About a month ago, Bentley showed a Mulsanne Convertible Concept to a select few at the 2012 edition of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The automaker did not allow anyone to take pictures and simply told us about the special unveiling sharing a few sketches in the process.The reason why Bentley is holding back remains a mystery but it may have something to do with all the negative press it received with the EXP 9 F SUV Concept. [Read More]

Located in Auckland, New Zealand, Daniel Marshall Architects presents the Lucerne House. Sitting on the edge of an ancient crater that embraces Orakei Basin with extravagant views to inner Waitamata Harbor and Auckland City, the abode is quietly sophisticated despite using a limited palette of materials. Bespoke items include a chandelier with hand-blown glass spheres by Katie Brown, a front door handle crafted by David White, and panels behind the dining table painted by Daniel Marshall. Designed with a car enthusiast in mind, the garage doors have been detailed to disappear into the adjoining cedar exterior. [See More]

The Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas has recently completed a $40 million renovation of its Spa Tower accommodations (from about $160 to $700 per night). All of the tower’s 928 rooms and suites—including 12 penthouse suites, three 1,900-square-foot two-bedroom Bellagio Suites, and a Chairman and a Presidential Suite, 4,000-square-feet each—feature completely new decor and amenities, from the walls and furnishings to updated electronics. [See & Read More]

Recent photos of Maserati's 2013 GranCabrio MC Stradale have surfaced revealing an enhanced bold look with aggressive styling. The MC Stradale variant is known to be 100kg lighter than the GranCabrio Sport model and is able to change through gears at a much quicker rate — the complete package also rests atop stiffer, track tuned suspension. [See & Read More]

Invoxia's AudiOffice ($299) is a cool desktop speaker dock for your iPhone or iPad, meant to boost the audio quality when you're making VoIP or even regular cell phone calls. (You can also connect a non-iOS device using the built-in Bluetooth radio.) Acting primarily as a docking station for your iPhone with a wired handset for answering calls, the AudiOffice can also be used as a dock for holding video calls over FaceTime and Skype.

The 45-acre Rancho Valencia, a Relais & Châteaux property located 30 minutes north of downtown San Diego, has reopened this month after a massive renovation. The property refurbished 49 suites and its three-bedroom guest home, which has a private backyard and pool, along with the hotel’s bar, restaurant, ballroom, and more. In addition, Rancho Valencia has opened a new yoga pavilion within the property’s 2.5-acre spa center, which features five pools, 10 treatment rooms, two couple’s rooms, and private gardens. [See & Read More]

Canon has just unveiled the brand new EOS 6D DSLR, a camera packed full of superlatives for the company. The smallest, lightest and cheapest full-frame DSLR the company has ever produced, the camera weighs a full 20 percent less than the 5D Mark III and comes in at $1,400 USD cheaper than its cousin. At the heart of the camera is a 20.2 megapixel CMOS sensor and DIGIC 5+ images processor capable of shooting stills at 4.5 frames per second as well as capturing 1080p HD video at 30fps. [Read More]

For those of us who may never get a chance to take a Mercedes 300 E AMG Hammer around the AMG test track sideways in the rain, let us all together live vicariously through Chris Harris. In this latest video, Harris does exactly that — driving the 26-year-old Hammer hard and putting it away wet, shortly after taking a tour of the famed Mercedes AMG factory in Affalterbach where much of the German automaker’s performance-oriented vehicles are designed and gleefully tested. Enjoy.

Positioned as its flagship full frame interchangeable lens camera succeeding the a900, Sony announces the impending release of its new Alpha SLT a99 Camera. Aiming to attract serious photographers with the appropriate knowledge base, this DSLR goes the extra mile combining all of the benefits of full-frame imaging with the responsiveness and speed of translucent mirror technology. The extensive list of features includes a brand new 24.3 MP full-frame image sensor, a unique dual phase-detect AF system, an electronic viewfinder, 1080p video recording with mic and headphone jacks, and full HD video output through HDMI. The Alpha a99 will retail body-only in October at an aggressive price point around $2,800 USD. Enjoy.

The aptly-named Balcony Over Bronte was built as an enormous deck to browse the Bronte, Australia beach it oversees. Constructed in a minimalist palette of black and white, the commissioned house was a collaborative project between project architect Corrado Palleschi, interior designer Alexandra Donohoe, and the client. With an exterior comprised of darkened timber, stone, and whitewashed walls, the house’s silhouette on the Australian shoreline is neither intrusive nor aesthetically incongruous with the surrounding landscape. [See & Read More]