Japanese Retro Futurism
I love retro futurism, the Japanese seem to produce some of the best you’ll find anywhere, as any fan of Akira or Ghost in the Shell will tell you.
Boats
Azimut Magellano 50
The Azimut Magellano line is a new direction for the Italian superyacht builder, they became famous for sleek, aerodynamic profiles that are immediately recognisable even at significant distances. With the new Magellano yachts, emphasis has been placed on classic, early 20th century styling. And I like it a great deal.
Riva Aquariva 33′
When it comes to classic speed boats, the Riva Aquariva 33 occupies a well deserved place at the top of the pile. The deck of the Aquariva is famously composed of…
Motorcycle vs Ice Boat Race
Sounding for all the world like something the 3 hosts of Top Gear might dream up for an episode in Lapland this photograph from 1908 shows an iceboat racing a motorcycle across a frozen lake in Canada.
1965 Amphicar Convertible
It’s a wonder to me that some enterprising automaker hasn’t created an affordable, amphibious roadster for public consumption. Sure we have a few boutique car companies that sell interesting but hugely expensive amphibians but there’s nothing out the for the common Joe.
The Grounding of the Princess May
The Grounding of the Princess May is one of the most famous shipwreck photographs in the world, after she ran aground in 1910 the photographs spread around the globe with startling speed and the stories of heroism on board began to emerge from the survivors.
Pinguino 145 Kayak
John Lockwood founded Pygmy Boats in 1986 after having spent years designing 50,000 tonne container ships, his dream was always to design and build the most beautiful kayaks in the world and after looking through his catalogue, I think he’s done it.
Ovation 6.8 by Ganz Boats
Speedboats are one of those things that every man should own, at least once in his life. The Ovation 6.8 by Ganz Boats is a great example of what’s available if you have enough small green pieces of paper and although it’s no Baby Bootlegger, it is a remarkable work of design. Ganz Boats offer…
1951 Seafair Hydroplane Race Gold Cup
I love unusual, vintage racing. Don’t get me wrong, I love the more common varieties of vintage racing as well but there’s a special place in my heart for people who race weird or unusual machines. Like wooden V8 hydroplanes.
717 GT by Frauscher Boats
Based on the shores of Lake Traunsee, in Austria, Frauscher Boats has been building some of the most stylish luxury runabouts in the world since 1927. This model, the 717 GT…
MAORI Open
This advanced, 50ft, twin-engine luxury cruiser looks like it just popped in from a galaxy far, far away. The MAORI Open is an Italian made and extremely advanced high-performance cruiser with twin 430hp engines
The Beautiful Baby Bootlegger
The Baby Bootlegger is not, as the name may suggest, a bootlegger who imports babies. It is a boat that went on to revolutionise boats and it’s effect is still felt in the world of marine architecture to this day. Built in 1924 by George Crouch for wealthy Wall-Street bachelor Caleb Bragg, Bragg raced her in the 1924 and 1925 APBA Gold Cup and won on both outings (by over a minute and 16 seconds in 1925).