Madam Wheels brings women together in a sense of belonging at a moment in history when meaningful connection has become critical. The fact that we do so around extraordinary cars takes things to an exciting new level. With champagne sunsets, fine-dining and luxurious accommodation included in the mix, guests are assured of an exhilarating, addictive and utterly unforgettable experience.
Let me back up a bit. Last weekend, a really wet and windy weekend, I was out having fun in a little run-around I like to take out on days like that, when I hit a pothole so deep, so well concealed, and so violently that I bit my tongue and involuntarily lifted my feet off the pedals quickly enough that I hit the steering wheel with my legs, and now they’re bruised.
I’m not a big fan of electric vehicles (EVs) – not because of the technology, per se, but because – as we have discussed before – EV designers seem incapable of designing anything that doesn’t look like it belongs in a 1950s science fiction series. Whey they can’t just adapt some of the really brilliant designs they’ve already come up with the accommodate batteries and electric motors, I’ll never know. I understand that an electric motor doesn’t need to be cooled like a petrol engine does, so you can dispense with grilles and radiators and so on – but its those things that I think really give a car its personality – they’re its “face”, if I can put it that way.
Travelling in a Bentley Bentayga is like getting around in a vessel of seven-star heaven, which is no bad thing given the COVID-induced travel restrictions we face these days. This go-anywhere luxury SUV takes the family road trip to a whole new level. Travelling in a Bentley Bentayga is like getting around in a vessel of seven-star heaven, which is no bad thing given the COVID-induced travel restrictions we face these days. This go-anywhere luxury SUV takes the family road trip to a whole new level.
Two-seater roadsters are all about the thrill of – and passion for – driving, delivering to those in the cockpit all the dynamics from outside, whether the roof’s down or not. The all-new BMW Z4 delivers on this in spades and throws the challenge down to rivals in the Audi TT roadster and Porsche Boxster. Take one look at Z4’s reimagined sleek and sexy body and all you’ll want to do is get in it and drive it. Madam Wheels did just that over a week around autumnal Melbourne, testing the BMW Z4 sDrive20i with M Sport Package. That denotes the model’s entry-level four cylinder with the addition of the Sports Pack from BMW’s high-performance M division. So it packed a punch. Here are five things we particularly love about it.
Electrification is inevitable for cars, so I’m taking every opportunity to create experiences in and collect memories of automotive technology I have grown up loving. Top of that list is the sheer diving pleasure of a whip-fast internal combustion machine, the latest iteration of which I enjoyed recently in the form of a triple whammy - the three cars that make up Maserati’s Trofeo Collection.
Luxury car brands have become increasingly creative in how they woo and retain well-heeled customers, especially using personalisation as an early-engagement enticement. Matching interiors to favourite golf bags, embedding artwork in the centre console, even allowing diamond-studded gearsticks are now par for the course. Well, Rolls-Royce Motor cars has just raised the stakes with the unveiling of the Rolls-Royce Boat Tail, the culmination of a four-year collaboration with some of the British brand’s most important clients.
When you’re into road trips and your daily drive is a twin-turbo V8 Audi RS6, the notion of getting behind the wheel of something silent and electric hasn’t held much appeal, especially given the range issue in a country as big as Australia. But when that car is a Porsche – a brand known for its driver-focused sports cars – and it’s the range-topping, lightening-fast Taycan Turbo S, one can be persuaded to get on board.
COVID-19-induced travel restrictions look like they’ll remain part of life for some time to come, especially by air. That’s bad news for those of us in Melbourne, particularly, still enduring months of enforced local isolation.
I THINK most of us can agree that evolution is a pretty good theory. You might prefer to believe a divine entity created every living thing, all in a hurry, about 6000 years ago, in which case all power to you, even though you quite possibly regard .
