Bird? Plane? No, the Samson Switchblade is a flying sports car

It may still be listed as an ‘experimental aircraft’ but that has not lessened the interest in the intriguing Switchblade.

By Larry Bean 02/10/2017

Ten years ago, before he established Samson Motors, in Meadow Vista, California, Sam Bousfield was on the verge of developing a prop plane that could break the sound barrier. “I was an architect for 25 years and toward the last part of it, I started doing more and more inventions, because anyone who gets good at something, after a while you start to see how things could improve. Some of my inventions were related to the building-and-construction trade, and some were related to one of my passions, flight. One invention in particular got the attention of some Boeing engineers.”

He began working with those engineers to develop a wing that would enable a prop plane to achieve Mach 1. “We got to the point where we could really do it,” says Bousfield.

Seeking to advance the aircraft from theory to reality, he pitched the idea to Steve Fossett, the entrepreneur, aviator, and adventurer. Bousfield says Fossett agreed to support project, but two months later, he was killed when the light aircraft he was piloting crashed into the Sierra Nevada mountains in California.

Shortly after Steve Fossett’s death, you started working on the Switchblade. What prompted you to do that?

I had to push the reset button and try to figure out what to do. I had this idea, but it takes a guy like Steve Fossett to pull it off. I just got to looking at aviation and said, “What does aviation really need?” In my mind, it needed to be something more useful, something you could use every day, not just something that you do on weekends to spend money. I realised that the future of transportation is in the air. You have The Jetsons, The Fifth Element, Star Wars, Star Trek — almost every TV show or movie that deals with the future sees us all up in the air. I was thinking that’s where we’re headed. But how do we get there? What’s an in-between step that we could do now? Then I came up with the idea for the Switchblade.

Is it called the Switchblade because it can switch from being a car to a plane?

Mostly the name has to do with the way the wings swing out from the belly like the blade of a pocketknife. And they disappear into the body when the vehicle is on the ground.

So when the wings swing in, they’re fully protected?

Yes, and the tail as well. It’s tucked up inside the vehicle’s backend and under the fan. Behind that is the bumper, which you would hit if you were to back into something or someone else were to tap against you.

So when you’re flying, you don’t have to worry that while the vehicle was in the parking lot someone might have bumped into it and damaged the wing without leaving a note on the windshield?

Yes, because that would not be good.

I’ve seen the Switchblade called a flying sports car and a flying motorcycle. Which do you prefer?

We like flying sports car, even though we’re classified as a motorcycle in the United States because of the three wheels. Motorcycle-manufacturing regulations are minuscule compared to those of a car. That’s one reason why we were so thankful that we picked this category when we searched for the most viable configuration for a vehicle.

That will make it easier to pass muster with the Department of Transportation?

You have two sets of rules, the DOT’s and the FAA’s [Federal Aviation Administration]. If one changes when you’re designing or engineering your vehicle, you’re back at the drawing board. But by having the motorcycle regulations, which are less challenging to meet than those for a car, you can focus more on meeting the FAA regulations and still make a go of it.

Initially at least, your plan is to sell this as an experimental aircraft, correct?

Yes. There are two reasons for that, one of which is marketing and sales. There are more experimental aircraft built and registered each year than all certified aircraft combined. It is the biggest selling component of the industry. That’s where you find the people with cutting-edge technology. The guys who want the latest and greatest can’t get it in the certified world, because it takes too long to go through that process. It takes many millions of dollars and years and years of the certification process. And then you’re fixed. You can’t change the design.

So by presenting the Switchblade as an experimental aircraft, you don’t have to wait for the FAA to certify it before putting it on the market.

Correct. Even if we sought certification as a light-sport model, it would still be a pretty small box we’d have to fit it into. A light-sport aircraft cannot fly faster than a certain speed. It has to be able to land at a certain minimum speed. It can’t exceed a certain weight. We wanted to find the biggest box we could, the biggest space in which to operate. Experimental is that box for the air and motorcycles for the ground.

__Is it true that you’re hoping to make the first flight by the end of this year?
__

Yes, by the end of this year. We’re pushing it back a little. We wanted to do it in the fall, but I think we’re going to push harder to get our final transmission before we make the first flight. I researched all over eBay, but nobody has a flying-car transmission, so we had to design our own, and that takes a little bit of time.

Did you try Walmart?

I didn’t check there, but I doubt they have one. Ours is a really nice, high-speed automated manual. You can get up to takeoff speed in just seconds because the Switchblade has the power-to-weight ratio of a 2017 Corvette. So you can use shorter runways, or you can have more airfield in front of you to handle any emergency that crops up.

The specs say the Switchblade will accelerate from zero to 96 km/h in 6.5 seconds and travel at more than 160 km/h on the ground. In the air, it will cruise at 250 km/h and reach a top speed of 280 km/h. Are those figures still accurate?

Wind tunnels and ground testing have proven our performance goals. We used the wind tunnels that Boeing and Cessna and everybody else uses to establish within 3 percent what the actual speeds will be. On the ground, we used Road & Track’s standard slalom course: eight cones 30.5 metres apart. We beat the times of everything in their database with a similar wheelbase. We had three wheels and others had four, but we beat everything.

What are the dimensions of the Switchblade?

It’s 5 metres long, just slightly longer than a Honda Accord, and it’s about 1.8 metres, which is the same as a typical automobile.

So it will fit in a garage?

Absolutely. It will fit right into a normal-size home garage.

The cost is US$140,000 ($A178,830), and that includes the engine, the transmission, and the optional builder-assist program. How much interest have you received from customers or prospective customers?

We’ve pre-sold 60, and 90 per cent of those include the builder-assist program. With the program, if you can spend three weeks with us, at the end you’ll have a fully completed vehicle off the assembly line — with quality-control checks along the way — and all the paperwork filled out for your registration. It’s a complete package. We have about another 240 orders on a reservation list, and we’re offering 200 Limited Edition models.

What are the Limited Editions?

They start at US$500,000 ($A638,700). Each of these vehicles will be a unique creation, with aesthetically crafted interiors and exclusive exterior features for each owner. Although, this is an aircraft, and so there are certain limits on what we can do.

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One of Hollywood’s Favorite Bespoke Tailors Is Making His First Ready-to-Wear Line

Leonard Logsdail, who’s dressed everyone from Denzel Washington to Robert De Niro, is finally going off the rack.
Published on January 18, 2025

By Caroline Reilly 24/01/2025

When Hollywood’s best-dressed men need suits—to wear on-screen or off—they call Leonard Logsdail. The English-born, New York–based bespoke tailor had already cultivated an enviable legacy by the time he dressed Robert de Niro in 2006’s The Good Shepherd.

In 1971, after graduating from what is now the London College of Fashion, he became the youngest person to open his own store on Savile Row. He set up shop in Manhattan 20 years later and has since dressed everyone from Al Pacino to Hugh Jackman. A lengthy list of devoted clients suggests the long lead time for one of his $15,000 rigs is worth it.

If you like his strong-shouldered look but want to skip making the dozens of decisions bespoke commissions require, you’re in luck. This year, Logsdail will begin offering a line of ready-to-wear jackets, available for purchase directly via his website.

“It’s an idea that’s been percolating for years,” Logsdail tells Robb Report. The result of his ruminations is timeless and essential: a two-button jacket with a double vent, using the same pattern he has employed countless times to give actors such as Denzel Washington (American Gangster) and Michael Douglas (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) a commanding on-screen presence. It’s all about the shape, he says of the jacket’s leading-man look. There will be “a little bit of waisting,” so it flatters guys of all sizes.

Leonard Logsdail created the suits for Denzel Washington in American Gangster

Fabric options include a classic navy from the same Vitale Barberis Canonico textiles Logsdail uses in his bespoke garments; beautiful tweeds made at the Lovat Mill in Hawick, Scotland (the best tweeds out there, in his opinion); and a solid-blue Japanese seersucker. In a nod to his ancestry, he’ll use an 1888 painting by distant relative William Logsdail, St Martin-in-the-Fields, for the lining.

Leonard Logsdail created the suits for Leonardo DiCaprio in the Wolf of Wall Street.

The choice underscores that the venture is as much personal as it is professional. The jackets, priced under $2,000, will help him reach a wider audience. But his business is a family affair: Two of Logsdail’s sons and one of his daughters help run it, handling everything from marketing to web design. One lesson he hopes to pass on with his uncomplicated, refined approach? “Fashion goes out of style,” he says. “But style does not go out of fashion.”

Leonard Logsdail

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Forget a Bow Tie. Here Are 3 Black-Tie Accessories to Rock Instead

Stylist Tom Stubbs on ditching the bow tie this festive season—and what to wear alternatively.

By Tom Stubbs 21/01/2025

Black tie, that essential marker of an increasingly rarefied ceremonial style, is inspiring. Nothing coaxes men into upping the sartorial ante quite like reading those words on an invitation. I say amen to raising the bar, but I can’t bear wearing a traditional bow tie—and haven’t done so for over a decade.

Around the turn of the millennium, I was enthusiastically dress-code obedient, but two unstoppable forces put me off: Fashion moved on, and I got old. Where abiding by hallowed traditions once felt exalted, it suddenly began to seem restrictive and stuffy. And while it was extraordinary to be a bow-tied 30-something, in my 40s, the convention made me feel like a pompous, conservative square. Now, menswear has changed so much that bow ties register as pedestrian garb better suited to waiters than to revellers.

Fortunately, there are several black-tie alternatives that excite and inspire me now that I’m well into my 50s—many espoused by stylish guys on the red carpet and innovative designers in London, Paris, Florence, and Milan. And though I might take a bow on nonconformism as I step into my 60s, I still plan to steer clear of the bow tie, that ultimate symbol of gentlemanly customs, for as long as I can. Here’s what I’m replacing it with.

Form and Function

I got excited seeing Lemaire’s slim metallic modernised bolo ties in the house’s fall 2024 show. A favourite of men as varied as Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, and Snoop Dogg, the bolo is perhaps best remembered as the chosen neckwear of John Travolta’s surly hit man, Vincent, in Pulp Fiction. Originally, Native American tribes including the Zuni, Hopi, and Navajo used these accessories used to fasten bandannas with plaited-leather cords. High-end versions double as a bit of jewellery, with silver slides set with turquoise and often engraved with animal motifs, including buffalo skulls and eagles. Contemporary takes abound, but vintage sleuthing can turn up some particularly beguiling options.

From left to right: Lemaire’s bolo on the runway; Bruce Springsteen ditching the bow tie in 1988; Lemaire’s silver bolo-tie necklace, $640. Getty Images/Courtesy of Lemaire

Gambling Man

A gambler from London’s La Bowtique, about $516 Courtesy of La Bowtique

Varying in size, flounce, and attitude, ribbon ties—also called gambler or Kentucky neckties—have long been a legitimate black-tie alternative. Actor Cillian Murphy has worn Saint Laurent’s take to various award shows, looking stand-alone chic and authentically cool. They have a distinct Western energy—Kirk Douglas donned one as Doc Holliday in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, as did Robert Vaughan in The Magnificent Seven. But they’re as much rock star as they are gunslinger: The late Johnny Thunders of the New York Dolls and Bauhaus front man Peter Murphy (style role models of mine) also wore them with panache. Take a note from the runway and wear them with a pair of boots—cowboy, Chelsea, or with a Cuban heel—to really step away from the standard.

Fit to Be Tied

From left to right: Lemaire’s bolo on the runway; Bruce Springsteen ditching the bow tie in 1988; Lemaire’s silver bolo-tie necklace, $1024.
Getty Images/Courtesy of Lemaire

If you want to give yourself some breathing room, consider scarves and neckerchiefs. This fall, Tom Ford proposed a louche take on evening style, using black, slim-plaited, or delicately sequined scarves whose long tassels provocatively dangle at the hips. For maximum effect, the brand styled them with open satin shirts, recalling rockers Mick Jagger and Rod Stewart. London’s La Bowtique also does beautiful outsize bows. On a smaller scale, the Twilly—a short silk scarf pioneered by Hermès—works in much the same manner. The French maison makes gorgeous options with angled ends for extra verve, whether hanging loose or more discreetly knotted.

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Show Stoppers

The Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance—a beauty pageant for priceless classic cars—returns for another instalment at the city’s most intriguing, and unlikeliest, venue.

By Vince Jackson 15/01/2025

The logic behind staging a prestige automobile show on an island may, at face value, seem warped—history tells us that cars and water do not play nicely. The rationale twists further when said piece of land is a former shipyard that is, aesthetically, more workhorse ute than classic Ferrari. 

Scratch beneath the surface, however, and the decision to plant the Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance on Cockatoo Island for the second year running begins to make locational sense: the steel arch of the emblematic bridge acting as photogenic backcloth; the UNESCO World Heritage site’s previous guises as 19th-century penal colony and eminent boat-building facility fleshing the show’s historical bones; the theatre of watching collectors delicately coaxing their four-wheeled artworks off a rusty roll-on/roll-off barge in the islet’s wharf before showtime. (After all, if owning a car in this stratosphere isn’t about projecting drama, then what’s the point?) 

Throw in an endless endowment of free Champagne for guests and VIP transport from the mainland via superyacht, and it barely matters that the three-day jamboree is, in the words of founder and curator James Nicholls, “a logistical nightmare”.

“People love the energy, the adventure” says the Anglo-Italian, a broadcaster, writer and photographer whose extensive resume includes various stints as a concours judge across the world. “There’s a great contrast between the luxurious motor cars and the industrial environment. The Turbine Shop [a timeworn, hanger-like space used to display the vehicles] is where ocean-going liners and propellers were built. People interested in cars are also interested in that kind of thing but it’s just a backdrop. Cars are the main focal point.”

The concours d’elegance concept (“concours” means “competition” in French) can be traced back to 17th-century Paris, when aristocrats would flaunt horse-drawn carriages in local parks during summer months. Animals eventually gave way to automobiles, and the gatherings mutated into more organised contests in which these new-fangled contraptions were, in somewhat prescient fashion, judged solely on the appearance. The trend spread throughout European high society, before reaching America in 1950 with an inaugural pageant at Pebble Beach, California—a concours which has since evolved into a behemoth of the species, now billing itself as “the world’s most prestigious car show” and drawing 214 vehicles and spectators in the low five figures at the last annual meeting. Other concours are thriving globally, from spectacles in Lake Como in Italy (the longest running event, launched in 1929) to Udaipur in India. Vanity, it seems, remains in vogue.

Among this storied company, Sydney’s interpretation is playing catch-up. But Nicholls insists the local variant—launched in 2019, having occupied three other citywide locations—has no intention of locking horns with competitors. Not numerically, at least. 

“In 2024, we had 500 people over the three days; this year we’ll aim for 750. But we’re never going to become a 20,000-people show,” he says. “We want it to be bespoke and beautiful, so people don’t have to queue for a glass of Champagne. You can talk to the car owners, and everyone feels like a VIP.” The overarching aim is to become a “destination event” on the socialite calendar, on par with the Melbourne Cup or the Australian Grand Prix.

While keen to keep paying visitors guessing, Nicholls offers Robb Report a sneak peek into some of the 44 objets booked to occupy the coarse, exposed-brick viewing hall, ranging from turn-of-the-century rarities to modern-day exotics: a 1905 Eugène Brillié 20/24 HP Coupé Chauffeur, believed to be the only one of its ilk left; a 1955 Porsche Speedster 356 “Pre A”, examples of which are valued in excess of $750,000; a Lamborghini Miura 3400, a model famed for its starring role in the opening sequence to 1969’s The Italian Job movie; a 2021 Audi R8 Spyder, an iteration that is no longer being produced and thus quietly accruing kudos.

Up to seven “classes” will be open, including categories solely for Porsche Speedsters and pre-war Australian coachbuilt cars. Two 1930s Bugattis are slated for appearance, one of which is, as this article is being written, on a boat somewhere, on its way to Australia. A panel of seven judges, led by the first ever female concours head assessor, who also adjudicated in 2024, will select the overall “Best in Show” winner—scored last time out by a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM, a model line with a $24 million price tag attached. And in a progressive play designed to lure the oil-shunning generation, an “electric elegance” section will debut. Nicholls estimates the combined value of all this precious metal at around $80 million.

While it would provoke an illicit thrill to discover that frenzied super-collectors were slyly puncturing rivals’ tyres or keying priceless bodywork—skulduggery has plagued other pageants, from dog show Crufts (canine poisoning) to Miss World (rigging allegations)—the entrants are, in keeping with the show’s refined, English-garden-party profile—a gentlemanly bunch. To a point. “They like meeting up, the community that’s here, but they do get competitive,” says Mark Ussher, the Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance managing director, and on-the-ground organiser. “They care about their cars but they’re investors as well as collectors. If they win a concours anywhere around the world it adds value to the car.”

Which makes it doubly important that, surrounded by all that deep Harbour water, everyone remembers to put their handbrake on.

The Sydney Harbour Concours D’Elegance runs from February 28th-March 2nd 2025; sydneyharbourconcours.com.au

Book tickets now and take benefit from the RR 15% discount code: ROBB15

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Jannik Sinner Is the First Tennis Player to Take a Luxury Bag Onto Wimbledon’s Centre Court

The 23-year-old Italian flaunted a custom Gucci duffle bag on center court.

By Rachel Cormack 21/01/2025

Jannik Sinner aced the style game at last year’s Wimbledon Championships.

The Italian tennis star turned up to his match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo with a custom Gucci duffel bag on his shoulder. It marks the first time a designer bag has been carried onto centre court in the history of the prestigious, centuries-old tennis tournament, as reported by Women’s Wear Daily.

The duffel, which Sinner describes as a “timeless classic,” showcases the house’s signature beige and ebony colorway, the iconic GG monogram, and a contrasting green and red web stripe. It also features the athlete’s initials near the straps. Ironically, the rather traditional design has called into question a 150-year tradition.

“For sure this will create a conversation,” Sinner told WWD before defeating Cerundolo in straight sets. “Bringing sport and luxury fashion together in this way is something that’s never been done before and I feel extremely proud to be a part of it. I hope people will love it as much as I do.”

Wimbledon’s dress code is extremely strict: Players have been required to wear white at the event since 1877, with not even off-white or cream permitted on the court. Tennis whites were originally instated as it was believed the ensemble showed less sweat, as reported by Time. The tradition has continued out of respect for the sport’s history and a desire to maintain formality.

The rules are enforced, too: Our own player Nick Kyrgios was allegedly fined $25,000 for rocking red Air Jordan trainers at 2023’s tournament. Interestingly, the decidedly non-white Gucci accessory was reportedly given the all-clear by the powers that be. A spokesperson for Gucci told WWD the house worked with Sinner’s team “for the approvals from the ITF (International Tennis Federation), ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals), and Grand Slams, including Wimbledon, to ensure the bag met the necessary requirements.”

The 23-year-old, who turned pro at age 18, became a Gucci ambassador in 2023 in his first luxury fashion endorsement. “Gucci for me represents Italian excellence around the world, excellence which is rooted in tradition as much as in innovation,” Sinner said. “This is the kind of message I am proud to convey when I represent my country wherever I am in the world.”

The Italian player was capture in action last week during his 1st round men’s singles match against Nicolas Jarry (from Chile) on day two of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park with more Gucci gear. Sinner carried a custom duffle bag crafted by HEAD and designed by Gucci to the men’s singles match on day two of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne.

Sinner will play Australian Alex de Minaur tomorrow 22 January at the Australian Open.

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We Cherrypicked the Best Elements of Luxury Resorts to Create the Ultimate Fantasy Hotel

Everyone has a favourite hotel—but what if you could create your own? We envision the ultimate place to stay, combining elements of the world’s most noteworthy openings. 

By Mark Ellwood 15/01/2025

Forget fantasy football—what about a heavenly hotel? Imagine you could create one from scratch, cherrypicking the best aspects of the world’s most noteworthy recent openings and reopenings, combined into the perfect, impossible property. That’s what we’ve done, from the best rooftop restaurant for supper to the only beach club where’s it’s truly worth basking in the sun, this is the world’s ultimate hotel. The only thing we can’t arrange: the chance to check in.

FACADE                                                                                                                     Capella Sydney
Australia

It took seven years to turn this local landmark—the building once housed the departments of education and agriculture—into a luxury hotel. A honey-coloured jewel in a precinct awash with appealing sandstone facades, its crowning glory, literally, is the gleaming, four-storey glass addition that perches atop the structure like an architectural tiara.

SUITES
The Surrey, a Corinthia Hotel
New York City


After a full reimagining by Martin Brudnizki and its new operators, Malta-based Corinthia Hotels, this Upper East Side stalwart’s signature suites now include a quartet inspired by Central Park bridges. Mouldings nod to the structures’ architectural details, while hand-painted sketches inside the grandes armoires evoke the Ramble-adjacent Bow Bridge. 

RESTAURANT
Le Rooftop at Royal Mansour Casablanca
Morocco


Relax on the 23rd floor of this Art Deco-inflected skyscraper hotel and you’ll not only enjoy astonishing views over the water and toward the towering Hassan II Mosque, but you’ll also find yourself rubbing elbows with the coolest crowd in the city. Snag a sofa on the terrace before sundown and linger all evening. 

LOBBY
Peninsula London
England


Hong Kong’s Peninsula hotels are renowned for their fleet of high-end classic cars—a personal passion of billionaire owner Sir Michael Kadoorie. No wonder he struck a deal with Surrey’s Brooklands Museum for his latest opening in London: not only is the Claude Bosi-operated restaurant named in its honour, but the institution also makes available a rotating selection of outstanding vintage vehicles—most recently, a Bentley Blower and a Napier-Railton—for display in the eatery’s dedicated lobby, close to the Concorde nose installed overhead, sourced from Kadoorie’s personal collection.

BEACH CLUB
Borgo Santandrea
Italy


The dearth of standout beaches is the Amalfi Coast’s dirty secret, so this is a remarkable asset: walk down through the terraced, lemon-tree-filled gardens of this Gio Ponti-inspired hotel bolted to the steep cliffs by Conca dei Marini, and you’ll stumble upon its own beach club attached to the property. The restaurant sits in a renovated boathouse; feel free to snip some herbs from the mismatched pots filled with sage and basil.

SPA
Meritage Resort and Spa
Napa Valley

The naturally formed 2,044 m² Estate Cave, located 12 m underground, was already spectacular—its extensive menu of treatments includes both cave-stone massage and guided breathing and meditation sessions—but the $37 million rehab of this establishment thankfully doubled the size of the adults- only pool in front of Spa Terra. 

POOL
One&Only Za
abeel Dubai
UAE


This gravity-defying infinity pool, sitting atop the cantilevered link between the hotel’s two towers, has a clubby vibe, swim-up bars and sunken seating pods—and the fact that it’s Instagram catnip doesn’t hurt either. 

Photos by ADRIAN GAUT; BORGO SANTANDREA; PENINSULA LONDON; WILL PRYCE.

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