The Abu Dhabi numberplate auction held on February 16 has set a new world record for selling the most expensive numberplate ever auctioned. Organised by Emirates Auction in association with Abu Dhabi police, the Code 5 plate numbered “1” fetched Dhs 52.2 million. That’s about US$14.4 million for a numberplate. The plate is expected to adorn a luxury car that only costs a fraction of that amount.
Ford will be pulling the wraps off its first crossover 4WD in Europe next month in Geneva. Based on a previous concept, the Kuga is what the GCC would’ve got here if that niche wasn’t filled in by the Escape.
Based on the Lotus Elise, the Rinspeed sQuba concept, to be shown at the Geneva Auto Show soon, is an all-electric vehicle with three motors, one to drive the car on land and two to power a pair of screw-drives for underwater movement. These are aided by two Seabob jet-drives that “breathe” through rotating louvers mounted on the car’s fenders and appear to give the car its manoeuvrability underwater.
The fiesty Ford Fiesta has been on sale in the GCC for a few years now. But it is so rare on the streets that few people around here even know that it exists. However, it is somewhat popular in Europe, and the 2009 all-new model is about to debut at the Geneva Auto Show soon.
At The Supercar Show in Abu Dhabi, we got to check out the Antas GT Berlinetta in person. The specific car on display cost about 1 million Euros, which comes to around a whopping Dhs 5.4 million. Built by an Italian company called F&M, named after founders Walter Faralli & Luca Mazzanti, the Antas was easily the main attraction of the show. And while all the “cheap” Lamborghinis and Porsches were locked up with “Do Not Touch” stickers all over them, we got a chance to sit inside the Antas, invited by none other than founder Luca Mazzanti.
The production-ready Toyota iQ will be shown for the first time at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show soon. Based on an earlier concept, details are still sketchy about this European-market car.
Acura has released a teaser shot of their upcoming 2009 TSX, facelifted to give it Acura’s new corporate face, a new rear end, a better interior and some mechanical enhancements. Reserved for North-American markets only, the car is based on the European-market Honda Accord, which itself has received a similar makeover, and already unveiled.
So what does the “Five Hundred” stand for, especially since it’s in words rather than numbers? Does it have a 5.0-litre engine? Nope. 500 horses maybe? What. Celebrating 500 years as a company? Unlikely. About the only “500” we came across is that the 2008 model has more than 500 changes compared to the 2005-2007 version, which wasn’t sold here anyway. And it was still called the Five Hundred even before the 500 changes, although they did tack on the “500” number on many models decades ago. But Ford already calls the 2008 model a “Taurus”
So our modified Toyota Supra Twin Turbo is in the hands of a capable new owner now. Its duties as a benchmark sports car have now been taken over by our BMW M Roadster.
A full review for the Supra was in order, so we finally wrote about it, and we gave an account of what it’s like to own a really old and heavily modified car for very little money. But some of you might be wondering what a “benchmark” means.
Volkswagen is so desperate to make a buck in the United States that they simply facelifted the latest Chrysler Grand Voyager, upgraded the interior a bit, and renamed it the VW Routan. It is their attempt to cheaply add a conventional minivan to their range, cashing in on the blind faith that some people have on the VW badge.