McLaren made a promise at its 2010 launch that it would release 10 new cars in 10 years which was, to say the least, ambitious for what was effectively a start-up supercar company.
McLaren has enjoyed great track success, second only to Ferrari as the most successful team in Formula One, but is still a relative newcomer by comparison in terms of road cars. Yet, in 2021, the company is delivering on its promise with another new model, the 720S Spider, which will be joined by at least two more local reveals in the coming months.
The one characteristic that has flowed from the very first 12C McLaren launched in mid-2011 is simplicity and a minimalistic approach to the cockpit with its emphasis on the driver. In that regard, it’s a more selfish proposition than Ferrari, which is more luxury-focused from behind the wheel.
I enjoyed most of my time in the 720S Spider, plodding around at slow speeds, soaking up the engine rasps and whistles from the turbos
On the road, it’s a different matter, as they are line-ball in the performance stakes. When it comes to comforts and convenience, McLaren has always been about the driver first.
While there’s little in the way of storage or convenience for the passenger, with no glovebox for example, the driver enjoys a no-compromise dash with McLaren’s traditional steering that’s free of buttons and other distractions.
Suspension and performance settings take priority over the stereo, climate and navigation, with easy-to-use, hard-fixed buttons and dials compared to the latter features that are bundled together in a 7.0-inch touchscreen.
It’s not a completely stripped-out hull, though, as the 720S Spider still offers power-adjustable leather seats matched to Alcantara on other surfaces and a 12-speaker Bowers & Wilkins stereo as well as two USB ports.
As if the 720S Coupe didn’t tickle the senses enough with its mid-mounted, four-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 engine located inches behind the driver’s seat, the 2021 Spider amps it up to 11 when you drop the roof and cop the full acoustic experience complete with engine heat.
If it’s too hot, you can keep the roof closed and drop the letterbox rear window to let that sound blast the interior with full surround-sound effect. Conversation, however, will be non-existent.
Like the 650S Spider before it, the 720S was designed in unison with the closed coupe version so that even without a roof, it remains just as rigid and therefore doesn’t lose an ounce of handling or performance to its hard-topped sibling.
It’s a car that can be driven at 325 kilometres per hour with the roof down and 341kph with the roof sealed if you ever find a legal space long enough and someone prepared to risk the eye-watering speed to try it.
For the Middle East, an electrochromic glass roof that flicks from a heavy 90 per cent tint to clear glass with the push of a button is a must and when the weather’s right, the whole structure folds away in 11 seconds at up to 50kph.
A few other essential items owners will need to tick on the options list are its front-end vehicle lift that lets you raise the nose at low speeds for speed humps, 360-degree Park Assist and rear parking sensors.
Its deep rear diffuser becomes the lowest part of the car when the nose is raised and is vulnerable to kerbs and cement parking blocks when reversing. Thankfully, the Spider weighs only 1,332 kilograms, so you can leave it in neutral on flat surfaces and pull it back by hand to avoid scraping the diffuser when parking.
Its carbon fibre monocage is virtually the same structural unit from the coupe, save for a new carbon rear frame behind the seats for the roof, which means that the overall package including roof motors is only 49kg heavier than the coupe.
The impact of the extra kilos is virtually nil as the Spider loses just 0.1 seconds to 200kph, getting there in under eight seconds and has the same top speed.
The 710 brake horsepower, twin-turbo V8 and seven-speed paddle-shift, dual-clutch automatic transmission carry over unchanged, meaning that the sensation is just as dramatic as the coupe with the roof up and absolutely explosive with the top down.
And just like the hardtop, it also likes a solid drink of premium octane unleaded even at cruising pace. After 285km of mostly pedestrian driving around town, I needed to replenish its 72-litre petrol tank.
Given the speed of the fuel gauge, I enjoyed most of my time in the 720S Spider, plodding around at slow speeds, soaking up the engine rasps and whistles from the turbos but without any of the low-speed melodrama other supercars like to dish up at normal road pace. Thankfully, too, the temperature gauge behaved as well during the afternoon rush-hour crawl.
Leave the engine mode in the Comfort setting with the transmission in Drive, and it will pull cleanly through to sixth gear by 50kph and yet open the taps and the car will just about rip your face off at 250kph, showing that the flexibility is there but the choice is always yours.
McLaren is riding a wave at the moment delivering products such as the track-focused 765LT and Elva speedster that are still on the way, eclipsing its Italian competitors for desirability and driveability.
The fact that in virtually every area, the McLaren 720S Spider has lost nothing to its closed coupe sibling but adds the rawness of open-topped fun only adds to its appeal.
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: 7-speed auto
Power: 710bhp
Torque: 770Nm
0-100kph: 2.8 seconds
0-200kph: 7.9 seconds
Top speed: 341kph
Price: Dh1,309,400
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The five pillars of Islam
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Monster Hunter: World
Capcom
PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
League Cup, last 16
Manchester City v Southampton, Tuesday, 11.45pm (UAE)
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More coverage from the Future Forum
The biog
Name: James Mullan
Nationality: Irish
Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)
Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”
Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
South and West: From a Notebook
Joan Didion
Fourth Estate
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More on animal trafficking
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Omar%20Hilal%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Muhammad%20Farrag%2C%20Bayoumi%20Fouad%2C%20Nelly%20Karim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Brief scoreline:
Al Wahda 2
Al Menhali 27', Tagliabue 79'
Al Nassr 3
Hamdallah 41', Giuliano 45 1', 62'
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
