David acknowledges that he is a “young dealer,” humble code, we gather, for young mega-CEO, and wants to use his project to create opportunities for other young and hungry talents who have always, as he has, “wanted the upper hand.”
Brett David’s name is associated by and wide with the success of his automotive dealership, Prestige Imports. Of course the inventory at Prestige runs the gamut from luxury to straight exotics of the hard-tocome- by variety, but the most well-oiled machine under the PI umbrella isn’t the newest Audi or limited-run Lamborghini, it is in fact the dealership it self, which under David’s leadership stands amongst the best, if not in a class all its own. And yes, he’s young. Very young. But even at 25 his innate business acumen, marketing savvy and exquisite taste have proven him a triple threat the likes of which not many can claim, regardless of age.
The proof is in the proverbial pudding.
Rewind to 2007 when David gave birth to the Sharpie Car concept: A Jona Cerwinske-designed white Lamborghini Gallardo covered entirely in a freehand drawing done by the famed graffitti artist, armed with nothing more than a Sharpie marker and a promise to deliver David’s vision. The $240,000 masterpiece represented more than just a one-off Lambo for the frivolous consumer-whohas- it-all; it represented a movement that David was starting, one with a message of forward thinking envelope pushing; one of the future. And that it was, the Sharpie Lamborghini became one of the most accepted pieces of new, raw and young art in the automotive realm.
For David, that was just the beginning. Fueled by an alarming desire to carve out a dent in the traditional practices of the automotive industry he continued on his journey, steadily climbing upward and always thinking outside the box. And he wouldn’t go the journey alone; no, David invites the young, ambitious and artistic to join him on what he has appropriately dubbed, “a social experiment.”
Today word of this experiment has swept the world with news of his latest endeavor, the AU79—the second installment of the David-designed projects where art meets automotive in a marriage of sheer bliss. Named after the Periodic Table for the Elements’ symbol for gold, the AU79 is a Lamborghini Aventador wrapped in a specially produced gold foil. Disassembled and wrapped over a period of 70 days, the car represents the meticulous sort of perfection seeking that’s in step with all that David does. And while there is only one AU79 in existence, he has mapped out a way to bring the glory of the gold Aventador to the world through a digital marketing platform that not only shares the knowledge of its existence with fans and potential buyers, but also presents an opportunity for everyone to interact in the AU79 experience. A multi-level website surrounding all things AU79 (www.au79aventador.com), brings the automotive world, as David puts it, “to different social levels.”
On the site, visitors can follow the car, which has actually become a celebrity in its own right—think Herbie if he was really fully loaded, download imagery for personal use as wallpapers and desktop backgrounds, as well as watch a short film featuring actress, Ashley Sky and our star, the AU79, being transported alongside a fleet of black Lamborghini Gallardos as if it were a brick of gold.
Filmed by Scott Nguyen and Warren Shim-Quee, of Cinemotive Films, the short is just one example of how David has made the AU79, more than a car, but the binding element bringing together artistic minds on the rise.
The car has been shot for more than moving pictures; in fact talented photographers from all arenas vie for the chance to shoot the vehicle through their own respective approaches to photography. In this instance, Michael Raveney lent an expertise in fashion photography in an effort to shine a chic, fashion forward light on our star for this edition of Haute Living Miami. But the AU79 has been lensed by those who focus on automotive photography as well and continues to lend it’s smile to talents who submit their work via the website for the chance to get some oneon- one time with the car, which David informs us is not easy to shoot. “You have to be careful of the reflection, and wary of losing the metallic nature of the vehicle on film.”
For those who wonder how Raveney and others were able to capture the shot, message boards where inquiring minds can interact with the photographers through the site’s specific blog act as educational tools for up-andcomers who want to learn the skill. And David gives the artists he works with their just credit; photos downloaded through the site bear the logo and appropriate information of the artist responsible as well as the Prestige Imports label.
David acknowledges that he is a “young dealer,” humble code, we gather, for young mega-CEO, and wants to use his project to create opportunities for other young and hungry talents who have always, as he has, “wanted the upper hand.” It’s a gesture that’s incredibly reminiscent of who he is—generous and kind while simultaneously a force to be reckoned with. He isn’t fueled by the recognition, but by the opportunity to pave new roads. But the world has taken notice; and they are nodding to David’s talent with such tokens as the one most recently bestowed upon him by Lamborghini corporate who gave David the Picasso Award for most creative innovation of Lamborghini products, acknowledging both his Sharpie efforts and those of a gold standard.
We venture to guess he’ll soon need extra shelve space for the accolades yet to come; and in the interim, the AU79 continues to make major cameos alongside big names such as the August shoot starring our Lamborghini and other oftgilded stars, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.
AU79 Lamborghini Aventador boasts a V12 and reaches speeds of 217 mph, price upon request; available at Prestige Imports, 14800 Biscayne Boulevard, North Miami Beach, 1-888-860-5210. www.au79aventador.com
Photography by Michael Raveney
Hair and Makeup by Vee Marie Marquez for Rik Rak Salon
Model: Manoela Corradi
Styling by Jilian Sanz and Maria Alexandra Cotes
