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Issue No. 39
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High Fashion Car Suits Designers
Vincent Audigier’s GranTurismoOne look at the Maserati GranTurismo is enough to see that it is an exceptionally stylish car. Both exterior and interior were designed by the famed Pininfarina styling house: it is no surprise the hand-crafted creation is beautiful. So when Vincent Audigier was looking to move up from his Porsche Carrera, the GranTurismo was the clear choice. Style is important to Vincent – he is the nephew of Christian Audigier, the creative genius behind the Ed Hardy clothing brand, and Vincent is the company’s Vice President in charge of production.
“I had a Porsche Carrera convertible, and I was looking to move on,” he told us. “I tried the Porsche Turbo, but I just felt that if I bought one, within three weeks I’d feel like I was driving the same car. The Jaguar XKR is beautiful, but I think it’s a notch down. I was looking at the reviews from Detroit and Geneva, and the GranTurismo was everywhere; I thought, that looks great, one day perhaps they will make a car like that which I can afford. Then I saw the price, and I couldn’t believe it – I actually called the dealer, to make sure they hadn’t made a mistake!”
We met Vincent at the Audigier corporate offices, in Culver City, California; just ten minutes before we arrived, the building had virtually been under siege as one of their clients, Britney Spears had paid them a visit. As he led us through the bustling offices there were participants in the MTV show Making the Band trying on some Ed Hardy jackets; elsewhere there was an ‘extreme fighting’ world champion, socializing with the staff. The whole place had an extremely cool, hip feeling to it; the walls were adorned with all kinds of items, from enormous pieces of clothing to slogans. And since Vincent’s ‘office’ was a vast open-plan area, with clothing rails scattered around, he led us somewhere quieter for our chat – the roof of the building!
“It was definitely the style which got me interested in the car, and the luxury caught me when I was looking at it,” Vincent explained. “But why a Maserati? Well, I think that a lot of people, when they start to have some money, just go out and buy a Ferrari – not because they know about cars, but because of the badge. For me, Ferraris are too basic – my uncle, Christian, has a Ferrari, and it just feels to me like even the air conditioning is an option! But when I looked at the GranTurismo, I just thought that it had everything – heated seats, electric seats, sat nav, a CD ripper – it’s like a super BMW, with a Ferrari engine. So I didn’t buy it because it was a Maserati, but because of the looks, the style, the luxury and the equipment.”
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The striking designs of the clothing produced by the company are based on the art of Don Ed Hardy, the ‘godfather of modern tattoo’. Mixing dragons and skulls, luminous flowers and hearts, the Ed Hardy brand has some fanatical devotees – Britney Spears, Madonna and Kanye West are among those often seen wearing the unique, distinctive clothing. We asked Vincent whether he thought the GranTurismo image fitted in such an image-conscious industry. “Well, I work in the back room, so my image doesn’t matter at all,” he laughed. “But yes, for me, I think this car is really… bad-ass. Our company is hip, it’s edgy, it’s cool, it’s marketing driven – it’s about the image, celebrities, Hollywood. The Maserati is right there, it fits really well – this car is perfect for that.”
“I think that Maserati ‘get it’ – they really understand the market,” he continued. “With the GranTurismo, they have created something which didn’t exist; I don’t think this car has any competition. I tell people that this is the GranTurismo – everything else is just a car. What do you compare it to – what else brings you the power, the looks, the rear seats and the trunk space? To get this kind of value, with such a prestigious name and a similar package, you’re looking at the Ferrari 599 GTB, the Bentley Continental GT, the Aston Martin Vanquish – and they’re all much more expensive.”
Vincent uses his GranTurismo as his daily driver – something which gave him a great experience. “One Saturday, my uncle asked me to go down to Beverly Hills to check out a store; Beverly Drive was closed, so I had to take Rodeo Drive,” he told us. “I’ve never had so many people taking pictures of me – there were people running across the street, one guy ran a red light and almost got run down! There was a yellow Rolls-Royce Phantom parked there, with people taking pictures; one woman was posing with it for her husband to take her picture, but when she saw my car, she wanted her photo taken with the Maserati. It makes me feel good to drive it - I don’t want to sound corny, but people are actually nice. Living here in California, I feel that people respect other people’s success. So I get thumbs up, they smile – I’m a nice guy, I have a nice face, so they don’t think I’m a jerk. People are smiling and happy, and people have told me congratulations, you deserve it.”
No wonder Vincent is so pleased with his Maserati – it makes him feel good, it puts a smile on people’s faces, and it’s a perfect fit for the hip, cool Christian Audigier company. Pay a visit to your local authorized Maserati dealer – and become a leader, rather than a dedicated follower, of fashion.
Favorite drink, wine or spirit: Caipirinha or mojito
Favorite meal: Sushi
Favorite TV show of all time: The Wire
Favorite movie: Top Gun and Phenomenon
Favorite book: The Five People you Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albom
Favorite hobby: Soccer – I like to play that
Favorite vacation spot: Bora Bora
What place would you most like to visit for the first time: Phuket, Thailand
To what place do you most like to return: Avignon, France
Which figure from history would you most like to meet: I’d love to have a dinner with Dalai Lama, Osama bin Laden, Jesus Christ and Ali Khameini, the Supreme Leader of Iran – that would be an interesting chat! If I had to pick just one, I would like to meet Buddha.
If you had to change professions, what would it be: Film director
What do you still intend to accomplish: Build a family
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