There has been a bit of press lately concerning the plight of some celebrities who were denied access to a couple of exclusive high-end boutiques in downtown Vancouver ( the sort that keep their front doors locked to prevent the great unwashed from drifting in) because they had dressed down to the point of appearing indigent. I can’t say that I blame the retailers involved. Although the stores don’t have explicit dress codes, they obviously only want to deal with those who can actually afford their luxury wares. I’ve never had a problem with dress codes: I view them as simply a matter of respect towards others using the establishment, be they shoppers or diners.
Denied service for scruffiness, one has to wonder how these celebs would fare trying to buy a super luxury car these days.?
I’ve blogged before about Ford Motor Co.’s efforts to ensure that only the right type of people were allowed to purchase their Ford GT super car, even going to the lengths of checking out potential customers social media profiles, just make sure they projected the right image of wealth and sophistication.
To ensure that only car enthusiasts, and not crass auto speculators, purchased their cars they also inserted some unusual wording into the sales contract requiring purchasers to retain ownership and not to resell the vehicle within two years. This novel clause is now being tested in the courts as a number of speculators dressed in gentleman’s clothing have succumbed to the lure of easy profits and flipped their rides anyway.
Now comes news that Mercedes-AMG is about to market the next great auto collectors item in the form of the Project One hypercar,-they only intend to make 275 of them at a sticker price of $2.72 million US each! Rumour has it that their sales contact will have a two year hold proviso with significant teeth in it, while over at Aston Martin, buyers of spots on the waiting list for their exclusive Valkyrie HyperCar are being surveiled to ensure they don’t auction off their build slot.
It seems like it’s tougher than ever before to be rich these days !
THE DILETTANTE 