John Caudwell, Founder of luxury developer Caudwell, and arguably Britain’s most daring developer, is doing the famous 14,500 km Peking to Paris Motor Rally 2025 with his brother Brian.
The pair are doing the dangerous and arduous 37-day motoring challenge over mountains, deserts and plains in a 1938 Chevrolet Master Coupe, inspired by the rally’s links to the French Riviera.
Unique in the motoring world, the Peking (Bejing) to Paris Motor Rally, taking place between 17th May to 22nd June 2025, is a true vehicle and human endurance event.
It crosses twelve countries, starting at the Great Wall of China, taking the daredevil crews across some of the world’s most difficult motoring terrain in China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland and finally France.
VINTAGE CLASSICS
Pic credit: CAUDWELL
Organised by international rally specialists HERO-ERA and sponsored by leading automobile brands including Michelin, the RAC and Club Des Autos, the 2025 event follows the spirit, Alps mountains and Gobi desert tracks of the pioneers of the first Peking to Paris Motor Rally, that took place 118 years ago in 1907.
Like the original participants, the 2025 crews will be behind the wheels of beautiful vintage or classic motorcars, typically dating from 1907 up to 1975.
Pic credit: CAUDWELL
John and Brian’s 1938 Chevrolet Master Coupe is notable for its association with the legendary racing driver Juan Manuel Fangio, who used a Coupe to win the Gran Premio Internacional del Norte.
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
In both his social and professional working life rally participant John Caudwell has always thrived on adrenaline and challenging himself to push both personal and business industry boundaries in the pursuit of exceeding expectations, dedication and excellent results.
Pic credit: CAUDWELL
John, a man of action and results, has enjoyed motor racing with his brother Brian since the 1960s, and regularly participates in challenging and fitness enhancing sports including cycling, skiing, sailing, motorbike racing and flying. John and Brian have previously participated in the Carrera Espana Motor Rally 2022, across the mountains of northern Spain, and John has competed in the Radical SR1 Cup at Brands Hatch in 2019 and 2013.
LUXURY REAL ESTATE
Likewise in his professional working life heading luxury real estate developer Caudwell John has strived to push design and construction boundaries within the property industry through taking on exceptionally challenging and complex regeneration schemes that aspire to leave legacy projects that will last for future generations.
In Mayfair, London’s most prestigious residential address, Caudwell acquired in 2011 a multi-storey carpark and surrounding buildings off Audley Street. His vision was to transform the site into the world’s most prestigious new residential address, now known as 1 Mayfair.
Pic credit: CAUDWELL
Working with New York architect Robert A.M. Stern of RAMSA and American-Chilean designer Juan Pablo (J.P.) Molyneux, the result is 1 Mayfair, a £2 billion (GDV) luxury address providing 24 principal residences, five further pieds-à-terre, spectacular entertaining halls and lounges designed around a central garden, a health spa with swimming pool, basement parking and 24-hour security, hotel-style concierge and valet parking.
Scheduled for completion around Q3 2026 1 Mayfair has pushed the boundaries of design innovation and quality in the property industry with spectacular features including a grand rotunda, the first to be built in Mayfair since 1772, with marble flooring inspired by the Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome and a beautiful hand painted ceiling that recalls Michelangelo’s Map of the Heavens from the Vatican, and a Grand Reception Room with Friezes inspired by the Parthenon in Greece.
CRYSTAL GALLERY
The most spectacular and complex architectural masterpiece at 1 Mayfair will be the Crystal Gallery, a rock crystal glass panelled hallway whose reflective walls and pilasters recall the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles.
Pic credit: CAUDWELL
The gallery is designed to create an optical illusion for visitors, with the garden views through the French windows along one side, cleverly duplicated and reflected in the mirrors.
Pic: Caudwell
In the South of France, at the gateway to Cap d’Antibes, in 2014 Caudwell acquired the landmark Hôtel Provençal, formerly a magnificent 5-star Art Deco hotel, originally built in 1926-27 by architect Lucien Stable for American millionaire Frank Jay Gould, which has hosted Marilyn Monroe, Sir Winston Churchill and Jackie Kennedy.
Since 1977, when it closed for refurbishment, Hôtel Provençal had been derelict, with various entrepreneurs over the decades seeking unsuccessfully to rescue the hotel.
AFFINE DESIGN
Spearheaded by John’s vision and drive, luxury developer Caudwell has worked alongside renowned Parisian architecture and interior design studio Affine Design, to restore and transform the iconic building into Le Provençal, a new £300 million plus (GDV) luxury residential address providing 41 residences, all with secure garaging.
Complete with Art Deco styled public areas, cinema, health spa, restaurant, children’s playroom, retail boutiques and six acres of landscaped gardens with a 30-metre swimming pool. Le Provençal offers gracious luxury living and amenities unrivalled in the Cote d’Azur.
Pic credit: CAUDWELL
Now successfully refurbished and restored, the completed Le Provençal opens its doors this month to residents.
Features will include an artwork gallery with furniture inspired by architect Eileen Gray who designed the Bauhaus palace for the Maharajah of Indore, a magnificent octagonal reception lobby, a recreation of the original salon that existed during the 1920s, with walls displaying stunning sculptured stone panels with bas-relief carving designed by artist Michelle Létang and sculpted by Salomé.
Pic credit: CAUDWELL
Another architectural triumph is the rotunda, inspired by Rolf Engströmer’s world renowned hall at Eltham Palace, with the wall decorations, pilasters and chiselled bronzes on the doors inspired by the geometric pattern of the Art Deco style.
FRENCH RIVIERA
The French Riviera setting of Le Provençal is also significant since the heritage links to the first Peking to Paris Motor Rally in 1907.
Pic credit: CAUDWELL
The winner in 1907 was Prince Scipione Borghese, an Italian Royal who spent much of his time on the Italian and French Riviera, socialising in the grand hotels and cafes of Cap d’Antibes, Nice and Monaco.
In his Itala motorcar the Prince was accompanied by his chauffeur Ettore Guizzardi (who did much of the driving), and a journalist Luigi Barzini, who was writing articles about the race for newspapers Le Matin (French) and Corriere della Sera (Milan).
Pic credit: CAUDWELL
Other participants in the 1907 Rally included French racing enthusiast Auguste Pons, who came from Nimes in the South of France, and would practice for races driving along the Riviera coastline, and racing driver Georges Cormier, who liked to race in the Paris-Nice Tour de France.
BE THE BEST
Pic credit: CAUDWELL
John Caudwell, British businessman, philanthropist and Founder of Caudwell says: “In all walks of life, I believe that you need to strive to be the best you can be and do, focusing on results.
“Although very different the Carrera Espana Rally, the Peking to Paris Rally, 1 Mayfair and Le Provençal each represent for me highly exciting yet demanding challenges.
“Whether its racing motorcars or racing to complete complex buildings I am motivated by the need to be super focused on every fine detail and motivate myself and my team to excel to the highest levels of quality and performance.”
Residences released for sale at Le Provençal are priced from €4.5 million ($5m US Dollars), residences at 1 Mayfair are priced from £35 million ($47m US Dollars).
