Table of contents for December/January 2023 in Robb Report

What's the elite traveler in the mood for going into 2023? Think Mallorca: The Balearic island is the embodiment of the current trend for “small places, incredible locations with fabulous views that are a little bit away from everyone,” says Jules Maury, head of Scott Dunn Private. Mallorca has Tuscany's rustic charm but fewer people and a newer edge. United Airlines recently introduced a nonstop seasonal flight from Newark to the capital, Palma, unlocking easy access from the US for the first time. Maury's pick is the 31-room Son Net, a 17th-century estate opening in April under the auspices of Spanish hotelier Finca Cortesin, with the GM shuttling between the two properties. “It's going to be a grande dame, the most fabulous country-house hotel,” she says. Cari Gray, of private-travel…

Toronto didn't need Michelin swooping in to validate it as a world-class food destination—it had been doing just fine on its own in that regard. Then again, it can't hurt. That's the consensus among some of the city's most influential food personalities, whose reactions to Michelin launching its first Canadian restaurant guide in Toronto, the country's largest and most multicultural city and the fourth-biggest metropolis in North America, run the gamut from lukewarm to hopeful. The project had started back in 2017, before it was derailed by the pandemic. “Some people think that Michelin will bring more international attention to the city, and by extension more investments, because a globally renowned restaurant guide is recognizing Toronto,” says Karon Liu, food writer at the city's biggest daily, The Toronto Star. “And…

AMONG SCOTCH aficionados, Bowmore needs no introduction. Sukhinder Singh, founder of the Whiskey Exchange and owner of one of the most valuable single-malt collections in the world, once proclaimed that “Bowmore whiskies distilled in the 1960s are some of the finest ever made.” Limited to just 100 bottles, the new ARC-52 is one such example; it represents the latest collaboration between the nearly 250-year-old distillery and Aston Martin Lagonda, purveyor of some of the world's most beautiful automobiles. Distilled in 1968, the white dog that would become ARC-52 was divided into two types of casks, an American oak Hogshead and a larger Butt made of European oak, where the juice would rest for over half a century in the bowels of Islay's oldest distillery before being married—using precisely 50 percent…

She may have founded her award-winning design practice only in 2018, but over the past four years Brigette Romanek has achieved a list of accolades that would take some a lifetime to accrue. Since setting up shop, the Los Angeles-based interiors maven has applied her aesthetic eye to everything from the Piaget boutique in Beverly Hills to the stylish homes of Beyoncé, Gwyneth Paltrow and Joe Jonas. Each of her spaces is filled with a joyful mix of furnishings, artwork and decorative objects as wide-ranging as her own life story. Before she came to the design realm, Romanek, 48—the younger daughter of singer-songwriter Paulette McWilliams—scored her own record deal and later created a successful line of handbags stocked at Barneys and Harvey Nichols. (Kate Moss called her directly to place…

MANHATTAN'S NEWEST pendl-thin condo towers may claim jaw-dropping views of leafy Central Park—but that's mostly what owners get to see: the park. From the expansive twin roof decks of this dramatic 5,500-square-foot triplex penthouse, you can gaze at what they're calling the “new” view of the city. “It's the view south across Central Park to the entire Manhattan skyline,” Brown Harris Stevens listing agent Jill Sloane tells Robb Report. “At night, with all the lights of the city, it's just breathtaking.” Enjoying this view means traveling to the southern edge of historic Harlem and to the distinctive blue-stone-clad tower known as 111 Central Park North. Occupying the 19th and 20th floors of the building, this unique residence features 22-foot floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room—offering unrestricted sights of the Big…

ESTABLISHED IN 2015 and made up of less than a dozen specialists, Lamborghini's Polo Storico division is tasked with preserving the Raging Bull's bloodline, restoring classic models from the 350 GT of the mid-1960s to the Diablo, which ended its run in 2001. But of all the history-preserving work done thus far, says Alessandro Farmeschi, Lamborghini's global after-sales director and head of Polo Storico, one of the department's greatest achievements is the complete reconstruction of the one-off 1971 Countach LP 500, undertaken at the request of a client. The first prototype of a model line pivotal in establishing the marque's reputation for aggressive aesthetics and raw performance, the LP 500 was designed by Bertone's Marcello Gandini and engineered by Paolo Stanzani and team. The original “was destroyed during a test…

AS A CONCEPT, fractional yachting makes sense: Shared ownership via a management company means lower costs, no maintenance or crew worries and (best case) a pleasant, turnkey experience. But the model has never found the foothold in yachting that it has in business aviation, which boasts a US fractional fleet of around 830 aircraft, ranging from $3 million light jets to $65 million Gulfstream G650s. Yachting, by contrast, has fewer than two dozen fractional vessels, most under 70 feet, owned by only a couple of companies. As for superyachts over 100 feet, there are only six. “It's a logical business model that gets an illogical reaction from the yachting community,” says Vincenzo Poerio, CEO of Tankoa Yachts. “A big reason is most yacht owners don't like to share,” he says,…

TONY SCOTT'S 1986 film Top Gun kindled many an adolescent's fighter-jet obsession, which no doubt came rushing back thanks to this summer's sequel starring a youthfully 60-year-old Tom Cruise still turning and burning. Thankfully, select flight schools can indulge the fantasy with everything from a $30,000 full-afterburner ride in an F-104 Starfighter, capable of more than Mach 2, to an FAA-type rating for a host of decommissioned warbirds. Learning how to captain one of these apex predators involves a highly specialized coterie of flight instructors and hardware—but first, naturally, a private pilot's license. Rick Svetkoff's Starfighters International may not be able to teach Cessna 172 pilots how to fully operate the F-104 in a short window, but the pilot will come away understanding its aerodynamics, thrust, lift and, of course,…

HOW TO BUY RobbReportGifts@livunltd.com 212-757-4300 Texas-based tuner John Hennessey developed his Venom F5 hypercar from the ground up and began deliveries of it in 2021; one was part of an exclusive package in our gift guide last year. Hennessey and Robb Report now return with the new Venom F5 Roadster. This unique offer includes one of only 30 examples of the 1,817 hp convertible to be produced—and the opportunity to put it through its paces (with instruction from a pro driver) at Circuit of the Americas) site of Formula 1's United States Grand Prix. Complementing the car is a matching limited-edition chronograph featuring a case formed from a single block of sapphire crystal and engraved with your roadster's serial number. To present you with both, Hennessey Special Vehicles will fly…

HOW TO BUY RobbReportGifts@livunltd.com 212-757-4300 Michael Browne is unlike any other tailor you may have met. At the forefront of independent haute couture for men, Browne has refined the bespoke process to such a level that he refers to himself as a couturier rather than a tailor, as he spends around 200 hours on each design (when Savile Row tailors typically expend 80 hours on theirs). His signature style is sleek and sexy, exquisitely and precisely cut close to the body and designed to make an impact. Despite, or often because of, its minimal color palette, it is clothing to be seen in. Trained on the Row at Chittleborough & Morgan, Browne set up his own brand in 2017 in London. He is fastidious with fittings, cutting and sewing almost…

HOW TO BUY RobbReportGifts@livunltd.com 212-757-4300 Even the cigar aficionado who has everything doesn't have a lighter like this. That's because only one Robb Report reader will be able to collaborate directly with a select team of jewelers and precious-metal artisans from El Septimo, a luxury-product design firm with offices in Geneva, Paris and Woodland Hills, Calif., to create a one-of-a-kind tabletop lighter to the buyer's specifications. El Septimo never makes two identical lighters (its Sacred Arts design is pictured here). The double-jet butane flame will be capable of igniting the largest ring gauges, and the decorative facade will be hand-assembled from individually cast pieces of 18-karat gold before being embellished to your stipulation by French design firm MPA Creation with a selection of large and fine precious stones— including diamonds,…

Capture spectacular images in the style of Ansel Adams, the pioneering landscape photographer famed for his iconic, pin-sharp panoramas of the American West, as part of a photography masterclass in Yosemite National Park designed exclusively for Robb Report. The three-night experience, for two guests, starts with caviar and Champagne on the luxurious Chateau du Sureau hotel's nine-acre grounds in the California foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The highlight of the trip will be a full-day VIP driving tour of Yosemite with a professional photographer, following in the footsteps of Adams and learning his innovative techniques, adapted for digital cameras. At each stop, guests will have the opportunity to frame in their own lens the scenes made famous by Adams, including the vistas of Half Dome and Yosemite Valley, and replicate…

HOWTO BUY RobbReportGifts@livunltd.com 212-757-4300 This one-of-a-kind experience inside yacht racing's fastest, adrenaline-surging technical sport is a three-day voyage into the sanctum sanctorum of the US SailGP team, offered exclusively to a Robb Report reader and guest. The package includes first-class air travel and four nights of five-star accommodations for the world finals in San Francisco, where you will enjoy privileged access during your stay. You'll have a private meet-and-greet with the US team, led by two-time America's Cup Champion Jimmy Spithill, as well as a walkaround and jump-aboard of the team's carbon-fiber F50 race boat Eagle. You'll also take a private tour of “pit row,’’ where all the SailGP teams and their race boats are based, and see the Oracle Cloud data center there in full operation, providing open-source information…

HOW TO BUY RobbReportGifts@livunltd.com 212-757-4300 Graffiti artist Cyril Phan, known by the nom de plume Cyril Kongo, or just his street name, Kongo, has become an international star, famed for combining vivid colors, lettering and subjects ranging from fireworks to flowers in exuberant paintings and murals. The Toulouse, France, native started by tagging walls in Paris and made his mark on New York in the late ‘80s, when he painted monumental murals, some measuring 50 feet by 150 feet, in the Bronx. In the past decade, he has been a frequent collaborator of luxury brands, creating a series of silk scarves for Hermes, a brightly hued tourbillon watch for Richard Mille and prints that the late Karl Lagerfeld turned into dresses for Chanel's 2018 Metiers d'Art show at New York's…

THE SOUND DOESN'T match the picture. I'm driving a Porsche 911 of late 1980s vintage. Arrayed before me are its five big, clear analog driving dials, visible through the simple three-spoke wheel. The windscreen is upright for a sports car by modern standards, and the thin roof pillars let light flood in but would buckle fast in a rollover. Beyond the screen, the two long steel cannons bearing the headlights point directly down the closed runway, the car's sloping hood slung low between them. So far, so Porsche. But the guttural, unfiltered rattle-rasp of the air-cooled engine beloved by Porsche purists and central to an old 911's appeal is entirely absent. Instead, there's just a low, constant background whirr. It doesn't increase much when I bury the throttle, but the…

Der Weisse Ring January 21 | Lech Zürs, Austria Der Weisse Ring (the White Ring), aka Das Speed Race, is a 13.6-mile-long circuit around the resorts of Lech and Zürs in Austria's Arlberg ski area. Open to 1,000 mostly amateur racers, the route covers some 18,000 feet of vertical descent, with five lifts, a short, sharp ascent and five downhill sections, including the ungroomed Madloch itinerary. It takes competitors anywhere between 44 minutes and two hours to complete the course, with clutches of 20 skiers released at the starting line every 100 seconds to achieve a degree of race decorum-although brace yourself for seriously competitive chairlift queuing. Der Weisses Rausch April 22 | St. Anton am Arlberg, Austria St. Anton's Weisses Rausch (White Thrill) opens to 555 hard-core competitors each…

MANY COLLECTORS think of Argentina as the home of well-priced Malbec and Chile as a source of easy-drinking, value-driven wines both white and red. Which isn't wrong— just don't overlook the exceptional, cellar-worthy vintages coming out of both countries. Today, top vintners in Argentina and Chile are crafting single-vineyard and small-plot wines that rival the best from Napa or Bordeaux: Argentina's Achaval Ferrer, Viña Cobos, Alta Vista, Bodega Chacra and Cheval des Andes represent some of the finest from the east side of the Andes, while in Chile, standouts include Montes Folly and Purple Angel, Clos Apalta, Le Dix and Don Melchor. Both countries have long winemaking histories dating to the first Spanish settlers, who planted grapes as far back as the mid-16th century. By the mid-19th century, wealthy Chilean…

Name the New York City institution with a collection of 750,000 objects— including rare books and masterpieces by Velàzquez, Goya and El Greco—founded in 1904 and housed in an early-20th-century beauxarts building with a grand main gallery awash in terra-cotta. Stumped? If you've never visited or even heard of the Hispanic Society Museum & Library, you'd be forgiven: It's a hidden treasure in the northern reaches of Manhattan that, prior to small exhibitions in a temporary gallery this year, hadn't mounted a show in more than a decade. It had become, in the words of its director, Guillaume Kientz, “a closed institution.” But come January, the first phase of its multiyear redevelopment masterplan, including an expanded exhibition space, will open to the public. Kientz, a former curator at the Louvre…

GENIUS AT WORK WHEN SHEEL DAVISON-LUNGLEY graduated from optometry school, she applied for a job at E. B. Meyrowitz but was beaten to the post by a classmate. “I'd always wanted to work there,” she recalls. “Everybody in optics knew about E. B. Meyrowitz.” So when Britain's most discerning spectacles maker was put up for sale a little over a decade later, she snapped it up in 1993. Established in 1875 by Emil Bruno Meyrowitz in what was then Prussia, the business built an enduring reputation not just for its handsome glasses but also for the founder's meticulous approach to vision testing and “performance eyewear.” Meyrowitz kitted out every winning Le Mans team until 1950 and both Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh with handmade goggles. Under the stewardship of Davison-Lungley…

Despite a few thousand hours of flight time, including in classic fighter jets such as the L-39, aviator Evan Dick wasn't prepared for the raw power of the supersonic F-104 Starfighter. Its power-to-weight ratio is just ridiculous,” he says. “I could tell, with the afterburners, it was going to be the most challenging aircraft I'd ever flown. It was like a missile with a man on it.” Whereas the L-39 requires reaction time in the seconds, it's mere milliseconds in the Starfighter. Of flying with Rick Svetkoff of Starfighters International, Dick recalls trying to level off at 2,000 feet, calling it “just impossible to stay ahead of the jet-when I made a split-second glance at the controls, I was suddenly 500 feet higher.” Then there were the G forces, which…

Vérité, whose highly sought-after wines have received a total of 17 100-point scores, sits just outside the town of Healdsburg, Sonoma's wine capital. Since its founding in 1998, the winery has combined French grape varieties and viniculture techniques with the area's unique California terrain In 2023, it will open an aboveground barrel room, called a chai (no, not like the tea), also designed to offer a luxurious and intimate tasting experience befitting the celebrated vintages. This gift, just for Robb Report readers, will offer three couples the opportunity to tour the recently renovated Vérité Estate and experience a blending seminar and tasting with father-and-daughter winemaking team Pierre and Hélène Seillan. You will also enjoy a helicopter flight, allowing you to see the property and its environs from the skies, and a…

HOW TO BUY RobbReportGifts@livunltd.com 212-757-4300 Think of it as a golf vacation fit for a queen—or a king. This six-night package, designed exclusively for Robb Report, begins with two nights in Edinburgh at the new Gleneagles Townhouse, where the royal connection with the Scottish capital is front and center. Take a private tour of the late Queen Elizabeth II's former yacht, Britannia, followed by dinner onboard in her personal dining room and an afterhours tour of the crown jewels held at Edinburgh Castle. Then hop in a chauffeur-driven transfer to Perthshire for four nights at the original Gleneagles resort's 1,600-square-foot Royal Lochnagar suite. In between rounds of golf on the property's three celebrated courses, enjoy a private whisky-blending class, a special dinner by chef Simon Attridge and, after getting kitted…

Drift in a bubble through the gin-clear waters of the Caribbean, past stingrays, lionfish and sharks; plunge down to depths below 1,000 feet, where corals and sea species lie hidden beyond the reach of divers; and re-emerge to join friends and family on the deck of your private luxury yacht. Submersible diving is the newest, fanciest and most exhilarating way to explore the underwater world, with none of the hassle or restrictions of scuba diving—you don't even have to know how to swim. On this fully crewed private-yacht tour of the best of the Bahamas, you and your guests will have your very own bubble-shaped yellow submarine, operated by an expert pilot, at your disposal for the entire charter, day and night. This all-inclusive adventure experience, operated by Kensington Tours…

HOW TO BUY RobbReportGifts@livunltd.com 212-757-4300 For the Flannerys, whole-animal butchery has long been a family affair. The clan's San Rafael, Calif.-based meat-purveyor business started with Bryan's Quality Meats, a now-iconic Bay Area shop founded by Bryan Flannery Sr. in 1963 and still run by two of his sons. A third, Bryan Jr., and granddaughter Katie also dole out high-quality, dry-aged cuts of USDA Prime Holstein beef to Michelin-star restaurants and directly to consumers via an e-commerce site, Flannery Beef. Now, for Robb Report readers, Flannery Beef has reserved a selection of its most valuable meats—cuts from the rib, short loin and tenderloin—to be dry-aged and trimmed specifically to your palate. Bryan Jr. will be on speed dial, working one-on-one with the recipient to personalize the 40 pounds of sub-primals (whole…

HOW TO BUY RobbReportGifts@livunltd.com 212-757-4300 The automobile, with its sensual curves or angular lines has been Michael Etrick's lifelong muse. Now, the vehicle-design sculptor, who has clocked decades in the industry, will accept a commission to interpret one Robb Report reader's prized collector car as a highly polished four-foot representation carved from billet-aluminum. Etrick will have a preliminary consultation with you, visit the future display site and collaborate on the creative process. Upon completion, you and three guests will attend the reveal in Southern California as part of a four-day getaway that will include a private overnight cruise to Catalina Island aboard a fully staffed 85-foot yacht from the Find Group, track sessions at the Porsche Experience Center, premier hotel accommodations, dining and limousine transportation for the duration of the…

HOWTO BUY RobbReportGifts@livunltd.com 212-757-4300 A five-minute boat ride off the northeastern flank of Ibiza in the Mediterranean, the private island of Tagomago combines convenience and exclusivity in a 148-acre spit of land. The sumptuous getaway is now offered for buyouts via Mandarin Oriental's Exclusive Homes Collection, which imports the hotelier's exceptional service to standout private properties around the world. This lavish seven-night package for Robb Report readers includes a private-jet transfer between London and Ibiza for up to six people, as well as a three-night luxury-yacht charter with a Mandarin Oriental chef shipped in to helm the galley one evening. The island, where you'll spend four nights, features two beaches, accessible by only Jet Ski or boat, plus a 55-foot-long saltwater pool and a jacuzzi in addition to a full…

HOWTO BUY RobbReportGifts@livunltd.com 212-757-4300 Tucked away on the coast of Ayrshire in Scotland is a palace that's off-limits to the public (and to royalty, too): Hendrick's Gin Palace, an invite-only destination where visitors can immerse themselves in the creation of the liquor, with access strictly contained to trade partners and a scant few industry VIPs. It's a temple to the Rube Goldberg-like eccentricity that's synonymous with Hendrick's, festooned with taxidermy peacocks and a hothouse that grows Buddha's hand and similarly freakish varieties of citrus. Ordinary gin lovers have never been invited—until now. Hendrick's will welcome a Robb Report reader and their guests, who'll be squired round the site by the British brand's own master distiller, and industry legend, Lesley Gracie. She'll showcase her lab, where she devises the latest expressions of…

HOW TO BUY RobbReportGifts@livunltd.com 212-757-4300 Where better to spend three indulgent nights than in the largest suite on Lake Como: the 2,700-square-foot Bellini, inside tire newly opened Passalacqua. The 18th-century mansion was reborn as a hotel earlier this year under the auspices of Grand Hotel Tremezzo CEO Valentina de Santis. When you do emerge from the suite, which is named after the composer who once played the piano here, this package (designed exclusively for Robb Report readers) includes private tours of both the nearby Villa del Balbianello, famed for its terraced gardens and spotlighted in Casino Royale, and the lake itself on Passalacqua's own boat. Then take a private consultation with Giuliva Heritage, the label founded by a local husband and wife that's known for its extraordinary Neapolitan-style tailoring for…

At the start of 2020, Chris Larsen, who made his fortune as co founder of e-Loan and Ripple, among other tech start-ups, considered himself an advocate for the planet. “I always thought I was doing a good job on sustainability,” he tells Robb Report. Climate change was high on his list of priorities when elections rolled around, and after he started an online lending company, “I was like, ‘Think of all the paper applications I have eliminated!‘” But then the climate in Northern California, where he lives with his children, now ages 12 and 15, started becoming unbearable. In August 2020, there were so many fires in his area that it was unsafe to breathe the ash-filled air. “It was the height of Covid, it was August, and for two…

On a warm July evening, an intimate group of elegantly attired guests roamed the gilded halls of the Palace of Versailles, sipping Champagne while being sere-naded by violins. The unforgettable party included a candlelit dinner prepared by Michelin-star chef Emmanuel Renaut, a display of rare diamond jewels and a fireworks display that illuminated the sky above the palace while an orchestra played in the famed gardens below. If not for the fact that many of the guests jet-ted in courtesy of their host, Van Cleef & Arpels, one could be forgiven for thinking they'd time-traveled back to the 17th cen-tury, when the merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier presented the Sun King, Louis XIV, with jaw-dropping jewels from his trip to India in the very same rooms. This fairy tale was a quintessentially…

WITHIN OUR DINING culture, we have evolved our habits to drink big red wines with meat. Hearty, juicy, red meat. Satisfying bottlings made from grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are flattered by a steak or a lamb chop—and, of course, they make the food look good, too. It's a mutual admiration society. Just pick up any bottle of, say, a Rhône-style blend from Paso Robles. Somewhere on the back it will recommend pairing with lamb or beef. We also welcome “big wines”—meaning ones with copious amounts of tannin and alcohol—onto our tables partly because we think, “Oh, eating meat while we drink will neutralize those drawbacks.” But as high-end cuisine veers away from meat, how do we shift the way we match food with those big reds we've…

THE GOODS THIS MONTH'S WHO, WHAT AND WE Even watch collectors who remember the earliest days of the mechanical renaissance may forget that, for most of the 20th century, wristwatches equipped with complications—much less grand complications—were a true rarity. “Very few perpetual calendars were available because they were highly difficult to develop, manufacture and assemble,” says Christian Selmoni, Vacheron Constantin's style and heritage director. “And for decades, if not centuries, the tourbillon was kind of a mythical complication. For watchmakers, it was a holy grail of difficulty.” The advent of advanced engineering technology in the mid-1980s, including CNC machines and computer-aided design allowed more watchmakers to flex their technical muscles, but to this day, combining super-specialized functions within a single timepiece remains the purview of the horological elite. Enter the…

JEWELRY Revisiting the archives is a perennial exercise at Chanel, where strong—and seemingly eternal—design codes such as tweed jackets and quilted handbags are reinvented for generation after generation. But this year, its rearview mirror was turned toward a less well-worn piece of history: Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel's first foray into high jewelry, in 1932. Celestial pieces including a collar necklace of shooting stars traversing the neck in a trail of diamonds, a diamond ring encircled by a swirl of satellite stones and a yellowdiamond sunburst brooch are just a few of the highlights; all mimic Chanel's original array of jewels, which made their debut 90 years ago. The French house was solicited by the London Diamond Corporation to create the jewelry, dubbed Bijoux de Diamants, to promote the diamond industry during…

DREAM MACHINES A DEVOTION TO MOTION History is a powerful commodity for an automaker, but also a dangerous one. The line between reverential and pastiche is often fuzzy, and the list of retro-themed products that fell on the wrong side of it is long and ignominious. Who can recall Volkswagen's front-wheel-drive New Beetle without wincing? The risks for a supercar maker are greater still, and never more so than when dealing with a car as utterly famous as the Lamborghini Countach. The original was a sensation when it debuted in 1974, Marcello Gandini's wedge-shaped design impressing every bit as much as the performance of the hand-built V-12 engine mounted behind the passenger compartment, a combination that has inspired every mid-engined Lamborghini since. Yet none got to share its name—until now.…

SpaceX's new Starlink system, made up of thousands of small satellites orbiting the Earth at an altitude of about 340 miles, is now providing internet service to around 40 countries since coming online in 2021, The high-tech constellation is also proving brilliant for superyacht applications. “It's a massive disrupter among existing SATCOM networks,” says Paul Clarke, captain of the 180-foot charter yacht Loon, who acquired one of the very first units. Loon receives consistent download speeds of 150 to 200 mbps, according to Clarke, compared to the maximum 80 mbps with Viasat, the yacht's other provider. Starlink also costs “$5,000 per month compared to $10,000,” for Viasat, he says, adding that fast, reliable internet service has become a necessity on the largest charter yachts as “many clients conduct business on…

WINGS Ever since George Jetson climbed into his personal, portable flying car 60 years ago, the world has dreamt of doing the same. And according to Peter Ternström, cofounder of Stockholm-based Jetson, piloting one of its personal electric aerial vehicles is about as easy as it looked in the cartoons. Getting the hang of the brand's new Jetson One, with deliveries starting in late 2023, requires all of five minutes. “It's super intuitive,” he says. “We developed a fly-by-wire system that helps the pilot with functions like auto hover, stable flight and landing.” A veteran of the luxury-car industry, Ternström partnered with aerospace engineer Tomasz Patan to launch Jetson in 2017. Instead of developing a more involved electric air-taxi like Joby Aviation's S4, they opted to “make flight available to…

FIELD NOTES These new vehicles we're sitting around waiting for aren't much fun. They're very well made, but because they're stuffed full of chips, they're enormously clever, thinking harder, faster and far more cautiously than we ever could. A confession: Until recently, whenever talk of semiconductor shortages came up, I was under the impression that most cars made do with just a handful of the things. I say a handful. One seemed like it would be enough: one car, one engine, one big fat semiconductor. My estimate was a little short. Some cars come loaded with as many as 3,000. Semiconductors—aka microchips—are big business, as you probably know. According to an organization called World Semiconductor Trade Statistics, more than 932 billion of them were made in 2020, a number so…

HOW TO BUY RobbReportGifts@livunltd.com 212-757-4300 The maiden voyage of Starship, a reusable spacecraft likely to launch in two to four years’ time, will take Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa and eight members of the public around the dark side of the moon. After that, another billionaire, Dennis Tito, has reserved Starship. Then the options become virtually limitless. Stellar Frontiers, a firm that organizes space travel, can arrange for one Robb Report reader and seven friends a spaceflight experience aboard Starship that exceeds all others. Your group can choose its own “universe first” adventure that will make the other two flights look like training missions: Conduct several Earth orbits over a period of weeks or exceed the other two billionaires’ single lunar orbits by circumnavigating the moon multiple times, traveling farther and…

Despite the world's best fashion shows being both theatrical in nature and commercial in aim, you can't actually buy tickets to see the runways of Dior, Chanel or that ilk firsthand. Unless you snag the gift Neiman Marcus is putting together for one Robb Report reader, that is. The Dallas-based specialty store's private-client team will serve as concierge to Paris Fashion Week for you—or the dedicated fashionista on your list—and a guest during the fall 2023 women's shows, which take place from February 27 to March 7. Before the recipient departs, they'll have a one-on-one appointment with a style adviser to decide what to pack (or purchase) for the trip. Then, after a business-class flight to the City of Light, both attendees will check into a five-star hotel—though they may…

Beverly Hills jeweler Martin Katz has ruled the red carpet for decades. The designer was a pioneer when it came to adorning A-listers, and his glittery baubles have graced the likes of Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman and Gigi Hadid since he founded his firm in 1988. Recently, the tastemaker announced his atelier was moving to the luxe Penthouse Suite of the Fred Hayman building. Now, one Robb Report reader will have the unique opportunity to meet with Katz at the top-floor salon for a Champagne reception, followed by a personal appointment. The main event, though, will be getting your hands on a one-of-a-kind 19.81-carat Asscher-cut mint tourmaline ring that the jeweler has reserved exclusively for Robb Report. The showstopping gem is framed with 68 micro-set sapphires and 96 micro-set diamonds,…

HOW TO BUY RobbReportGifts@livunltd.com 212-757-4300 It's one thing to cut through the water on a kiteboard or a surfboard. It's another thing entirely to soar above the surface without having to rely on wind or waves. Riding a Fliteboard—a motorized watercraft that glides over oceans, lakes or rivers—feels like you're flying. The Australian company is producing a limited edition of 10 eFoils rendered in gold-colored anodized aluminum exclusively for Robb Report. The boards will also feature the world's first nine-karat-gold-plated titanium battery, which founder David Trewern calls “the heart of the Fliteboard.” The package includes an in-person handover of the eFoil coupled with a half-day private VIP lesson with one of Fliteboard's 150 school operators, tailored to your skill level, from first-timer on up. Currently, the outfit has offices across…

HOWTO BUY RobbReportGifts@livunltd.com 212-757-4300 From 1927 through 1957, one race rivaled Le Mans in both prestige and peril: Italy's famed Mille Miglia. As the name suggests, the endurance test covered close to 1,000 miles in a round-trip “sprint between Brescia and Rome, one that racer Stirling Moss and his Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR completed with a record-setting average speed of just under 100 mph in 1955. Mercedes-Benz now invites one Robb Report reader to drive in the 2023 Mille Miglia, resurrected as an exclusive rally on the same route and open only to car models previously entered in the bygone-era event. To meet that requirement, a 300 SL from that period will be provided by the Mercedes-Benz Heritage Collection, and a brand ambassador will be co-pilot during the five stages held…

HOW TO BUY RobbReportGifts@ livunltd.com 212-757-4300 Billionaire astronaut Jared Isaacman is going back to space in 2023, two years after successfully funding and piloting Inspiration4, the first all-civilian mission to orbit the Earth. He will command the new mission, Polaris Dawn, a five-day spaceflight that aims to raise millions for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital while also endeavoring to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown. Lofty ambitions, both. Isaacman, the CEO of financial-technology company Shift4 and an accomplished fighter-jet pilot, is offering a Robb Report reader and their guest access to the Polaris Dawn crew as they train for their space mission. The experience includes a tour of an aerospace facility, as well as two jet flights: a training expedition piloted by Isaacman in a MiG-29, taking off from…

HIGH OVERHEAD, snow-capped mountains gleamed in the moon-light while a thousand people, their breath steaming in the frigid night, bayed for the blood of a giant effigy of the devil, about to go up in flames on a burning pyre. The soundtrack was base-thudding AC/DC, blaring through loudspeakers—and accompanied by a cacophony of large cow bells rung by Swiss men in lederhosen. It was the most peculiar opening ceremony for a sporting event I'd ever encoun-tered. But then, this was the Inferno, the world's most bonkers ski race. Over the years, I had heard tales of grue-some injuries sustained on the infamous course above the chocolate-box-perfect Alpine village of Mürren, in the heart of Switzerland's Ber-nese Oberland mountains. I had signed a waiver to confirm that the risk of serious…