High-end car makers debut in Middle East

Dubai - UAE is haven for a number of burgeoning new companies from UK, US and Germany.

The Middle East's love for exotic, hand crafted and desirable cars makes the Dubai International Motor Show a haven for a number of burgeoning new companies making their international motor show debut.
Representing the finest in car couture from artisans based in the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany, companies like Panoz, David Brown Automotive, Halcon, Alvis and Equus are not only exhibiting in the Middle East for the first time, but in most cases have never shown their products outside of their home country until now.
Frankfurt-based sports car manufacturer Halcon SuperSport GmbH is displaying its twin-turbocharged V6 sports car for the first time outside of Germany and hopes to lock in a few sales of its dhs1.6million car before taking it to Monaco for its next display in April.
"The interest so far here has been outrageous. We have had some interest from Germany, but I think this market in the UAE is much better," Halcon's Chief Executive Officer, Rick T. Damm said.
The Halcon SuperSport uses a chassis based on the Nissan 370Z with a fully bespoke interior, carbon fibre body, ceramic brakes and a tweaked version of the Nissan GTR's 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V6 that develops 800bhp.
"We are only going to produce 25 vehicles worldwide and now we are looking to find some dealerships here in the UAE who can help us with on-ground support," Mr Damm said.
American muscle with a LeMans racing pedigree is for sale on the Panoz stand where the company is showing its road cars for the first time outside of the United States.
"We've raced internationally but we've never tried to sell our road cars internationally, so we thought that Dubai was a great place to start," Panoz Director of Product Planning/Engineering, John M. Leverett said.
"We've had a couple of people ask about the GTR 1 which is based on our LeMans racer but we've also had some serious inquiries about the Esperante convertible so we can't complain. The biggest thing now is we've got to find a dealer in this area so we can set up service and handle the customers."
The Esperante is limited to 25 just models to celebrate the company's 25th anniversary and is completely bespoke allowing customers effectively build their own car. Also from the United States but taking on a more retro feel is Equus Automotive Incorporated's muscle-bound 770 coupé.Borrowing looks from the classic 1967 Ford Mustang as well as the Dodge Challenger and Charger, it's a hand built carbon fibre, aluminium composite bodied car powered by a modern 6.2-litre Supercharged V8 from General Motors.
"It takes about four to six months per car to build which is about 5,000 man hours. We've had some serious enquiries already but because it's a bespoke product it takes a lot of time to manufacture," brand ambassador, Ian James said. "The reception has been amazing. We were a little apprehensive when we debuted it back home at the Detroit Auto Show and you never know how it's going to go with the different culture here but so far, everyone seems to love it here."
Based in Detroit, Michigan, Equus plans to produce no more than 15 examples at around dhs1.8million each.
At the other end of the spectrum is England's Alvis Car Company which is building new cars using the same tooling and manufacturing technology from 1934. Making its Middle East debut after being first shown in Essen, the Alvis range is priced from dhs1.4million to dhs2million depending on the three model choices.
"With this car we are looking for very few, but high-end customers so the Middle East was an obvious place to start," Richard Joyce from Alvis said. "Each model is built using the same ash frame and aluminum skin as was used back in the day and we remanufacture the engines to the original designs but with just enough modern technology to make it compliant for modern emission standards.
"What we are aiming to do is to give a 1930's supercar driving experience so we didn't want to make it too modern as we wanted to offer a driving experience most people have never had before. And we can provide them with a brand new, 1930's car." Looking more like a classic James Bond car than a modern GT tourer, David Brown Automotive Limited has also shown its Speedback GT for the first time in the region.
A project of passion for company founder David Brown, the Speedback GT is hand built in the United Kingdom using 1960's styling cues and body fabrication methods mixed with a modern day interior and drivetrain.
"David Brown is a classic car fanatic but hates the fact they break down and don't have modern performance and all those luxuries we are used to now. So his idea was to embrace that British craftsmanship and heritage and construct a completely hand built car with modern performance, technology and interior," business development manager, Michelle Gay said.
"The interest at the show so far has been fantastic.The Speedback GT will always remain exclusive and we will never build more than 100 examples." The Speedback GT is powered by a modern, Jaguar-sourced, 5-litre supercharged V8 engine and retails for Dh2.8 million plus tax.
The show will feature a jaw-dropping collection of the world's latest super cars, motorbike and automotive manufacturers as well as specialist zones for tuning and customisation. A total of 15 halls will cover 85,000 square metres and have the latest in car designs, driving technology, tuning tips and custom gear.
For the first time, this year will see a new Motoring Nostalgia UAE Motoring Museum. A dedicated section for thousands of classic car fans who will get closer to historic classic and vintage models. The museum will showcase iconic cars through the generations from the 50s to the 80s which are symbols from their respective eras whether they are vintage, retro, sports or famous film stars, but most importantly, have made a significant contribution to the history of the automobile.
- business@khaleejtimes.com