These leather shoes sell for up to $600 a pair. The man who makes them is 96 years old
'I have a feeling that if I say I stop working for my bread, I will get sick. I'm happy to work.'
Twenty-five years ago, 15 Yacoub family members made up to 7000 pairs of women's shoes per week for the Diana Ferrari brand.
When Ferrari's manufacturing moved overseas, Milad became a builder and his siblings opened food businesses. 'Dad told me, 'please find me some work', and so I rang around and found Parigina,' Milad said.
It was a perfect fit for both parties.
Yacoub's career started at age 10, in the Lebanese city of Tripoli. He didn't go to school, and to prevent him getting up to mischief, his father found him a job assisting a shoemaker.
Two years later, Yacoub's mother bought him a secondhand Singer sewing machine and he opened his own shop making men's shoes. Yacoub soon employed four people and made shoes for soldiers.
Customers would come from villages outside Tripoli.
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Yacoub married Hawa in 1948 and they had six children. In 1974, the family migrated to Australia, with one married daughter staying behind.
After a year renting, Yacoub bought the Essendon house where he still lives.
For decades, Yacoub made shoes for brands like SPS, Aviv and Dormax, and then Diana Ferrari. He preferred to work from home and be close to his family, and so it is today.
Yacoub has 24 grandchildren and 40 great-grandchildren. Grandson Michael says Yacoub is often seen finishing shoes late at night.
Parkinson, whose father Peter owns Parigina Shoes and McCloud Shoes, is a fan of Yacoub's. 'He brings an incredible sense of care and craftsmanship to his work,' he says.
'He continues to contribute with precision and pride. His commitment and skill are nothing short of inspirational – and a testament to the enduring spirit of traditional artisanship.'
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The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
GWM teases Ferrari-fighting supercar
GWM is set to unveil its first supercar as it looks to muscle in on Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren turf. Company chairman Wei Jiajun posted an image of what appears to be a low-slung, two-door sports car on social media to celebrate the automaker's 35th anniversary. The vehicle under a silk cover sits below the waist height of the executives surrounding it, with a low bonnet and arching rear silhouette suggesting it has a mid-mounted powertrain. To be launched under a new 'super luxury' sub-brand called Confidence Auto, development of a GWM supercar was confirmed by GWM chief technology officer Wu Huixiao earlier this year. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. The confirmation came with the bold promise it would be better than the Ferrari SF90, the Italian brand's first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) supercar. In Australia, the SF90 has a list price of $846,888, meaning a price tag of more than $1 million once on-road costs are added. Car News China reports the GWM supercar will be priced at $US140,000 ($A211,600), to be cheaper than both the SF90 and the $A398,975 Yangwang U9 electric supercar made by rival BYD. The flagship Yangwang – a brand under consideration for Australia – uses four electric motors to give the electric U9 a 960kW output with a 2.36-second 0-100km/h claim and top speed of 309km/h. It's not the only Chinese supercar, with GAC's Hyptec brand offering the SSR with a 900kW/1230Nm tri-motor electric powertrain that gives it a claimed 0-100km/h time of as low as 1.9 seconds. ABOVE: Hyptec SSR, Yangwang U9 Ferrari's SF90 uses a mid-mounted 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine and a trio of electric motors to produce 735kW/800Nm, enabling a 2.5-second 0-100km/h time and 340km/h top speed. GWM showed off a 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine of its own earlier this year, developed entirely in-house and designed as part of a PHEV powertrain. The V8 was originally destined for a large pickup truck to compete with the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500 in the US. Those plans have been put on hold given the import tariffs introduced on Chinese-made vehicles by US President Donald Trump. While GWM has previously suggested the engine's physical dimensions ruled it out for the supercar, it could be repurposed given the idling of the V8 US truck project. GWM International vice-president James Yang told Australia media in Shanghai earlier this year the new V8 was under consideration for several models to be sold in China and export markets, including Australia. "For the past three-four years we have been working on this V8, including lab as well as real-world testing," said Mr Wang. Mr Wang also suggested the V8 is under consideration for GWM models, including the Tank 300 off-roader. MORE: GWM reveals its first V8 – and the hardcore Tank 300 Hooke off-roader MORE: Inside Chinese GWM's plan to take on American pickups… potentially even in the US Content originally sourced from: GWM is set to unveil its first supercar as it looks to muscle in on Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren turf. Company chairman Wei Jiajun posted an image of what appears to be a low-slung, two-door sports car on social media to celebrate the automaker's 35th anniversary. The vehicle under a silk cover sits below the waist height of the executives surrounding it, with a low bonnet and arching rear silhouette suggesting it has a mid-mounted powertrain. To be launched under a new 'super luxury' sub-brand called Confidence Auto, development of a GWM supercar was confirmed by GWM chief technology officer Wu Huixiao earlier this year. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. The confirmation came with the bold promise it would be better than the Ferrari SF90, the Italian brand's first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) supercar. In Australia, the SF90 has a list price of $846,888, meaning a price tag of more than $1 million once on-road costs are added. Car News China reports the GWM supercar will be priced at $US140,000 ($A211,600), to be cheaper than both the SF90 and the $A398,975 Yangwang U9 electric supercar made by rival BYD. The flagship Yangwang – a brand under consideration for Australia – uses four electric motors to give the electric U9 a 960kW output with a 2.36-second 0-100km/h claim and top speed of 309km/h. It's not the only Chinese supercar, with GAC's Hyptec brand offering the SSR with a 900kW/1230Nm tri-motor electric powertrain that gives it a claimed 0-100km/h time of as low as 1.9 seconds. ABOVE: Hyptec SSR, Yangwang U9 Ferrari's SF90 uses a mid-mounted 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine and a trio of electric motors to produce 735kW/800Nm, enabling a 2.5-second 0-100km/h time and 340km/h top speed. GWM showed off a 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine of its own earlier this year, developed entirely in-house and designed as part of a PHEV powertrain. The V8 was originally destined for a large pickup truck to compete with the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500 in the US. Those plans have been put on hold given the import tariffs introduced on Chinese-made vehicles by US President Donald Trump. While GWM has previously suggested the engine's physical dimensions ruled it out for the supercar, it could be repurposed given the idling of the V8 US truck project. GWM International vice-president James Yang told Australia media in Shanghai earlier this year the new V8 was under consideration for several models to be sold in China and export markets, including Australia. "For the past three-four years we have been working on this V8, including lab as well as real-world testing," said Mr Wang. Mr Wang also suggested the V8 is under consideration for GWM models, including the Tank 300 off-roader. MORE: GWM reveals its first V8 – and the hardcore Tank 300 Hooke off-roader MORE: Inside Chinese GWM's plan to take on American pickups… potentially even in the US Content originally sourced from: GWM is set to unveil its first supercar as it looks to muscle in on Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren turf. Company chairman Wei Jiajun posted an image of what appears to be a low-slung, two-door sports car on social media to celebrate the automaker's 35th anniversary. The vehicle under a silk cover sits below the waist height of the executives surrounding it, with a low bonnet and arching rear silhouette suggesting it has a mid-mounted powertrain. To be launched under a new 'super luxury' sub-brand called Confidence Auto, development of a GWM supercar was confirmed by GWM chief technology officer Wu Huixiao earlier this year. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. The confirmation came with the bold promise it would be better than the Ferrari SF90, the Italian brand's first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) supercar. In Australia, the SF90 has a list price of $846,888, meaning a price tag of more than $1 million once on-road costs are added. Car News China reports the GWM supercar will be priced at $US140,000 ($A211,600), to be cheaper than both the SF90 and the $A398,975 Yangwang U9 electric supercar made by rival BYD. The flagship Yangwang – a brand under consideration for Australia – uses four electric motors to give the electric U9 a 960kW output with a 2.36-second 0-100km/h claim and top speed of 309km/h. It's not the only Chinese supercar, with GAC's Hyptec brand offering the SSR with a 900kW/1230Nm tri-motor electric powertrain that gives it a claimed 0-100km/h time of as low as 1.9 seconds. ABOVE: Hyptec SSR, Yangwang U9 Ferrari's SF90 uses a mid-mounted 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine and a trio of electric motors to produce 735kW/800Nm, enabling a 2.5-second 0-100km/h time and 340km/h top speed. GWM showed off a 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine of its own earlier this year, developed entirely in-house and designed as part of a PHEV powertrain. The V8 was originally destined for a large pickup truck to compete with the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500 in the US. Those plans have been put on hold given the import tariffs introduced on Chinese-made vehicles by US President Donald Trump. While GWM has previously suggested the engine's physical dimensions ruled it out for the supercar, it could be repurposed given the idling of the V8 US truck project. GWM International vice-president James Yang told Australia media in Shanghai earlier this year the new V8 was under consideration for several models to be sold in China and export markets, including Australia. "For the past three-four years we have been working on this V8, including lab as well as real-world testing," said Mr Wang. Mr Wang also suggested the V8 is under consideration for GWM models, including the Tank 300 off-roader. MORE: GWM reveals its first V8 – and the hardcore Tank 300 Hooke off-roader MORE: Inside Chinese GWM's plan to take on American pickups… potentially even in the US Content originally sourced from: GWM is set to unveil its first supercar as it looks to muscle in on Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren turf. Company chairman Wei Jiajun posted an image of what appears to be a low-slung, two-door sports car on social media to celebrate the automaker's 35th anniversary. The vehicle under a silk cover sits below the waist height of the executives surrounding it, with a low bonnet and arching rear silhouette suggesting it has a mid-mounted powertrain. To be launched under a new 'super luxury' sub-brand called Confidence Auto, development of a GWM supercar was confirmed by GWM chief technology officer Wu Huixiao earlier this year. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. The confirmation came with the bold promise it would be better than the Ferrari SF90, the Italian brand's first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) supercar. In Australia, the SF90 has a list price of $846,888, meaning a price tag of more than $1 million once on-road costs are added. Car News China reports the GWM supercar will be priced at $US140,000 ($A211,600), to be cheaper than both the SF90 and the $A398,975 Yangwang U9 electric supercar made by rival BYD. The flagship Yangwang – a brand under consideration for Australia – uses four electric motors to give the electric U9 a 960kW output with a 2.36-second 0-100km/h claim and top speed of 309km/h. It's not the only Chinese supercar, with GAC's Hyptec brand offering the SSR with a 900kW/1230Nm tri-motor electric powertrain that gives it a claimed 0-100km/h time of as low as 1.9 seconds. ABOVE: Hyptec SSR, Yangwang U9 Ferrari's SF90 uses a mid-mounted 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine and a trio of electric motors to produce 735kW/800Nm, enabling a 2.5-second 0-100km/h time and 340km/h top speed. GWM showed off a 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine of its own earlier this year, developed entirely in-house and designed as part of a PHEV powertrain. The V8 was originally destined for a large pickup truck to compete with the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500 in the US. Those plans have been put on hold given the import tariffs introduced on Chinese-made vehicles by US President Donald Trump. While GWM has previously suggested the engine's physical dimensions ruled it out for the supercar, it could be repurposed given the idling of the V8 US truck project. GWM International vice-president James Yang told Australia media in Shanghai earlier this year the new V8 was under consideration for several models to be sold in China and export markets, including Australia. "For the past three-four years we have been working on this V8, including lab as well as real-world testing," said Mr Wang. Mr Wang also suggested the V8 is under consideration for GWM models, including the Tank 300 off-roader. MORE: GWM reveals its first V8 – and the hardcore Tank 300 Hooke off-roader MORE: Inside Chinese GWM's plan to take on American pickups… potentially even in the US Content originally sourced from:
Man of Many
14-07-2025
- Man of Many
What's Next for Red Bull Racing after Christian Horner's ‘Shock' Sacking?
By Dean Blake - Opinion Published: 14 Jul 2025 Share Copy Link Readtime: 6 min Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here. It's fair to say Red Bull is looking for a major change in its fortunes after a particularly difficult racing season: the energy drinks giant sacked long-time team principal Christian Horner over the weekend in a move that shocked the man himself, but wasn't exactly unexpected. After 20-odd years, multiple constructors' championship wins, and several dominant seasons, Horner was told on Wednesday that he was out of a job. Following months of flagging performance by the Red Bull's machines leading the once dominant Max Verstappen to trail both McLaren drivers in this season's standings, the brand's inability to pick a second driver to comfortably compete alongside the four-time world champion, as well as the fallout of Horner's own sexting scandal, the man at the top had simply run out of chances. 'I was informed by Red Bull that operationally I would no longer be involved with the business or the team moving forward from after this gathering,' he told Red Bull staff at the brand's Milton Keynes factory. 'That obviously came as a shock… Watching and being part of this team has been the biggest privilege in my life.' He's not the only person to be leaving the team, though. A number of engineers have exited Red Bull in the past few months after it was clear the team's car was not up to snuff, and a number of head office staff have left alongside Horner—just much more quietly. Horner has been replaced, effective immediately, by Laurent Mekies: former Ferrari racing director and team principal of Red Bull's secondary Racing Bulls team. Christian Horner | Image: Reuters What's Next for Christian Horner? Though Horner says he was 'shocked' by the decision, he's not exactly without opportunities elsewhere on the grid. There's already buzz that Horner could end up heading up the Scuderia Ferrari—which would see him work with former Red Bull rival Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Hamilton and Horner have locked horns in the past, though, so it's not exactly clear if the pair would or could work together harmoniously. It's more likely, pundits say, that Horner could end up at the French racing side Alpine, a team in pretty desperate need of fresh blood at the top end. Plus, with both Audi and Cadillac entering the fray in the 2026 F1 season, an experienced team leader such as Horner could easily find a home at a relatively new team keen to make an impact. What he'll actually do next, though, is so far very much an unknown. Horner has largely gone to ground following the very public sacking, and while there are plenty of potential paths forward, he's got quite a bit of time to figure out what he'll do next. Oh, and he'll reportedly get a tidy £60 million (AUD$123 million) payout as part of the exit. Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen after the 2024 Las Vegas GP | Image: Red Bull Media Pool What's Next for Max Verstappen? More pressing for Red Bull, though, is whether its key driver, Max Verstappen, will stay on board. While Max's father, Jos Verstappen, has been critical of Horner in the past, Max himself is likely more frustrated at the engineering leadership at Red Bull more broadly—Horner has fallen on the sword, but it takes more than just a team lead to build a car. It's become clear throughout the 2025 season that Red Bull's car isn't up to the standard of what Verstappen needs to properly compete, and with the next season requiring another major rework of the vehicles on the track, it's anyone's guess as to how Verstappen is feeling about Red Bull's chances. Plus, on-track rivals Mercedes have been openly courting Verstappen for some time to fill the hole left by Hamilton's exit at the beginning of the 2025 season, while rumours also suggest he might be looking to Aston Martin. While he's an aggressive driver on the track, Verstappen has been incredibly loyal to Red Bull throughout his time in the sport. Whether that loyalty will hold true in the coming years isn't clear yet, but it's likely the Dutchman will spend at least one more year at Red Bull to scope out his options as the dust settles on what is gearing up to be an explosive 2026 season. What's Next for Red Bull Racing? It's becoming clear that next year is going to serve as a reset for the Red Bull Racing team in the hopes that it can regain some of its former glory. The goal for every team on the track, at the end of the day, is to win: you don't make money in F1 by taking up space in the middle of the pack. The team has, however, been bleeding engineering talent for the past few years. In early 2024, Red Bull's chief engineer Adrian Newey announced he'd be stepping away from the team after helping build the brand's championship-winning cars. Newey eventually announced he'd be heading to Aston Martin ahead of the 2026 season, and in the year since he exited several more of the team's engineering talent have left. Chief mechanic Lee Stevenson also announced he'd be exiting the team in March 2024, leaving the Red Bull team with the unenviable goal of replacing its engineering and mechanical leadership at the same time. Stevenson headed to Sauber's Stake F1 Team Kick, taking up the role of chief mechanic. A little over one year later, with Horner gone too, it's clear Red Bull is heading in a completely new direction. The leadership team that has driven the brand to several world championships is gone, and the hunt is on to figure out how to bring Red Bull back to a position of dominance as part of 2026's grid reset. With construction regulation changes forcing every team on the track to re-engineer their vehicles for the coming season, there'd be a lot of pressure on Red Bull's engineers to build something special to put Verstappen back on a podium. Assuming he stays on side, of course. One thing's for sure: the next season of Drive to Survive is going to be peak.
Sydney Morning Herald
11-07-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Ferrari is looking less like a carmaker and more like Hermes
Vigna's background as a theoretical physicist is apparent as he illustrates his thinking with diagrams sketched on pieces of paper like a professor at a blackboard. His contention is not just that Ferrari is a luxury-goods company, comparable in some ways with France's Hermes, the most valuable firm in that industry – but that it is a unique one. Loading The maker of high-end sports cars has succeeded in boosting sales while adhering to the maxim of Enzo Ferrari, who founded the firm in 1947, that it should sell 'one less car than the market demands'. Despite its expansion, Ferrari insists that it is as exclusive as ever, having grown fastest in places such as the Middle East where sales were once small. Recently, it has also raised prices at a far faster pace than in the past. As Stephen Reitman of Bernstein, a broker, points out, the price of new models used to be 3-5 per cent higher than those they superseded, whereas the new 12Cilindri is a whopping 30 per cent more than the 812 Superfast it replaces. That is also true for Ferrari's hugely profitable flagship cars, which arrive at irregular intervals, justified by improved technology learnt from racing. Deliveries of the latest, the F80, which costs €3.6 million, will begin soon, 12 years after the launch of the LaFerrari, which set owners back a mere €1 million or so. Total revenue from the F80 will exceed €2.3 billion, says Jefferies, a bank. To plug the gap between launches of these money spinners, Ferrari has started to make special limited-edition cars, such as the Daytona SP3 unveiled in 2021 (price: €2 million), which are high-margin styling exercises underpinned by existing models. Ferrari also now offers far more opportunities for personalisation, from custom paint-jobs to added carbon fibre and lavish interiors. These can add 20 per cent to the price of its cars, which Barclays, a bank, reckons will set back buyers an average of more than €500,000 next year. The firm is able to charge such eye-watering prices thanks to the devotion of its loyal fans. Some 80 per cent of customers are already owners. Many make a pilgrimage to the factory; some, overcome by emotion, are said to shed a tear. Judging the mood of its customers by keeping in close contact with about 180 dealerships worldwide allows Ferrari to draw its most avid collectors into an inner circle. Tariff-induced price rises have made no difference to orders from America. Sales of the F80 (of which Ferrari is making just 799) were three times oversubscribed. Getting chosen for one required buying several other Ferraris and acting as an ambassador, including turning up at car shows organised by the firm (and paying for the privilege). Even that was not a guarantee. Customers accept that Ferrari cannot serve everyone, explains Enrico Galliera, its marketing chief, dubbed 'Mr No' for frequently rejecting requests from would-be buyers. They may fear that any sign of disgruntlement will mean being bumped down future waiting lists. All this sounds similar to how ultra-luxe fashion brands such as Hermes operate. Yet, Vigna reckons Ferrari has even more going for it than the maker of pricey leather goods. His firm combines heritage with cutting-edge technology. It takes part in racing events such as the British Grand Prix on July 6, which are central to the brand's marketing. (Hermes organises a show-jumping tournament – classy, but less adrenaline-fuelled.) Chinese consumers, who have lately tightened their purse strings, account for just 8 per cent of Ferrari's sales, compared with as much as two-fifths at Hermes. Loading And Ferrari relies almost exclusively on the very rich, who are more insulated from downturns. A good chunk of revenue at Hermes comes from cheaper goods such as scarves, ties and perfume, much of which are sold to consumers who are wealthy, but not outrageously so. What could go wrong for the car industry's ritzy star? Some say that its price rises are already too aggressive. Further increases in production may eventually threaten the brand's perceived exclusivity. Revenue from personalisation has its limits. Ferrari also has one thing in common with more mundane car firms: the transition to battery power. The Elettrica, its first foray into that segment, will hit the road next year. The company recently doubled the size of its factory in Maranello, which will give it flexibility to make the electric vehicle without producing fewer of its current models. Yet other electric super-cars have been met with indifference. If Ferrari's fails to impress, the carmaker's pristine image could be damaged. Worryingly, on June 17, reports emerged that it would delay a second electric model by two years, to 2028. Vigna still has to solve his trickiest problem yet.
