January 2013 saw another successful GulfRun event come to a close. The event has developed into a fan favorite, linking up man vs. machine at the Bahrain International Circuit annually. Hit the jump to watch a recap of this year’s GulfRun 8 event. (more…)
Exciting news has recently been announced that the world’s premier automotive specialty products trade event, SEMA, will be held alongside the Middle East Motor Tuning Show from March 14th -16th at the Expo Centre Sharjah, UAE. More than 60 American brands will be on hand to introduce their products to (more…)
This past week witnessed the first racing event of RaceRoom Kuwait’s three week simulator tournament. No other word could describe it but “awesome”!
To my surprise the venue was packed! I even saw a few familiar faces from the GulfRun events. That provided very little comfort from a competitive perspective considering most of these guys spend a lot of time driving on real circuits.
The real highlight for me (and I’m sure many others) was a little 9-year old who had us all questioning our driving abilities. His steering and throttle inputs were (more…)
Ahdi Al Hunaif, a good friend and founder of the Austrian-based 2 Second Club, had the extremely rare opportunity of hustling a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse around the Paul Ricard Circuit in France. The people at Bugatti were also nice enough to let Ahdi and another member cruise some twisty French roads as well. The event was extremely exclusive as the two supercar club members were the only ones on track! Watch the experience after the jump. (more…)
On the 10th of May, 2012, the sad news of Carroll Shelby’s death landed in my inbox. I wasn’t shocked, especially since I had known that his health condition was beginning to deteriorate, but I was feeling blue.
For those of you not familiar with Carroll Shelby, he was the man that brought us the Shelby Cobra. He also helped Ford beat Ferrari to a LeMans victory. And last but not least, he was the influence behind many modified Mustangs.
The memorial event was hosted by the Historical Vintage & Classic Cars Museum. If you recall a few months back, this same museum hosted a gathering to (more…)
My apologies for the little break in posting over the past few days. I have been traveling and decided to take a hiatus from the blog for sanity-related purposes. But the final ‘highlights’ post from my 2012 Kuwait Concours d’Elegance experience has arrived, so kick back and check out a few of history’s fastest tire-shredders.
Rightfully themed “Passion for Speed”, the 2012 Kuwait Concours had numerous race cars on display. The two images above are of the dramatic Bentley Speed 8 Le Mans race car. I couldn’t believe how low this car was to the ground!
The showstopper for me was this gorgeous Ferrari 250GT Breadvan.
I must be a lucky man because I can’t believe I have gotten so close to not one, but two, of Ayrton Senna’s F1 cars in the (more…)
Carrying on from my last post of the ‘Oldies’ highlights from the 2012 Kuwait Concours d’Elegance, I’d like to share with you some of the GT – Gran Turismo / Grand Touring – models present at the show. First up, this beautifully understated Aston Martin DB2/4 MKI from Kuwait.
This ‘gullwinged’ 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Racing car.
A 1958 Chevrolet Corvette from Kuwait. (more…)
The 2012 Kuwait Concours d’Elegance wrapped up this weekend with many exquisite pieces of automotive art displayed for the crowds of gawking visitors. Every year, I take my time strolling through the exhibits, enjoying the cars from a past I was not part of.
So over the next couple of posts, I’d like to share with you some of the cars which I came across. For this particular post, I’m going to focus on the ‘oldies’ which were present at the Concours. First up is this 1924 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost which was visiting from Pakistan.
A 1926 Duesenberg Model A from the USA.
A 1927 Ford Model T from a Kuwaiti (more…)
For the second consecutive year, Audi and Lamborghini of Kuwait – represented by Fouad Alghanim & Sons Automotive (FAS) – sponsored the GulfRun. At this year’s event, GulfRun 7, they showcased the Audi R8 V10, the Audi RS 5, the Lamborghini LP570-4 Spyder and the Lamborghini LP570-4 Superleggera.
As if getting close to the cars wasn’t enough of a treat, FAS gave GulfRun participants and guests the opportunity to experience high-speed ‘taxi rides’ with their professional drivers.
The first part of my ‘experience’ was a ride in the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Spyder. We followed a lead safety car through the course, which gave me a chance to (more…)
When the Nissan Juke-R first surfaced, some labeled it as a publicity stunt. “Why squeeze the Skyline GT-R’s 480hp engine into a Juke” was what they probably said to themselves. Nissan’s answer to the doubters: show that their Godzilla crossover could take on the likes of Lamborghini and Ferrari.
Since the Juke-R debuted in Dubai at the Dunlop 24 Hours race, Nissan decided to unleash it against a few supercars at a little autocross circuit setup near a marina in the emirate. How did it do? Your answer is in the video after the jump. (more…)
It came and went by so fast! With the blink of an eye, GulfRun 7 is now past us and let me tell you: this was their best yet. A few minor tweaks changed everything for me, someone who has been attending the event consecutively for the last few years.
What was the major tweak that hit home? The fact that we were based in the GP pit garages (same ones utilized by Formula One) gave a sense of seriousness and maturity to the event.
The GP pits are a lot more spacious, in comparison to the other pit area. And best of all: they’re spitting distance from the long straight near the Start / Finish line. When any car rolls by at full throttle, you not only hear it, you (more…)
I was invited by the founder of the Porsche Enthusiasts Club of Kuwait, Tarek Al Shafie, to take part in a group drive up to Camp Arifjan for the U.S. Army’s 3rd Annual Muscle Car & Bike Show.
The show was created a few years back to provide American troops, stationed in Kuwait, with an opportunity to get some face-time with muscle cars and motorcycles from local clubs.
The reason we were invited was to add a bit of German flair to the American machinery usually on display at (more…)
As GulfRun 7 kicks off this weekend in Bahrain (January 26th – 27th), there was only one thing left to do: load up the cars and have them sent to the Bahrain International Circuit!
By no means is it easy to organize such an event. For one thing, there is all the pre-planning, securing of the participants, getting all the paperwork ready for transporting the vehicles to Bahrain via Saudi Arabia, let alone dealing with a lot of ‘antsy’ drivers and a lot of horsepower.
Prior to loading up the cars, the drivers were instructed to meet up at Tilal Complex where they were briefed on the driving route to the (more…)
A friend contacted me earlier this week and asked if I’d like to attend BMW’s ‘M Meets X’ event, held at the ProKart track. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity.
Organized by Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive, the objective behind the event was to promote the experience behind the wheel of different M vehicles.
We had the chance to drive three different M cars: the X5M, the X6M and the M3. Prior to jumping in the cars, there were two (more…)
I stopped by a crowded 360 Mall today to check out some of the rides participating in this year’s GulfRun event: numero 7.
Inside, the GulfRun boys set up two large stands with some wonderful cars on display. In the pic above we have a red Audi R8 GT (supplied by Fouad Alghanim & Sons Automotive Co.), a silver Ford GT and a white McLaren SLR 722.
A few track cars were also on hand inside the mall with the Ariel Atom and the (more…)
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