George Lucas Hearst Castle Clone – All the ideas for George Lucas’s production ranches originate from the legendary filmmaker, but his latest seems to borrow more than a little from another mogul’s palace. Critics are saying the proposed Grady Ranch in Marin County is a copy of Casa Grande, the main building in William Randolph Hearst’s San Simeon castle (pictured). Lucas’s spokeswoman, Emilie Nicks, said the design is actually inspired by the St. Vincent School for Boys in Marinwood, but Hearst Castle museum director Hoyt Fields begged to differ. “I just don’t think so,” he said, comparing Grady sketches with photos of the school. Copyright law is hard to enforce when it comes to architecture, but legal teams are assuredly scrambling. [via San Jose Mercury News]

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The buyer who snaps up this Florida home should make sure to meet their new neighbors. On one side of the fence lives PGA player Chris DiMarco, the opposite: NBA megastar Dwight Howard, of the Orlando Magic. The five-bedroom was listed for sale yesterday, and with 16,000 square-feet of play space, the $5.5 million home might as well be a basketball court or driving range. The Longwood home is tucked behind a gated private road in the exclusive Lake Club neighborhood and comes outfitted with a two-story master suite with a vestibule and other amenities like a private library, theater, pub room, theater and a “gentleman’s bar.” Outside, take a dip in a stunning pool and warm up in the tiered gazebo or fire pit, or just tee up a few balls on your Astroturf backyard — neither of your new neighbors should mind [via nba fanhouse]

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The Pioneer Springs Ranch is a refreshing, intimately designed estate just minutes from Aspen and the lifts of Snowmass Mountain. The contemporary property expands on over 40 pristine acres, with lush green meadows and beautiful views of the skiing resort and the rolling hills in the foreground. Promoting large, open living spaces, the 13,000 sq ft building features seven bedrooms including a master suite, two media/family rooms, a fabulous bar with a fireplace, a walk-in closet, a private office and an exercise room. Built with passion and precise attention to details, all these come at a price. The Pioneer Springs ranch is currently on sale for some $25 million, fully furnished. Worth it? We’ll let you decide … [via Luxist]

Gumball Rally 3000 Pictures – On Saturday, more than 120 racing teams chirped out of Los Angeles and barreled for the Nevada desert. Some drivers sharply squealed off the starting line, others revved and roared away as the flag for their interval was dropped.  This year’s Gumball 3000 is out of the gate, and teams are making their way from West to East Coast. By the time the storied road rally ends Friday in Miami, the teams and fans will have amassed tales of speed and party-fueled mayhem that rival those surrounding any motorsport.  StyleCrave was there for the start– check out our full coverage of the event and exclusive photos after the jump…

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Brainchild of famed Jaguar racer John Coombs, this 1965 Jaguar E-Type is a fresh, stylistic spin that will easily defy all its counterfeiters. Custom designed by the Italian design team at Frua, with a modified front and rear coachwork, this car made it to the 1966 Geneva Salon where it fell short of client’s expectations. But more than 40 years later, after a year-long restoration, the 1965 Frua E-Type Jag is once again under the spotlight to tell its story. The one-off E-type is currently selling on eBay (for another 10 hours) with bidding up to $41,300. So if there are any Jag fantasies out there, make sure you spread the word. [via Autoblog]

With a home like this, you’d almost welcome Kramer for a neighbor. The former residence of Jerry Seinfeld, this $6.3 million Sierra Mar home boasts direct views of both downtown Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean. Behind walls of glass lie three bedrooms and five bathrooms, a 4-car garage and a screening room. The home was built on a lot in Doheny Hills, which has room for expansion in case 5,900 square-feet isn’t enough space for Elaine, George or who ever you might want to entertain. [via realtor.com]

The design of Santiago’s Mestizo Restaurant is based in an architecture competition that asked would-be designers to create a space that incorporated imagery from elsewhere. The winning concept — with a child’s pool ring-inspired ceiling, large quarried granite boulders and industrial water piping-turned perimeter lattice — pleased the client, but didn’t quite cut it with city officials with a stake in the restaurant’s Las Américas Park locale. Smiljan Radic Clarke’s final design was tweaked, and the winning imagery was used more abstractly with black concrete ceiling beams and granite mountain boulders incorporated into structural support elements. The result is a contemporary twist the substantial, durable, functional monuments seen in parks everywhere — the pavilion [via archdaily]

In this year’s February issue, Dwell detailed a minimalist concrete Zurich prefab built for “Spartan-minded” clients Christof Meili and Farzaneh Moinian. The Swiss home was designed by Felix Oesch, who oriented the home south, away from the noise of a nearby road and towards emerald views a nearby river. The home’s entrance is framed with a heavy timber door, which opens into a large kitchen, dining and living space with panoramic views of the Rhine and woods. Down banisterless stairs, visitors descend into the first floor, which hosts a pair of bedrooms. Using a prefab design method popular for basement construction, the home was built in nine months from twin panels of 2.4-inch concrete. The panels sandwich a concrete and insulation filling and were cut and mitered for fixtures and fittings off-site. Two 300-foot-deep “boreholes” harness geothermal energy for under-floor heating and hot water. [via dwell and materialicious, photos by Hertha Hurnaus]

Built on site out of steel and glass by architects at Autoban, The House Café was designed to integrate the surroundings of its Kanyon Shopping Mall home in Istanbul, Turkey. Architects Sefer Çaglar & Seyhan Özdemir created a glass and girder space-within-a-space, setting the restaurant atop a raised walnut platform, which offers customers a warm respite from the busy mall. Inside, a large glass chandelier illuminates dark, old-fashioned wood tables and a large planter centerpiece. Tucked behind the steel beams are warm fabric curtains that can be untied to divide the open space into intimate corners. [via contemporist, photos by Ali Bekman]