Tabla de contenidos para August 2016 en Robb Report

Life Is a Skyway Want to see the flying cars featured in this month’s Dream Machines story (page 73) in action? Check out additional photos and footage of these futuristic vehicles in the Robb Report app or at RobbReport.com/FlyingCars. Cool Pools To beat the August heat, RobbReport.com presents our picks for 20 of the top hotel and resort swimming pools. RobbReport.com/ TopPools Your Autonomous Chariot Awaits Rolls-Royce has entered the driverless fray in spectacular fashion with its 103EX concept vehicle. RobbReport.com/Rolls103EX Sail Away Spend a sublime summer aboard the 282-foot Aquijo, a sleek new sailing yacht that just became available for charter in the Mediterranean. RobbReport.com/Aquijo Robb Report is available as a digital edition for the iPad and iPhone via the iTunes App Store and through Zinio. Download the iTunes…

A MAN’S LATEST TEMPLE of luxury lies within the dense woodlands of Japan’s Ise-Shima National Park, on a windswept bluff overlooking the tranquil Ago Bay. Amanemu (aman.com), which was designed by longtime Aman collaborator Kerry Hill Architects, complements its surroundings with a soothing palette of dark basalt stone and pale hinoki cypress wood. The resort’s 28 accommodations are connected to the park’s natural thermal springs, whose mineral-rich water feeds the in-room onsen baths. Native therapy is also on tap at the Aman Spa—where a watsu pool and two onsen pavilions also draw from the springs—and at the izakaya-style restaurant serving local lobster and luscious cuts of sashimi with sake, shochu, and Japanese whisky.…

HOME GAME • In May, Kruger National Park’s longtime standard-bearer Singita Lebombo (singita.com) debuted a four-bedroom villa (shown) with three swimming pools, a private boma, and “star beds” for adventurous overnights. Guests of the villa—which is also available as separate two-bedroom suites—explore the 33,000-acre Lebombo wildlife concession with their own private tracker, guide, and Land Rover. GARDEN VARIETY • The 27,000-acre Gondwana Game Reserve (gondwanagr.co.za), located near the Garden Route’s rugged coastline, recently launched Ulubisi House (shown), a three-bedroom villa adorned with handcrafted indigenous wood furniture and contemporary African art. Named after the black harrier that hunts in the surrounding grasslands, the accommodation serves as an extravagant home base for Big Five safaris, as well as fishing, biking, and hiking excursions. ON RESERVE • Opened in January, Mhondoro Game Lodge’s…

FROM THE PASSENGER seat, my instructor barked, “Steer harder!” Too late: Our Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat spun a 180 on the tarmac at the Bondurant Racing School in Chandler, Ariz. The car was equipped with a device that looked like training wheels and enabled the instructor, with the push of a button, to make the tail end lose traction and slide across the road surface. When he did that, I was supposed to steer and counter-steer to set the car straight. On the next try I got it right. The Charger swerved and squealed and wobbled, but I regained control of it and drove on. This exacting car-control exercise is part of the Dodge SRT Experience, a complimentary 1-day driving program that comes with the purchase or lease of one…

IT IS LUNCHTIME on a bitterly cold January day when I arrive at Château de Môh. Within moments of pulling up to the estate—a restored 15th-century castle overlooking the confluence of the Vienne and Loire Rivers in the village of Candes-Saint-Martin—I am sitting at a long farmhouse table next to a roaring fire. A French still life lies before me: local cheeses, a crusty loaf of bread, a salad from the château’s vegetable garden, and a bottle of Cabernet Franc from a nearby vineyard. It is as though this castle, with its old wooden beams and weathered stone walls, is a country idyll created just for me—and that is precisely the point. The former summer residence of the bishops of Tours, Château de Môh was uninhabited when the French hoteliers…

FOUR SEASONS RESORT LANA‘I fourseasons.com/lanai | 800.321.4666 A brand-new resort experience that comes with its very own island: Where to begin? Start in the highlands, under the canopy of Cook pines, as you explore the island on horseback. Try an off-roading tour on one of the resort’s state-of-the-art UTVs. Take to the freshly manicured fairways of our Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course or let NOBU LANA‘I entice you with exceptional dining. This is Lana‘i by Four Seasons, a Lana‘i beyond your expectations. SUNSEEKER sunseeker.com Launching this fall at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, Sunseeker’s new Manhattan 52 redefines space, light, and sociability. A redesigned hull incorporates expanses of curved glass to emphasize its sleek lines and maximize light throughout. Space flows from the roomy bow seating and sunbathing deck…

THE VEHICLES SPOTLIGHTED on the following pages use cutting-edge technology and engineering to offer better ways to travel—by sea, land, or air. The Wider 150 yacht, in addition to many other alluring features, is equipped with a novel propulsion system that enables it to cruise in near silence. Canepa, a California company that customizes and restores classic cars, has overhauled the legendary Porsche 959 to maximize its power and modernize its ride quality. And startups around the world are creating double- and single-seat aircraft that—like drones delivering packages—will autonomously take passengers to their destinations.…

THE MULTI-WEEK Cal-a-Vie VISTA, CALIF. WHEN IT COMES TO beautiful resorts dedicated to results-driven weight loss, Cal-a-Vie, just an hour outside of San Diego, might be the reigning roi. Private villas, set amongst the rolling hills covered by orchards, vineyards, and gardens, are designed in a modern French-country style that suits the landscape. The look carries over into the dining room, study, spa, chapel, and even into the exercise studios where chandeliers instead of pot lights dot the ceilings. One of the most appealing components about the programming is that they really do count the calories if guests so desire. Plans include 1,500- and 1,200-calorie-per-day options, and the chefs are intent on dishing up healthful, gourmet cuisine. Fresh ingredients hail from the property’s own gardens and from local farmers. Guests…

“A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.” —Jean de La Fontaine MORE THAN ONE thinker has observed that the most effective method of predicting the future is simply to build it. The South Koreans seem to believe so, as we learn from contributor Jack Smith in “The Seoul of East Asia” (page 86), his account of a chauffeur-driven romp through this futuristic, fashion-forward metropolis. In the South Korean capital, which flaunts its technological prowess in a dreamlike skyline of glass and steel, artifice and indulgence are celebrated: Many Seoulites, notes Jack, admire the flawless faces manufactured by cosmetic surgeons in the city’s famous Beauty Belt even more than they do the most impeccable productions of nature. THE STATUS-CONSCIOUS denizens of Seoul would undoubtedly…

Brickell Flatiron, Miami’s most anticipated new condominium tower, represents luxury and elegance in the heart of the city. Located in downtown’s most desirable neighborhood, the project’s impressive ground-level amenities and luxury retail will become a new anchor in the ever-growing neighborhood, bringing new world-class entertainment to the growing vibrant area. Built by Miami’s premier visionary developer—Ugo Colombo’s CMC Group—Brickell Flatiron is set to become the next true architectural icon of Miami. Known for their built-to-last approach, Colombo’s projects are revered for the inherent quality and craftsmanship, and a consistent above-average resale value. Miami’s new wave of ultra-luxury development can be attributed to an influx of art and design in the city, which attracts stylish brands. Luxury trade shows, including Art Basel, the New York Times Luxury Summit, and Maison &…

MICHAEL TUSK, the talented chef and owner of Quince in San Francisco, has created a new farmer’s-market tasting menu, which in turn inspired a Friday-morning market in front of the restaurant and a subscription program that offers boxes of produce to the public. Earlier this year, the Michelin two-star chef agreed to buy nearly all of the production of Fresh Run Farm in Bolinas, a grower Tusk has worked with since his days at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. In exchange, the farm is raising about 40 crops specifically chosen by Tusk, including nine varieties of potato, Stupice tomatoes, and fraises des bois. The Quince farmer’s-market menu ($165, quincerestaurant.com), served Monday through Thursday, has “a sense of immediacy” says the chef, and entices diners with such dishes as wild-nettle agnolotti with…

AFTER 150 YEARS as a fixture in the Parisian culinary landscape, brasseries are joining the ranks of the city’s most exciting restaurants. Eric Frechon, who holds three Michelin stars at Epicure at Le Bristol Paris, started the trend in 2011, when he revived Le Mini Palais, a beautiful brasserie inside the Grand Palais. Most recently, the gastronomic titan Alain Ducasse cut the ribbon at Champeaux, a striking new brasserie in the Forum des Halles; and this fall, Thierry Marx, who helms the Michelin two-star Sur Mesure in the Mandarin Oriental, will unveil his brasserie at the Gare du Nord train station. “I wanted to do a contemporary brasserie that would serve a diverse clientele, everyone from the big boss to his secretary, and to create a place where people meet…

“MY HEART! MY HEART!” Vince Neil shrieked as the new Audi R8 V10 Plus moved deeper into the North Carolina countryside, where the serpentine roads and switchback mountain passes of Pisgah National Forest awaited. The song, Mötley Crüe’s “Kickstart My Heart ” was one of several rock and metal classics that Audi’s PR team had loaded into the car’s Bang & Olufsen sound system. Selections from Ozzy Osbourne and Guns N’ Roses were also on the playlist, setting a raucous tone for the daylong 300-mile test-drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina and southern Virginia. No need to kick-start my heart, though, not when I was behind the wheel of Audi’s fastest and most powerful production model. When the road became curvy, the Quattro all-wheel drive kept…

YOU KNOW THAT a superyacht runs quietly—almost silently—when you look out a window and are surprised to see that the boat is under way. Such was the case during a recent day cruise in the Mediterranean aboard Genesi, the appropriately named first example of the Wider 150, a 150-foot semicustom design from Italy’s Wider Yachts. A group of passengers were chatting in the sky-deck lounge when one mentioned that Genesi had left the dock. None of us had heard any accelerating engines or felt any hull vibrations. As it continued to operate in zero-emissions mode, the 391-ton yacht smoothly cut through the waves while its propulsion system registered only 37 decibels, which is three decibels quieter than a refrigerator hum. The wine in the glasses sitting on the sky deck’s…

OF THE MANY enigmatic sights in East Asia, perhaps none are as indicative of a cultural creed as South Korea’s burial mounds. For hundreds of years, the structures—hillocks constructed over clay-sealed timber coffins—were filled with gold, jewels, and other valuable items to accompany the deceased on their voyage into the hereafter. The practice lasted until the 6th century, when the adoption of Buddhism, which mandated cremation as the standard posthumous rite, prompted a change of heart. Soon the custom of burying treasure with the deceased all but disappeared; instead, the ancient Koreans erected ornate temples and opulent palaces adorned with precious metals and stones. What followed was a golden age that lasted for centuries. Today South Korea has entered a second golden age. The country’s capital is as formidable as…

As founder and head physician of the Hall Longevity Clinic in Miami Beach, Dr. Michael Hall treats some of the most affluent patients in the United States. Dr. Hall’s clients are sophisticated, keenly attuned to personal wellness, and knowledgeable about combatting the aging process. “These are people who, in my experience, care more about good health and the way they look than anyone else in the country” says Dr. Hall, “and they have the means to seek out the best treatments available in the world.” A top practitioner in his field, Dr. Hall is constantly on the lookout for treatments to benefit his patients. As a result, he sees an ongoing barrage of nutritional supplements and other treatments on the market that promise much and deliver little. Most, he says,…

Armin Strom, page 81 arminstrom.com Arnold & Son, Cover 3 arnoldandson.com 212.221.8041 Audemars Piguet, page 8 audemarspiguet.com 888.214.6858, 866.595.9700 Becker Automotive Design, page 63 beckerautodesign.com 805.487.5227 Brando, The, page 49 thebrando.com Breguet, Cover 2-page 1 breguet.com 212.288.4014, 877.403.8160 Brickell Flatiron, pages 30-31 brickellflatiron.com 305.400.7400 Brigham and Women's Hospital, page 97 brighamandwomens.org 877.626.7736 Celergen, pages 110-111 celergenus.com 800.267.3960 Christopher Designs, page 23 christopherdesigns.com 800.955.0970 Clase Azul Reposado Tequila, pages 4-5 claseazul.com Coffin & Trout, page 51 coffinandtrout.com 480.763.1300, 800.684.8984 Crescent City Surgical Centre/ Southern Brain & Spine, page 107 ccsurg.com, 504.830.2500 sbsdocs.net, 504.454.0141 Ducati, pages 6-7 xdiavelride.com Fiat 124 Spider, pages 2-3 fiatusa.com Four Seasons Resort, Lana'i, pages 18 , 19 fourseasons.com/lanai 800.321.4666 Gran…

IN AUGUST, THE MIURA WILL BE FEATURED AT VARIOUS EVENTS DURING MONTEREY CAR WEEK IN RECOGNITION OF ITS SIGNIFICANCE AS THE ORIGINAL—AND PERHAPS MOST BEAUTIFUL—SUPERCAR. FIFTY YEARS AGO, the Lamborghini Miura was launched and the supercar was born. Three 20-something visionaries—engineers Gian Paolo Dallara and Paolo Stanzani and test-driver Bob Wallace—conceived a mid-engine two-seater with its V-12 turned sideways. They worked on the project after hours, on their own time, because their boss, company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini, wanted to produce grand tourers, not sports cars. The car’s configuration allowed Marcello Gandini, a designer with the coachbuilder Bertone, to craft a body that was perfect in proportion and size and looked unlike any of its day. Lamborghini produced about 760 Miuras from 1966 to 1973, in three models: the P400, P400…

In Your Own Snakeskin “IT’S LIGHTNING MCQUEEN!” a young boy squealed when the Dodge Viper GTC (dodge.com) pulled around the corner and into view. Maybe he was responding to the car’s color: Go Mango, a vibrant red-orange that first appeared on the 1970 Dodge Challenger. It’s one of 32,000 hues now available with the GTC and track-tuned ACR models. Those choices factor into what Dodge says are more than 50 million possible build configurations in its “1 of 1” customization program for the Viper. To underscore that the car is one of a kind, each GTC and ACR comes with a dashboard plaque inscribed with the owner’s name. With its long-and-low silhouette and 8.4-liter V-10 churning out 645 hp and 600 ft lbs of torque, this fifth-generation Viper is as…

FOR BIBI VAN DER VELDEN, jewelry clearly is much more than just precious metals and gemstones. During her frequent travels, the innovative sculptor and jeweler searches for the unlikely elements that define her imaginative pieces. Take, for instance, the collection that she recently created using the wing cases of scarab beetles. “The natural iridescence and colors of the wings could never be re-created outside of nature” says van der Velden. She cast the delicate sheaths in gold or sterling silver and embellished the pieces—rings, necklaces, earrings—with a sprinkling of colorful gemstones. Since launching her eponymous brand 11 years ago, van der Velden has been a well-kept secret among the mostly European connoisseurs who collect her designs, but the Amsterdam-based artist is fast becoming more widely known in the States. Her…

THE OCEAN COURSE at the Sea Pines Resort opened in 1962 as the first golf course on South Carolina’s Hilton Head Island. Today, the 42-square-mile barrier island is home to more than 30 courses, several of which now overshadow the original design by George Cobb. Among the more prominent layouts are the Ocean Course’s younger siblings at Sea Pines—Heron Point, a Pete Dye design built in 2007, and Harbour Town Golf Links, a Dye course from 1967 that hosts the PGA Tour’s annual RBC Heritage tournament. Both of the Dye designs have benefited from significant investment in recent years, part of a multimillion-dollar transformation of Sea Pines that will soon conclude by going back to where it all started. Set on the southernmost tip of Hilton Head, the 5,200-acre Sea…

TO FURTHER DEMONSTRATE the capabilities of the R8 V10 Plus, Audi hosted a second day of driving, at Florida’s Daytona International Speedway. There, in January, the R8 LMS (the racing version of the R8) finished first in the GTD class in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. “To race in GTD, the racecar has to have a very close connection to the street car,” said Dion von Moltke, a professional driver who piloted an R8 LMS in the Daytona race. “There are 15 or 16 manufacturers that race in GTD, and none of their cars has a closer tie to a street car than the Audi R8.” After gradually building up speed through the first four turns, I felt confident enough to slide the R8 V10 Plus through the horseshoe-shaped fifth…

THE WIDER 32 was conceived as the tender for the Wider 150 Genesi, but company CEO Tilli Antonelli also envisioned it as a stand-alone day boat. He wasn’t alone: Wider has sold a dozen examples of the $384,000 vessel since launching it 2 years ago. Skipping across 1-to-2-foot waves in the Mediterranean, Genesi’s Wider 32 was fast, nimble, and a lot of fun. It’s powered by twin 260 hp MerCruisers with Bravo 1 drives. They enable a top speed of 37 knots, and with power steering, trim tabs, and trim and tilt on the drives, the boat is easy to handle. It’s also easy on the eyes. The curved bow flows backward into a wide-open cockpit that drops into a tumblehome at the stern. The cockpit is furnished with a…

BRUCE CANEPA EASED his white Porsche onto a highway on-ramp and stabbed the throttle with his foot. The tires hooked up, our heads snapped back, and the scenery blurred, evoking the moment in Star Wars when the Millennium Falcon leaps into hyperspace. “This is the ultimate Porsche 959” Canepa declared through a Cheshire Cat grin. He would know: The former pro racer may be this country’s foremost expert on the 959, Porsche’s first supercar. The company built only 292 examples of the production model from 1986 through 1988 (and as many as eight more in 1992 and ’93), and with it introduced such innovative features as sequential twin turbochargers, a suspension system (for the Komfort variant) that automatically adjusted the car’s ride height to enhance stability, and an all-wheel-drive system…

THE SOUTH KOREAN capital’s luxury-hotel scene heated up with the October debut of the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul. Located just a short stroll from the 14th-century Gyeongbokgung Palace, the 317-room property is a modern marvel in the historic Gwanghwamun district. A collection of contemporary Korean art and pottery decorates the public areas and guest rooms, the latter of which feature floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views of the north-bank cityscape and distant mountains of Bukhansan National Park. Though central to Seoul’s business center, the hotel is equally suited to leisure, with amenities that include a golf simulator and a 57,500-square-foot spa complex. Locals and in-the-know guests end their evenings with a nightcap amid the tufted leather banquettes and velvet tapestries at Charles H., a speakeasy-style bar located behind a secret entrance…

I AM NOT THE ONLY NEANDERTHAL IN THE ROOM. The physician walking me through the 400-page binder that explains my genetic-sequencing results reveals she is also a Neanderthal. I feel a warm flush of kinship, as if we are part of the same exclusive alumni club. Alas, this club is anything but exclusive, I later discover; most people of northern European descent have a touch of Neanderthal in their genetic material. So while I am not the only Neanderthal-human hybrid in the room, I am, however, the only Denisovan. To be more accurate, while about 97 percent of my nuclear DNA is homo sapiens, it contains 1.7 percent Neanderthal DNA—a different species!—and a tiny sliver of DNA from the Denisovans, another early hominid species, discovered just eight years ago in…

WIDER YACHTS wider-yachts.com | 954.347.6771 Wider is an Italian yacht builder with a range of yachts that combines contemporary design with high-tech solutions to offer significant benefits; these include increased reliability, fuel efficiency and increased comfort on-board due to reductions in noise and vibration. The diesel electric powered WIDER 150, delivered in April 2016, includes a magnificent beach club with a 7 meter swimming pool and is a recent World Superyacht Awards double winner. It is also the first yacht to obtain a perfect score for levels of sound and vibration with Registro Italiano Navale (RINA) holding a class notation of “COMF (Y) 100,100”. MY FATHER CIGARS myfathercigars.com | 305.468.9501/877.285.1160 My Father Cigars is releasing a very special, limited-edition line named Garcia & Garcia after father and son Jose Pepin…