Showing posts with label Middle East. Show all posts

3/23/14

Just Another Day in Dubai: Maserati GranTurismo with Gold Wrap and Swarovski Crystals

In a way, I understand why this Dubai resident chose to apply a gold wrap to his Maserati GranTurismo and to adorn it with Swarovski crystals; it’s because no one would have ever noticed his car if he had it how it left the Modena assembly plant…

11/29/13

Take a Look at the Amazing Car Collection of an Abu Dhabi Sheikh

A member of the ruling family of the Abu Dhabi emirate, Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan has one of the most important collection of modern supercars in the world.

Located in a private compound in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, the SBH Royal Auto Gallery includes rare supercars like the Aston Martin One-77, Bugatti EB110, Ferrari SA Aperta, Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss, Lamborghini Reventon, Maserati MC12 and many more.

Sheikh Sultan seems to be a very big fan of the Bugatti Veyron, with his collection including no less than…five different Veyron models.

All in all, there are 32 cars in the collection, and the model that started it all is a BMW Alpina Z8, purchased in April 2004. Just don’t bother calculating how much time and money it took the Sheikh to buy so many supercars.

What you can do instead is enjoy the sight of so many mechanical masterpieces under the same roof, courtesy of Shmee’s video posted below.

By Dan Mihalascu

VIDEO

11/19/13

Dubai's 2014 Corvette Stingray Fire Brigade More Likely to Light a Fire Than to Extinguish One…

From the land of the largest, tallest, most exotic, richest and everything grandiose in general, one can't expect anything less than spectacular when it comes to government vehicles – don't forget, Dubai is the place where some cops run around in Lamborghini Aventadors and Audi R8s.

Still, we will forgive you for scratching your heads upon learning that a 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray joined the Dubai Fire Brigade…

But there's actually a logical explanation behind the use of all these impressive sports and luxury cars. As pointed out by Drive Arabia, these…municipal vehicles are used for publicity purposes, and they seem to get the job done, as evidenced by our frequent postings.

Whether it's money well-spent, is another matter, but there seems to be so much cash flowing around in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that nobody really cares.

Story References: Drive-Arabia

PHOTO GALLERY

11/8/13

New Bentley Mulsanne Shaheen Made for the Middle East

It goes without saying that, the Middle East is one of the most important markets for super luxury vehicles, and the No. 1 region for bespoke luxury vehicles.

Bentley’s reply to Rolls-Royce’s Celestial Phantom and Chicane Phantom Coupé one-off models at the Dubai Motor Show is the Mulsanne Shaheen, a vehicle specifically created for the Middle East.

The brand’s flagship model is a tribute to the Shaheen eagle, a bird of prey that is embedded in Middle Eastern culture and society. Created by Bentley Mulliner, the special edition model takes inspiration from the colorings of the Shaheen eagle using Tungsten over Onyx paintwork, plus Magnolia and Beluga leather and Dark Stained Burr Walnut Veneer for the interior. The car also includes a bespoke signature Mulsanne Shaheen logo adorned on the rear iPad picnic tables using a gold overlay.

The Mulsanne Shaheen is fitted as standard with the Mulliner Driving Specification, including unique 21-inch alloy wheels, Bentley Flying ‘B’ wing vents and Diamond Quilted leather trimmed cabin with driver-selectable, sports-tuned suspension and steering.

Further options include a Wi Fi hotspot, a large tilt-opening, tinted glass sunroof and electrically operated bottle cooler. No modifications were made under the bonnet, where the 6.75-liter V12 engine soldiers on. It delivers an impressive 505hp and 1,020 Nm (752 lb-ft) of torque from 1,750 rpm.

The Middle East is the biggest market for the Bentley Mulsanne, with sales up 53 percent so far this year compared to the same period last year.

By Dan Mihalascu

PHOTO GALLERY

11/6/13

Rolls-Royce Takes Celestial Phantom, Chicane Phantom Coupé and Wraith to Dubai Show

Since the Middle-East is the largest market for Rolls-Royce’s Bespoke division, the luxury automaker is present at the Dubai International Motor Show with two Bespoke models – the Celestial Phantom and the Chicane Phantom Coupé.

In addition to the two one-of-a-kind cars, Rolls-Royce is also showing off its Alpine Trial Centenary Collection and the Wraith coupe, which makes its debut in the Middle East.

The Rolls-Royce Celestial Phantom may have debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show this autumn, but the car came to Dubai with one important addition – or 446, to be exact. The door-cappings, center console lid and rear-privacy divider now feature 446 diamonds! The one-off Phantom celebrates the handover of the first Phantom to its owner at midnight on January 1, 2003.

The car’s color scheme evokes the night sky, integrating fine glass particles into the paint to achieve an alluring sense of depth and light. The theme continues on the inside with the Starlight Headliner that features the constellations exactly as they were at midnight on that historic evening.

Over a thousand fibre optic lights hand-woven into the Celestial Phantom’s headlining represent the stars. To make sure everything is authentic, the night-sky constellation arrangement was verified by the South Downs Planetarium.

The second Bespoke model on display is the Phantom Coupé Chicane, commissioned by AGMC, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ authorized dealer for Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates. The one-off vehicle incorporates design cues and materials that evoke Goodwood’s rich motor sport history.

It is the first contemporary Rolls-Royce that features colored wheels (matching the car’s Gunmetal main exterior paint finish), with the exterior being further individualized by the matte black bonnet and windscreen surround, as well as the Bespoke coachline. Inside the cabin, the traditional wood-finish makes way for carbon fiber, a reference to the materials used nowadays in racing cars.

By Dan Mihalascu

PHOTO GALLERY

Ford Has Big Plans for Middle East and Africa; 17 New Vehicles in 24 Months

I thought Ford’s ‘One Ford’ philosophy meant that all cars they sold around the world had to be the same, in order to streamline the operation, and cut costs.

However, perhaps that was partially meant to stand for the attempt to open new grounds and sell one Ford to buyers in the Middle East and Africa too, because they have just announced the introduction of 17 new models in the two regions, within the next 24 months.

The idea is to start seeing them as one single “business unit,” which will apply for all of the 47 markets it stands to encompass. The models they plan to launch are not all new, but they are foreign to the area and include names like the Fusion sedan and the EcoSport mini-SUV, as well as vehicles from the Lincoln range.

Stephen Odell, Ford’s Euro president said “The Middle East and Africa is poised to become one of the next big automotive growth markets and we want to be there for these customers with great new cars and trucks,” making it clear that “Ford and Lincoln sales have grown 60 percent in the Middle East over the past four years, and we expect total industry sales in the combined Middle East and Africa region to increase nearly 40 percent to around 5.5 million units by 2020.”

Their tactic for future expansion will rely on the quest to bring new models in, supporting the dealer network and expand accessibility to parts by setting up more complete local chains. Currently, it seems to be working, as the Blue Oval and Lincoln together have sold 60 percent more cars during the last four years of activity.

By Andrei Nedelea

PHOTO GALLERY

12/11/12

Jaguar-Land Rover Confirms Interest in Building a Plant in Saudi Arabia

After opening its first assembly plant in India last year and laying the foundations for a new manufacturing facility in China in partnership with Chery Automobile, the Jaguar Land Rover group is now eyeing a new factory in Saudi Arabia.
The British carmaker signed a letter of intent with Saudi Arabia's government and the National Industrial Clusters Development Program (NICDP), and will begin a detailed feasibility study immediately to determine the viability of setting up an automotive facility in the country.

11/9/12

GoldenBuy: Aston Martin Seeks Potential Buyers, Toyota Reportedly Among Interested Parties

On March 12, 2007, Ford sold Aston Martin to a consortium led by David Richards (of Prodrive and WRC fame) together with Aston Martin collector John Sinders and Kuwaiti-based companies Investment Dar and Adeem Investment Co.
Four months later, a Vanquish S was the last car to roll out of the Newport Pagnell plant before production was transferred to Gaydon. Ever since, the British automaker has increased its worldwide presence considerably; it even opened its first dealerships in China.
Now a report from Bloomberg New says that Investment Dar, which controls 64 percent of Aston Martin’s shares, is searching for buyers interested in the British sports car maker.

2/4/12

M.I.A.'s New Bad Girls Video Clip Looks up to Arabian Drifting

Bet you weren't expecting Arabian style drifting (called hagwalah) to find its way into a mainstream music video clip from a British female rapper. Yet all this took place in M.I.A.'s brand new song called "Bad Girls" which fuses the sounds of Middle Eastern music with rap lyrics.
The 36-year old singer of Sri Lankan descent, whose real name is Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, filmed the entire music video in the Middle East showing local drivers with a selection of European cars like the Alfa Romeo 156 and the BMW 3-Series hagwalah-ing.
Drift over the break to watch the music clip.

1/30/12

Chuck Norris Approved: Rider Tames Wild Racing Motorcycle

If there happens to be an opening for a professional bull rider over at CBR, then the man that tamed motorcycle number 73 at the United Arab Emirates national race series on the Dubai Auto Drome needs only to show this clip to be accepted. Check out the video and you'll see what we mean.

1/27/12

First Production Aston Martin V12 Zagato to Debut at Kuwait Concours d’ Elegance

We were expecting to see the final production version of the Aston Martin V12 Zagato at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show but instead the British company turned one of the racing concepts into a road-spec show car to give an indication of what it would look like.
Now the time has come for Aston Martin to put the concepts aside and show the first finished customer car that will make its world premiere at the Kuwait Concours d’ Elegance from February 15 to 18.

2/3/11

Egyptian Rustic Art Cars

The Egyptian protesters in their quest for freedom have developed a rather unique form of art car creation. All that is needed, is an angry mob, gasoline, a lighter and a parked car. The angry mob picks a car at random, dosed it in gasoline and then sets it on fire. The process takes about an hour and after everything flammable is consumed a very unique and beautiful texture emerges on the car. The car is no longer operable but that is no concern to the protesters. What matters is that the car now has a rustic, old-world feel that hearkens back to a time when angry mobs were all the rage.

11/11/09

15 of the Worlds Sexiest Garbage Art Trucks

The world of "waste management disposal" has been for a very long time lacking in "aesthetics", but things are turning around. I was fortunate enough to find 15 of the worlds sexiest Garbage Art Trucks mostly here in the states but a few rising stars in foreign lands. Are we headed to the worlds first Garbage Art Truck Pageant? I am not sure yet, but we are headed in the right direction. So it is my honor to present this years 15 of the Worlds Sexiest Garbage Art Trucks Contestants.

1) Miss Graffiti Garbage Art Truck