Ralph Lauren's car collection
Discussion
http://www.vanityfair.com/style/features/2011/01/r...
I love the exhaust on this Alfa
And before anyone asks yes, he does drive them
...
. Thanks for the link OP, haven't seen those pics before 
I bought the book speed style and beauty, excellent book, with great photography through out, all the cars are truly works of art. And this is where i think Mr.Laurens collections happens to fall, the man is designer and appreciates the cars as art rather then function which what they were created for, every one of his cars is massively over restored with immaculate paint work usually not in its original colour, this lack of respect for the cars history many of which are one off's, some with important racing history, is quite disappointing to say the least.
They mostly get driven up the concourse at pebble beach once a year, where he usually wins best of show, the Americans don't get patina and history do they?
I wish he was more like jay leno, but if there is a silver lining each car has had a top notch restoration job done on it, which secures them for many years to come, hopefully one day for some who appreciates them as cars and not trophies.
They mostly get driven up the concourse at pebble beach once a year, where he usually wins best of show, the Americans don't get patina and history do they?
I wish he was more like jay leno, but if there is a silver lining each car has had a top notch restoration job done on it, which secures them for many years to come, hopefully one day for some who appreciates them as cars and not trophies.
To me that's a sad car collection, it's clear they are basically museum pieces rather than cars and I feel sorry for all the work the design engineers put into making them drive.
They all look stunning but it just makes me think he's an art collector rather than a car nut. Would he actually care if the engine worked?
They all look stunning but it just makes me think he's an art collector rather than a car nut. Would he actually care if the engine worked?
poing said:
To me that's a sad car collection, it's clear they are basically museum pieces rather than cars and I feel sorry for all the work the design engineers put into making them drive.
They all look stunning but it just makes me think he's an art collector rather than a car nut. Would he actually care if the engine worked?
Worst, "I can't afford it therefore I'm going to try and belittle it" post ever. They all look stunning but it just makes me think he's an art collector rather than a car nut. Would he actually care if the engine worked?
OP also said they're driven.
It's an absolutely fantastic collection. Maybe he does have style.
Prof Prolapse said:
Worst, "I can't afford it therefore I'm going to try and belittle it" post ever.
Please don't judge others by your poor standards.I appreciate and admire the people like Chris Evans that drive their expensive cars. Go look at the link and look closely at the details on many of those cars, they are cleaner underneath than an NHS hospital. That's not the sign of a car that is "driven" properly, perhaps carefully moved but I doubt they are actually driven.
If I had the money then I would like to own a collection like that but I would be very upset with myself if I didn't drive them on public roads with other cars and also on track at speed.
Ralph clearly likes them for different reasons to me, that's fine for him but I still find it a little sad.
poing said:
To me that's a sad car collection, it's clear they are basically museum pieces rather than cars and I feel sorry for all the work the design engineers put into making them drive.
I dunno. I'd be pretty happy if something I'd designed ended up in a museum after it had completed the job it was designed for (ie racing)poing said:
Prof Prolapse said:
Worst, "I can't afford it therefore I'm going to try and belittle it" post ever.
Please don't judge others by your poor standards.I appreciate and admire the people like Chris Evans that drive their expensive cars. Go look at the link and look closely at the details on many of those cars, they are cleaner underneath than an NHS hospital. That's not the sign of a car that is "driven" properly, perhaps carefully moved but I doubt they are actually driven.
If I had the money then I would like to own a collection like that but I would be very upset with myself if I didn't drive them on public roads with other cars and also on track at speed.
Ralph clearly likes them for different reasons to me, that's fine for him but I still find it a little sad.
I think it depends. Some of those cars (like the old Bugatti) look great as plinth-pieces, but stuff like this looks better covered in flies and exhaust fumes:
I'd agree that they look more like investment pieces than a rich petrolheads wet dream, but at the same time- if he's rich enough to buy em all and store them in a custom gallery, he can probbaly pay for someone to clean them up, too.
I'd agree that they look more like investment pieces than a rich petrolheads wet dream, but at the same time- if he's rich enough to buy em all and store them in a custom gallery, he can probbaly pay for someone to clean them up, too.
Edited by glazbagun on Wednesday 22 December 23:34
k.
EK993 said:
Mr Lauren has a small boutique stall in a twee little town called New Canaan near where I live in Connecticut, I go to a great brunch place most Sundays on the same road as his shop. He has been known to turn up at the store from time to time on a Sunday and usually has a very nice piece of exotic machinery with him. I would say he is a car enthusiast.
He's clearly a car nut but from reading the article it's also clear that he puts style first. All I'm saying is that for me the driving experience (however technically bad in some cases) would be my main love with these cars. I was wandering around a car museum a few years ago and got chatting to one of the staff, he was just cleaning a car, he said most of them were used by the owner of the collection, but once returned they get a good clean then put back on display, its still possible to clean mud and grim off a car that's used.
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