Month: July 2026

Maxim has spent decades covering the best of what the finer things have to offer — the destinations, the hotels, the cars, even the accessories that instantly command a room’s attention. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that the most interesting people in those worlds aren’t waiting around for what’s next. They’re the ones defining it. That’s exactly who Maxim Sphere is for.

We created Maxim Sphere as an invite-only community for the people behind the brands, products, and experiences the rest of the world is still catching up to.

Imagine unfiltered insights from the travel expert behind the world’s most unforgettable expeditions. A closer look at the craftsmanship and innovation driving today’s most coveted timepiece collections. Or conversations with the entrepreneurs building celebrated hospitality empires, producing premium spirits, and creating extraordinary places to live, stay, and be seen. Maxim Sphere is designed to put the most valuable perspectives in luxury under one roof.

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Sphere members are featured across the Maxim platform through executive profiles, bylined pieces, and editorial storytelling that places their work in context with the brands, destinations, and experiences defining modern luxury. It’s an opportunity to share your perspective with an audience that values expertise, ambition, and the stories behind the people who are shaping what comes next.

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Sphere’s in-house editorial team handpicks insights from members for Expert Panels® and other editorial features covering everything from being the most interesting person in the room to building personal wealth. By bringing together perspectives from across the community, these stories give readers a chance to hear directly from the people with the experience to shape the conversation — and give members another platform to share what they know.

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Carroll Shelby—whose many automotive achievements include a 24 Hours of Le Mans as a driver, creating the Shelby Cobra, and designing the Ford GT that swept Le Mans multiple times—once said: “You do something that you want to do or feel you have to do, because you like it and love it. And if it turns out to be history, well, so what?” Well, more than 60 years after his Cobra Daytona Coupe became the only U.S.-made car to win an FIA World Championship, it’s poised to make history again as the most expensive American automobile ever sold at an upcoming Gooding Christie’s auction.

The Cobra—an unlikely Frankenstein of the lightweight AC Ace British roadster chassis that Shelby fitted an American small-block V8—proved its formidable potential upon its 1962 competition debut in the 1962 USAC Road Racing Championship against the clearly weaker Corvette Stingray. The roofless brute had the power and acceleration to take on the Ferrari 250 GTO in the FIA World Championship, but lacked the aerodynamic efficiency of the Italian coupe.

Shelby tapped Peter Brock—the Los Angeles Art Center-schooled designer behind the second-gen Stingray—to create a topped, aerodynamically sound body that would allow the Cobra to reach its full potential on the world’s fastest tracks. The resulting Daytona Coupe, which Shelby said was built to “kick Corvette’s ass and Ferrari’s ass,” featured a long roofline, fastback profile, and a Kamm tail. Its debut season in 1964 saw it win a class victory at 12 Hours of Sebring, but it wouldn’t accomplish its mission until 1965, where it engaged in a dramatic multi-round battle in a class most closely contested with Ferrari but also including Austin-Healey, Jaguar, Chevrolet, and Sunbeam. Toward the end of the season, Shelby took the International Championship for GT Manufacturers at the 1965 12 Hours of Reims—on July 4, no less.

This car, chassis No. CSX2300, is one of only six Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupes built by Shelby American and played a pivotal role in its historic championship-winning season, with four straight class podium finishes at Daytona, Sebring, the Nürburgring 1000 Kilometers, and Reims 12 Hours. However, CSX2300’s championship-winning career ended almost as soon as it began. FIA rule changes made the Daytona Coupes ineligible for competition shortly after the 1965 title, and Shelby American shifted its focus to the Ford GT40 program.

Its post-championship life was vast and varied. The car returned to Shelby American and was sold in 1966 through the company’s “Garage Sale” to Oscar Koveleski, a Pennsylvania racer, collector. and founder of the mail-order company Auto World. It then migrated to Japan under the ownership of Don Nichols, who would go on to found the Shadow Can-Am and Formula One racing team. Under owner Tadashi Sakai, a driver and cinematographer, CSX2300 became the only Daytona Coupe to race seriously after the Shelby American program ended. It competed at the 1966 Japan Grand Prix at Fuji Speedway, retiring near the front with mechanical trouble, then won outright at the All Japan Suzuka and Diamond Trophy Fuji events later that year. A subsequent owner, Kazuo Myouchin, raced the car in endurance events including the 1968 Japan Grand Prix.

With a damaged engine and its history not yet widely recognized, the car was purchased by Shin Yoshikawa, a young Japanese Cobra enthusiast who registered it legally and converted it into a street car, replacing its racing engine with a standard Ford V-8 while retaining its racing headers and side exhaust.

Cobra historian Michael L. Shoen, author of The Cobra-Ferrari Wars 1963-1965 and owner of sister car CSX2299, learned from designer Peter Brock that the car still existed in Japan and tracked it down by the early 1970s. In 1975, Shoen brokered its sale to Shelby himself, making CSX2300 the only Daytona Coupe Shelby personally owned. Shelby had the car restored to 1965 specification, including its original 289-cubic-inch engine and gearbox, by Cobra specialist Mike McCluskey of Torrance, California.

In the late 1990s, a series of financial transactions moved the car out of Shelby’s ownership. After passing through several dealers and a period with collector Jim Spiro, it was purchased by Larry Bowman in 2000. Bowman had the car restored with an emphasis on historical accuracy, preserving evidence of its racing history, including damage from a 1965 crash at Sebring and registration markings from its years in Japan. The restoration was completed in 2003, and the car appeared at the Monterey Historics and the Goodwood Revival, where it raced against another Daytona Coupe in the TT Celebration race.

The car’s current owner has held it for more than two decades since acquiring it from Bowman. It continues to compete in historic motoring events, including the Tour Auto, Modena Cento Ore, the Goodwood Revival, and the Goodwood Festival of Speed. When it crosses the Gooding Christie’s Pebble Beach Auctions block in mid-August at Monterey Car Week, it’s expected to sell for over $25 million to become the most valuable American car ever sold. The current record is held by a Duesenberg SSJ that sold for $22 million at the same auction in 2018.

 Miley Cyrus is taking charge—and posing up a storm—for one of her most revealing projects yet.

The Grammy-winning “Flowers” hitmaker has taken over Wonderland magazine as guest editor for the London-based culture title’s latest special issue, anchoring the release with a scorching black-and-white cover shoot captured by legendary photographer Mario Sorrenti and his daughter Gray Sorrenti. Styled by Alastair McKimm in a white leather jacket with no top underneath, the pop superstar looks every bit the rock-and-roll diva.

Cyrus brought in some famous collaborators for the issue, including godmother Dolly Parton, sister Noah Cyrus, actress Daryl Hannah, and singers Lykke Li, Sky Ferreira, and Suzanne Vega. In a candid sit-down with Hannah, Cyrus dished on her deep spiritual relationship with music while teasing details about her upcoming tenth studio album.

“For me, a song isn’t just chords, melody, and lyrics. It’s a feeling,” Cyrus explained. “It’s alive. It almost becomes its own little entity that tells you what it needs if you’re listening.” She added that her creative process feels like stepping into another dimension: “Songwriting feels like crossing over to another side sometimes. A new song can feel like I’ve already heard it before.”

As Cyrus turned the page on a new musical chapter and officially signed with Atlantic Records this week—the label home of Charli XCX, Bruno Mars, Cardi B, and many others—she confirmed her next record is locked in at a tight 10 tracks. “This album is a love story, but love stories are never one-dimensional,” Cyrus revealed. “Something that was super helpful this time was I started with the tracklist and never veered from it.”

“I love feeling aligned with my purpose, my power, and my gifts,” Cyrus said. “I feel closest to something bigger than myself when records flow through me. It’s almost impossible to describe. It’s like waking up from a dream you can still feel in your body even though you can’t fully explain it logically. Songwriting feels like crossing over to another side sometimes.”

While a new album is on the horizon, fans shouldn’t expect Cyrus to tour anytime soon. She hasn’t headlined her own outing since 2014’s Bangerz and hasn’t been out on the road much since an 11-date festival run in 2021 and 2022. “I wish I had the desire, but I don’t,” she told Rolling Stone last year of touring.

“Anyone who wants to criticize it is free to do so. But my response would be: Go and see it, then drive it. Once you’ve actually been behind the wheel, you’ll probably change your mind.” That’s the advice of Piero Ferrari—Ferrari vice chairman and the only surviving son of founder Enzo Ferrari—to critics of the groundbreaking new all-electric Ferrari Luce. And judging by the order books, he may already have been proven right. Barely two months after its unveiling, Ferrari has effectively filled its initial 2026 production allocation of nearly 500 cars—over $300 million worth—and executives say demand has met or exceeded expectations despite a torrent of online criticism.

Ferrari didn’t build its reputation as the world’s most famous and competitive sports car brand by repeating what had already been done. From mid-engined road cars in the 1960s to turbocharging in the 1980s and hybrid technology in the 2010s, the company has repeatedly embraced ideas that were initially met with skepticism from enthusiasts. Yet each ultimately became an important part of the marque’s evolution and subsequently the automotive industry as a whole. The bold new all-electric Ferrari Luce—the most powerful series-production Ferrari road car ever built—is also causing a stir amongst purists, yet it may well be remembered as one of the most significant cars in Ferrari’s modern history.

Unveiled on May 26 in Rome at the Vela di Calatrava – Città dello Sport, the date’s significance wasn’t lost to observers: exactly 79 years after Ferrari recorded its first-ever victory at the Gran Premio di Roma with Franco Cortese behind the wheel of the 125 S in 1947, forever changing the world of motorsport and paving the way for the era of the prancing horse. The Luce is Ferrari’s first fully electric production model, as well as the first Ferrari conceived from the outset around an all-electric architecture rather than an adaptation of an existing formula. It could not be anything else than groundbreaking. 

Predictably, not everyone has embraced it. Some enthusiasts will never accept a Ferrari without the soundtrack of a V8 or V12. Others will argue that electrification runs counter to the spirit of a company whose reputation was built on combustion engines. Neither argument is entirely without merit, yet Ferrari must look toward the future to continue to outpace the competition. Hence they partnered with LoveFrom founders Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson for the Luce. Ive is best known as the former Apple design chief who oversaw the creation of the iPhone, iMac, and Apple Watch, while Newson ranks among the the most influential industrial designers in the world.

Rather than treating the exterior, interior, and interface as separate exercises, the team approached the Luce as a cohesive whole. The result is an all-new interpretation of Ferrari’s dedication to speed, aerodynamics, and innovation, with an equally radical departure from perceived notions of what a Ferrari should look like. The fact that Ferrari launched it with more power than the SF90 Stradale and LaFerrari belies the notion that the Luce is a mere eco-focused compliance exercise. Powered by four electric motors producing a combined 1,035 hp, the four-door, five-seat grand tourer accelerates from 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in just 2.5 seconds and from 0–200 km/h (0–124 mph) in 6.8 seconds, with a top speed in excess of 310 km/h (193 mph) and a driving range of more than 530 kilometers (330 miles).

Intended to become a permanent part of the Ferrari model range, with a starting price of around $640,000, it is hardly an “entry-level” or “Apple car” Ferrari as some have called it. In fact the four-door, five-seat grand tourer opens an entirely new segment for the marque, combining supercar performance with a level of practicality and interior space previously unseen in a road-going Ferrari. Nor does it sound the death knell for ICE engines at Maranello as fully electric, hybrid, and internal combustion models will continue to coexist. 

“With Ferrari Luce, we are once again redefining the limits of what is possible,” John Elkann, President of Ferrari, announced. “Today, we are not simply unveiling a new car, we are inaugurating a chapter that turns our vision into reality, strengthening Ferrari’s tradition of anticipating and shaping the future. Such a leap forward in product innovation could only have been achieved through process innovation; this is why we chose to embark on new collaborations, such as the one with LoveFrom for the design.”

“As always,” he continues, “our research and engineering excellence have been placed at the service of driving emotions, without compromise. Rome, the symbolic location of our first victory, becomes the starting point for a Ferrari that lights up the future and opens new horizons.” 

Built on a dedicated platform developed specifically for the project, the car utilizes four electric motors working in conjunction with electrically controlled active suspension derived from the F80 and a sophisticated four-wheel steering system. Advanced regeneration and torque management systems have been developed to maximize both performance and driver engagement. Just as significant is the fact that Ferrari engineered and developed the key components in-house. From the electric motors to the battery pack, the company retained control of the core technologies in an effort to ensure that Luce remains unmistakably Ferrari rather than simply another luxury EV. 

“We are convinced that a company demonstrates its leadership when it has the courage to dare and to take on the challenge of new technologies,” notes Benedetto Vigna, CEO of Ferrari. “Ferrari Luce was born precisely from this challenge, offering our unprecedented vision of electrification. Never before have we offered our clients such freedom of choice. In line with our belief in technological neutrality, we are the first in the world to combine fully electric, hybrid, and combustion engine architectures for sports cars.”

He adds that, “We have not limited ourselves to innovation in powertrains; with Luce, we have launched a whole new segment in our range. This model is the result of more than 60 of our new patents and lies at the heart of an ecosystem of collaborations with outstanding technology partners. We have created a car that combines unique driving emotions with extraordinary performance, driving pleasure, and comfort for the Ferraristi of today and tomorrow.”

Ferrari and LoveFrom describe the car as being defined by a shell-like glass house with floating aerodynamic elements front and rear. And even critics of the car’s styling have to appreciate the interior execution. The beautifully designed and machined switches, gauges, and tactile controls seamlessly integrate digital and analog elements—the Luce’s cabin may be hailed as some of Ive and Newson’s best work yet. We would not be surprised to see them incorporated into every new Ferrari model going forward. 

Whether in time the Luce ultimately comes to ranked in the same league as the 250 GTO, F40 and Enzo remains to be seen. But Ferrari chose the name Luce because it is “lighting the way towards the future”—not attempting to repeat the past.

Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer has once again collaborated with Team Ikuzawa and Bamford Watch Department for an all-new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Team Ikuzawa timepiece. The second watch collab between the stylish brands builds on their 2023 release, channeling the golden age of Japanese motorsport into a highly collectible timepiece.

Guided by Mai Ikuzawa, creative director and team principal of the legendary racing outfit founded in 1981, the watch aims to reinterpret the team’s archival Roadmaster stopwatch.The new chrono features a 39 mm fine-brushed and polished steel case utilizing TAG’s signature bezel-free Glassbox sapphire crystal construction. The white dial displays a textured Clou de Paris finish that recalls Team Ikuzawa’s signature color palette. Printed black indexes replace standard applied markers, amplifying the instrument-focused aesthetic of classic pit lane timing tools. Vibrant red accents highlight the lacquered hands, chronograph sub-dials, and custom date wheel, while the team’s official signature sits prominently at six o’clock.

Powering the watch is the in-house TH20-10 manufacture chronograph caliber. The movement deliberately omits a running seconds sub-dial, harking to classic racing chronographs from the 1960s and 1970s that maximized space for team branding. The clear sapphire caseback showcases the intricate mechanism alongside engraved numbering and logos from both Team Ikuzawa and Bamford.

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The standard seven-row steel bracelet is joined by two complementary options: a perforated white leather strap with red stitching reminiscent of vintage racing gloves, and a red-and-white textile strap modeled after historic garage liveries. Packaging takes inspiration from traditional pit garage toolboxes and includes a travel pouch. Production is strictly capped at 150 individually numbered pieces worldwide. The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Team Ikuzawa is available at select boutiques and retailers for $10,500.