Ein Beispiel „CRESTRON TPM 8X“

Um vollendete Technik auch emotional perfekt zu gestalten, hat TESTA MOTARI® einige Produkte für das Haus „Crestron“ veredelt. Beispielsweise wurde der „CRESTRON TPM 8X“ der hauptsächlich zur Steuerung von moderner Yacht- und Haustechnik verwendet wird, mit ausgesuchten Materialien haptisch und optisch an gehobene Ansprüche angepasst. Yachteigner steuern mit dem Gerät die Technik an Bord, und Home-Entertainment-Fans können beispielsweise Ihre Heim-Kino-Anlage damit bedienen. Um dem Benutzer eine besondere Wertigkeit bieten zu können, hat TESTA MOTARI® bei der Materialauswahl als auch bei der Verarbeitung nur höchste Qualitätsansprüche zu Grunde gelegt. Die Griffflächen sind mit edlem handvernähten Nappa-Leder bezogen und auf die Gehäuse-Front wurde poliertes Wenge-Holz aufgebracht. Die Docking-Station und die Gerät-Rückseite wurden klassisch mit schwarzem Klavierlack lackiert.

Intelligente Terminals im Edelgehäuse

Intelligente Terminals die als Steuereinheit für Yachten eingesetzt werden, hat TESTA MOTARI® individuell an die Wünsche der Firma „Leatec“ angepasst. „Leatec“ stattet hochwertige Yachten mit aufwendiger Multi-Media-Technik aus. Dabei werden von TESTA MOTARI® maßgeschneiderte TV-Geräte, Controll-Panels, Einbauhalterungen und Docking-Stations entworfen und produziert. Vom Leder, über die Holzart, bis hin zur individuellen Beschriftung wird alles perfekt an die Gestaltung der Yacht angepasst.

Möbel und Designobjekte

TESTA MOTARI® gestaltet ferner auch exklusive und einzigartige Möbelstücke. Diese stellen nicht nur profane Gebrauchsgegenstände dar, sondern bieten eine eindrucksvolle Möglichkeit um individuellen Geschmack wirkungsvoll an Objekten umzusetzen. Auch hierbei werden die Wünsche des Kunden und die Umgebungsbedingungen in die Design-Planung einbezogen. Die ausgesuchten Materialkombinationen in Verbindung mit solider Handwerkskunst geben den Design-Objekten ihren besonderen Charme. TESTA MOTARI® versucht gerne unkonventionelle Lösungen zu finden. Form- und Farbgebung und die Haptik der Oberflächen werden so miteinander kombiniert, dass einzigartige aber dennoch funktionelle Objekte entstehen.

Quelle: TESTA MOTARI®

Supplied from: aaa-dir.ch luxury goods

Lotus Clark Type 25 Elise SC

Lotus Cup Europe has a new organiser and follows a new format with a six round, twelve race calendar for the 2009 season The series will be organised and run by LoTRDC who, with MotorSport Vision Racing run the successful “Elise Trophy” race series in the UK. LoTRDC and MotorSport Vision are independent companies not connected with Lotus. The Proposed Calendar will have drivers racing on some of the most prestigious and demanding circuits in Europe:

The provisional calendar is as follows:
• Donington Park (UK)
• Le Mans (France) or Zolder (Belgium)
• Zandvoort (Holland)
• Brands Hatch Grand Prix (UK)
• Dijon-Prenois (France)
• Spa Francorchamps (Belgium)

The calendar and race regulations for Lotus Cup Europe will be finalised by November; it is expected that there will be three classes available to ensure that the majority of Lotus owners across Europe can compete. The 2-Eleven and the new 2009 Model Year Lotus Exige Cup 260 will also be eligible. For 2009, Lotus Cup Europe will have a different format from the past race series as follows:

20 minutes qualifying

Race 1 (minimum 20 minutes duration)

Race 2 (minimum 20 minutes duration)

The grid will consist of Lotus product only and all cars will run on Yokohama A048 LTS tyres.

Paul Golding, LoTRDC Director and Series Coordinator commented: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the Lotus Cup Europe series, the Elise Trophy that we run in the UK has been going from strength to strength. The series has had the privilege to be the support races at such events as A1 GP and DTM within its first two years. With full grids, a top class calendar and a large spectator following it has become the premier club series in the UK. Our aim is to take all our learning from this and bring it to the Lotus Cup Europe series. The sharing of 4 of the calendar events also gives us the opportunity to make this a friendly and financially viable series for those wishing to compete across Europe.“ Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive Officer for Group Lotus comments, “Lotus founder, Colin Chapman started out racing even before he built road cars and it is vitally important that Lotus remains the marque of choice for clubman racers around the world and all our current range of Elise, Exige and 2-Eleven cars will be competitive in this series. There is no better sportscar marque to race with – you never know, you may end up following in the illustrious footsteps of Nigel Mansell, Emerson Fitipaldi, Ayrton Senna, Graham Hill or Jim Clark who all cut their teeth with Lotus over the years.” Roger Becker, Director of Vehicle Engineering, explains why Lotus cars are perfect for racing, “Racing cars are the foundations of Lotus and history both identifies and records this fact. Through his genius and ingenuity, Colin Chapman created a racing heritage that we continue to uphold with great pride. In every Lotus product there is not only the ability to race at a rewarding pace, there is the facility of being able to drive the car to and from the event as well. We are proud of the Elise, Exige and 2- Eleven racecars for which the Elise Trophy and Lotus Cup Europe race programs have been created and owners now have increased opportunity to exploit their cars and skills on the racetrack.”

More Information: www.LotusCupEurope.com

About LoTDRC
LoTRDC Ltd will organise and run the Lotus Cup Europe in 2009. LoTRDC is an independent company not connected with Lotus Cars Ltd.

LoTRDC organise and promote the Lotus on Track Elise Trophy in conjunction with MSVR – the racing club division of MotorSport Vision – owners of Brands Hatch and four other major circuits. The Elise Trophy was the success story of UK motor sport in 2007 with full grids and quality meetings across the UK. 2008 has seen the Elise Trophy go from strength to strength with over 60 cars entering rounds regularly meaning two separate grids have been required at most rounds. With one of the best calendars in UK motor sport the Elise Trophy has supported major events such as DTM and the final round of this years A1GP. In addition the series has headlined a number of Lotus Celebration events and has the largest spectator following of any club series in the UK thanks to support from the Lotus community.

More Information: www.elisetrophy.com
More Information: www.msvracing.co.uk
More Information: www.motorsportvision.co.uk

About Lotus
The main operating subsidiary of Group Lotus plc is Lotus Cars Ltd, which has two operating divisions – Lotus Engineering and Lotus Cars. Lotus Engineering is an internationally recognised automotive engineering consultancy based in Norfolk, UK. Global facilities include those in Michigan (USA), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), China and offices in Germany and Japan. Lotus Engineering provides comprehensive and versatile consultancy services to many of the world’s OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, offering a full engineering service from initial concept and project design through development and integration of the complete vehicle to meet all worldwide markets and customers to full production. This includes third party ‘niche vehicle’ engineering and manufacture worldwide.

Lotus Cars builds world class, prestige, high performance sports cars for sale in 37 countries. These include the iconic Lotus Elise, and the Exige and Europa. Lotus is a global high-tech company, expanding rapidly and committed to driving forward technology for both Lotus Cars and its Engineering clients, spearheading research into such areas as hybrids, electric vehicles and renewable fuels.

About the 2009 Model Year Lotus Exige Cup 260
A direct development of the 2008 Exige Cup Car, this year’s car uses advanced light weight components and carbon fibre body material, to reduce the overall weight by 38 kg to a total mass less than 900 kg. Maximum power output of 257 hp (260 PS), remains the same as the 2008 car, but with careful attention to weight reduction detail, the 2009 Model Year Exige Cup 260 provides a more agile and dynamic track focussed drive and is more than capable of taming Europe’s most challenging race circuits. Unusually for such a focused track and road machine, the 2009 Model Year Exige Cup 260 is fully homologated for road use in Europe and key markets in Asia – a must have for many race competition programmes where a road legal car has to be entered.

2009 Model Year Lotus Exige Cup 260
CO2 emissions – 216 g/km. Combined fuel consumption – 31 mpg (9.1 l/100 km)

Le Meurice has been around for over two centuries, and its current clientele as well as its historical patrons speak for its significance in Paris. The history of the hotel begins in 1771 in Calais, where upper class British travelers on their way to Paris would arrive after crossing the Straits of Dover. There, an enterprising regional postmaster,
Charles-Augustin Meurice (1739-1820), welcomed them to French shores, putting them up in his Calais coach inn, and arranging rides to Paris aboard his coach service. It was a 36-hour trip, and Meurice built a second coach inn in Paris in 1817 to welcome the weary travelers upon arrival. Le Meurice moved in 1835 to its present site, one of the most fashionable locales of the city, overlooking the historic Tuileries Garden.

Over the years, the Paris hotel developed a reputation for lavish entertainment, with dinners lasting from eight in the evening until eight the next morning. One guest recalled a luncheon “where they only served hard-boiled eggs from the rarest birds, ranging from partridge eggs to swan eggs.”

Because so many British travelers stayed at Le Meurice where all the staff spoke English, by the 19th century the hotel was nicknamed “City of London.” English author W. M. Thackeray once wrote, “If you don’t speak a word of French, if you like English comfort, clean rooms, breakfast and maîtres d’hôtel; if in a foreign land, you want your fellow countrymen around you, your brown beer, your friend and your cognac – and your water – do not listen to any of the messengers but with your best British accent cry heartily: ‘Meurice!’ and immediately, someone will come forward to drive you straight to the rue de Rivoli.”

The hotel of kings and queens

The hotel’s fame grew during the century. A newspaper clipping from 1855 mentions that Queen Victoria stayed at Le Meurice while in Paris. Russian composer Peter llitch Tchaikovsky stayed at the Meurice when giving a concert nearby. Toward the end of the century, the hotel’s regular clients were the elite aristocracy. A limited liability company named the “Hôtel Meurice” was formed in 1898 to own and operate the hotel. Arthur Millon, who headed the new company, and his director, Mr. Schwenter, responded to the expectations of their privileged guests by providing luxurious facilities and by undertaking a major renovation of the property in 1905.

The extensive two-year renovation and enlargement gave the property its modern day appearance and amenities such as individual private baths. The renovation cost 8 million francs – a princely sum for the time. The investment clinched the hotel’s appeal to a privileged clientele, however.

During the renovation, the workers took in a stray dog, a greyhound. It was adopted by the hotel’s personnel and thus became its mascot. A second greyhound was added to accompany the first, forming the emblem of Le Meurice that is still the symbol throughout the hotel today.

The King of Spain, Alphonse XIII, was one of the first people to book rooms at Le Meurice after the completed 1905-1907 renovation. He stayed regularly in Suite 106-8, bringing his own furniture. The King of Montenegro, the Prince de Galles, King George VI, French President Doumergue, the Sultan of Zanzibar, the Maharaja of Jaïpur, and the Grand Duchess of Russia also were regular guests of the hotel, which came to be called the Hôtel des Rois (Hotel of the Kings).

While dining on the 18th of October, 1908, King Alphonse XIII and his queen enjoyed this menu:

Consommé Viveur
Turbotin au Champagne
Cassolettes de Queues d’Ecrevisse
Coeur de Filet de Boeuf La Vallière
Cailles aux Feuilles de Vigne
Salade Française
Soufflé Tolédo
Gourmandises

The crème de la crème of Parisian society would gather on the seventh floor of the hotel to dine in the Roof Garden restaurant, or to bask in the natural light streaming through the glass roof of the Louis XVI lounge. The hotel also organized theater performances inside the establishment, such as “Cyrano de Bergerac” in 1912.

During World War I, the hotel closed for several months and it served for a time as a hospital for wounded soldiers.

The 1920s to World War II

At the beginning of the 1920s, Le Meurice’s international reputation sparkled. Media were impressed by the hotel’s elaborate Louis XVI décor. Mr. Schwenter advertised abroad, helping to develop tourism in France. He was rewarded in 1923 when he became Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, and in 1931, an Officier de la Légion d’Honneur. Picasso and his wife Olga Koklova selected Le Meurice to host their wedding dinner. In 1925, there was no hesitation as to which hotel King Albert would choose .

Stylish ads from the 1920s showed a conspicuously upper-crust clientele dining and dancing in the Meurice’s rooftop garden, overlooking the glamour of nighttime Paris. A number of rulers have found comfort at Le Meurice after leaving or being forced from their seats of power. In 1931, after Alphonse XIII was dethroned, he took refuge at Le Meurice under the name of the Duc de Tolède with all of the royal family. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor also retreated to Le Meurice. The King of Montenegro checked in after being chased from his kingdom, and the Shah of Iran was actually dethroned during his stay at Le Meurice !

Until the 1950s, the Parisian press regularly chronicled the comings and goings of aristocracy from countries ranging from Austria to Zanzibar. Famous guests have included President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Dukes and Duchesses of Windsor, Kent, York, and Marlborough; the Baron de Rothschild, Sir Anthony Eden; and the rulers of Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Greece, Iran, Italy, Serbia, Montenegro, Jordan, Romania, Russia, and Thailand.

After the war

In 1947, Le Meurice undertook another restoration, and, once again, attracted the international clientele that it had before the war.

In 1965, the Salon Louis XVI was transformed into the Salon des Quatre Saisons; its glass roof was replaced with a painted ceiling that represented the vault of heaven and four statues symbolizing the seasons were installed.

The Dali anecdotes

One of the hotel’s most outrageous guests was the surrealist painter Salvador Dali, who spent at least one month per year at Le Meurice. His behavior could also be surrealistic: once he demanded that a herd of sheep be brought to his room, and upon their arrival, Dali took out his pistol and shot at them. Luckily, the gun was filled with blank bullets.

Another time, he requested a horse. Yet another time, he asked the staff to capture flies for him in the Tuileries Gardens, paying them five francs per fly. Dali was a regular at Le Meurice. He became close to certain members of the staff, whom he would give autographed lithographs of his work as a Christmas tip.

Florence Jay Gould

In the 1970s, Florence Jay Gould (wife of railroad magnate and financier Jay Gould) lived at Le Meurice and organized literary luncheons there. She created two literary prizes and developed the hotel’s reputation as a magnet for the literary set, which included André Gide, François Mauriac, and the young Roger Nimier. The hotel maintains its connection with leading writers today.

Notable Guests

Artists, writers, musicians, and intellectuals who have stayed at Le Meurice include Giorgio de Chirico, Rudyard Kipling, Walter Lippmann, Yehudi Menuhin, Liza Minnelli, Seiji Ozawa, Anne-Sophie Mutter, and Placido Domingo. Past guests also include film stars and directors such as Orson Welles, Franco Zeffirelli, Fernandel, Mike Todd, Eddie Fisher, Ginger Rogers, Yul Brynner, Elizabeth Taylor, and Richard Burton. The Meurice’s sumptuous décor has also been a setting for several films, including Mata Hari and Julia, directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Jane Fonda. The hotel’s salons have hosted many of high society’s celebrations, including Coco Chanel’s glittering receptions in the 1930s. Parisian houses of haute couture including Chanel and Guy Laroche have staged receptions and fashion shows in the Meurice’s salons.

Celebrity royals prefer Le Meurice today, a testament to the hotel’s continued status as the accommodation of choice in the City of Lights. Its tradition of unsurpassed beauty, attention to detail, and excellent services sustains its popularity and prestige.

For further information on Le Meurice, please contact:

Le Meurice
228 rue de Rivoli – 75001, Paris, France
Tel: + 33 1 44 58 10 28
Fax: + 33 1 44 58 10 19

www.lemeurice.com

Provided by gh consulting – gordian hense

The AGS FORMULE 1 fleet consisting of 15 F1 (AGS, ARROWS, PROST, JORDAN and 2 two-seaters), the 905 PEUGEOT World Champion and winner of the Le Mans 24-Hour Race, 11 single-seater Opel-Lotus, and a PEUGEOT 406 SUPERTOURISM (French BTCC), this is, without doubt, one of the most prestigious fleets in the world.
From the gear clutch to the paddle change, the wide range of technology at your disposal represents the full spectrum of technical developments which have made their mark on the history of motor racing.
This range enables us to offer you a wide selection of courses: “Grand Prix” , “Hi-Tech”, “Masters”, “Discovery”. You choose the circuit which best meets your expectations.

Your day includes:
The complete driver’s equipment (crash helmet, gloves, racing overalls, balaclava, racing boots, all FIA approved) access to the circuit, safety measures, availability of the Opel-Lotus and Formula 1 single-seaters, access to the bar, and the driver’s meal. Guests with an ‘AGS VIP’ pass can visit the stands and the bar, visit the workshop and take a closer look at the track.

You will find more information at:

AGS Formule 1
Z.A. du circuit du Var
83590 GONFARON France

Telephone : 33 494 60 97 00

Fax : 33 494 60 90 45

E-mail : mail@agsformule1.com
Web: www.agsformule1.com