Journal

A chronicle of people, places, happenings, and creations we admire.

Leica M-P Edition 'Safari'

The extremely limited M-P Edition 'Safari' from Leica is finished in exquisite and durable olive green enamel and is resistant to fingerprints, chemicals, solvents and UV light; the iconic 'Leica' brand script etched atop the camera body.  All of the exterior metal body parts are machined from solid brass.  It's so exclusive, you won't even find the usual red Leica 'Dot' logo on the front.

This modern digital instrument, meant for amateurs and professionals alike, is absolutely drenched in heritage paying homage to the fabled Leica brand as the leader in serious photography equipment.  The M-P Edition 'Safari' comes with a beautiful leather strap and memory / credit card holder.

Follow @Leica_Camera

Audi at the Geneva Motor Show 2015

The 2015 Geneva Motor Show opens this week, where Audi AG debuts the new R8 and R8 V10 Plus, along with other concepts like the Prologue Avant, a (possible) glimpse into the future of the vaunted A9 platform currently under development.

R8 / R8 V10 Plus / R8 E-Tron

Quite possibly the most thoroughly resolved of its development, the new R8 pulls the new body panels even tighter around its now famously aluminum chassis, it appears to be leaping forward even at rest.  Front and rear aero is cleaned up considerably, rear exhaust exits are now further integrated into the rear diffusor along with the rear heat vents.  The side 'blades' are now visually 'woven' into the body panels giving it a more lengthened appearance; the belt-line, greenhouse, rear haunches and nose now look like they were carved from a single solid ingot.

The R8 offers a 601 bhp 5.2 liter V-10 only for now, with a new V8 coming online later in the production cycle; this is counter to traditional rollouts that had initially offered a V8 with the higher output V10 following.  The E-Tron version is a fully electric version with an achieved 280 mile range, giving production a green light.

Prologue Avant Concept

The Prologue Avant is the next concept variant to bow giving a possible preview to the much discussed A9 program. The coupe received positive reviews at the Los Angeles Auto Show last year, and this latest offering expands the range of ideas brought forth from Ingolstadt as the new flagship platform continues to be developed.  Prologue Avant increases the scale of Europe's most popular upmarket form factor (estate / shooting brake)  for transcontinental travel in comfort with the preserved drivability, usability and fuel efficiency of traditional platforms vs. SUV's and crossovers that are more popular in the US.

RS3 / RS4 / RS6

Audi RS returns with facelift programs for its RS estate cars, new front and rear facias, interior finishes and wheel options for 2016.

TT / TTS

The long-popular TT coupe is all new with re-proportioned grille, an innovative instrument cluster with integrated navigation and information, and a harder edge throughout while keeping the classic 'teardrop' shape that was inspired by the streamlined Auto Union speed record cars of the 1930's.

R8 LMS

The LMS program for 2016 focuses on safety, to meet the latest GT3 competition regulations for enhance integrity of the driver cabin on impact.  A new insulated floor and rear diffusor allow the use of a smaller (yet still quite large) rear wing with no increase in drag. Audi plans to enter the works LMS at Nürburgring and Spa endurance races later this year.

R18 E-Tron Quattro

Audi's legendary prototypes, piloted by Tom Kristensen (recently retired), André Lotterer, Benoît Tréluyer and Allan McNish have dominated FIA WEC (World Endurance Championship) for over a decade; this latest version of the prolifically successful LMP1 car looks to beat back the challenge of Porsche, Toyota and Nissan for the 2015-2016 season.  Audi and its R18 have led the industry in diesel / hybrid / electric technology development on the racetrack with the adaptation of such systems for road car use.

Images ©Fourtitude.com / G. Achorn / Audi AG

The Month of February

A Recap of our discoveries in February.

(Left to right from top)

1.1971 Lamborghini Miura SV at RMSotheby's / 2. MONOCLE Quality of Life Conference, Lisbon 2015 / 3. Formfreu.de Photo Blog / 4. MONCLER Grenoble 'Evry' Jacket FW15 / 5. Corner Pack Shipping Boxes / 6. Enrico Marone-Cinzano Furniture Collection / 7. The New Yorker '90 for 90' / 8. The Cliff Vaughs Story / 9. Pia Mouwitz / 10. Ice Hotel, Jukkasjärvi, Sweden / 11. The Terroir Project /  12. How to be a Proper New Yorker

Corner Pack: Bent Corner Shipping Boxes

Noticing that a lot of retail shipping box designs require layers of tape and serious tools to get into them, Pratt student Chenchen Hu developed the Corner Pack. Designed as a packaging system that has labels that are easy to read and flaps that are equally as easy to open, what gives this design its edge is a unique folding shape. 

Although the boxes look fairly conventional and rectangular, the design is varied slightly to include flaps and folds that mean the box can be assembled without the need for extraneous fasteners. When it comes time to open up one of the Corner Pack cardboard boxes, it's as simple as lifting the topmost triangular flap to reveal the contents inside. In addition to being easy to open, this design also makes it apparent which end should be facing up. -- Laura McQuarrie

Jonas Edvard x Nikolaj Steenfatt: Terroir Project

Danish designers Jonas Edvard and Nikolaj Steenfatt have collaborated to create a truly green fabrication process using seaweed.   Selecting only fresh seaweed from the Danish shoreline, they sort the material by color (dark to light) and hang dry it outdoors in the sun.  They then pulverize the material and create a moldable glue-like mixture, a natural property of the alginate found in brown seaweed. It can be shaped and molded and then kiln-dried. The material used to create these chairs and lighting can even be broken down and reconstituted to create new forms.  This is the very definition of sustainability.

http://jonasedvard.dk

http://steenfatt.dk

Images ©Edvard/Steenfatt

New Alpina Startimer Pilot Big Date Professional Pilot Watches 2015

"...Alpina has used its experience as official supplier of military and pilot watches to develop two new versions of its iconic Startimer Pilot line, a line that is widely appreciated by professional and private pilots alike..." -- Alpina press release, January 25, 2015

There is an inherent aversion to quartz watches in many collector circles, a snobbery (guilty as charged) in favor of mechanical watches, with the never-ending sub-debate over automatic vs. hand wound movements.  But here's a quartz I seriously recommend you take a closer look at should you get the chance.

Alpina may be an otherwise lesser known brand to the US market, but not to watch cognizenti. Often overlooked for more desirable mechanical manufacturers like Rolex, Girard Peregaux or IWC, Alpina has been quietly creating superior products for over 6 generations.  The new Startimer Pilot Big Date Series brings forth further elegance to the sometimes intimidating 'Big Pilot' form factor.

The new series is an updated interpretation of the classic 'Big Pilot' design.  The Startimer Pilot "Small Seconds" (REF. AL-280N4S6 / AL-280N4S6B) features hours, minutes, big date and small seconds overlay and the Startimer Pilot "Chronograph Big Date" (REF. AL-372BS4S6 / AL-372BS4S6B) with hours, minutes, seconds, big date, and 1/10th seconds chronograph counters.  Both versions have handsome stainless steel 44mm cases and are water-resistant to 100m (330 feet).

Images ©Alpina Watch International S.A., All Rights Reserved

new film “Trevligt Folk” - Somali Team from Sweden to World Championship in Siberia

A group of young Somali immigrants in the town of Borlänge takes on the Swedish winter and the local favorite sport of bandy -- a precursor to ice hockey. Together with a local man who had a simple idea of “integration through sports”, these young men embrace the cold, the ice and their skates and 6 months later end up representing Somalia as the first African country at the Bandy World Championship in Siberia. Their inspiring journey is shared in the documentary Trevligt Folk (Nice People) presented by Filip & Fredrik premiering at the Göteborg Film Festival over the weekend and in theaters around Sweden beginning January 28th. Watch the trailer above with a universally understood message that goes beyond sports, Somalia, Sweden and Siberia.