Based in Los Angeles, Vicki Arkoff is Editor at Large…
It’s 2015, the year Marty McFly zoomed ahead to the technologically-advanced new age in “Back to the Future,” yet we’re still waiting for our own personal jetpacks and hoverboards. Well, the luxury automotive brand Lexus isn’t waiting. The geniuses at America’s favorite luxury automotive company have actually invented an honest-to-god hoverboard. And they’re getting ready to prove it with an official August 5 unveiling. The release of this video teaser has us on the edge of our seats, hoping and praying that Lexus gives a sneak peek at their top secret unveiling planned for Monterey Auto Week on August 13:
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEA0R00qwpc
Holy DeLorean, Doc Brown.
Sure enough, Lexus has partnered with world leading experts in super conductive technology to create one of the most advanced Hoverboards ever developed. The collaboration of design and technology has resulted in a creative breakthrough and it’s the centerpiece for the new “Lexus Amazing in Motion” campaign, showcasing the creativity and innovation of the Lexus brand. Just don’t hold your breath waiting for the hoverboard to be manufactured for the marketplace. Lexus hasn’t given any indication yet that this is more than a prototype. An incredibly beautiful, mind-blowingly innovative prototype.
“At Lexus, we constantly challenge ourselves and our partners to push the boundaries of what is possible,” said Mark Templin, executive vice president, Lexus International. “That determination, combined with our passion and expertise for design and innovation, is what led us to take on the Hoverboard project. It’s the perfect example of the amazing things that can be achieved when you combine technology, design and imagination.”
The Lexus Hoverboard operates using magnetic levitation to achieve amazing frictionless movement. Liquid nitrogen cooled superconductors and permanent magnets combine to allow Lexus to create the impossible. Wrapped in a design that is uniquely Lexus, the Hoverboard features the iconic Lexus spindle grille signature shape and uses materials found in the luxury car brand, from the high tech to natural bamboo.
But what’s it like to actually ride the thing? No rider experience video has been released yet, but watch as pro skater (and, now, hoverboarder) Ross McGouran describe the magnetic levitation and frictionless movement of the Lexus Hoverboard:
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMT0hiaZkpw&feature=youtu.be
Lexus promises more announcements and video of this masterpiece this week, so keep on eye out for Pursuitist updates and #LexusHover news on social media.
Based in Los Angeles, Vicki Arkoff is Editor at Large for Pursuitist and a founding editor for Holiday Goddess, the online destination for chic women travelers from the editors of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Grazia, Conde Nast Traveler, and BBC. Her travel and lifestyle reports can also be been seen in Atlas Obscura, The Awesomer, DaySpa, The Chicago Tribune, CNN Travel, JustLuxe, Lonely Planet, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Toronto Star, WellSpa 360, WestJet Magazine, Where Traveler, Where Guestbook, Yahoo News, and dozens more. She's co-author of the bestselling Holiday Goddess books (HarperCollins and iTunes) including 'The Holiday Goddess Guide to Paris, London, New York, Rome,' a travel Top 10 staple. As editor, Vicki's other books include 'Sinatra' (DK), 'Inside Mad' (Time-Life) and 'Virgin Los Angeles' (Virgin Books). She is one of the Usual Gang of Idiots for MAD Magazine, an entertainment reporter (Daily Variety, Entertainment Weekly, Los Angeles Magazine, CREEM), and authorized biographer for pop culture icons from the Beach Boys to Beastie Boys, Paul McCartney to MC Hammer.