Exotic cars attract buyers

DUBAI -- Five days of motoring madness has wound to a close following the final day of the Dubai International Motor Show held at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Bumper crowds have filed through the doors each day to soak in the Motoring Nostalgia Museum which featured 80 classic cars from the 1950s to the 80s as well as the many family attractions on offer and to admire - or even in a few cases - to place orders for some of the most exotic, multi-million dirham cars available anywhere in the world.

There was strong demand right across the board including the top end where the likes of Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin and W Motors enjoyed healthy traffic that helped fill the order books.

Arab supercar company, W Motors revealed its new AED6.6million Fenyr Supersport to the world’s media at the preview earlier this week.

"Our new Fenyr Supersport is mostly targeted at the GCC territories and we have received a lot of solid enquiries not just for it but also the AED12.5 million Lykan already on sale. We have also been discussing dealership requests in the region, so we are delighted with the results from the 2015 Motor Show," the CEO of W Motors, Ralph Debbas said.

Rolls-Royce revealed its new convertible, the Dawn, and has been busy fielding enquiries for its newest model all week.

"Rolls-Royce as a company doesn’t sell cars from motor shows but we have been very encouraged by the response. We have been in negotiation with 15 people on the stand this week who have asked us to call them back, so we consider this a very positive show," Regional Sales Manager for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd, Faisal Aawar said.

With 85,000 square metres of floor space, the 13th running of the show is the largest held to date and was officially opened by H.H Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai on Tuesday.

Regional and international media visiting from China, Australia and the United Kingdom reported on the 18 global launches, 139 regional reveals and 16 concept cars which were mixed among the 600 new models on display in the five halls.

General Motors chose Dubai for its most significant global product debut when it revealed the XT5 Crossover SUV to the world. It was the first time a newCadillac had its global launch outside of the United States.

Ford played its trump card when it unveiled the stunning GT supercar that heralds the return of the marque to the LeMans 24-Hour race next year after a break of more than 40 years with the help of Youtube and Gymkhana sensation, Ken Block.

While the car technically remains a concept with no price announced, it didn’t stop 30 people from wanting to place an order including one gent who offered a AED1million cash deposit to secure the first car.

The President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE, Dr. Mohammed ben Sulayem said the show was becoming a bigger player on the international stage as he toured the stands on Friday night.

"It’s been a great show and I congratulate the organisers," Dr. Ben Sulayem said. "I have to thank them for putting on such a great show. I remember when the Dubai Show was near the former Metropolitan hotel and to see it now at such an international standard makes me very proud."

The James Bond star cars from the latest 007 movie, SPECTRE, were together for the first time with Jaguar showing its C-X75 villain car and Land Rover displaying its Range Rover Sport SVR that came straight from the set while across the aisle, Aston Martin had Bond’s very own DB10 Sports Coup? used in the movie.

Aston Martin also showed off its AED11 million Vulcan track car that will now be modified for the road based on the interest it has received from Middle Eastern visitors at the show.

"There will only ever be 24 Vulcans worldwide but from that, now will be a small number of road versions because that’s where we have had the most interest during the show," said David McDowall, Aston Martin Dubai’s General Manager.

"All the enquiries have come out of the Motor Show and we have four very interested clients from the UAE but there has also been interest from other GCCNationals as well," McDowall added.

Bentley’s AED955,000 Bentayga SUV was one of the show’s highlights and while orders have been taken from as far back as 2012 when the concept was first shown, filling the first year’s allocation, demand on the stand was still strong despite a delivery now that stretches into 2017.

A strong emphasis on family entertainment included a AED300 million display of rare and classic cars from the 1950s to the ‘80s assembled for the first time under one roof with the inaugural Motoring Nostalgia Museum.

More than 80 exotics were gathered together on loan from the President of the ATCUAE, Dr. Mohammed ben Sulayem, the Sharjah Classic Cars Club, Tomini Classics and private owners.

Giving it a village atmosphere, a live band performed on stage with music from across all the eras of motoring represented, while visitors enjoyed street food from the several roadside diners parked up along the outer edges.

"This year’s Dubai International Motor Show has exceeded all our expectations with exceptional footfall traffic through the Motoring Nostalgia Museum every day as well as on the new car stands," said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions & Events Management, Dubai World Trade Centre.

"The family involvement this year with so many outdoor activities and entertainment ensured that there was always something for everyone."

Careers in motorsport, tips on off-road driving and how to restore a classic car were just some of the topics on offer at the Ignition Talks Live forum presented by Motoring Middle East. Fan interaction was the key as visitors chipped in with no shortage of questions for the panel of speakers that assembled on stage each night.

Motorcyclists were well represented with the Bikers Lounge that not only offered a place to store helmets and riding gear but also featured live airbrush paintings of custom bikes and helmets and a Mission Impossible photo opportunity with a classic motorcycle for the kids.

The final day also played host to the Dubai Distinctive Number Plates Public Auction by the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) in the Al Multaqua Ballroom for 110 unique number plates with distinctive numbers.

The 2015 Dubai International Motor Show is supported by Show partners AC Delco, Alienware, Autopro, Dell, Cooper Tires, ENOC, Mazda, RTA and Swiss Tourism.