Cool drivers wear cool clothes and shoes. It’s that simple. Just look at Steve McQueen. That guy was the epitome of cool and he had impeccable style. If that classic cool, car enthusiast style is something you’re into, then you’re going to love these new sneakers from Concepts and New Balance.
The Concepts x New Balance 998 Grand Tourer sneaker is one of the hottest driving-inspired sneakers on the market right now. Boston-based New Balance and Cambridge-based Concepts have joined together to make a sneaker that perfectly encapsulates the rich culture of auto racing. This Grand Tourer takes inspiration from grand touring, or GT, cars like the BMW M6, cars that can cross continents at a rapid pace in fantastic luxury but are also capable of endurance races, such as the Mille Miglia. The shoes do the same thing, in allowing you to travel long distances in supreme comfort.
These New Balance Grand Tourers are made with a “full premium pig suede upper with perforated suede details on the vamp and a leather ‘N’ logo with reflective underlay.” The color palette used emulates that of racing cars from a bygone era, as well as European road maps, racing flags as well as GT car interiors. Colors such as grey, off-white, sea-green and red are used to give an old-school touring car feel. All materials used to make the Grand Tourers are sourced from the USA and manufactured in New Balance’s Skowhegan, ME facility.
These sneakers, to some of us, are the ultimate in car-guy cool, as they are simple yet stylish and represent the colors and styles of old-school race cars. The BMW 3.0 CSL racer that won at Sebring comes to mind, as does the Martini & Rossi livery of old racing Porsches, when looking at the Grand Tourers.
These will be a limited-edition collaboration and will only be on sale for a short time. They will launch exclusively at Concepts in Cambridge, MA and online at www.cncpts.com on Saturday December 26th. Retail prices will start at $215.
Concepts NYC has partnered with Classic Car Club of Manhattan to build a post-purchase customer experience where sneaker and car enthusiasts will come together to check out the classic cars that inspired the “Grand Tourer” and on the West Coast, Concepts has teamed up with Period Correct in Costa Mesa, CA, to create a special in-store pop-up experience featuring vintage cars and more.
