This month’s top parties
Only at the annual Yellow Brick Road Charity party can you find so many legendary pop “icons” gathered in one room! Guests enjoyed free-flow champagne, cocktails, wines and whiskys while partaking in games. Best-dressed went to Grace Wong (unrecognisable as Lady Gaga), Kareena and Omesh Fabiani as Yoko Ono and John Lennon, and Kam Sook Wei as Britney Spears. In aid of The Yellow Brick Road Project, the night raised over $150,000, with funds providing support to children whose parents are or have been incarcerated, with the aim to adequately care for and lead them down the correct path in life.
compared with its predecessor. Responses — and, crucially, feedback — have been sharpened, too, so this new RS can now fairly claim to be a proper driver’s car, and over long distances it’s both blisteringly quick as well as surprisingly comfortable, even when Dynamic drive mode is selected. As it’s an Audi, the cabin is, of course, impeccable too.
Mercedes-benz cls
An absolute game-changer when it first appeared in the early 2000s, the Mercedes-benz CLS fourdoor coupe somewhat lost its way when the second generation came around, its added girth and stylistic fussiness contrasting uncomfortably with the purity of the original. Revealed at the LA show, however, the 2018 CLS marks a return to brilliance and desirability, with its sleek, predatory profile, low roofline and flanks that, barring a low, uplifting swage line, are almost totally unadorned — the effect verges on stealth, we think. It goes without saying that the interior is fabulous, with loud echoes of the current E- and S-class, the now-expected double virtual display, any-colour-you-like mood lighting and the option of gorgeous quilted chairs. Engines include the mildly hybridised 3-litre petrol six of the CLS 450 4-matic, with 367bhp and 48-volt electrics that permit coasting as well as turbo overboost functions, but we’re also looking forward to the hyped-up AMG versions, which are bound to follow on later this year and will doubtless provide even greater driving pleasure.
BMW i8 roadster
It’s taken around eight long years for a softtop version of BMW’S advanced, plug-in hybrid i8 sports coupe to become reality (a concept was exhibited way back in 2009), but looking at the results we can confidently say it’s been well worth the wait. Unlike the tin-top, which is claimed to be a 2+2, this new fabric-roof version is strictly for two people only, but the decapitation has worked wonders for the i8’s looks, which now verge on stunning (and it still gets to keep those cool butterflywing doors).
Whether coupe or Roadster, the 2018 i8 features an aluminium chassis and is still powered by a mid-mounted, turbocharged 1.5-litre triple, which produces an extremely creditable 228bhp, while an electric unit powering the front wheels adds a further 141 horses. Range in electriconly mode is now increased to more than 50km, at speeds up to 105km/ h; throw economy to the wind and with that little three-pot racing, the i8 will reach a 250 maximum before the rev limiter kicks in. If this is the way of the future, we like it more than ever.