill journey in 1930. In that year Dunhill's Clement Court traveled overland from Paris to Japan to secure the very finest Japanese lacquered goods for the firm. Dunhill and Black Tomato are now offering modern versions of Court's epic journey, with appropriately luxurious accommodations and adventuresome activities along the way. The excursions are designed to demonstrate that "luxury is something more discerning, more elusive and more unique than just a price tag", as they put it.

The concept of discovery and exploration has been a hallmark of the Dunhill brand since 1893, as reflected in its most recent collections. The luxury packages are priced from about $4,500 and include destinations such as Paris, Moscow, Mongolia and Japan. Experiences include a private tour of the Louvre in Paris while the museum is closed, a flight in a Russian fighter jet above Moscow, learning eagle hunting in Mongolia (above) and bathing in Japan's oldest mineral hot springs. Guests can also opt to recreate Court's entire journey, including 10 days in a private cabin on the Golden Eagle Trans Siberian railway, starting at about $44,000.

BMW 5 Series Touring Unveiled at Paris Auto Salon

It's not for lack of experience that luxury automakers like BMW surmise that American buyers like sedans, while European buyers gravitate towards wagons. The conclusion is backed by decades of sales numbers, and that's why the BMW 5 Series Touring wagon you see here, unveiled for the first time at the Paris Auto Salon, won't be coming to the Western shores of the Atlantic.

Although the Touring model retains nearly all the handling dynamics of the sedan while packing additional cargo capacity, American buyers fill that niche with crossovers. Which is a bit of a shame, but if you're looking for a more versatile version of the latest 5, BMW can arrange a nice Gran Turismo model – taller and bulkier though it may be – to suit your requirements.

Audi Debuts the New R8 GT at the Paris Auto Salon

As far as mainstream production automakers go, few have managed to impress the way Audi has with the R8. Then the German carmaker kicked things up a notch with the V10-powered R8 5.2 FSI. But for those looking for something even closer to the razor's edge, Audi has now unveiled the new R8 GT at the semi-annual Paris Auto Salon.

The GT model packs the same 5.2-liter V10 as the existing model, but boosts its power up from 525 hp to a full 560. To further unburden the powerplant, Audi has also trimmed 229 lbs off the curb weight, thanks mainly to lighter windows. Only 333 examples will be produced, each carrying a €193,000 ($256k) price tag.

Exagon Motors Unveils the Furtive e-GT in Paris

While most of the new cars we see making their debuts at major auto shows – like the one currently going on at the Port de Versailles in Paris – come from recognized, established automakers, a new generation of hybrid and electric vehicles has been coming from new start-ups fresh to the game. Names like Tesla and Fisker come to mind, and now Exagon Motors joins their ranks with the Furtive e-GT.

Built by an experienced racing-car manufacturer, the Furtive e-GT is a sleek 2+2 electric sportscar powered by a pair of Siemens electric motors producing 340 horsepower. That's enough to propel the e-GT to 60 in just 3.5 seconds, or cruising up to 250 miles on a single charge.