ROMA – Nicknamed “Hackney Carriages” in honor of the eighteenth-century carriages built inEast End, the “Black Cab” evokes London like the red telephone boxes, gods double-decker bus and Westminster and after a century of award-winning evolution, the British company Sutton Bespoke has elevated the status of the famous vehicle by creating its vision of the most luxurious taxi in the world.
Specifically, the elegant Sutton Cab is based on the latest generation Lvec TX black-taxi with plug-in hybrid propulsion and prices starting from 121,000 pounds, are courtesy of numerous handcrafted interventions and exclusive couplings such as self-closing doors with built-in umbrella, and optical fibers on the roof to create the starry sky effect. Both features borrowed from the Rolls Royce philosophy are flanked by interiors with finishes and customization options “worthy of a private jet”. The words are from Clive Sutton, CEO of the homonymous company and owner of the elite St. John’s Wood dealer where the luxurious “Black Cab” can be admired and ordered by customers “looking for unique, extravagant and top quality items. “. As excellent are the levels of comfort promised between fully reclining seats and configurations of the rear area – already in itself emblem of an unparalleled habitability in the taxi category – with two, three or four seats. All occupants will also have convenient access to the refrigerated compartment in which to store fine spirits, to wi-fi and bluetooth connections, and to 20 ”screens connected to a Playstation or Xbox.
Excluding the name, the iconic shape and the gloomy color (black is, however, only one of the thousands of color options), it is obvious that for the price list, materials and management costs, the model presented in front of the Blenheim Palace during the Salon Privè event, is a habit with high habitability and personality intended exclusively for private use.
The reinterpretation by Sutton Bespoke, on the other hand, did not affect the mechanics found in the plug-in hybrid engine consisting of a 110kW Siemens electric unit and three-cylinder turbo petrol engine (used as a range extender), the beating heart of the conventional TX. With the recognizable vehicle built by the London Electric Vehicle Company, most London taxi drivers travel an average of 30,000 miles a year and before obtaining their license, each driver is required to pass the infamous “Knowledge of London Examination System”. Known in jargon as “The Knowledge”, the test established in 1865 lasts 34 months and to pass it, the aspiring cab driver not only will he need to know the location of the more than 25,000 streets within a radius of 9 kilometers from Charing Cross, but also learn by heart the order in which the theaters are arranged in the entertainment streets, the positioning of the intersections, the access to shortcuts, the location of traffic lights and that of all places of interest such as cinemas, hospitals, hotels, stations, clubs and monuments contained in the dreaded Blue Book; publication published by the Public Carriage Office responsible for issuing licenses.
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