Diary

Porsche, one of Germany's most famous family businesses, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its iconic 911 model with a new, limited edition of the car.

The new 911 coupe features a flat-six rear engine and rear wheel drive and goes from zero to 100 kilometres per hour in just 4.5 seconds – only 1,963 models will be made, to represent the year of the 911's launch.

French family business Bouygues is on a mission to protect the environment, and has joined forces with carmaker Renault to do so.

On 27 May, Martin Bouygues, second-gen chairman and chief executive of Bouygues received the keys of a ZOE – Renault's first entirely electric mass-market car – from Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of Renault.

Luxury goods giant LVMH is sponsoring the digital restoration of classic 1960s French film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, which will be shown at the Cannes Film Festival.

The film (a still from the film, pictured), which was directed by Jacques Demy in 1964 and starred Catherine Deneuve, won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1964. It was nominated for five Oscars.

LVMH says the move is part of its commitment to the cultural and creative heritage of France and Europe.

Prosthetics maker Ottobock has bought an 80% stake in Finnish superyacht builder Baltic Yachts as the two companies look at opportunities to develop products outside of their respective industries.

Baltic Yachts, which had revenues of around €30 million in 2012, built its reputation on its carbon fibre superyachts, while Ottobock is a market leader in carbon fibre prosthetics. It provided the official prosthetics technical service at the London 2012 Paralympics and had revenues of more than €500 million in 2011, the latest numbers available.