NYLON - January 2008 - (Page 76) clockwise from top: tag heuer’s new grand carrera watch collection, me in my special flame-retardant gear, the race is off, me next to a tag heuer race car. TIMING IS EVERYTHING Anyone who knows me knows that I have nothing against being a little fashionably late. But when it comes to being fashionably on time, it would be hard to top Tag Heuer. The renowned 147-year-old Swiss company invented the automobile dashboard chronograph and the first stopwatch accurate to 1/00 of a second, and has been the official timekeeper of Formula 1, to name just a few of its formidable credentials. To launch their new Grand Carrera watch collection— modeled after the company’s 1964 Carrera series, which took its name and inspiration from the legendary Carrera Panamericana road race— Tag Heuer has taken over the Paul Ricard High Test track in Le Castellet in the South of France, and they’ve invited me to come unleash my inner Ricky Bobby. As mentioned in last month’s account of my adventures in Motor City, I’m not exactly a world-class road warrior. But hey, practice makes perfect, right? The night before my foray into the world of international speed racing, Tag Heuer hosts an enormous gala for hundreds of international STILL FEELING THE NEED FOR SPEED, DANI STAHL GETS ON HER MARK AT TAG HEUER’S ROAD RACE IN FRANCE. journalists celebrating the launch of the Grand Carrera watches. We learn more facts about the company’s history: Steve McQueen wore a Tag in the classic racing film Le Mans; Tag Heuer was official timekeeper for many of the first Olympic Games. And just my luck, there is an open bar serving the region’s finest Cabernet. Need I continue? Fast forward to the following morning, when the prospect of driving a car at over 100 miles an hour seems about as appealing as being strapped to the hood while someone else is doing it. But at least I look cool: Tag Heuer has ordered a special flame-retardant, padded, totally bad-ass authentic racing jumpsuit for me to wear. I’m fairly certain I’m the only person to have ever coupled this getup with satin Chanel ballet flats and oversized Wayfarers (like the ones Audrey Hepburn wore). The first order of business is to slowly test-drive one of the Formula 1 cars under different conditions—on a wet road, through cones, and so on. This is easy enough: My souped-up Mercedes actually feels like a normal car, albeit a really, really chic one with all the accoutrements. It handles factory girl all photographs courtesy of tag heuer
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