S candinavia has a reputation for sophisticated world-class design. But there is a historical rugged toughness too, which goes back to those seafaring explorers, first the Vikings and then the Hanseatic League. It is a peculiar mix and when these seemingly opposing sides of the Scandi character collide, you end up with the sort of muscular elegance that you find in Arne Jacobsen’s furniture, a Bang & Olufsen speaker or Volvo’s 1961 P1800.
The Swedish luxury boatmaker J Craft is another example of the school of good looks meets uncompromising performance. Its signature model, the 42ft Torpedo, unveiled in 2009, is a powerful beast which, while recalling the glamour and romance of a Mediterranean speedboat, is at heart a Viking craft. Surely it can only be a matter of time before we see 007 haring around the Mediterranean in one.
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