Latest news with #LakeComo
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Aussie groom blurts out 'rude' seven-word remark about his bride at their extravagant Lake Como wedding
A groom has raised eyebrows with his 'rude' seven-word remark at the altar just moments after his stunning bride walked down the aisle. Aussie entrepreneur James Hachem, once named in the Forbes Rich List, tied the knot with content creator Antonia Apostolou in an extravagant wedding ceremony at the idyllic Villa Pizzo in Lake Como in June. Shortly before the couple exchange their vows in front of 140 guests, the happy groom blurted out, 'F*** me does she not look insane?' The groom's gushing comment in the video highlighted just how stunning his bride looked in a showstopping lace gown featuring a low-cut fitted corset. The crowd erupted into laughter, breaking into applause and cheers. James can be seen wiping away tears as his bride excitedly waved to the guests. 'Everyone take a deep breathe... Today is the day that's going to live in our hearts and our memory,' the marriage celebrant said. Antonia shared the footage on social media, with the caption: 'Aussies in the middle of their elegant Italian ceremony', poking fun at how the 'classy' moment quickly shifted when the groom swore. The short clip has been viewed more than 500,000 times - with many divided over the groom's remarks. 'I would die of embarrassment,' one said. 'That ruined the classy moment,' another claimed. 'He's nervous, he blurted out what he was thinking - kinda cute,' one suggested. 'I would be mortified,' another added. Some took particular issue with the groom for his 'disrespectful' choice of words. 'Why the foul language?' one asked. 'Bogans,' another said. However, many saw the funny side as they agreed with the groom, with one saying: 'She absolutely does look stunning. Valid as f***. Congratulations.' 'When he said that in front of everyone, I started laughing but I know that he loves you,' another shared. 'Can't get more Aussie than this - and yes she does look insane,' one said, laughing as she agreed with how stunning the bride looked. 'He's not wrong,' another added. While another pointed out: 'You can tell the non-Aussies in the comments... "oh my god, the foul language"... this couple is hot.' Back in June, it was reported that the couple's luxurious Italian wedding cost more than $1million. During the ceremony, Antonia stepped out in a gorgeous wedding gown with a long, flowing veil, with intricate lace embellishments, that fell into a long train. James complemented his bride perfectly in a white shawl lapel tuxedo jacket, a white shirt, a black bow tie and a pair of black pants, finishing his look with a boutonnière. The couple looked absolutely besotted with each other as they happily danced after the ceremony, while guests clapped along. The fun didn't end there either, with the couple later hoisted into the air on chairs inside the villa's ballroom and celebratory fireworks were shot into the air at dusk. James is the son of world poker champ Joe Hachem, while Antonia is a social media influencer and content creator who boasts 214,000 followers on Instagram and a further 195,000 on TikTok.
CBS News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
"The View from Lake Como" by Adriana Trigiani voted Club Calvi's next Readers' Choice
Please consider joining our Facebook group by CLICKING HERE. Find out more about the books below. Club Calvi's new book will take your imagination to Lake Como -- New Jersey and Italy! We asked you to vote for one of our Top 3 FicPicks, and "The View from Lake Como" by Adriana Trigiani came out on top as the Readers' Choice. In a video message, Trigiani said she was proud to be a finalist for the club. "The View From Lake Como" became an instant New York Times bestseller a few days after its release in early July. The book is about a woman who is a dutiful daughter, newly divorced and living with her parents in Lake Como, New Jersey. When her family has an unexpected loss, she moves to Italy, where she carves out a new life, and possible love, for herself. You can read along with Club Calvi through August. You can also read a free excerpt, and get the book, below. The CBS New York Book Club focuses on books connected to the Tri-State Area in their plots and/or authors. The books may contain adult themes. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ From the publisher: Jess Capodimonte Baratta is not living the life of her dreams. Not even close. In blue-collar Lake Como, New Jersey, family comes first. Recently divorced from Bobby Bilancia, "the perfect husband," Jess moves into her parents' basement to hide and heal. Jess is the overlooked daughter, who dutifully takes care of her parents, cooks Sunday dinner, and puts herself last. Despite her role as the family handmaiden, Jess is also a talented draftswoman in the marble business run by her dapper uncle Louie, who believes she can do anything (once she invests in a better wardrobe). When the Capodimonte and Baratta families endure an unexpected loss, the shock unearths long-buried secrets that will force Jess to question her loyalty to those she trusted. Fueled by her lost dreams, Jess takes fate into her own hands and escapes to her ancestral home, Carrara, Italy. From the shadows of the majestic marble-capped mountains of Tuscany, to the glittering streets of Milan, and on the shores of enchanting Lake Como (the other one), Jess begins to carve a place in this new/old world. When she meets Angelo Strazza, a passionate artist who works in gold, she discovers her own skills are priceless. But as Jess uncovers the truth about her family history, it will change the course of her life and those she loves the most forever. In love and work, in art and soul, Jess will need every tool she has mastered to reinvent her life. Adriana Trigiani lives in Manhattan. "The View From Lake Como" by Adriana Trigiani (ThriftBooks) $22 Chapter 2 The Family Business The red taillights on Uncle Louie's chartreuse Impala blink as he backs the car out of his garage on his way to pick me up for work. He and Aunt Lil live in the last house on the corner lot before the intersection of Surf Avenue, which leads to the beach. Their Cape Cod, the most landscaped home in all of New Jersey, stands out among the mix of white split‑level and soft blue saltbox houses that hug the curve of the shore of Lake Como like a rope of shimmering opals. Through the years, Aunt Lil and Uncle Louie have installed every manner of ornamentation and architectural interest on their half‑acre lot. There's a koi pond, a three‑tier marble fountain, and a walkway of gold‑streaked pavers that swirls up to the front door like a yellow brick road. The backyard has a replica of the Parthenon built out of Carrara marble where they host the Knights of Colum‑ bus Weenie Roast every July Fourth. "My home is an advertisement for my business," Uncle Louie says. "Italian craftsmanship and American elegance?" he asks, before he answers, "I'm your man." If he's your man, then I'm your wingman. Uncle Louie is my boss at Capodimonte Marble and Stone, our family business since 1924. My uncle pulls up to the curb. I inhale the chill of the morning air. It tickles my nose and fills my lungs, which causes me to sneeze with my whole body. I fish through my purse for a tissue. "Jess. Are you serious?" Uncle Louie says through his open win‑ dow as I wipe my nose. I climb inside and snap the seat belt. He rolls his fist. "Leave your window down so any germs blow out." "I'm not sick. It's the temperature." "Now you're a scientist? If you don't catch a cold, it won't catch you. Words of wisdom from my mother." "Your hypochondria flares up whenever the seasons change." "You noticed, huh?" Uncle Louie's mouth curves into a smile. I see everything, but there's no point in bragging about it. A worldview doesn't do you much good when you live in a small town, unless your passport is current. When it comes to Lake Como, New Jersey, the Capodimonte and Baratta families own North Boule‑ vard. My Cap grandparents lived two houses down while the Baratta grandparents lived three houses down in the other direc‑ tion. They're all gone now; the Baratta homestead went to our cousin Carmine in 2019, while the Cap house has not been touched since Grandma died in 2022. We call it the Lake Como Museum because it remains intact; not a single teaspoon has left the premises since her death. Around the loop of the lake, the rest of the houses are filled with relatives. Whenever we had a block party, we closed down the street and became a version of the Villa Capri in Paterson on their All You Can Eat Family Night. We were an Italian American a‑go‑go mi‑ nus the floor show, free hors d'oeuvres, and two‑drink minimum. Beyond our social lives, our family shares the street, a canoe, and our devotion to the Blessed Mother. A statue of Mary can be found in every yard on the lake. It may appear the patriarchy is thriving, but Italian Americans know it's the mother who has the power. Philomena Capodimonte Baratta, my own mamma mia Madonne, is proof of that. "What's with the jacket?" Uncle Louie gives my outfit a once‑ over. "Connie gave it to me." "You're still in your sister's hand‑me‑downs?" "Does it look bad?" I smooth the navy linen with my hands. I am not up to Uncle Louie's sartorial code. Never have been. Louie Cap is the last of a group of Italian American men who came up on the Beatles but never forgot Louis Prima. He's a sharp dresser, Rat Pack debonair. He wears size 8 suede loafers like Frank Sinatra and three‑piece suits like Jerry Vale, altered for a streamlined fit on his trim frame. He is never without a fitted vest under his suit jacket because he likes the feeling of being cinched in. "Clothes make the woman," Uncle Louie reminds me. "What the hell happened over here? You're Depression Central." "I'm working on it. I signed up for Thera‑Me. It's an online ther‑ apy program. I got so many Instagram ads for it I must be in their target market." "Whatever that means," Louie groans. "My goal is to make it into the arms of my Savior without having to install another app." "I was assigned to Dr. Sharon over Zoom." "Is she a real doctor?" Uncle Louie asks. "Board‑certified. She had me draw a self‑portrait. And she asked me to journal. Wants me to write down my memories, the happy ones and the painful times. She said past experience is the founda‑ tion of future mental health." I show Uncle Louie my self‑portrait. Uncle Louie glances over as he drives. "That don't look like you." "What do you mean?" "I'd take another run at it." Uncle Louie makes a face. "Too late. I already turned it in." "Is this therapy operation expensive?" "Around the cost of a gym membership." "Hmm. What a racket. Why do you need a therapist when you have me? I'm like a priest. At my age, there isn't anything you could tell me that would even slightly shock me." "There are things I can't talk to even you about." "Even though I have a very sensitive female side?" "Not funny, Uncle Louie." Uncle Louie's phone rings. He taps speaker. "Yo, Googs." "I got a couple sleeves of black granite. You got a need?" Googs sounds far away, like he's calling from the moon. "Putting a floor in over in Basking Ridge. How much you got?" "Ten by six. Looks like I have six sheets total. Foyer? Small?" Uncle Louie looks at me. I confirm that we could use the stock. "For a price," Uncle Louie says into the phone. "Don't soak me, Googs. I'm not in the mood." "Text the address and I'll deliver." Rolando "Googs" Gugliotti hangs up. He is one of Uncle Louie's oldest work colleagues. He would be the Joey Bishop in Uncle Louie's Rat Pack. He shows up, does his business, and disappears like a vapor until you need him again, or he needs you. I look down at my phone. "How does he know exactly when to call? It's creepy." "Not in the least. He's an intuitive salesman. Make a note." I scroll to the notes app on my phone and await instructions. Excerpted from The View from Lake Como by Adriana Trigiani. Copyright © 2025 by Adriana Trigiani. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Return to top of page
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Revealed: How Martine McCutcheon ended up bankrupt for a second time after her work dried up and she blew her fortune on high spending
Martine McCutcheon appeared to have a golden financial future at the height of her fame thanks to roles in EastEnders the hit movie Love Actually. But MailOnline revealed exclusively on Saturday how she had gone bankrupt for a second time while her company owed £175,000 to the taxman. The astonishing reversal in her fortunes after a career - which included having a number one single and an Olivier Award as a West End stage star - have led to questions about what happened to the millions of pounds she earned. Now we can disclose that friends believe her money was frittered away thanks to her high spending habits and her acting work largely drying up in recent years. McCutcheon, 49 has previously admitted being obsessed with buying luxury goods such as Ralph Lauren sheets and Gucci bags. She has also made some highly questionable spending decisions such as paying 'thousands' to the Mafia to allow her glitzy wedding to her husband Jack McManus, 40, to go ahead in 2012 in Lake Como, Italy. Her poor health has also hit her earnings potential with her having been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME) in 2011 and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) in 2022. The final straw appears to have been the break-up of her marriage last year to singer songwriter Jack which apparently forced her to sell their five bed marital home in Surrey for £1,355,000. One source close to the star told MailOnline: 'Martine remains one of TV's most recognisable faces and a much-loved personality. 'You would think her performances in those two juggernauts alone would guarantee her work for life, but it hasn't worked out that way. 'She was well paid for both roles, but they were both more than 20-years-ago, and money does not last for ever if you do not invest it wisely. 'It has not helped that she loves the finer things in her life, and it is no secret that she has spent more than she should have done over the years. 'She has had bits and pieces of TV work recently – but nothing has come close to being a blockbuster role that might get her out of her financial mess. 'It's a real shame as she's immensely talented with a wealth of experience. Hopefully she can turn things around, but she's had a real tough time.' McCutcheon was said to be earning just £1.50 an hour as an assistant in Knicker Box before she shot to fame in 1995 at the age of 18 when she played Tiffany Mitchell in EastEnders. She stayed in the BBC1 show until 1998 when her character was killed off, and went on to launch a pop career, having a number one hit in 1999 with her song Perfect Moment. A Laurence Olivier Award followed in 2002 when she played Eliza Doolittle in the National Theatre's stage production of My Fair Lady. And Hollywood stardom beckoned in 2003 when she played Natalie, the Downing Street tea lady who caught the Prime Minister's eye in the romcom Love Actually, alongside Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley and Colin Firth. McCutcheon was widely acclaimed for her role as the love interest of the premier played by Grant, and she went to America where agents lined her up for meetings with movie producers But a Tinseltown career failed to materialise, and she instead turned to literature with her novel The Mistress becoming a top ten bestseller in 2009. McCutcheon's personal fortune was estimated as being at between £1.5m and £2m before she found herself another moneyspinning role as the face of Dantone's UK advertising campaign for its Activa yoghurt. But a look at her career in recent years shows shows how work and long term money-making opportunities appear to have largely passed her by since then. Her last major TV appearances were as herself in The Masked Singer in 2021 and a stint on Celebrity Gogglebox the previous year, in which she starred alongside her ex-husband Jack. McCutcheon's big screen role was in 2018 coming-of-age comedy film The Bromley Boys, about a teenager's support for his local team Bromley FC, described as the 'worst football team' in Britain in the late 1960s. Her last notable drama role on the small screen was even further back when she had a brief stint in Midsomer Murders in 2013. McCutcheon previously admitted that her world came crashing down following her diagnosis of ME in 2011, after previously fighting Lyme disease, which can cause fever, and Fibromyalgia, a chronic disorder that creates pain throughout the body. The condition left her temporarily confined her to a wheelchair and battling extreme tiredness and depression while she stayed at home for a month, not wanting to see anyone. She claimed the illness was sparked by the pressures of her role in My Fair Lady back in 2001, coupled with her hectic lifestyle at the time. Martine said previously: 'I became a complete workaholic, I went to work and then I'd go to some shuzzy do, and I tried to escape. Around the time of My Fair Lady, everything was perfect, and I just got ill and it all fell apart for me.' She added: 'You think you can do it all, but all you do is hurt yourself. It all did and then I was a wreck.' Pouring her heart out on Loose Women in 2016, she said: 'It was a real pressure especially on matinee days and then as well as shoots and relationships, and I think that's why I got ME. 'I got a virus, infections and I don't think anything else would have stopped me but that.' She added: 'It stopped me in my tracks. It was horrible. I've learnt a lot. But still now I'm here going: "Should I be here?" 'But now instead of back then, there's another voice saying "Yes, yes you should!" My Fair Lady's producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh previously spoke about how her determination for perfection caused her so much stress. He said: 'She'd be hysterical, beating herself up and saying, "It wasn't perfect, it wasn't perfect." You'd go back and say, "It was terrific, listen to the audience." Six years later, McCutcheon revealed she was suffering with further health issues after being diagnosed with ADD shortly after her brother LJ tragically died aged 31 in 2022. Speaking about the moment she was told of her ADD condition, she said: 'At first I went into denial, completely into denial, because my brother had passed away. 'I've been diagnosed with ME, and I just thought, I can't take this diagnosis on and whatever it means. I need to just keep going at life the way that I am. 'And in a way, I was kind of right. And then when I did finally look at it, I cried, I cried, cried and cried, I grieved, and it was just for if only I'd known how different things could have been, how much more with ease I would have been able to have done things. 'I do look back and see a lot of struggle with what I did. People just sort of think, oh, you know, she had the Midas touch. 'She'd do this, she'd do that. But I was always told by agents, why don't you just stick with one thing, because then you could go all the way to the top in it and stay there. 'Now I look back and I think, my God, it was a blessing that I couldn't, or didn't want to focus on the one thing.' Incredibly, the seeds of McCutcheon's financial implosion appear to have been planted at the time of her glitzy and expensive fairytale wedding to her husband on the shores of Lake Como, five years after they met. Jack later revealed they incurred 'hidden costs' and had to stump up 'thousands' to the Mafia to let off fireworks on the lake. When the mobsters discovered they had sold the rights to the photos and coverage of the big day to Hello magazine, they demanded more cash, which Jack refused to pay, leaving McCutcheon in fear of her life. She once recalled: 'I went, "Oh my God, there's going to be a dead horse's head in our bed!". I was petrified. I was like, "Don't stand your ground now, Jack. Please be quiet". But he wouldn't make another donation.' McCutcheon's mounting debts came home to roost within a year of their wedding day. When she was forced to sell her £25,000 engagement ring. It was also reported that she had suffered a string of 'horrific' miscarriages in the early years of her marriage. She said at the time: 'I just thought my health, money, career have all been taken from me, and now even my engagement ring — the one thing that represents what is solid in my life — has gone.' Things took a turn for the worse when she declared herself bankrupt for the first time in 2013 due to reportedly racking up £187,000 of debts, including £150,000 owed to HMRC. McCutcheon is believed to have been discharged from her bankruptcy in 2014 and got back on her feet financially. She and her husband were able to splash out £1.3m on buying their dream detached home in Surrey in June 2022, but the couple revealed last August that they were splitting up after 18 years together. It later emerged that they had put their home on the market three months earlier in May last year with an asking price of £1.5m. They later reduced the price to £1.25m – meaning they faced making a loss on the property – before securing a sale in January this year for £1,355,000, according to Land Registry records. On top of everything else, McCutcheon has spoken about having bouts of crippling anxiety and battles with her weight. She was reported last year to have lost five stone, dropping three dress sizes thanks to a strict Cambridge Weight Plan diet, although she said she occasionally took a break to enjoy pizza or a gin and tonic. A bankruptcy order in her married name – Martine McManus - was made in March at the County Court in Guildford, Surrey after a petition was filed against her last November by a finance firm called LDF Finance which she owed an unspecified sum of money to. It is not known if the Official Receiver will apply for a public examination of her bankruptcy which would disclose her financial affairs to the world. MailOnline disclosed on Saturday how McCutcheon's company Raven Music Ltd which she launched in February 2017, was wound up by a judge at the High Court on June 4 this year after a petition from HMRC. The company's last accounts filed in February 2023 showed it had assets of £272,977 including more than £211,000 in cash in the bank in February 2022. But at the same time, it had debts falling due for payment in the future for £255,693, including £110,000 in Corporation Tax and £64,790 in other HMRC payments, payable in the 12month period after February 2022. The current financial position of the company has not been disclosed. It had faced a notice for compulsory strike off in February last year, but it was suspended two weeks later. McCutcheon revealed in an Instagram statement last August that her husband had walked out on her. She wrote: 'After much thought and consideration, Jack has decided it's best for us to separate after 18 years together and I accept his decision.' McCutcheon later added: 'I continue to send Jack, all the love, luck and happiness for the next chapter of his life.' The actress also previously once admitted she was 'materialistic' with a love of luxury goods. She once said: 'I love nice things – I consider Ralph Lauren sheets to be a necessity, not a luxury – but I've known what it's like to be poor. 'I'm a Taurean, so I'm very passionate and determined and materialistic. Down the years I've spent a lot of money and saved a bit of money and had a lot of fun. 'And yes, if it all ended tomorrow and I could never afford another Gucci bag, then I think it's safe to say that I've got enough to be going on with.' In an interview with BBC4's Woman's Hour, she admitted that she turned into a recluse when her marriage first came under strain. She said: 'I didn't want to answer my phone. I didn't want to answer the front door, go outside and I would panic out of nowhere and have to pull over when I was driving because I felt this huge fear and couldn't breathe.' The actress added: 'I genuinely felt I was losing my mind. I didn't know if I really was or if it was something that was perimenopausal. 'It would just come on out of nowhere and when I spoke to my specialist about it she said, 'You know this is sadly the case for many women.'
News.com.au
a day ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
US politics live: Hunter Biden lashes out at Democrats for ditching his father, as push to prosecute Barack Obama is slammed
Welcome to our live coverage of US politics. Joe Biden's scandal-plagued son Hunter has cut loose – very, very loose – in a lengthy interview with YouTuber Andrew Callaghan. Mr Biden took potshots at the media, prominent Democratic Party strategists and George Clooney, among other targets. He appears to resent the Democrats for forcing his father out of last year's presidential race after a disastrous mid-year debate against Donald Trump. 'F***ing George Clooney is not a f***ing actor,' he said, for example. 'He is a f***ing – like, I don't know what he is. He's a brand. And by the way, and God bless him, you know, he supposedly treats his friends really well. You know what I mean. He buys them things. And he's got a really great place in Lake Como and he's great friends with Barack Obama. 'F*** you. What do you have to do with f***ing anything? Why do I have to f***ing listen to you? What right do you have to step on a man who's given 52 years of his f***ing life to the service of this country and decide that you, George Clooney, are going to take out basically a full page ad in the f***ing New York Times to undermine the president? 'Why do you think the Republicans have an advantage over us? Because they're unified.' Hunter was referring to an opinion piece Mr Clooney wrote after the debate, in which he called for Mr Biden to withdraw as the Democratic Party's presidential nominee. 'Our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn't see what we just saw,' said Mr Clooney. 'This is about age. Nothing more. We are not going to win in November with this president.' Probably true. Of course, they didn't win without him either. During the interview, Hunter also went after David Axelrod, who was Barack Obama's top political adviser, among other Democratic figures. Elsewhere, Donald Trump's Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has come under fire for seeking the prosecution of prominent Democrats, including Mr Obama. Ms Gabbard claimed this week to have 'revealed overwhelming evidence that demonstrates how, after President Trump won the 2016 election against Hillary Clinton, President Obama and his national security cabinet members manufactured and politicised intelligence to lay the groundwork for what was essentially a years-long coup against President Trump'. She sent a criminal referral to the Department of Justice. The thrust of Ms Gabbard's argument is that there was no Russian interference in the 2016 election, and that it was invented by the Democrats to excuse Ms Clinton's defeat. This goes against the assessment of the intelligence agencies she oversees. 'No new light is shed on this episode by Gabbard's email disclosures last Friday, which, unsurprisingly, were accompanied by an overwrought and misleading press release rather than an analytical report,' lawyer Andrew McCarthy, a former federal prosecutor, wrote in the conservative, Trump-friendly magazine National Review today. 'Perhaps that is because Gabbard's intelligence community peer, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, did issue an analytical report just a few days earlier that contradicts Gabbard's implication that there was no evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 election.'
Forbes
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Forbes
Collectible Car Insurer Hagerty Eyes Off Australian Expansion
McKeel Hagerty is considering taking the listed Hagerty collectable car insurance success story to ... More Australia. Photo: Steve Jessmore Photography. The Shannons stranglehold on the Australian insurance market for rare, expensive and collectible cars could be nearing an end, with America's Hagerty Insurance eying up the Australasian market. Speaking during the Concorso d'Eleganza on Lake Como, Hagerty CEO McKeel Hagerty admitted his company had been approached to enter the market there. 'There are a significant number of people who want us to enter Australia,' Hagerty admitted. 'Those requests have come from other insurance companies and the only problem is the resource it would take us to do. 'But Australia would be a place we eventually get to, I think.' Any move into the Australian market would tread directly on the toes of Shannons Insurance business, with both companies specializing in the car-enthusiast and collector business, rather than mainstream car insurance. It's a niche, with cars often appreciating in value, with spare parts sometimes incredibly difficult or impossible to source and with valuers needing an encyclopedic knowledge of one-off cars from even a century ago. Incumbent Australian collectable car insurance firm Shannons is a long-term supporter of both niche ... More and mainstream Australian motorsport, including the Bathurst 1000. Photo:Traditional insurance companies prefer business models they're more familiar with, and often approach companies like Hagerty and Shannons to handle collectible cars for their clients, Hagerty said. 'The big insurance companies think of themselves as department stores and have to sell everything, but we are a boutique and not a department store,' Hagerty said. 'Nine out of the 10 biggest insurance companies in the US partner with us. They are the fiercest competitors and they all have agreements with us. 'The simple reason is that 2% to 3% of their general policies would include a car that we would be interested in, and they don't know what to do with it. 'The whole model of insurance is to handle depreciating assets and we only deal with appreciating assets, so we take a problem away from them and they can keep insuring the cars and houses and buildings they know how to do.' Hagerty Insurance does the opposite of most car insurers by mainly insuring appreciating assets. ... More Photo: Hagerty Insurance Hagerty has been making other moves, too, including poaching AT&T marketing wizard Marc Burns for its newly created Senior Vice-President of Brand and Marketing role, and it has a strong track record of beating financial forecasts. Unlike Shannons, Hagerty runs a growing auctions business, with the Broad Arrow auction house selling more than €31 million in sales, with a 78% clearance rate, at its recent Concorso d'Eleganza sale. Shannons ran Australia's most interesting car auctions for more than 40 years, but shuttered its Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne showrooms in 2023 after being absorbed by Suncorp. Shannons, founded by Bob Shannon more than 40 years ago, was absorbed by its long-term corporate partner, Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Limited, in 2000, and has more recently fallen under the Suncorp umbrella. A long-time favorite of the Australian collectible-car scene, Shannons also supports more than 1,200 car and motorcycle events a year in Australia, and runs the Shannons Club, which it claims is Australia's largest online motoring enthusiast community. Hagerty does similar things largely in the USA, the UK and Canada, ranging from the highest of the high end events at Concorso d'Eleganza at the Hotel Villa d'Este on Lake Como and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, to Radwood, Cars and Caffeine and the British Festival of the Unexceptional. Its Drivers Club magazine is one of the biggest-circulation car magazines in the world.
