Caterham Seven with Ford Sigma engine. Courtesy Newspress
Caterham Seven with Ford Sigma engine. Courtesy Newspress

Top 5: Models that put the wrench in the driver's hands



Caterham Seven

Nothing short of a motoring legend, the Seven has been around since 1957. Designed by Lotus founder Colin Chapman, it still offers the purest driving experience imaginable, with stunning performance from even a 1.6-litre Ford engine thanks to its 600kg weight. You can buy a Seven in kit form to build yourself, or if you can't be bothered the factory will do it for you. Stripped-out thrills don't come any better and the Caterham will probably still be in production in 2057, such is the loyalty of its legion of fans the world over.

Ultima GTR

If it's home-made, physics-defying acceleration you're wanting, then check out the Ultima. Its GTR720 has set six different world records, and it can go from 0-160kph to a standstill again in just 9.4 seconds, which should rearrange your internal organs nicely. It's a kit car for the very brave, but as with the Caterham the factory will build you one. Probably for the best, really. How would you fancy taming 720hp in something you knocked together in the garage? Exactly. Neither would we.

Dax Cobra

Or any fake snake, to be honest, for there are plenty out there to choose from, much to the chagrin of owners of the real things. The appeal is simple: the AC Cobra is possibly the most macho car ever built, combining classic, curvaceous looks with huge levels of American V8 grunt. Prices for real ones read like telephone numbers, but you could build your own, authentic-looking Cobra for less than Dh200,000. The mechanics are simple for even an amateur builder and the results are often truly extraordinary. Hold on to your hats.

Ford GT40

Like the AC Cobra, the Ford GT40 was a motorsport sensation in the 1960s. It ruled Le Mans for years and kicked sand in the face of Ferrari, Porsche and everyone else. Only a small number of roadgoing GT40s were produced, so it was an obvious candidate for cloning and replicas are often indistinguishable from the real thing. You can buy kits to build your own, but there is one UK manufacturer, Superformance, that can supply the best replicas in the world at a cost in excess of Dh600,000.

Lancia Stratos

The Hawk HF is a faithful recreation of possibly the most beautiful rally car of all time: the Lancia Stratos. Just 492 originals were built and are now highly sought after by collectors and speculators. So if you want a slice of the magic but have a more down-to-earth budget you can build your own. The Stratos, whether real or not, is a handful to drive, but have yours painted in full Alitalia livery with a bank of spotlamps on its nose like the victorious rally cars and no head will be left unturned. Which is saying something in the UAE.

The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl

Transmission: eight-speed auto

Power: 190bhp

Torque: 300Nm

Price: Dh169,900

On sale: now 

Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction

Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.

Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.

Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.

Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.

Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.

What are the guidelines?

Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.

Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.

Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.

Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.

Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.

Source: American Paediatric Association
What is hepatitis?

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which can lead to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.

There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.

Hepatitis C is mostly transmitted through exposure to infective blood. This can occur through blood transfusions, contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injecting drugs. Sexual transmission is also possible, but is much less common.

People infected with hepatitis C experience few or no symptoms, meaning they can live with the virus for years without being diagnosed. This delay in treatment can increase the risk of significant liver damage.

There are an estimated 170 million carriers of Hepatitis C around the world.

The virus causes approximately 399,000 fatalities each year worldwide, according to WHO.

 

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

'Operation Mincemeat' 

Director: John Madden 

 

Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton

 

Rating: 4/5

 
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Ipaf in numbers

Established: 2008

Prize money:  $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.

Winning novels: 13

Shortlisted novels: 66

Longlisted novels: 111

Total number of novels submitted: 1,780

Novels translated internationally: 66

The five pillars of Islam
Company%20profile
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SOUTH%20KOREA%20SQUAD
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THE DETAILS

Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5

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hall of shame

SUNDERLAND 2002-03

No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.

SUNDERLAND 2005-06

Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.

HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19

Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.

ASTON VILLA 2015-16

Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.

FULHAM 2018-19

Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.

LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.

BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66