Some cars just don't get the love they deserve. Case in point: this burgundy BMW M6 sitting under what appears to be months worth of silt. Judging from the plates, the lonely 500-hp coupe is parked in Dubai where it has seen more than its share of days (and dust clouds), but nary a wet soapy sponge. Appearing in perfect mechanical condition, the filthy deposits on the metallic paint have attracted a handful of witty passersby, many of whom have written their comments in the grime. Our personal favorite? The classic, "I wish my wife was this dirty." Thanks for the tip, Vinay!
Click above for more of the chromed Mercedes SLR McLaren in Dubai
When the McLaren-Mercedes team rolled out their chrome F1 cars, everyone stood up and took notice. Pretty cool idea, even fans (and members) of other teams had to admit. No wonder then that with their own supercar out on the roads – one of only two teams with that claim – somebody has finally done the same with his own SLR. And of course, like the gold-trimmed Camry, that somebody lives in the United Arab Emirates, the sand-swept Kingdom of Bling on the shores of the Persian Gulf.
The shiny McLaren was spotted outside one of the world's largest shopping centers, the Mall of the Emirates, in Dubai, which looks to be the same place where the Pegaso edition Bugatti Veyron was spotted. The mall is currently the largest in the Middle East, at least until construction is completed on the two larger ones also being built in Dubai. We're sure it won't be long until someone parks chrome McLaren P11s, Mercedes SL63 Blacks or AMG Gullwings in front of those, too.
Click above to view the Renault Safrane in high resolution
The Persian Gulf is fast becoming a demanding market for luxury automobiles. So demanding, in fact, that some automakers have begun creating special models just for consumption there. Just days ago we brought you news that Rolls-Royce, having already shipped a golden Drophead Coupe for one special customer, was launching a limited edition Phantom saloon called the Peony edition.
This, however, is not a special Rolls-Royce. We won't list all the ways in which it isn't a Roller, but will save your time and ours by listing instead what it shares in common. It's a luxury sedan, and it's made specially to be engulfed by the Gulf market. That's about it. The Safrane nameplate was previously used for Renault's lackluster flagship sedan, replaced by the reviled Vel Satis in 2000. So what is this exactly that has revived the name? A rebadged Samsung SM5, essentially. That vehicle is produced in an 80.1% Renault-owned joint venture in South Korea. If you're noticing some similarities with our own Nissan Maxima, you've got a keen eye, as it shares its platform with the last-gen Maxima as well as the Nissan Teana (itself available only in the Asian market).
Unless you live in Dubai, you probably won't be seeing one of these any time soon, but you can check it out in the gallery below.
Click to view the RR Phantom Peony edition in hi-res
Wealthy customers in the United Arab Emirates seem to have a penchant for special editions of the most expensive luxury saloons. As if it wasn't enough to get the Maybach Landaulet revealed right there on their home turn, one Arabian customer recently ordered a custom gilded Rolls-Royce Drophead. Now Rolls-Royce has followed up with a special edition of its Phantom limousine targeted specifically for the UAE.
Called the Peony edition, the bespoke Phantom borrows its name from the indigenous Asian flower that symbolizes royality in ancient Oriental culture. The car features a special two-tone pearl blue exterior and Seashell interior, emblazoned with the peony floral motif. It even comes with a complementary bottle of perfume specially crafted by Emirate fragrance specialist HIND. The special edition was created by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Program, which does the bulk of its business with Middle Eastern customers. No word on how many will be built or how much it costs, but if there was ever a case of "if you have to ask, you can't afford it", this is it.
Just in time for the Olympics, we have this entrant from Dubai who apparently didn't make the team for the U-turn competition was left at home to practice his talent in the streets. In diving across four lanes of traffic from a dedicated right turn lane, he gets points for elements of surprise, style, distance, grace, and follow through. We give him and his Ferrari F430 a 9.3. Follow the jump to see the video. And can anyone tell us, do they even have traffic police in Dubai? Thanks for the tip, J.D.! Correction: We've been told from a number of readers that the location of the video above is in fact not Dubai, but Saudi Arabia.
Posted Nov 23rd 2007 7:04PM by Noah Joseph Filed under: Etc.
Well, it was bound to happen eventually. Michael Schumacher, a veritable landmark in motor racing history, is to become an actual landmark.
To enable Schuey to continue to tower over the rest of the field, so to speak, a German company undertaking construction projects in the Gulf emirate of Dubai is building the Michael Schumacher Business Avenue. The construction project is to be highlighted by a 29-floor dual-purpose commercial/residential tower. The champion himself is expected to fly out to Dubai – where he already has his own island – to kick-start the project, which is expected to begin construction within the next three months.
Believe it or not, Schumacher won't be the first German-speaking, former Ferrari-driving, multiple-world-championship-winning F1 driver to get a complex named after him in the Dubai development: the Niki Lauda Twin Towers are located nearby.
Dubai is fast gaining a reputation as the "Vegas of the Middle East" because of its impressive rate of development and sometimes crazy amounts of money thrown at government projects.
This time, the city's Civil Defence department has acquired a Corvette to help fight fires by being able to attend to them more quickly than ordinary vehicles. Brigadier Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, Director of Dubai Civil Defence goes on to explain that due to the Corvette's speed, the car can get vital rescue equipment to the scene of the fire, and in the case of people being trapped in cars, can help remove them.
The article doesn't go into much detail about the "special equipment" the 'Wette is fitted with, but it does mention a portable fire extinguisher, hydraulic equipment and first aid kits.
One of the primary reasons behind its development is that the distance between fire stations and accident scenes are larger than normal, so it makes sense to have a fast first response vehicle. It took a team of four people two months to develop.
It's also the latest GM product to be adapted for civil use by the Dubai authorities. Previously they've used a Hummer H2 and a fleet of Chevy Tahoes.
The Emirates are gearing up for the opening of FerrariWorld in Abu Dhabi, but they won't have the monopoly for long, it seems. Union Properties, a real estate development company based in nearby Dubai, has secured the rights from Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Management to construct a series of F1 theme parks around the world.
Wait a second, a series? Not just one? That's right. Union Properties is thinking big, and spending big. The first will be built in Dubai, with construction set to begin soon with a targeted opening date in 2009... right around the same time as FerrariWorld is set to open its doors. The company anticipates signing a deal for the second park some time this year, likely to be constructed somewhere in Europe. A third park in the Far East would be the next location, but Union Properties would be wise to take things one step at a time and take a page out of the Disney playbook. Disney's theme parks steadily grew in size and number over the span of decades, and while parks in Anaheim, Orlando and Tokyo might be raking in the dough (or is that the Dow?), EuroDisney was not quite the runaway success they'd hoped for.
One thing's for sure, Union isn't cheaping out on the cost. The Dubai park is budgeted for $360 million, and the company is borrowing $1.6 billion to build 'em all. This should be interesting.
It's over. There will be no 8th world championship and no constructor's title. Some might consider it depressing, while others just look at it as anti-climatic. Regardless, Michael Schumacher has left Formula One. But what do you give one of the greatest racing drivers of all-time as a retirement gift? Certainly not a car, as Schu has driven a Ferrari of his choosing for years and considering that his net worth approaches that of some small countries, he's already bought what he wants.
So what's left?
Dubai's crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has decided to give him his own island located in the man-made paradise called "The World" just off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
The island, part of the Antarctica portion, should be completed in about two years and will be worth seven million (US) dollars. One wonders if the island is big enough to support a motorsports facility. Michael has to find something to do with his newly discovered free time and all of that cash!
Sales for Nissan's upscale Infiniti division in the United Arab Emirates skyrocketed in the first quarter, up 183 percent year-over year. Of course, total sales over the same period were just 552 units, but there's reason for optimism: sales have more than doubled each year for the past couple of years (the brand was re-launched in the region in 2004), and the advent of the new M in the marketplace is expected to continue the trend.
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