Elite Traveler Summer 2019

elite traveler SUMMER 2019 27

Steamroller: Mil-Spec H1

Cross 30 inches of water or ascend a 60-degree slope, but make it luxurious. That’s the objective of Mil-Spec Automotive, the brainchild of CEO AdamMitchell, president Chris Van Scyoc and CIO Ian Broekman, three midwestern men capable of restoring a quarter-million- dollar, military-grade Humvee, but each of whom fail to meet the age required to hire a rental car. Each Mil-Spec Hummer H1 began as a 1995-2001 Hummer H1. As each enters the Wichita, Kansas factory, it’s stripped down to the frame, sandblasted and powder coated. The body is stiffened via 10-gauge aluminum, while the engine is replaced with a 6.6-liter Duramax turbo-diesel V8. The fine-toothed combing includes upgraded insulation, cooling systems and suspension. Encouraged, if not exacting, client customization then begins. From exterior running boards or a hood scoop to interior bucket seats, perfectly circular panels with a font, spacing and short hands inspired by wristwatches and marine-grade hand-stitched leather, consider Mil-Spec’s offerings indulgent with a side of apocalyptic preparation. The Motor City-based company built five individually numbered production trucks and is currently working on another four for 2019. ‘Detail-oriented’ falls inadequately short in describing the passion and precision this trio of men exude. It’s worth noting, though, that a military-specification vehicle, even with Nappa leather and a Bluetooth-enabled sound system, remains a rough-riding workhorse. It’s not exactly a pragmatic daily driver, and gas mileage is negligible and the exhaust rumble clearly remains a passenger. From $225,000, milspecauto.com

First Drive: Audi A8 The browns, greens and blacks of the layered hills and coast-hugging roads of Big Sur brilliantly offset the deep blues and bright whites of the vast Pacific Ocean and its crashing waves. It’s a familiar scene to those acquainted with California’s Central Coast, as much a state of mind as a locale. Enter the A8, Audi’s flagship

stereotype. The air-quality package offers a duo of air ionizers that fill the interior with negatively charged molecules along with a Grasse, France-produced pair of scents (sea breeze and mountain air), while the rear-seat comfort package introduces 16 spherical air chambers, as well as seven different programs (with three intensity levels) that target muscles from your toes to your scalp. It’s a massage that’s almost as tailored as your bespoke suit. In the driver’s seat, Audi implemented 41 different driver assistance systems available to six different users, providing a total of 400 different functions. Allow me to translate: The touchscreens recognize your handwriting, the car’s artificial intelligence will learn your cuisine preferences, and the downloadable app can give you walking directions from any location to the place you parked your A8. From $83,800, audiusa.com

sedan, which matches both the cadence and philosophy of the region. Among the redwoods and S-curves of the Pacific Coast Highway, the turbocharged, 335-horsepower, quattro all-wheel drive V6 glides smoothly along. It isn’t here to be flashy or fast, but there certainly is — and should be — “a sense of ceremony when you get in,” says Anthony Foulk, one of Audi’s senior project managers. While the base model is absolutely satisfactory, the lengthy list of options creates a customization experience so specific that the A8 manages to escape the stodgy sedan