David Gandy grew up in what he calls a ‘Jag family’. Now he has a baby of his own: an XK120 Lightweight roadster, remade into the car of his dreams. Adam Hay-Nicholls joined him for a test-drive on the French Riviera.
Category Archives: Lifestyle
Boisdale Life: The continuing classics
At its old workshops in Newport Pagnell, Aston Martin has begun building new versions of a 1960s legend. Lucky blighter Adam Hay-Nicholls pays a visit, while taking a trio of vintage Aston beauties for a spin. Continue reading
City A.M. Magazine: By land and sea
How a Lexus mid-life crises led to a £3m yacht and a car that outshines both Jaguar and Porsche. Words: Adam Hay-Nicholls. Continue reading
City A.M. Magazine: Fill your Phukets
It’s increasingly fashionable to hunt down your own ingredients, but as Adam Hay-Nicholls discovers in Thailand, foraging needed come at the expense of comfort. Continue reading
City A.M. Magazine: Living La Dolce Vita
Beachcombing Puglia in a retro-mod rental car, Adam Hay-Nicholls discovers La Dolce Vita for 300 Euros a day.
The Sunday Telegraph: ‘A car this handsome needs a destination of aristocratic virtue’
The Chilterns and Cotswolds give Adam Hay-Nicholls an ideal platform for the Bentley Continental GT, a car with all the qualities of a quintessentially British grand tourer.
City A.M. Magazine: A Stallion in the Snow
The Ferrari GTC4Lusso is a four-seater, all-wheel drive statesman that can still shred just about anything from the traffic lights. Adam Hay-Nicholls drives it through the Swiss Alps.
City A.M. Magazine: Going to Ibiza?
Once a renowned party island, Ibiza is enjoying a reputation overhaul. Nobu’s latest hotel opening is leading the charge. By Adam Hay-Nicholls.
Country Life: On Duty At The Arcade
On 20th March, London’s Burlington Arcade turns 200. Adam Hay-Nicholls goes undercover with its private police force, the Beadles.
The Sunday Telegraph: Jurassic Parking
I’m bombing across the chartreuse-coloured hills behind East Devon’s Jurassic Coast. My destination is the dining table of top chef Michael Caines and, as I like to match my vehicles with whatever’s in store for the knife and fork, I have chosen the Range Rover Velar for the journey: A luxurious status symbol steeped in country cred, but one which is silkily contemporary and reductionist from every angle.
City A.M. Magazine: Ice Cold
From huskies to supercars, the wilderness of Finland is transformed is transformed into a billionaires’ playground by McLaren. Words: Adam Hay-Nicholls
City A.M. Magazine: Wheels of Fortune
The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, with its shamrock-emblazoned engine, may be the luckiest motor ever invented, writes Adam Hay-Nicholls
The Sunday Telegraph: Taking BMW’s M4 on the M4
It’s fitting that a whiff of cordite has settled around the BMW M4. This car is a weapon; a stealthy Bavarian bullet, with an especially menacing air when there’s a smoking shotgun in the boot.
City AM Bespoke: Europe’s ultimate road-trip
Adam Hay-Nicholls tackles Scotland’s NC500, one of the world’s most amazing circuits, in the Maserati Levante.
City AM Bespoke: To Infiniti and Beyond
Adam Hay-Nicholls discovers the thinking man’s car brand and explains why it would vote for the Liberal Democrats.
The Rake: Between Wind & Water
Throughout its history, the lure of the America’s Cup has seduced tycoons, pioneers and moguls. As the 35th America’s Cup Match presented by Louis Vuitton unfurls this month in Bermuda, THE RAKE takes a look at the dramas on land and sea that make the world’s longest running sporting event such a compelling spectacle. By Adam Hay-Nicholls.
City AM Bespoke: How McLaren discovered a sprinkling of stardust
Summoning the spirit of Major Tom, we take McLaren’s most refined supercar to England’s industrial birthplace. Words: Adam Hay-Nicholls. Continue reading
City AM Bespoke: Mexico’s Art Hotels
Luxury boutique hotels are celebrating Mexico’s artistic heritage and architectural prowess, writes Adam Hay-Nicholls.
City AM Bespoke: The Prancing Moose
Driving onto a frozen lake with traction and stability control switched off, I’m starting to regret the 20-course meal of pig’s head, decomposing leaves and bird’s liver custard that’s in my belly. But that’s the price you pay for experiencing the finest and wildest that Sweden has to offer.
City AM Bespoke: California Dreamin’
A trip to Tuscany in a Prancing Horse shows Ferrari still evokes an almost spiritual passion in its homeland, writes Adam Hay-Nicholls. Continue reading
Intersection: Lewis Hamilton – “There’s life after F1, don’t worry about me”
There’s a lot more to Lewis Hamilton than being the fastest driver in the world. He talks exclusively to Adam Hay-Nicholls. Continue reading
Goodwood Road Racing Club: Maserati to Monaco
I got a few weird looks as I unloaded my soiled wellies from the back of a Maserati as I checked into Monaco’s elegant Hermitage Hotel. Where on earth had I been, the valet must have thought.
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Intersection: The Art of Chauffeuring
Open the door to a Rolls-Royce and you’ll spot one of its nattiest party pieces – a custom umbrella that can spring out of the side of each door. It can do more than merely shield the elements of the on-board VIPs, though. “The umbrella can be used both defensively and offensively,” says Andi McCann, as if he’s just walked off the set of Kingsman: The Secret Service. Continue reading
City AM Bespoke: Love Bite from a Spider
The 488 Spider drove me to drink petrol. There was no warning when it ran out of fuel. OK, the gas light came on about 40 miles back but the way I was driving it, with ‘race’ mode selected on the manettino dial and some heavy application of the right pedal, that distance came and went pretty fast. The car coughed twice before the power died and the steering went heavy. Not ideal when you are up a narrow switchback somewhere in the Ligurian mountains and the nearest petrol station is far from walkable. Continue reading
City AM Bespoke: Blown-up Barbie Car
As controversial as the EU referendum, the world’s foremost luxury Range Rover have lopped the top off their Evoque in a bid to create a new lifestyle niche; the cabrio SUV. To some, this is the best of all words. To others, it is a motorized selfie stick. Continue reading
Adam Hay-Nicholls 