RE: PH Blog: Dubai or not Dubai?

[Greg_D]

Dr Imran T said:

Greg_D said:

So in short, the whole article is a crock of sh*t?

Well that's one way to put it. When I read it, I just thought it was way off the mark!

There's a lot of money in the UAE and they still do love their cars.

Classics have some way to go, but I am sure there is a classics show out in Dubai or somewhere in the region that is gaining in popularity.

I'm sure it won't be long before the usual suspects twig that you need to have EVEN more money to get seriously into classics. then they will be into the classics market with a vengeance. That you stand a fighting chance of making money with classics will make it even more interesting once they get over their adolescent fascination with the latest cars out of the usual italian factories. Money is all very new to them and they just need to mature a little, that is all.

[canucklehead]

abu dhabi - quite simply the scariest roads i have ever been on.

i've not been to india (qv top gear passim) but abu dhabi was scary enough for me.

and, for every supercar i saw, i saw about a thousand knackered old bangers for whom 'MoT' would have sent a shudder through their pox-ridden, but rust-free, bodies.....

[Harris_I]

e21jason said:

Living in Dubai a fast car is nearly pointless, speed cameras nearly every 1km (unless you are a local and don't pay fines etc) , poor driving and lane discipline people don’t care if the bump into your car in a car park even if you are in it. Also the locals treat cars like fashion they don't buy cars to drive but mainly to look good in and do laps of jbr at the weekend (some times with a monkey on the bonnet or a leopard in the passenger seat)
Also servicing is either the dealer or a back street garage very few good independents, the car scene is more about posing than driving. The locals seem more into racing on the sand than circuit racing which is mainly ex-pat based.

I couldn't disagree more, Jason! I've posted this on the Middle East forum, but since no-one here would ever visit there I'll say it again.

I've been back in the UK now for 6 months after 11 years away in Dubai. Since arriving I've experienced nothing but joyless, brain-dead motoring, most of it the result of a nanny state petrified of risk. I got my first speeding ticket in 23 years after a mere flex of the right toe on a lightly trafficked, clear, dry dual carriageway. Drivers think the limit is 40mph everywhere and road planners close up perfectly useable dual lanes, and erect hedges to prevent sight lines at roundabouts. Roads that are so congested that overtaking is a lost art, and anyone who does when the opportunity presents itself is greeted with cretinous flashing of main beam.

In contrast, in Dubai I got to enjoy real performance cars every day on roads you could have a bit of a play if (a) you made use of deserted clover-leaf flyovers and the like or (b) you headed out of the city to the amazing Northern Emirates. Track facilities were no more than 20 minutes away (the Autodrome) or 45 minutes (Yas). Motorsport was hugely accessible, both to watch and to play - from autocross and karting all the way up to touring cars and GTs.

Yes, there are few psychopaths on the roads in the UAE, but you can spot them a mile off and give them a wide berth. Eventually Darwin catches up with them, anyway.

[dxbtiger]

Beirut is worse than both the UAE and India ime.

Would not want to try Saudi, even worse apparently.

Once you get used to driving like a selfish tt it's not too bad out there tbh.

[dvs_dave]

Greg_D said:

So in short, the whole article is a crock of sh*t?

I would agree.

Having lived in Dubai for 4 years (and during the boom times 03-07) exotica was a regular sight but not particularly when just out and about. You only saw the nice stuff outside the Malls of an evening, and around decent hotels/restaurants/clubs etc. Whilst just cruising around the overwhelming majority was humdrum japanese or american saloon cars and SUV's. Seeing a supercar hooning it down the shakey zee was an exception to the norm in my experience.

In terms of supercar/hypercar spotting, the West End of London is much better than Dubai. Especially during the summer months when in addition to all the locally owned exotica, the Arabs all come over with their fancy metal that spends most of its time locked up in a garage back home.

Now I live in Chicago and supercars out and about are a rarity. As the roads are so st the vast majority of vehicles are humdrum Jap and yank SUV's and saloons like Dubai. However there are plenty of exotics around as demonstrated by the level of exotica that shows up at local equivalents of the Breakfast Club/Sunday Service. In my building alone there's a Carrera GT, a couple of F430's, a 456, a few Gallardo's, an SV, several Maserati's, several Bentley's and Astons, a Phantom, numerous lesser Porsche's, and several ZR1's. The exotica barely ever moves, and there's plenty of other buildings around with similar automotive inventories hidden away inside.

[MotorcyclesFish]

I suspect Scrof recorded what he saw faithfully. The question should be, why did his experience differ from those who live there? The cynic in me suggests he might have been in the equivalent of a Travelodge in a backwater, but maybe his requirement to attend specific events kept him away from where casually spotting exotica is easy.

I could tell you that France or Poland, for example, are made up entirely of dreary industrial backwaters near tiny regional airports, but that's because I'm always there visiting power stations. I'd be telling you the evidence as I saw it, with good reason, but I'd be wrong.

[richcarr]

We stayed at JBR recently and the streets are full of supercars every night. We also saw the monkey - wish I had taken a photo.

[dxbtiger]

He stayed at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel iirc which isn't a Travel Lodge type spot although the clientele does leave a lot to be desired for much of the year.

Like London as far as I can see from what's posted here the real exotics are most often found valeted in public outside high end hotels and also shopping malls at weekends/evenings.

I popped to Mall of Emirates earlier, the valet place had 2xG55 AMG's, a Novitec 599 and a RR Ghost, reasonable for a Tuesday night I suppose.

My office underground car park quite regularly contains a 997 GT2, Scud, 599 GTO, SLR Cab, Phantom, Quattroporte, Maybach. Although most of those belong to one Russian fella.

[jon-]

It was the JBH, and there were a couple of Gallardos parked up when we arrived, other than that from the roads we saw, only a couple of Rolls Royce Phantoms really appeared.

And shed loads of Ferraris at Yas, though Ferrari world is also there...

[Contigo]

Great place to go on business and enjoy beach hotels and nighlife but would bore the fk out of me living there as there is just nothing at all to do. Yes the weather is great and I've visited umpteen times and stayed in some of the best places but it just gets tedious after a while and there is something so weird about seeing the Arabs in their dish dash's swilling bud, smoking Marlboro's and talking to the Pros's in the hotel bars!

[dxbtiger]

Contigo said:

as there is just nothing at all to do.

Genuine question, what do you do elsewhere you can't do here?

Agree the hypocrisy of the local is hilarious

[Contigo]

dxbtiger said:

Genuine question, what do you do elsewhere you can't do here?

Agree the hypocrisy of the local is hilarious

What do you do? All you can really do there of any excitement is go boozing to one of the many hotels bars/restaurants. Outdoor life is pretty much non existent for 8 months of the year because it is simply to darn hot.

Over here there are clubs to go to and other things to get involved in but I feel the expats over there are just not interested in that sort of thing and many I met were tossers just like they are in many parts of the World actually.

I love it as a holiday/work destination at the right time of year but when I was there for extended periods I was bored senseless.

Each to their own.


BTW reading the article again I tend to agree, I was there in 2005 and there was alot more exotica on the roads than there is now. Most people tend to be driving the generic Toyota's and the place to see the boys is in the Jumeriah Beach area of town on the weekends (thursday night is good near the Sheraton and Hilton Jumeirah).

[Contigo]

These were some near the Sofitel last time I was there. Was nice because the car club were letting the kids and families climb all over them.

[Dusty964]

I'm quite happy to state that if you have visited, and not seen sufficient 'supercars' or been impressed with the car culture, you have simply been to the wrong places. Meeting a few .ph'ers outside a hotel, or indeed at the 24h doesn't mean that the culture in decline.
You should have gone up big red or to the dealerships, or simply been in the right areas. There are amazing cars at every corner, but to assume everyone drives one? Pointless and ridiculous.

[Robbbb13]

No Idea where you've been looking but definitely not in the right places! I've got an apartment there and I never go a day without seeing 5-10 supercars at least!

[edinph]

Were you asleep? I arrived at the airport, picked up a 5 litre V8 Mustang rental car and drove to the hotel. Arriving at the Royal Mirage I quickly realised that my 'fun' rental was in fact a HONDA! Two McLarens, a Ghost, a Phantom, 2 Astons, a Murcielago and a carbon fibre bodied Cadillac coupe greeted me on the driveway! it was PH heaven!

[dxbtiger]

Contigo said:

What do you do? All you can really do there of any excitement is go boozing to one of the many hotels bars/restaurants. Outdoor life is pretty much non existent for 8 months of the year because it is simply to darn hot.

I play golf all year round, last summer wasn't too hot at all, much easier than trying to play in the rain/frost/snow of an English winter

Head out into the dunes and/or wadis.

Squash, tennis, bit of football sometimes.

Fishing, sailing, a combination of both.

SWMBO goes horseriding 3 times a week minimum.

Sure we booze hard, especially in the summer but then I'd do that in the UK as well.

Take this weekend for example, playing golf on Thursday, memorial fund raiser for a friend who passes away last year. Friday cruise up to Abu Dhabi to watch the best 2 golfers in the world for free and be able to see them due to small crowds. Saturday bbq at a friends villa with a pool. Back to work Sunday (we work Sun-Thurs)

By clubs do you mean nightclubs or some other kind? Plenty of those here, I wouldn't say a lack of those means there is fk all to do.

[Dusty964]

Or renting a boat, shooting, shopping tax free, waterparks, the beaches, brunch, or indeed, anything you would wish to do in the UK.
A confusing bunch of replies.

[KissMyR8]

I went Dubai just before Xmas, modified cars don't exist, but there is a constant stream of exotica. We stayed at the Burj Al Arab, the cars coming in every day was immense, I probably saw every hyper car in production from the last 10 years!

However like everywhere, poor people do exist, it's definitely not UAE residents from my experience!

[Ecosseven]

I lived in the UAE for 4.5 years (1.5 years in Dubai and 3 years in Abu Dhabi). There are lots of good points but I really missed the history, culture and scenery of Scotland. I thought the standard of driving was pretty bad. Lane discipline is non-existent and tailgating is common. There is plenty to do if you have time and money and are willing to drive to get there and the weather in the winter is great. Personally I could never settle there long term. It's a place to save some cash, drink, drive fast and party. However it feels very false with very little in the way of culture, history and scenery. I never thought I'd say this but I missed the rain!