“So, what’s the best car you’ve ever driven?”
This question is the sole reason I hesitate to tell anyone I meet what I do for a living. It’s the one I’m always asked and it’s the one I can never answer. The best looking? The best sounding? The most exciting or the most dangerous? I can answer these queries in a heartbeat. But the actual best car is something I can’t possibly identify and probably never will.
But the best I’ve driven so far in 2014 is, hands down, the Porsche 918 Spyder. This year I have also spent seat time in a McLaren P1 but, for some reason, its maker decided to only offer journalists in this region passenger rides and I refuse to pass judgement on any vehicle from the wrong side of the cabin. Yet 2014 will go down in history as a vintage year for super sports cars and the two aforementioned vehicles join Ferrari’s stupidly named LaFerrari to form a trinity of ultimate exotica with an environmental bent. These three are the most exciting production cars on the planet right now and they’re all – I can barely bring myself to use the word – hybrids.
Why? What possible reason could there be for these limited edition, crazily powerful automobiles to even pay lip service to green motoring? They won’t be used by their owners very often, so the savings when it comes to exhaust emissions or fuel consumption will be negligible. They’re unlikely to be driven on the daily commute to the office, so the cities around the world that give preferential treatment to hybrid and electric vehicles are unlikely to benefit either.
No, if these three cars drank fuel like it was going out of style, or belched out 10 times the pollution that your car or mine emits, it would make not one jot of difference to the planet. But these powertrains and their usage in three absolutely outrageous automobiles do serve a very important purpose: they’re test beds, research facilities and science laboratories that just happen to thrill like none that have gone before. The mind-bending technology crammed beneath their curvaceous bodies will, one day, make its way into the cars us mere mortals get to drive and that, at least on the face of it, has to be a very good thing indeed.
As far as production numbers go, Porsche intends to build 918 of its 918 Spyders (yes, that is a bit naff) and the order book is open should you wish to drop a minimum Dh3.3million on one of the greatest cars ever to turn a wheel. All 499 LaFerraris have been sold (Dh6.12m apiece) and so far at least, no media have been allowed to test one, although customer deliveries have already begun in the UAE and elsewhere. McLaren’s Dh5.3m P1’s production run of 375 units sold out last year, too, so there’s evidently no shortage of customers willing to dig deep into their pockets. In fact, Ferrari’s chairman, Luca di Montezemolo, personally approved all 499 customers from approximately 2,500 worldwide hopefuls and the selection criteria was incredibly tough.
Cynics might surmise that the cars being discussed here amount to little more than corporate one-upmanship; that the fight for dominance in the headlines has meant a ridiculous battle between rivals that could probably do with calming down a bit and, you know, ploughing all that money into finding a cure for cancer or something. But the reality is that these cars are at the frontier of what’s possible right now and they take the lessons learnt through motorsport and apply them to road cars that defy convention in the way they perform. And, as Porsche is the only company to trust me to actually drive one of the three in question, the 918 Spyder immediately goes to the top of the league table. It is, and I choose my words very carefully, utterly stupendous and worth every single dirham of its asking price. Actually, when you see it for yourself and examine the engineering might that’s packed underneath its flanks, you might find yourself surmising that it’s a bit of a bargain.
The first time I see a 918 Spyder, it’s on the move. It’s ahead of me on Yas Marina’s South Circuit and I’m behind the wheel of a new 911 Turbo S – itself a ballistic car. As I take the final turn before the straight that runs past the grandstands, I put my foot down flat and the 911 threatens to change the time/space continuum, but the 918 simply leaves me for dead. It’s staggering to see that thing move and I actually laugh out loud at the sheer insanity of its pace.
Minutes later and I’m strapping myself into the hybrid hypercar, trying to mentally prepare myself for the onslaught on my senses it will no doubt cause. The 911 had been a revelation on the track, proving just how far Porsche’s engineers have come over the decades in fighting the laws of physics. I’d been able to take corners at speeds that would have been impossible in a rear-engined car just a few years ago but there was still a feeling that it could all go wrong at any second; that one false move could end in disaster. The 918 suddenly becomes intimidating but, I’ve been told, it’s even easier to drive quickly than Porsche’s 50-year-old icon.
My co-driver is to take the first lap before we swap sides but first he takes me through some of the onboard tech. So many displays, so many touchscreen functions and buttons, that I immediately forget everything he tells me. It’s all too much to take in but it’s mightily impressive all the same.
The numbers associated with this car are extraordinary. It set a record lap time around the Nürburgring last year of six minutes and 57 seconds, although according to Porsche the driver wasn’t really pushing that hard. It will dispatch 100kph in two-and-a-half seconds. It has a naturally aspirated, 4.6-litre V8 engine that develops 610hp and an electric motor at each end to give it another 280 horses. And yet, while it’s being driven (sedately I might add) in hybrid mode it can achieve a fuel consumption figure of just three litres per 100km and emit 70g of CO2 per kilometre.
When you start the 918, it’s with a key, but you hear nothing when it’s ready to roll, as it will always start in all-electric mode. As it moves, you can hear the drivetrain’s every clunk, hiss and hum, before wind roar takes over – it’s a similar sensation that that on offer in a Tesla Roadster and the 918 can reach 150kph without reaching for the fossil fuel.
After an all-electric lap, the battery pack has drained to about 50 per cent of its total and we have to do another with the engine revving at 4,500rpm, after which it’s almost fully charged and ready to go again. We pull in, swap sides and I tear away with a brisk whoosh. There are five different drive modes, all selectable via a steering wheel button cluster and, initially, it’s quite confusing. Edrive, which I set out in, is all electric. Then there’s Hybrid, where the engine and batteries work in tandem and there’s Sport, Sport Plus and a Hot Laps programme, where you get the whole works.
I do two laps before letting loose and that’s when the glorious V8 comes on song with a soundtrack that leaves the hairs on my neck standing on end. The engine revs like a superbike and its two exhausts are literally inches from the back of my head – yet another nod to motorsport, where the shortest possible exhaust plumbing manages to liberate more power.
But while the 911 Turbo I’d been driving earlier left me with a certain unease when hammering into the tight corners that make up this technically complex circuit, the 918 displays total composure. Down force and grip is immense and the car simply obliterates bends with a speed that defies belief. It urges you to press on harder, to explore its upper limits, which will always be higher than my own. And, once the straight sections home into view, the acceleration takes my breath away. It is, without a doubt, one of the most controllable, most complete and exquisite machines I have ever had the privilege of piloting.
Porsche claims that, as a stand-alone model, the 918 Spyder is a huge loss maker and I can well believe it. But it’s an investment for the company, in the same way the 959 was in the 1980s – a car that cost staggering sums of money yet paved the way for the four-wheel drive and twin-turbocharged Porsches that we’ve become accustomed to since.
The same could be said for the McLaren P1 and the LaFerrari and, one day, I might get to experience those two as well. And they may even make the 918 feel underpowered but that would do nothing to take away the accomplishment of Porsche with this incredible car. All three represent the very best achievable by their respective makers and prove beyond a shadow of doubt that, even in these greener times, the supercar’s future is safe and sound.
khackett@thenational.ae
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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
The%20Kitchen
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EDaniel%20Kaluuya%2C%20Kibwe%20Tavares%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EKane%20Robinson%2C%20Jedaiah%20Bannerman%2C%20Hope%20Ikpoku%20Jnr%2C%20Fiona%20Marr%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
RESULTS
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THE DETAILS
Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
The Internet
Hive Mind
four stars
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
