Speed Legends Night Drive

Finally here. The scent is utterly captivating, centered around the freshness of pacth, pink pepper, bergamot, and ginger. If you thought this was another release like Sospiro*s Vibrato or Bvlgari's Tygar, you'd be gravely mistaken. I had the same thought when I saw ginger combined with bergamot. So, this enticing, I'd say synthetic creation (but very, very skillfully structured and made) offers an Oriental Woody brilliance with a deep freshness. I'm not a fan of Roja's Apex perfume at all, but it has elements of that kind of freshness, or an even better comparison: it has a touch of freshness like MFK - Masculin Pluriel (I'm talking about the type of freshness here). This perfume has absolutely no connection to the two fragrances mentioned above, but it could be interpreted as drawing from the genre of those two scents. It's completely opposite to both yet very unique. It's quite linear with loud projection and really solid longevity and lasting power. The perfume's description is a night drive, which this fragrance perfectly embodies. Evening freshness, neon lights (the color of the bottle and the synthetic quality I'm talking about) can be very clearly interpreted here. It's appealing, captivating, long-lasting, yet different from anything I've tried. A very unique and cleverly crafted fragrance by Fernandez. Yes, this perfume is definitely a night rider, a night player; it's not for the day and sunlight. It's ideal for open spaces or clubbing. Age limit: over 30. It's not for kids (again, I'm referring to that shade of association with Masculin Pluriel and Apex). Finally, I come to the inevitable patchouli. A tried-and-true recipe for such things. Here, it is fresh and aromatically green. Pleasantly strong, intriguing, but again with an emphasis on the synthetic. I almost said sterile, lol. I give it a solid 8 out of 10. A thematic scent that you use when you're on the hunt. It evokes freedom but is quite seductive (as you can see, Riocam is always surrounded by women), so if you're a playboy? This toy is made for you. If you're deep into the niche sphere? You might still find this perfume interesting, but that slight synthetic touch might put you off, even though it's elevated to a high-end level. That's why I give it a solid 8. EDIT 02.12.2024. Here’s why I love this hobby, and here's one more reason why my Instagram is called "frag_explorer." My fragrance journey and exploration have led me to a new conclusion (many will thank me later), but to make it official, I will say it now: THANK ME LATER!! :p I discovered the perfume completely by accident at my job. I work as a city chimney sweeper, and a customer had a perfume on the shelf in the hallway. It was a Mercedes perfume, but I thought it was Club Black. Since I was working, I didn't have time to stop and smell it. Then, when I finished the job, I sprayed a bit on the sleeve of my shirt. The scent immediately reminded me of something, but I couldn't figure out what. For a good half hour, I was in a mental block, but at the same time, I was positively surprised by how nicely the perfume developed. Subconsciously, I was thinking a hundred miles an hour, trying to figure out what it reminded me of, what I had this with, or where I had smelled it before... You know that feeling, right? Then my brain lit up, and BLINK!!! Mercedes-Benz CLUB (the regular silver bottle) from 2013 clearly served as inspiration for the Ex Nihilo - Speed Legends Night Drive LMTD EDITION. I don't want to be a conspiracy theorist, but it's interesting how Mercedes, as a car company, can create such a brilliant perfume, and Ex Nihilo “accidentally” played with cars at that time, with photographer Rio Cam and his idea to create the concept of a night version of Night Drive in a limited edition. Cars on one side, cars on the other, in one sleeve we have the 2013 production year, and in the other, much richer and more potent, the same thing in a new edition created by Ex Nihilo under the direction of Jordi Fernandez. Of course, Oliver Cresp created the original theme for this scent for Mercedes Club. A totally underrated fragrance, I would say. So, if you can't (and I know you can't) buy Ex Nihilo Speed Legends Night Drive because the limited stock sold out very quickly, I suggest you buy Mercedes-Benz CLUB. And you will have this unique fragrance in a very, very similar (I’d say 85% similar) version. However, I recently discovered another newcomer that belongs to this group. It's from the M.INT perfume house, and the fragrance is called Time To Target. The opening is the same, but later it’s significantly different from the two previous ones mentioned. I plan to buy the Mercedes Club perfume soon as a backup, before it becomes discounted, which is very likely to happen. A question for you guys: Do you still play with toy cars like you did as kid? Thank me later... ;)

Let’s address the elephant in the room first: the price. At roughly $450, the cost of this fragrance is extremely difficult to justify. In my opinion, this should be priced more in line with a typical niche release—somewhere in the $200–$250 range. That pricing issue is the biggest criticism I have, and I’ll explain why throughout the rest of this review. From the opening, Speed Legends Night Drive immediately feels like a darker, more mature take on the original Speed Legends. That shouldn’t come as a surprise—the name literally includes “Night Drive.” Night implies darker, richer, and moodier. Some of the criticism I’ve seen seems to come from people expecting a completely different fragrance, which never made much sense to me. As a huge fan of the original, my biggest complaint was always its performance. Night Drive improves significantly in that department, earning immediate bonus points from me. It lasts longer, projects better, and feels more complete overall. As the fragrance develops, there are unmistakable hints of Sauvage Elixir. However, Night Drive presents those elements in a much more refined and niche manner. It’s smoother, less aggressive, and avoids the loud, sometimes headache-inducing nature that can come with Elixir. The fragrance projects well without becoming a room-filling monster. There’s also an interesting metallic nuance running through the composition, which I suspect comes from the blackcurrant. The sage is outstanding here—prominent, beautifully blended, and one of the fragrance’s strongest features. As it settles further into the drydown, the darker fresh opening gradually fades, revealing a gorgeous earthy, woody, patchouli-driven base. This is where the fragrance really shines for me. The transition feels natural and well-executed, creating a scent that remains interesting from start to finish. I absolutely love this fragrance. Fragrance is subjective, of course, but some of the negativity surrounding this release feels driven more by the price tag than by what’s actually in the bottle. I understand the criticisms—it isn’t revolutionary, it doesn’t introduce a completely new scent profile, and it certainly isn’t worth $450 from a value perspective. Those are all fair points. That said, when I judge the fragrance itself, independent of the pricing, I think it’s fantastic. It’s versatile enough to wear during the day, though it definitely leans toward evening wear, as the name suggests. It works well in nearly every season, with the exception of extremely hot summer days. Rating: 9.5/10

This fragrance is not that bad. Definitely not worth $800 though (resell prices) lmao. It opens up pretty warm and spicy but has some freshness to it, to me it reminds me of sauvage elixir without the licorice note. About 30 min to an hour in it starts to smell a bit sour i guess, like that sharp note that you smell in the opening of town & country mixed with speed legends. Deeper into the dry down it gets back to the warm and spicy territory from earlier, but the freshness isn't there anymore. This part reminds me of absolu aventus a little bit. It also did not remind me of that mercedez bens club (silver bottle) at all. Overall, its a pretty decent scent. Projection is solid, every time i moved around i would catch whiffs of it and I was able to smell it for 12 hours no problem. Looking forward to the re release of this, hopefully the retail price isn't too bad

First I am tired of so many special/limited releases and things getting discontinued. I'm tired of these companies introducing so much FOMO with new fragrance releases. Besides that, this is basically the original Speed Legends DNA but the cloud-like, airy-ness has been toned down a lot. I personally enjoy this over normal Speed Legends. That airy-ness in the original can become too much for me personally. Night Drive takes the original DNA, smooths out the musk and makes it a little darker. I really enjoy this one as a daily driver/signature scent but who knows if it will get discontinued again. I'll enjoy my bottle while it lasts but who knows what the future holds for this fragrance.

The branding concept of a “Night Drive” is well interpreted here; you have to smell it to understand. This fragrance has a shimmering quality to it - like sparkling metallic car paint under neon street lights🚦 The top notes blend together to create a patchouli-heavy, aromatic barbasol vibe that leans slightly synthetic - but very high quality like all Ex Nihilo’s formulas. Ambroxan isn’t listed as a note, but I’m certain its present in the dry down. It’s much more closely affiliated with Loewe 7 Elixir than Dior Sauvage. 7 Elixr takes the medicinal/clove lane, and Night Drive takes the synthetic, ambroxan lane Pun intended 🚘 🙋♂️

PLEASE DO NOT buy this from the scalpers on eBay. I had this before the re-release and sold it off... it smells fine, but nowhere near $600+ good. If you really want to pay retail ($350), go for it, but I don't think it's worth that. I love the concept, but the frag just felt flat. The base is a thin, musky amberwoods, nothing to write home about. Check out Cg Scents on YouTube, I agree with his review.

I've seen many fakes out there. Btw this has absolutely nothing to do with Dior Sauvage Elixir. If anyone wants to confirm if the bottle is original, they can send me photos via direct message on my Instagram: @rafagscosta

Be careful with fakes, I've seen a lot of them out there, especially if you bought them on MERCARI

Very glad to see that this has been rereleased. As a big Ex Nihilo fan, and a fan of Speed Legends edp, I could only get this scent through decants from trusted sources- but now, I was able to snag a bottle from the official site and it just came in. Although I'm already familiar with this scent profile, I'm going to describe it now since I just got a bottle. This is more of a mature, fresh spicy, amber scent- very reminescent of Lucius from Fragrance du Bois (I see some people disagree, but the amber in both these fragrances make them distant brothers or close cousins). In the opening however, I do get some very slight similarities to Sauvage mixed with the regular Speed Legends. This fragrance can be worn anytime except during the high heat. I think the fragrance is okay, but my girl really likes it. And what else do we wear fragrances for if not to impress the opposite sex... amirite fellas? Just kidding. But you know what I mean. It's fresh and it's masculine, yet it's deep dark and mysterious at the same time. Wear it and let the ladies fall in love.

Just got this in, very masculine scent I see the connection between night drive and savage elixer. Very nice, and elegant.i wouldn’t say that this is totally blind by safe but if you’re into mature masculine woodsy scents, you’ll be just fine

Following directly on the heels of yesterday’s spectacular experience, today’s review shifts into overdrive to explore the intensely elusive, limited-edition sibling to one of the community's favorite fresh pillars: Speed Legends Night Drive by Ex Nihilo. Coming off the massive high of the original profile developing so beautifully on skin, my expectations for this rare flanker are running exceptionally high. This creation showcases the avant-garde Parisian house attempting to take an aerodynamic, daylight archetype and completely plunge it into a darkly seductive, midnight landscape. The structural blueprint for this release relies on an entirely different balance of macro textures, boldly flipping the script by leading with a heavy, commanding column of dry woodiness, glowing amber warmth, and a massive, texturized dose of earthy patchouli. Rather than relying on a room-filling explosion of citrus, this blend takes a far more mysterious, atmospheric approach, wrapping its clean aromatic greenery and familiar soft spicy core in a thick, resinous shadow of underlying fruitiness. Stepping into a highly exclusive formulation designed to capture the visceral, high-stakes thrill of a midnight highway run, the critical question remains whether Night Drive can successfully evolutionize the signature DNA into an opulent evening masterpiece, or if its shift toward heavy woods and dense, balsamic earthiness will smother the effortless, magical charm that makes the original so special. Let’s see if this limited-edition creation stands as an essential, triumphant evolution or if it is an unnecessary, over-darkened shadow. Opening: The opening is aromatic, spicy, and fruity. The primary accords I get are sage, pink pepper, blackcurrant, and bergamot, with the clary sage and pink pepper leading the introduction. The sage is what greets my nose first as a clean and icy blast, anchoring the aromatic accord and creating a highly polished and professional edge in the opening minutes of the wear. The pink pepper joins it right at the top, contributing a bright, dry, and rosy spiciness that beautifully drives that soft spicy accord right alongside the aromatics. Underneath, the blackcurrant introduces a deep, tangy, and slightly sweet dark berry facet, serving to function as the primary fruity aspect of the fragrance while adding further structural depth. Lastly, the bergamot rounds out the opening as a luminescent and rindy citrus accord that is subtly nuanced with a bit of greenery and aromatics, blending in flawlessly with the rest of the notes to drive home the clean and fresh theme. I also get a bit of vetiver humming underneath as a dry, earthy woodiness, mimicking perfectly the vetiver present in the opening of the original formulation. All of these notes are taken directly from Speed Legends and are identical in their raw presentation, resulting in an opening that is extremely reminiscent of a smooth mixture of both the opening and the dry down of the original. Dry Down: The dry down is aromatic, earthy, and woody. The primary accords I get are sage, patchouli, labdanum, and amberwood, with the sage and patchouli leading the experience. The sage is still the main component I pick up on in the dry down, maintaining a large, undeniable presence of that signature icy and fresh aromatic signature. However, the patchouli has officially emerged as an accompanying dominant force, delivering a sizable dose of dark, damp, and intensely earthy herbal elements. It takes up a large portion of the profile in the dry down as the leading patchouli and earthy accords, grounding the entire fragrance with a gritty, sophisticated, and midnight shadow texture that stays remarkably true to the fragrance's namesake. The labdanum works directly underneath the sage and patchouli as a thick, sticky, and deeply resinous balsamic note with a distinct leathery texture. This specific inclusion, along with the heavy patchouli, represents a massive shift from the original daytime profile, acting as a core driver for a highly noticeable amber accord and further pushing the fragrance into a mysterious, night-time territory. Lastly, the amberwood finishes the dry down with a powerful, dry, and radiating ambery timber note that acts as the core framework of the pyramid, giving the trailing scent cloud a commanding, long lasting structural strength. The result is a dry down that is reminiscent of the opening, but true to the name, takes the profile in a much darker and moodier direction focused heavily around earthy, woody, and balsamic tones. Performance: The initial projection within the first hour of wear is extremely powerful and easily able to fill up a room. The sillage matches that robust footprint perfectly, casting a heavy, almost tangible scent trail in your wake. After about three to four hours on skin, the performance remains largely unchanged, with the projection still effortlessly reaching across the room and the scent trail remaining immediately noticeable to anyone nearby. After about eight hours, the projection is still hovering around a respectable three to four feet, and while the scent trail has lightened, it remains completely noticeable. The fragrance ultimately becomes a skin scent around the ten to eleven hour mark, demonstrating a similar overall longevity to the original but pushing out with a significantly stronger projection and a heavier sillage in the first few hours. When to Wear: Like the original, Speed Legends Night Drive is a highly versatile fragrance that can realistically be worn all year round, day or night. It is perhaps even more versatile than the original in that the opening carries that exact same bright and radiant profile from the original that works wonderfully in the daytime heat, but it transitions beautifully into that dark and mysterious profile in the dry down that matches after hour vibes perfectly. As far as specific use cases, like the original, this could easily be worn casually or formally, and it would technically stand as an even better pick for special occasions like date nights or anniversaries thanks to its darker, more seductive dry down. However, that added darkness comes with a distinct tradeoff, as I do not see this working well as an everyday professional office fragrance the way the original so easily did. Blind Buy: Whereas the original Speed Legends was a pretty safe blind buy for most collectors, I think Night Drive strays much further into unsafe territory. The opening still delivers that same mass appealing, clean, and fresh signature profile, but the distinctly earthy, heavy, and woody dry down will absolutely not match everyone's personal taste. That polarizing shift, along with the even higher premium price tag than the original, heavily warrants testing this on skin before committing to a full bottle purchase. Final Verdict: Going into Speed Legends Night Drive, I fully expected this composition to resonate with my personal tastes even more than the original Speed Legends. I love earthy notes, I love ambery notes, and I love woody notes. On paper, Night Drive promised to deliver all of that built right on top of the original fresh core. Technically speaking, it did live up to that promise, and it even outperformed the original in raw technical performance, which is exactly why my underlying disappointment with this fragrance came as such a shock to me. The original Speed Legends was a simplistic but beautifully cohesive masterpiece; a scent that was easy to wear and even easier to love. However, I feel like that effortless cohesion completely breaks down in Night Drive, leaving the darker, heavier baseline notes fighting awkwardly for dominance with the brighter, icy aromatics up top. It simply does not feel as expertly blended as its predecessor, and honestly speaking, that structural friction gave me a bit of a headache during my wear test. With the original Speed Legends, I was able to understand completely after wearing it on skin why it is so heavily hyped and adored across the community. With Night Drive, I feel like the fragrance is riding the coattails of the original's success, getting placed on an artificial pedestal primarily because of its limited edition status and artificial scarcity. Navigating hundreds of evaluations teaches you to separate genuine blending wizardry from the mere allure of exclusivity, and while this is certainly not a bad fragrance, it just is not as good or as harmonious as the original in my opinion. For that reason, it is not a bottle I will be wasting energy chasing down on the secondary market. Scent: 8/10 Longevity: 8/10 Sillage: 10/10 Versatility: High Compliment Factor: High Gender: Masculine Value: Way overpriced

Was super excited to try this one since everyone was hyping it up but im not feeling it. Im a fan of patchouli too, but the way this one mixes with the amber, bergamot, and pink pepper its just too sharp for my tastes. It just needs something to balance all the sharpness and zing. Its just kinda plain for me. Sauvage has more balance.

Ex Nihilo Speed Legends Night Drive takes the DNA of the original Speed Legends and turns the intensity up several notches. It feels darker and bolder, delivering a richer interpretation that swaps the original's bright citrus freshness for a more edgy character. The opening immediately sets the tone by replacing the original's mandarin accord with a vibrant blend of bergamot, sage, pink pepper, and spicy ginger. The result is a crisp, aromatic opening with a familiar blue-fragrance appeal while still maintaining its own distinct identity. As the fragrance develops, the heart introduces an elegant contrast. Juicy blackcurrant adds subtle sweetness and depth, while labdanum provides a warm, resinous richness that gives the composition a sophisticated edge. The transition is smooth and layered, adding complexity without sacrificing wearability. The dry down is where Night Drive truly distinguishes itself. Patchouli takes center stage, supported by earthy vetiver, amberwoods, and creamy tonka bean. The result is a dense, refined base that feels rich and exceptionally long-lasting. Performance is one of Night Drive's strongest qualities, delivering impressive longevity with strong projection that leaves a noticeable scent trail throughout the day. If you're already a fan of the original Speed Legends and wish it had more depth, power, and attitude, Night Drive is an outstanding upgrade. It amplifies everything that made the original appealing while introducing darker, more textured facets. However, if the original Speed Legends never truly resonated with you, the significant price premium attached to this limited edition may make it difficult to justify. Overall, Speed Legends Night Drive is a bold, luxurious reinterpretation that successfully elevates the original with greater richness, depth, and presence. It's a fragrance that rewards those looking for a more assertive take on Speed Legends without losing the refined character that defines the line.

The "Reminds me of" section is wild work. Loewe 7? ...Seriously? Roja Apex? ...What the actual ffffff...Lucius? ...dear god. And no, this is NOT similar to Dior Sauvage Elixir. One of the things I love about Speed Legends is that it is pretty unique, and it plays its role so dang well. It isn't mind-blowing at all, but my gosh, the quality is top-notch. Night Drive is 95% the same thing as the OG Speed Legends. As many people have said, Night Drive adds a spicier touch, but it doesn't completely change the fragrance. The spices are most noticeable in the opening of the scent, but it quickly dies down to something extremely similar, and the only way to tell the difference is to test them side-by-side, which I am doing. I prefer Night Drive because it feels like it has just a tad more of a backbone, but both versions are pretty damn awesome.

First wear I started to regret my purchase - expecting something similar to Speed Legends, this smelt too similar to Sauvage Elixir for my liking. Second wear, I understood it, it embodies a night drive on a cool summers night - this belongs in the Speed Legends lineup but it's as it says, a night drive. It has this peppery element to it alongside an almost cool dense shaving cream smell that reminds you of an evening freshness that @since88 describes - but also a slight sweetness as to make it not too harsh, it reminds me of that sweet smell you can detect in the breeze when your windows are open during a UK's summertime evening. That pretty much sums it up - I love wearing this at night, but I think I prefer the original due to its 'leather' aspect.

since88 Beautiful description and review of the fragrance. I personally don't write reviews but I have to say, reading the below was a breath of fresh air. The description and wording really kept me informed and wanting to read more. My words won't be as captivating as @since88 but one thing I'll say is I am lucky enough to own this and fell in love with it when I sampled it last year and I've been looking for this ever since and finally today I got it. The synthetic is slightly off putting but bearable with just how beautiful this fragrance is. It's an absolute 9/10 out for me. Looking forward to more from this line.

I walked by a man wearing this in the train station, and it smelled so great on him that I overcame my natural shyness (I’m a woman) to walk back and tell him that he smelled amazing and ask what he was wearing. Although I do sometimes ask women what they’re wearing, I can’t remember the last time I asked a man. So, gentlemen, if you like this fragrance and you’re considering it: this passerby says go for it!

Speed legends DNA which is a blueish fragrance with a blackcurrant note (like the one in Aventus Absolu and Cobalt 7) and laundry musks, now with patchouli, maltol and more amberwoods. Hence why it smells like Sauvage Elixir but less complex.

This is a fun one, spiritually similar to DHS (although they don't smell alike). Fun versitile scent that is neither wimpy nor nuclear. It's got some hot and cold stuff going on and is a little zingy. The Patchouli is there but not dominant.

An amazing fragrance, that is certainly reminiscent of Apex and Sauvage Elixir. Forget what the dude below is saying. It’s simply the combination of Apex/Sauvage Exlixir with the original speed legends DNA. Masculine 10/10 fragrance.