The Best New Electric and Plug-In Cars
Plug-in cars. Prius killers. Diesels that don't stink. Automakers are in a race to earn their green stripes.
Seeing the Scottish Highlands by Luxury Train
A trip back in time through the Scottish Highlands.
BMW Brings Rolls Royce's Ghost Back From the Dead
Ian Robertson, a member of BMW's board of trustees and chairman of Rolls-Royce, is pleased with how the Ghost turned out. "What we didn't want to do was have anyone say that this Rolls-Royce was just a rebadged BMW in a different form," he says. "This is one of the greatest brands the world has ever seen, and it deserves to have its own personality and style."
Bentley and Alpina Hit the Road With Big Speed
Carmakers are in an endless struggle of one-upmanship to offer consistently improved performance and comfort in their flagship sedans. The car that ferries today's elite must be big, commanding, authoritative—a modern-day golden chariot—but without being too ostentatiously gas-guzzling.
Visiting Egypt's Newest Antiquities
King Tut is certainly more famous now than in his own time. The boy king died suddenly at the age of 19, before he could make a monument, or even a name, for himself. But just look at him now. He, or at least his stuff—the gilded masks, the lapis lazuli necklaces, the ornate thrones—is on a second blockbuster tour, traveling the world displayed safely behind glass in grand museums. Meanwhile, the pharaoh himself lies mummified in a decidedly unroyal-looking tomb in Egypt's Valley of the...
Exotic Cars Ramp Up the Speed
Homo sapiens have always coveted the sensation of speed. The Greeks invented competitive running games. U.S. Air Force pilot Chuck Yeager became a national hero the second he went supersonic. And Superman is admired for flying faster than a speeding bullet. But the best hope we mere mortals have of experiencing the same thrill is to drive a sports car.
Bentley Is Back, Faster Than Ever
Thanks to Volkswagen's money and engineering expertise, Bentley is zooming ahead.
The Road to a Racing License
There is no crying in sports-car driving, but I did it anyway. Tears of joy. After a decade and a half of reviewing cars for a living, I had decided to get my racing license.
An Audi for the Road That Drives Like a Race Car
The new year always brings with it automotive nirvana: a rash of new vehicles that are quicker, prettier, and more fuel-efficient than the previous year's.
France or Italy: Who Makes Better Sparkling Wine?
It's mid-September, fall harvest at the Veuve Clicquot vineyard in the ancient hamlet of Verzy in France's Champagne region. I am scooting along the impeccably manicured rows of chardonnay grapes, snipping the dense clusters of fruit and tossing them into a basket.
St-Tropez: Much More Than Just a Tan
I admit to a lifelong obsession with St-Tropez. As a child in the 1960s, I sat riveted to our new color TV, mesmerized by those steamy Bain de Soleil commercials.
Porsche Keeps the Speed and Adds Some Room
What a very bad time to come out with a very good car. The top end of the luxury-car market is down 40 percent this year—even worse than the overall automotive business, which is off about 30 percent.
Learning to Drive Dream Cars
Showy you're not. You don't have the means or the moxie to cruise the Champs-Élysées in a super-flashy SLR McLaren. But secretly, you'd die to do it. Luckily there are ways to drive dream cars that don't require selling your firstborn.World Class Driving (worldclassdriving.com) tours the globe with a dozen exceptional sports cars, giving participants the keys and letting them rip on twisty back roads.
Whirlwind Trips Supply Concentrated Doses of R&R
A holiday needn't be long to be fulfilling. Quickies provide R&R in small doses.
Exotic Cars for Middle Class Millionaires
The rough economy has spawned a new moniker for single-digit millionaires who still may not feel wealthy enough: middle-class millionaires. Most don't belong to jet clubs or wear bespoke suits.
Kitchen Equipment Worthy of a Professional Chef
When it comes to cooking, good equipment can make even the feeblest of talents great. I learned this six years ago when I bought a fancy gas range with burners spewing heat like some kind of wild Hawaiian volcano.
When Celebrity Chefs Take Over Home Kitchens
When I moved into a swank mid-century Hollywood Hills pad last year, I wanted to throw a party befitting my excitement for my new dream home. That ruled out a wienies-and-beans shindig.
New Cookbooks Offer Simple but Flavorful Recipes
The superslouching economy is spurring everyone to return to basics—including some of the world's best-known chefs, who are flooding the market with new cookbooks preaching the simple-is-better mantra.
Dining: Discovering the Tasteful Side of Las Vegas
I am unapologetic about my affection for Las Vegas. Sure, Sin City represents everything that's tacky about America: garish design, fanny-pack-toting tourists, an overabundance of pinkie rings.
For Those Who Win Big, the Perfect Set of Wheels
They don't build those bacchanalian palaces out of thin air, of course. They're assembled with the billions of dollars gamblers let slip from their clutches.
Steve Wynn Practices Restraint in his New Hotel
Sin City's most prolific visionary is at it again. The man behind the Bellagio and, more recently, Wynn Las Vegas is back with Encore, a posh 2,034-room resort on the Strip.
It's All for One at Michael Mina's New L.A. Eatery
Superstar chef Michael Mina's most vibe-filled restaurant yet opened this month on a buzzy stretch of the Sunset Strip. His 14th high-concept fine-dining spot in the United States, this gathering place for Hollywood A-listers is almost too groovy for its own good.
Driving Schools Teach How to Handle Sportscars
I'm a speed junkie. but driving fast on city streets is a no-no, so I took my need for speed to a few international driving schools, where I drove to-die-for exotic cars.
Automobiles: Move Over, Speed Racer
Low, flat and stable on curves even at very high speeds, the Mercedes SL63 coupe features a new 7-speed sports transmission. It shifts quickly and responds like a manual transmission, but with the smoothness of an automatic.
Another Pillow For Your Chocolate, Sir?
Luxury companies scramble to anticipate the skyrocketing expectations of their clientele.
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
It's easy to find the perfect shot of espresso at a neighborhood café. But for those who prefer to drink their first cup of the day in PJs, home brewing is iffier.
Correspondents' Picks: Los Angeles
Who says L.A. has no culture? Our correspondent's picks for enjoying sun-drenched Southern California.
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
It's easy to find the perfect shot of espresso at a neighborhood café. But for those who prefer to drink their first cup of the day while wearing pajamas, home brewing is a bit iffier.
Keeping Up With the Beemers
Audi's inner beauty nearly eclipses its fetching skin on this S5 coupe. For so long, Audi played catch up to BMW's performance machines; lately, it has pulled alongside—if not beaten—its Germany competitor.
Gaining Speed
There's a new game in town for thrill-seekers: a lightning-quick tear down an icy half-pipe. Eight Olympic bobsled tracks around the world are open to the public, allowing adrenaline junkies to pull up to five G's in as many as 20 turns taken at 113 to 129kph.