MBR SEPTEMBER ALL LR

Malta Business Review
LUXURY CARS
INSURANCE
Malta Business Review
IN THE DRIVING SEAT: Inside the trend for
design-it-yourself luxury cars
by Simon de Burton
The design-it-yourself approach is spreading through the motoring world, says Simon de Burton...
Back in the golden age of motoring, cars,
like boats, were built to a buyer’s personal
specifications. Marques such as Rolls-Royce,
Bentley, Bugatti and Hispano-Suiza would
supply a “rolling chassis” complete with
engine and gearbox, leaving the owner
to employ a coachbuilder to create the
bodywork and trim the interior to order.
The spread of mass production largely put an
end to that by the late 1940s, but there has
recently been a resurgence in demand for
one-off cars as luxury becomes ever more
focused on the unique rather than merely the
high quality and expensive. The new luxury
is having something no one else has got –
and, when it comes to cars, even the best
production models aren’t exclusive enough
for some if they’re in standard trim.
One of the first companies to recognise the
market for such customising was Overfinch.
Established in 1975 in Leeds, UK, it has grown
into the go-to company for anyone wanting to
seriously upgrade their Land or Range Rover.
From marquetry dashboards and jewelled
badging on your Discovery to a remotecontrolled,
slide-out boot floor and titanium
exhaust pipes on your Sport, Overfinch will
create the SUV of your dreams.
Such is the demand for after-market
“bespoking” that many high-end car marques
offer personalisation services direct. Aston
Martin’s Q division (named, of course, after
James Bond’s gadget boffin) promises to meet
your every whim when it comes to creating a
really special car. It has demonstrated this by
building a version of the Vanquish dedicated
to the RAF Red Arrows aerobatic display
team and painted in the same “Eclat red”
as the aircraft and with seats the colour of
flight suits. Q can also design and build you
a car from the ground up, complete with
exclusively designed body.
A similar service is offered by McLaren’s
Special Operations department, which,
thanks to the carbon fibre MonoCell on
which its production cars are based, can
create any coachwork you desire to put on
top, so long as it’s road legal – and doesn’t
compromise safety or performance. Frankly,
if you can design a better looking car than
the professionals at McLaren then you’ve
probably missed your calling. MBR
Visit overfinch.com; astonmartin.com; cars.
mclaren.com
Custom McLaren P1
Aston Martin’s Red Arrows Vanquish
Overfinch specialises in high-end customisation of Range Rovers and Land Rovers
MAPFRE Middlesea launches client portal
MAPFRE Middlesea has launched its client
portal, MyInsurance, allowing customers to
view and manage their insurance policies
online, through a user-friendly and highly
personalised interactive service.
The client portal will offer the ease of selfservice
to client with regards to various
insurance products. The service will offer
an overview of the client’s policies and the
status while also allowing them to submit a
claim, track the status of that claim and pay
the excess. If a policy renewal is pending,
customers will get a notification and they
will be allowed to renew the policy and pay
online.
Customers also have access to the report
library and will be able to download the policy
certificate and schedule. MyInsurance also
allows for personal details to be updated and
for queries to be made online. The services
are available for home, motor, travel, health
and commercial insurance products.
Upon their first access to the portal, clients
will be requested to enter a unique code,
which they would have received with their
renewal notice. A 24/7 call centre will be able
to assist clients with the usage of the client
portal. The portal can be accessed on https://
myinsurance.middlesea.com/ MBR
Register to win
Meanwhile, customers who register and sign
into the web portal enter the chance to win a
weekend break.
The launch of the client portal is in line
with MAPFRE’s global value of digital
transformation. For more information visit:
www.middlesea.com
Mapfre Middlesea p.l.c. (C-5553) is authorised
by the Malta Financial Services Authority to
carry on both Long Term and General Business
under the Insurance Business Act, 1998.
MMS180917/2
Malta is planning to start allowing the use of
Cryptocurrencies in iGaming
Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Schembri
The Government is working on a plan which
will allow the use of cryptocurrencies in
iGaming, where a player will be able to
transact in digital currency in and out of
gaming platforms.
Parliamentary Secretary for Financial
Services, Digital Economy and Innovation
Silvio Schembri announced this at the launch
of a blockchain application intended for the
property market and developed by a private
company, Ledger Projects.
Mr Schembri said that these initiatives
showed that Malta was gaining momentum
and moving fast in the adoption of blockchain
technology.
He added that this work will enable to harness
the market with the right regulation.
This blockchain app, named LP01, was
launched by Ledger Projects, a company
incorporated in Malta with Maltese
shareholders focused on developing
blockchain and distributed ledger technology
for state and private use.
This blockchain app eliminates the possibility
of having multiple promises of sale
documents on the same property, therefore
it will facilitate the works carried out by
notaries. It caters both for the acquisition
and sale of property, increasing efficiency
and transparency particularly on the tax paid
when transferring property.
The CEO of Ledger Projects David Schranz
and entrepreneur Anthony Mamo said that
the introduction of new technology such as
blockchain help Malta to become a centre of
excellence. MBR
Courtesy: DOI
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