Welcome to Studio Chicane: The Last Refuge for Those Who Still Care

What is Studio Chicane?

There was a time when machines had souls. When a car wasn’t just a means of getting from one place to another, but a trusted companion. When a well-made watch wasn’t just jewelry, but a talisman—a testament to engineering, patience, and the kind of meticulous craftsmanship that required steady hands and stubborn minds.

You remember, don’t you? The first time you laid eyes on something truly special. Maybe it was a Ferrari 550 Maranello, slinking through traffic like a big cat on the hunt. Maybe it was a Leica M3, the last great camera built with mechanical precision before the digital wave drowned us all in plastic and planned obsolescence. Maybe it was a leather bag, stitched with purpose, meant to last a lifetime—not just a few seasons until some marketing department decided it was time for you to buy another.

Studio Chicane exists for those moments.

Not just another car blog. Not another design blog. Not a product review site littered with affiliate links. This is a home for people who understand that some things are worth owning. Some things are worth keeping. Some things are built to last, and some things are built to make you feel something.

If you know, you know.

“stelvio pass” by Justin LaBerge, CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted for web display

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What We Cover

At Studio Chicane, we are obsessed with four things:

🚗 Cars & Driving Culture – The machines that matter. From Porsches and M-cars to the oddball legends that never got their due, we go beyond the spec sheet to explore ownership, design, driving experience, and long-term value—because the right car isn’t just a mode of transport. It’s a time machine, a passport, a piece of your identity.

My 2003 M3 in the background.

📷 Design & Photography – The art of seeing. Some objects aren’t just functional—they’re beautiful. We dive into timeless aesthetics, functional design, and the brands that still believe in making things the right way, from Leica cameras to bespoke watches to industrial design icons.

🛠 Quality Specialty Brands & Buy-It-For-Life Products – Some things aren’t meant to be replaced. Some things should be restored, repaired, and passed down. We explore the best-built, longest-lasting gear and the brands that still believe in craftsmanship, whether it’s a perfectly made leather jacket, a Kill Spencer duffel, or the ultimate daily wear boots.

💰 Financial Angle (Ownership & Value) – Understanding what’s worth your money. We’re not day traders or market analysts, but we know what holds value. We break down depreciation curves, asset-based ownership, and why some things get better with time—while others are destined for the landfill.

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What We Believe

The Chicane is more than a blog. It’s a philosophy:

✔ Drive what excites you, not what’s expected.

✔ Choose quality over quantity, always.

✔ Appreciate timeless design and true craftsmanship.

✔ Understand the value of ownership, not just the price.

It’s not about following trends. It’s about pursuing the exceptional. It’s about owning things that last, about making choices that matter, about separating the signal from the noise.

And that brings us here.

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Who is Dr. Chicane?

I am not a content creator.

I don’t care about followers. I don’t care about algorithms. I don’t care about engagement rates, trend cycles, or SEO optimization.

I am a car guy, a watch guy, a coffee guy. A guy who remembers what it was like before cars and coffee turned into an influencer farm, before luxury watches became speculative assets, before every single brand decided it needed to chase an audience instead of making something good.

I was born and raised in Southern California, a place where car culture is as much a part of life as sunshine and traffic. Not a kid. Not an old-timer. Just at that nice, round 40. Old enough to remember when BMW made cars that spoke to the driver, young enough to still have hope that someone, somewhere, will bring that feeling back.

Porsche and BMW loyalist, but I’ll talk your ear off about K-series motors and EK Civics if you let me. I respect cars that are honest—machines that don’t try to be something they’re not.

And I’ve seen too much.

I spent years inside the corporate venture capital world. I sat in rooms with executives who didn’t know the first thing about the products they were selling. I saw car companies gut their engineering teams to save pennies on the supply chain. I watched entire industries shift from building something great to building something that photographs well for Instagram.

For every Andreas Preuninger, there are 100 bean counters who don’t know how to check their own tire pressure.

And I promise you—I don’t hate for the sake of hating.

But this? This is my catharsis.

A place where we talk about the things that still matter—the cars, the culture, the gear, and the roads worth driving.

A place where we cut through the noise.

Because I miss the days when Cars & Coffee was about the cars. When you could actually bond with someone over a shared love of machines, instead of just getting another useless Instagram follow.

A cortado and my 2017 Cayman S - the first Porsche I ever owned.

So screw it.

Let’s rebuild something real—a community of corner carvers and gentlemen (and gentlewomen).

We’re here for the long drives.

We’re here for the last great machines.

We’re here to reclaim what is ours.

Welcome to Studio Chicane.

Buckle up. The road is calling.

Yours in the pursuit of the perfect drive,

Dr. Chicane