When the US elects a new President, the world awaits the result with bated breath. Nowadays, we are used to political spin, image management and blanket coverage on social networks, but in 1960 a fresh-faced JFK made full use of his good looks, photogenic family and East Coast classic style to win a dramatic race with Richard Nixon.
Much has been made of the first televised US presidential debates in American history. Compared with Nixon (perspiring, unfit and sporting a rough five o’clock shadow), Kennedy looked the personification of modern vitality. Well-dressed and professionally made up for an appearance on TV, JFK was clearly ‘the man of the future’. Interestingly, radio listeners decided the event was a one-all draw, clearly demonstrating the power of the visual medium.
With his military background and deportment, plus the ability to wear timeless clothing (whether in presidential meetings, playing with the family or sailing off Cape Cod), JFK often looks like an advert for Ralph Lauren or Tod’s. He frequently wore suits from the New York branch of Savile Row tailor H. Harris – classic Ivy League styling.
There is no better guide to the style and sophisticated ‘look’ of John F. Kennedy than Mark Shaw’s latest book of photographs.
Text: J. Philip Rathgen
Photos: © 2012 Mark shaw / mptvimages.com
We know California-based Icon for its high-quality reinterpretations of classic SUVs – almost clinically clean vehicles, durable but with modern technology hidden under their classic looks. But now Icon has a new, darker range of vehicles to unleash…
…one-offs that Icon calls the ‘Derelicts’. These are cars that you’d perhaps expect to see at the junkyard, or maybe as a ‘Cuba Cruiser’ spotted in Havana. They can even be seen as the perfect antidote to “restoring things too far”: appearing weatherbeaten and rotten – but technically vital and potent, completely rebuilt from the chassis up.
You’ll either get it, or you won’t. But do watch the video to make up your mind.
Text: Classic Driver
These days, Ferrari and Maserati are united as sister brands – but there were times in history when their respective racing stables were in fierce competition. The latest exhibition at the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari in Modena – The Great Challenges, Ferrari – Maserati – brings that era of history back to life.
Today we see the Italian racing cars, especially those of the pre- and immediately post-War period, as style icons and works of art. But in their day they had only one purpose: first place on the race track. “Cars are beautiful when they win,” as Enzo Ferrari once said. As long ago as 1929, Scuderia Ferrari was racing against the Maserati brothers of Bologna, but with Alfa Romeos, rather than Ferrari-badged cars. After the war, Ferrari began producing his own race car and achieved ever-greater successes on track. During the 1950s, Ferrari and Maserati drivers shared a great many podiums, with some of the top drivers, such as Juan Manuel Fangio, driving for both teams (as well as for the Italian marques’ great rivals from Germany, in the shape of Mercedes-Benz and the fearsome Silver Arrows).
For the exhibition The Great Challenges, Ferrari – Maserati, 19 legendary Italian racing cars of both breeds have been brought together from that time, cars such as the Ferrari 340MM, Maserati 250F, Ferrari 330 P and the Maserati A6 GCS/53, to name but four. As well as the cars themselves, the exhibition will also tell the story of each car and its racing history, with interactive screens to help visitors understand the historical context and allow them to feel truly immersed in this golden era of racing.
Text: Jan Baedeker
Photos: Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari
www.museocasaenzoferrari.it
Posté avec Blogsy
