Last day of the Dubai Motor Show – Shahzad’s highlights!
Shattered but sorry to see it end – check out my full gallery of pics!
By Shahzad Sheikh
One of the undisputed stars of the show, the hyper-futuristic Tuatara that's set to go into production late next year
I’ve been over every square foot of this show floor… sorry, floors, at least twice, probably a lot, lot, more. My new pair of shoes are nearly worn out, my back is killing me, and my legs have gone numb and now feel more like a couple of stilts attached to my torso, which I can just about swing in an approximation of what some people might describe as walking.
We were putting putting together each of the daily newspapers that are distributed at the Motor Show, and it usually involved storming out of the press office on regular intervals to grab a picture and bag a story (usually at the very far end of the furthest hall) and then charging back in again to bash away at the keyboard.
This has been a tough week of frayed nerves, scary deadlines and utter exhaustion. The fact is, that tomorrow my phone will be off and my email will be bouncing back, because I shall be sleeping… all day. And when I do wake up, I’ll be singing Bruno Mars hit, ‘The Lazy Song,’ before going back to bed again.
Plenty of show babes at the Dubai Motor Show!
Thank God it’s all over…
Or at least that’s what you’re thinking I’m thinking. Bizarrely, there’s a sadness encroaching upon my general mood as I write this. I love Motor Shows in general, and this year’s Dubai Show has been a fine one and I’m actually going to miss it! It’s had its stars, it’s had its crowds, it’s had its delights, but most of all, of course, it’s had great cars – which is what it’s all about.
There is nothing more satisfying for a fully paid-up petrolhead, than being around cars and car people, and there’s been loads of both. Many have even come up and said hello!
So what’s been my personal highlight of the show? You’re thinking after that long spiel I’m going to name a hot fast car right? Actually I’m going to point the finger at a robot – ASIMO which has been doing daily shows on the Honda stand. Okay, we’re not talking ‘Real Steel’ here, but I’m fascinated by advancing robotic technology, and to watch a ‘machine’ (as its handler refers to it) autonomously walk, run and doing things that were the preserve of Sci-Fi only a few years ago, is just extraordinary.
One of the biggest sports car stars fo the show
The highlights
But I digress. Apart from this oddity, this show is packed by the automotive industry’s best offerings. I can’t however name you my one star of the show, because there are several highlights.
There’s obviously some cars here that have been seen before but it’s good to get up close and personal with them again. Visitors, for instance, are getting closer than ever to the Lexus LFA supercar on the show floor and know you this, I’ve driven it, on the track and it absolutely is awesome. Same goes for the new Lamborghini Aventador, and ultimate poster car and an incredible driver’s tool too.
The amazing Jaguar C-X75 Concept car was first shown last year, but this is our first chance to marvel at its voluptuous lines and astonishingly futuristic technology. But Land Rover are also showing us the fascinating DC100 – a possible successor to the legendary Defender. Rugged and handsome, but is it a stretch too far and not quite utilitarian enough?
I’ve also been fortunate enough to briefly drive the Mclaren MP4-12C which is having its official regional launch, and it’s an incredible car to drive, but I’ve got to admit the jaw dropped much further when I looked at its neighbour at the show and direct rival in the market – the Ferrari 458 Spyder.
The Chrysler 300C turns out to be way cooler in the metal than in the pictures, and the mad Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is definitely mouth-watering. Meanwhile fast saloon fans get their first eyeballs of the magnificent BMW M5 – as well as the amazing Vision Dynamics concept – and also my favourite BMW of the moment, the 1-series M Coupe. And if you’re after hot little numbers, the Scirocco R on the VW stand is not to be missed.
I really don’t mind the controversial looks of the FF, nor even the Kubang SUV from Maserati, though I want to hear your opinion of it. It’s a car that will inevitably sell in our region if they launch it, much as we want to hate it – witness the success of the Cayenne.
Still, I didn’t find myself lusting after either the FF or the Kubang. What did put me back into schoolboy mode though was the unpronounceable Shelby SSC Tuatara – it’s not a real car, doesn’t even have an interior – but it sounds like an alien name and looks like an alien transport device. It’s as if it could shear the very fabric of time and space itself in its quest to achieve its promise of nearly 450kph! You really wanna believe this is the fastest car on the planet, because it looks it, moreso than the Bugatti Veyrons.
So there you have it: the reasons this is vintage year for the Dubai Motor Show is that apart from the world’s best cars, you also get to see a robot and an alien!
