Tag Archive for: RECORD

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Sp80 unveils final boat design in pursuit of the world Sailing Speed Record

Sp80 unveils final boat design in pursuit of the world Sailing Speed Record

• SP80 is ready to show the world the final design, which is set to reach 80 knots (150km/h) powered by the wind.
• Under construction since the summer of 2021, this futuristic 10 by 7 meter boat will feature two pilots.
• The “sea rocket” will be launched at the end of the year, with the first record attempts planned for thesummer of 2023.
• Already sponsored by the Swiss watchmaking brand Richard Mille, SP80 is launching a campaign to identify a final group of sponsors.

From concept to reality Established in 2018, SP80 has been coordinating the critical stage of the boat production over the last 6 months. This spaceship-like sailboat has been designed to reach 80 knots (150km/h), shattering the world sailing speed record. Limited by confidentiality requirements, the Swiss company has so far only shown a the concept that allows viewers to understand the boat’s operating principles, without revealing any definitive design elements.

Today, the construction has advanced to the stage where the team feels ready to reveal the final design. While the principles remain the same – an extraordinary sailboat towed by a kite – the boat will be bigger than the initial concept (i.e. 10m long and 7m wide). With a sleeker shape and stretched, aggressive lines, other elements have also been refined to increase the stability of the structure; a key point in the record-breaking strategy defended by SP80. The young Swiss company is on its way to redefine the architectural codes of the sailing world.

A cockpit with room for two Freshly finished by the renowned shipyard Persico Marine, the main hull will arrive in April to SP80’s premises in Renens (Switzerland). This first part reveals a crucial element of the cockpit: it can take two pilots on board. One will pilot the kite while the other will steer the boat. “Very early in our development phase, it was clear that being alone on board was not an option to accelerate safely up to 80 knots.” – says Benoît Gaudiot, co-founder and pilot. “At 150 km/h, it is essential to be focused on one task!We will thus have a pilot steering the kite, while a co-pilot will ensure the boat’s trajectory. However, at low speeds, that is around 30 knots, the boat can be sailed solo, which will allow us to welcome passengers onboard to experience something extraordinary !” At 80 knots, it is critical to ensure maximum safety for the pilots. The cockpit has been designed to withstand accelerations of up to 50G! It has also been reinforced with Kevlar® to protect its occupants from possible carbon shards in the event of a crash. As a boat sailing at 150km/h on water is equivalent to a Formula 1 on land, the drivers will be equipped accordingly: bucket seats, 6 point-harnesses and helmets. In case of emergency, they will also have oxygen masks at their disposal, something that has never been seen before in the sailing world!
Calendar and next steps While the shipyard continues the construction of the beam and floats, the SP80 team will take over the main hull and integrate all the mechanical systems. The final assembly of the boat is scheduled for next autumn with an official launch before the end of 2022. After a few months of optimisation and testing, the first record attempts will take place in summer 2023 in the south of France.

Guided by strong values, the company has already secured several notable partnerships. The team is currently beginning its final partnership search campaign. Investigations are focused on Swiss brands, with the goal to create collaborations that go beyond sponsorship agreements.

“Thanks to our current partners, we have been able to realise this revolutionary boat with a launch date later this autumn.” – says Mayeul van den Broek, co-founder and project manager.
“2023 will be a decisive year, with the final preparations to break the 80 knots record and make sailing history. We are currently looking for the last financial and technical partnerships to take the adventure to the finish line. The whole team is so proud to see this concept becoming a reality and we can’t wait to finally unveil and test our final design on the water! ”

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ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS REPORTS RECORD ANNUAL RESULTS FOR 2021

ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS REPORTS RECORD ANNUAL RESULTS FOR 2021

In 2021, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars delivered the highest-ever annual sales results in the marque’s 117-year history. The company delivered 5,586 motor cars to clients around the world, up 49% on the same period in 2020. This overall figure includes all-time record sales in most regions, including Greater China, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, and in multiple countries across the globe.

  • Rolls-Royce Motor Cars reports record 2021 sales, up 49% on the same period in 2020
  • Highest sales in the marque’s 117-year history
  • All-time records set in most sales regions, including Greater China, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, and in multiple countries across the world
  • High demand for all models, particularly Ghost and Cullinan
  • Rolls-Royce is undisputed leader in the +€250k segment
  • Orders extend into third quarter of 2022; Bespoke commissions also at record levels
  • Record intake for Apprenticeship Programme: 37 apprentices join in September 2022


“2021 was a phenomenal year for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. We delivered more cars than at any time in the marque’s 117-year history with unprecedented demand for all products in every global market. Our extremely strong product portfolio, an exceptional Bespoke offering, together with the first full year of availability of Ghost, the launch of Black Badge Ghost in October and the continuing record demand for Bespoke personalisation, has contributed meaningfully to our extremely strong performance. This is hugely encouraging as we prepare for the historic launch of Spectre, our first all-electric car. Building on this year’s success, we will continue to evolve as a true luxury brand, beyond the realms of automotive manufacturing.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

In 2021, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars delivered the highest-ever annual sales results in the marque’s 117-year history.

The company delivered 5,586 motor cars to clients around the world, up 49% on the same period in 2020. This overall figure includes all-time record sales in most regions, including Greater China, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, and in multiple countries across the globe.

All Rolls-Royce models performed extremely strongly. Growth has been driven principally by Ghost, with demand surging further, following the launch of Black Badge Ghost in October 2021. This, together with the continuing pre-eminence of Cullinan and the marque’s pinnacle product, Phantom, has ensured order books are full well into the third quarter of 2022. The company’s Provenance (pre-owned) programme also enjoyed exceptional sales results in 2021, achieving an all-time record.

Bespoke commissions remain at record levels, with magnificent individual examples including the spectacular Phantom Oribe co-created with Hermès, alongside the Phantom Tempus, and Black Badge Wraith and Black Badge Dawn Landspeed Collection cars. The company signalled its commitment to leading a new contemporary coachbuilding movement with Rolls‑Royce Coachbuild becoming a permanent fixture in its future portfolio, and with it the unveiling of its latest coachbuilt masterpiece, Boat Tail.

Rolls-Royce also announced its first all-electric car, Spectre, during 2021.  The extraordinary undertaking of bringing Spectre to market by the fourth quarter of 2023 has now begun, and the most punishing testing protocol ever conceived for a Rolls‑Royce is underway. This 2.5‑million-kilometre journey, which extends to all four corners of the world, will simulate more than 400 years of use for a Rolls‑Royce.

While preparations are made for the marque’s all-electric future, Rolls-Royce continues to meet the surge in demand for its current portfolio through a flexible manufacturing process and the dedication of the over 2,000 people who work at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex and around the world.  The Rolls-Royce factory at Goodwood is currently running at near-maximum capacity, on a two-shift pattern to fulfil orders from clients around the world.

Rolls-Royce will continue to invest in its manufacturing plant in readiness for electrification, and in future talent, with a record 37 new apprentices set to join the company in September 2022.

Reflecting on the results, CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös said, “This has been a truly historic year for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. In the past 12 months, we have recorded our highest-ever annual sales, launched the latest addition to our Black Badge family, stunned the world with our coachbuilding capabilities and made huge strides into our all-electric future.

“As always, it has been made possible by the dedication and commitment of the extraordinary people at the Home of Rolls-Royce, our international team and our global dealer network. I wish to extend my thanks and congratulations to each and every one of them: it is my privilege and pleasure to work alongside them every day.”

CO2 EMISSIONS & CONSUMPTION.

Phantom: NEDCcorr (combined) CO2 emission: 329-328 g/km; Fuel consumption: 19.5-19.6 mpg / 14.5-14.4 l/100km. WLTP (combined) CO2 emission: 356-341 g/km; Fuel consumption: 18.0-18.8 mpg / 15.7-15.0 l/100km.

Phantom Extended: NEDCcorr (combined) CO2 emission: 329-328 g/km; Fuel consumption: 19.5-19.6 mpg / 14.5-14.4 l/100km. WLTP (combined) CO2 emission: 356-341 g/km; Fuel consumption: 18.0-18.8 mpg / 15.7-15.0 l/100km.

Ghost: NEDC (combined): CO2 emission: 343 g/km; Fuel consumption: 18.8 mpg / 15.0 l/100km. WLTP (combined): CO2 emission: 347-359 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.88 – 18.58 mpg / 15.2-15.8 l/100km.

Black Badge Ghost: NEDCcorr (combined) CO2 emission: 359 g/km; Fuel consumption: 15.8 mpg / 18.0 l/100km. WLTP (combined) CO2 emission: 359 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.9 mpg / 15.8 l/100km.

Black Badge Wraith: NEDCcorr (combined) CO2 emission: 367 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.5 mpg / 16.1 l/100km. WLTP (combined) CO2 emission: 370-365 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.2-17.4 mpg / 16.4-16.2 l/100km.

Black Badge Dawn: NEDCcorr (combined) CO2 emission: 371 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.3 mpg / 16.3 l/100km. WLTP (combined) CO2 emission: 382-380 g/km; Fuel consumption: 16.7-16.9 mpg / 16.9-16.8 l/100km.

Cullinan: NEDCcorr (combined) CO2 emission: 341 g/km; Fuel consumption: 18.8 mpg / 15.0 l/100km. WLTP (combined) CO2 emission: 377-355 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.0-18.1 mpg / 16.6-15.6 l/100km.

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McLaren F1 road car sets record price at auction
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McLaren F1 road car sets record price at auction

McLaren F1 road car sets record price at auction

A unique ‘time capsule’ McLaren F1 road car has set a record auction price of $20.465 million at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auctions tonight.

With less than 390 kilometres (243 miles) on its odometer, this spectacular example of the F1 was sold in its ‘as delivered’ state and surpassed the previous record for a McLaren F1 road car of $15.62 million set in 2017. Only an example that had been converted at the McLaren Special Operations Woking factory to ultra-rare LM specification has come close in the recent past, selling for $19.8 million in 2019.

Chassis 029, which has rarely been seen in public, having spent most of its existence hidden away in a private Japanese collection, attracted spirited bidding as it crossed the Gooding & Company auction block in Monterey. Carefully maintained and rarely driven, the car was in pristine and original condition down to its date coded Goodyear Eagle F1 tires and came complete with its original FACOM tool chest, fitted luggage, titanium tool kit, official ‘Driving Ambition’ book, and special TAG Heuer watch.

This 1995 model was the 25th road car built and the only one finished in a stunning one-off color, named Creighton Brown, after one of the executives who was instrumental in establishing the fledgling McLaren Cars company. This distinctive exterior is complemented by a Light Tan and Dark Brown leather upholstery inside the three-seater cockpit.

Just 106 of the iconic three-seater, V-12-engined F1 road cars were produced between 1992 and 1998, with just 64 being completed to original road car specification. To this day it remains the fastest naturally aspirated production car with a top speed of 240 mph – helping to cement its status as one of the most desirable of all collector cars.

“We were incredibly proud to present this exceptional McLaren F1, and tonight, the market confirmed the sheer prowess of this unparalleled supercar from one of the most legendary names in motoring,” said Gooding & Company President and Founder, David Gooding. “This sale was a historic moment not only for Gooding & Company, but for the McLaren legacy and the entire industry as a whole.”

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About McLaren Automotive:
McLaren Automotive is a creator of luxury, high-performance supercars.

Every vehicle is hand-assembled at the McLaren Production Centre (MPC) in Woking, Surrey, England.

Launched in 2010, the company is now the largest part of the McLaren Group.

The company’s product portfolio of GT, supercar, Motorsport and Ultimate models are retailed through over 85 retailers in 40 markets around the world.

McLaren is a pioneer that continuously pushes the boundaries. In 1981, it introduced lightweight and strong carbon fibre chassis into Formula 1 with the McLaren MP4/1.

Then in 1993 it designed and built the McLaren F1 road car – the company has not built a car without a carbon fibre chassis since. As part of the Ultimate Series, McLaren was the first to deliver a hybrid hypercar, the McLaren P1™. In 2016, it announced a new hybrid hyper-GT and confirmed in 2018 that the next Ultimate car would be the Speedtail.

2019 saw McLaren launch the 600LT Spider, the new GT and the track-only McLaren Senna GTR. It also unveiled the 620R and McLaren Elva before launching the 765LT the following year.

Most recently, the company unveiled its all-new high-performance hybrid supercar, the McLaren Artura.

The Artura is the first McLaren to benefit from the McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA). The MCLA is designed, developed and manufactured at the McLaren Composites Technology Centre in the Sheffield region of England using world-first processes and will spearhead the brand’s electrified future.

McLaren Automotive also chooses to partner with like-minded, world-leading companies and organisations who push the boundaries in their respective fields. These include AkzoNobel, Ashurst, Dell Technologies, Gulf, Pirelli, Richard Mille, Plan International and Tumi.

McLaren Group:
The McLaren Group is a global leader in luxury automotive and technology and comprises three businesses: Automotive, Racing and Applied.

About Gooding & Company:
Gooding & Company is celebrated for its world-class automotive auctions, private brokerage, and unparalleled service in the international collector car market, achieving over $2 billion in sales since the company’s inception. The auction house continues to deliver market-leading results, while setting new trends and selling best-of-category cars across numerous collector car verticals. Gooding & Company consistently presents the highest quality consignments while operating with openness and integrity, which have earned the company a reputation of trust and respect unmatched in the industry. Offering a wide range of services including private and estate sales, appraisals and collection management, the auction house is ready to assist you with numerous collector car services.

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GREAT BRITAIN SAILGP TEAM BREAKS F50 SPEED RECORD ON BEN AINSLIE'S RETURN IN DENMARK
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GREAT BRITAIN SAILGP TEAM BREAKS F50 SPEED RECORD ON BEN AINSLIE’S RETURN IN DENMARK

GREAT BRITAIN SAILGP TEAM BREAKS F50 SPEED RECORD ON BEN AINSLIE’S RETURN IN DENMARK

AARHUS, DENMARK – 18 August, 2021 – Great Britain SailGP Team CEO and driver Sir Ben Ainslie returned to the wheel of the British F50 today as the team began training ahead of the ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix in Aarhus (August 20-21).

It was an eventful return to action for Ainslie, who had missed the previous two SailGP events to welcome the arrival of his baby son Fox, as he and the British crew broke the SailGP speed record with a top speed of 98.3 km/h (61.1mph/53.1 knots) in strong breeze on the Aarhus waters – WATCH HERE

After winning the opening event of the season in Bermuda, Ainslie has returned to the Great Britain SailGP Team with the team in a strong position, second on the overall Championship leaderboard level on points with the leaders – Tom Slingsby’s Australia SailGP Team. On returning to the team, Ainslie was full of praise for fellow Olympic gold medallist Paul Goodison who temporarily led the team in his absence in Taranto and Plymouth.

Ainslie said: “The team has done brilliantly over the past two events. It was great to see Paul come into the team and with very little time to practice beforehand get straight into the thick of it. They battled hard, and it was great to see their fighting spirit come through and finish on a really positive note with a race win in our home event in Plymouth.

“Now, coming into Aarhus we’ve got to regroup quickly. It was a full-on day out there today, a real team effort to keep the boat on its feet and we hit our fastest speed yet which is always good fun. One of those days where you’re glad you can get the boat back to the dock in reasonable shape! We’ve got three key events pretty much back-to-back coming in Aarhus, Saint-Tropez and Cadiz (Andalusia) so it will be very important to get going quickly, get some solid finishes and try to keep ourselves at the top-end of the League.

“The nature of SailGP, the nature of the racing, the quality of the fleet, and with the talent that is in these teams now, it is going to be really hard for one team to stand out and dominate. It’s going to be really tight racing, down to the wire. That’s what we love about SailGP, that intensity of racing, the close battles we are seeing on the water, and expect to see more of that.”

The Great Britain SailGP Team has been joined in Aarhus by Hannah Diamond – the final athlete trialling as part of the league’s Women’s Pathway Program – before a final decision will be made on which of the female athlete trialists will be joining the team full time. With the previous trialists including the likes of recent Olympic medalists Hannah Mills and Anna Burnet, it will be a tough decision to make for Ben Ainslie and the team.

Commenting on SailGP’s Women’s Pathway Program and the team’s trialists Ben Ainslie added: “We can only really accommodate one more full-time sailor with the team so it’s going to be a tough decision how we move forward after this event. We’ve had some great athletes with the team over the past few events, real team players and very talented sailors all of whom have brought brilliant experience, attitude, and personality. We’ll get our heads together after this event and finalise a decision based on what we think will be best for the team”.

Off the water, the Great Britain SailGP Team is also in second place in SailGP’s new Impact League, a world-first integrated second leaderboard created for all eight international teams, where the teams are rewarded for the positive actions they make to reduce their overall carbon footprint and help accelerate inclusivity in sailing. The team has been working closely with its Race For The Future partner STEM Crew to maximise its positive impact and climb up the Impact League leaderboard too.

The ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix is live on Sky Sports from 2PM BST on Friday August 20 and from 12PM BST on Saturday August 21, and is also free to view on SailGP’s YouTube channel. For full viewing details visit sailgp.com/watch.

WATCH BEN AINSLIE’S ROCKWOOL DENMARKSGP PREVIEW
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