Taking the wraps off
Last week we brought you an exclusive look at the new Land Rover Discovery 5. Now the company has confirmed that the latest generation will be unveiled officially on September 28, ahead of its full public debut at the Paris Motor Show. Land Rover is still not giving much away though, with its chief design officer Gerry McGovern, saying only: “The new Discovery redefines the large SUV. Land Rover’s design and engineering teams have revolutionised the Discovery DNA to create a highly desirable, extremely versatile and hugely capable premium SUV.”
Land Rover SA is still keeping quiet about the new model and has yet to confirm a local release date. World Championship was involved in a scuffle with Italian Gabrielle Moratti over messages the Northern Irishman sent to Moratti’s exgirlfriend. While no significant injuries resulted from the fight, it turned into eight years of legal drama, partly because Moratti is from one of Italy’s elite families.
The two men, both 48, blamed each other for the fight at the thentrendy Hollywood nightclub and were both found guilty of the strangely Italian crime of “mutual injury”.
Moratti claimed in court that Irvine threw a glass in his face, striking him above the eye, while Irvine told the court he’d been punched two or three times by the Italian while he was seated in the club’s VIP area.
Neither man is expected to actually face jail time, with both sentences expected to be either suspended or will fall beyond the Italian statutes of limitation rules under appeal. Irvine’s legal team has already launched an appeal.
“Only one witness in the trial said that Irvine was the aggressor and he was ruled to be unreliable,” Irvine’s lawyer, Marco Baroncini, said. “Six witnesses for Moratti are to be investigated for false testimony and are sure to be put on trial for that.”
Irvine rose to fame and notoriety for getting into a fight with Ayrton Senna in 1993 after the late legend passed the rookie, only to be shocked to be re-passed by the Jordan driver. Senna sought Irvine out after the race and punched him in the face, but Irvine refused to back down.
Irvine netted a podium finish in his first race for Ferrari in Australia in 1996 and he claimed the first of his four Grand Prix wins there in 1999. A self-made millionaire through his property development interests before he reached Formula 1, Irvine has successfully continued in real estate since he retired after the 2002 season with Jaguar. According to the 2015 Sunday Times rich list, the ex-racer has a net worth of about £80m. Moratti’s father is an oil magnate worth about €1.3bn, while his mother has a resume that includes past positions as mayor of Milan, an Italian government minister, and the head of RAI television (the Italian national broadcaster) and News Corp Europe. MLB Evo platform with the new Q7, Bentley Bentayga and next generation Porsche Cayenne. Like these models, expect a more muscular rear wheel arch as part of a slightly sportier look than the outgoing version. Petrol and diesel engines are expected to remain the same but the Touareg is also likely to be available as a plug-in hybrid in some markets.