We just told you about Nissan's next-gen Patrol SUV and the fact that it might be coming to North America. While rumors have the engine options including a first-ever V8 for the model, the big news is the diesel engine co-developed with Renault that's slated to put out 405 ft-lbs. of torque. While that sounds enticing, apparently that won't be good enough for a certain impatient Dubai businessman. He went to tuner HKS and had them turn up the wick a bit on a current-generation Patrol while he's waiting for the new one.
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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.
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).
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?
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Taste: some have it, some don't. Case in point this Toyota Camry spotted in Dubai where the burgeoning middle class apparently wants to roll just like their oil-funded upper class but lack the money to secure a Rolls-Royce or Bentley. While we've reluctantly grown accustomed to customers opting for the gold-tone bright-wear instead of the standard chrome detailing – especially on cars like the Camry – this owner actually had the badges, grilles, side mirrors and wheels plated in 24k gold. Seriously.
If this somehow strikes you as a good idea, it can be yours for only 135,000 Dollars. Thankfully those are Arab Emirate Dollars, worth about $37 grand in American greenbacks. But please, if you're even thinking about it, contact us first and let us convince you of all the better ways you could spend $37k on a new car that won't instantly lose half its value the minute you take a wrong turn into a bad neighborhood.
Aston Martin's new owners just finished untangling the red tape from their acquisition of the brand from Ford, and already they're back in court. The British sportscar maker is being sued by its own Gulf distributor for breach of contract.
Middle East Aston Martin (MEAM) was set up in 2003 with an exclusive deal from Aston Martin, then still owned by Ford, to distribute its sportscars across the region. The deal was reportedly signed for five years, with an option to renew for another five. However MEAM's lawyers are alleging that the now-independent Aston Martin, owned by a conglomerate of Kuwaiti investment firms, refused to renew the deal. The Dubai-based distributor is suing for $50 million, which it says would cover its investment in developing the market for Aston Martins in the Middle East, where as we already know, premium sportscars are in high demand.
Early this morning on the highway that connects Abu Dhabi and Dubai, around 200 cars were involved in a mass traffic accident that has reportedly left six people dead and hundreds injured. Weather conditions were a factor in the accident, as a thick morning fog apparently reduced vision, which led to motorists driving full speed into the pile up one after another. Because the fog was so thick, people with serious injuries couldn't be flown by helicopter to area hospitals right away and were treated by a pair of doctors and nurses on the scene. Gulfnews is reporting that 25 cars caught on fire, and six full-size busses were involved, as well. Images from the crash scene, which you can view by clicking the source below, are incredible, including the one shown above.
You'd think that owning a car as expensive and exclusive as the Bugatti Veyron would ensure that seeing another one in your neighborhood would be an unlikely event. And it probably is for most of the 125 customers who've taken delivery of the hyper-exotic to date around the world. Except if you live in Dubai, where Bugatti has already sold no less than 15 of its million-dollar supercars, or 18.75% of Veyrons produced to date.
With a population of about one and a half million in the oil-rich emirate – roughly the size of Phoenix, the fifth-largest city in the US – that means there's one Veyron for every 100,000 people. (By contrast, there are 27 Veyrons in the entire UK, population: 60 million). For those fifteen multi-millionaires, however, the flashy wheels might be the edge they need when you consider that there are a very un-Beach Boys-like three boys for every girl in Dubai.
Thanks to sites like eBay Motors, cars are trading hands over the internet all the time. But seeing a Ferrari FXX for sale online is a considerably rarer sight. The FXX, for those unacquainted, is the super-Enzo that Ferrari rolled out as a dynamic test bed for developing new components for use in future supercars. Only 30 were made, each sold to hand-picked clients from among the company's best customers for the $2 million privilege of being a client test driver for Maranello.
The owner in Yokohama, Japan, evidently opted not to re-ante for the FXX Evoluzione program, and is selling his FXX online in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The 15-day auction, being conducted by our reader Japarabia who tipped us off to the sale, is holding at 14 million UAE Dirhams (about $3.8 million) with less than a day to go.
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