Once we strike a chord with a personality, we want to know, imbibe and try to acquire, that which we are so struck by. Such is celebrity culture and Sir Alan Sugar, the big boss in the UK's version of The Apprentice, is the latest figure to catch our attention. Why we watch Sir Alan and his show Come Wednesday 9pm, most of Britain gets glued to their TV sets to gloat on what bloopers and triumphs his wannabe apprentices make in order to work (or not work) for Amstrad (Alan Mills Sugar Trading plc). However, what we also find ourselves watching is Sir Alans latest quips and brusque remarks to the candidates; the clothes he wears, the style, glamour and sheer way he carries himself. Oh and also, his cars! It is quite hard not to notice how his Rolls Royce Phantom, with the AMS1 number plate, meeting the eyes first, crawls through the cameras eyes, signalling time for the big man to make a point or fire someone. Amstrad Plc Just as everyone knows this, especially the wannabes, so does everyone now know that Sir Alan Sugar founded Amstrad in 1968 and is its current chairman. He is also currently worth 800million. What people might not know (well, some of the candidates did not appear to) is that Amstrad manufactures and supplies audio, TV, video and digital satellite products. BSkyB- owned by media mogul, Rupert Murdoch- gets its supply of set-top boxes from Amstrad. So, with digital technologies reaching new peaks, every so often, Amstrad is successfully reaping the fruit. For the six months ending in December 2005, Amstrad Plc has reported a profit before tax of 12.5m (2004: 14.2m) on sales of 49.6m (2004: 63.0m). The earnings per share were 10.6p (2004: 12.2p). Sir Alans Cars! Coming back to cars, the fact that Sir Alan has a strong interest in cars came across clearly in an earlier episode of the current series of The Apprentice. Both teams of wannabe apprentices, Velocity and Invicta, were to sell as many second-hand cars as possible. Sir Alan has his own car collection in Chigwell, where his Rolls Royce Phantom and his prized Bentley Continental GT (previously owned by Sir Elton John) reside. His collection also consists of a Classic Rolls Royce and a Range Rover. So, perhaps the thinking behind the car-selling episode was for the top candidates to drive ahead of the rest. About the Cars Here are the basic spec details on the two of Sir Alans prized cars, should they happen to tickle your fancy! The Rolls Royce Phantom is currently priced at 256,600. It is marvelled for its speed and performance, high agility, adaptable to any equipment being installed, although you might have to get used to exiting it. The Bentley Continental GT Coupe 6.0 Mulliner 2 dr is currently priced at 118,750. It is marvelled for its huge twin-turbo that packs 552.bhp; its huge space and highly comfy driving and seating places; plus its strong security. For more information about purchasing cars in the UK, please visit: http://www.whatcar.com/ |
