In Dubai it is reckoned there are no more than a dozen Porsche 928s. I've now seen at least three of them and I'm yearning to own one again because, about eight years ago, I owned a 1985 S2 and it was an utterly fantastic car.
My Car: First-hand accounts of life behind the wheel
Whether they're off-roaders or family transports, vehicles in the Emirates inspire plenty of passion in their owners.
More from Motoring
A proper GT car, the 928 was supposed to replace the 911 in 1977 but Porsche never managed to kill off the rear-engined ex-Beetle and the 928 has become something of an enigma. Surviving cars are often ropey, unloved and should be avoided at all costs, but find a good one and they represent a fine classic purchase. However, a brief chat with Michel de Martigny is enough to make you think twice.
Michel has, to say the least, been put through the mangle by his car. Porsche 928s are extremely complex machines that were years ahead of their time and neglect by a previous owner means financial hardship for the next. Michel is a Canadian expat living in Dubai and working in IT management, so he's obviously intelligent. But buying a 928 is never a decision based on pure logic. Speaking from personal experience, it's a car that just grabs you on an emotional level and won't let go until you've given in and assumed ownership.
"The model was launched when I was just starting my work career and it really appealed to me," Michel recalls. "I've always been attracted to cars that are unique and special but not necessarily mainstream or popular. And, after meeting my wife, I needed a second car and when I saw this 928 advertised on the board at Spinneys, I jumped, probably a bit too quickly."
Michel bought the 1988 S4 you see here in 2005 from a German, Dubai-based businessman and this, he admits, lulled him into a false sense of security. "I visited the mechanic he'd been using and was assured it was in fine condition and that the engine's compression was tip-top. So I bought it, thinking it just needed a bit of tweaking here and there," he grimaces. Five minutes after buying it, with a very sceptical wife on-board, the 928 suffered a total ECU failure. The writing was on the wall. "This took the car off the road for two weeks and, once it was running, I had a full diagnostics test carried out, which showed the engine was pretty much fried," he recalls.
That mechanic denied ever having tested the car's engine or saying it was sound, so an expensive trust lesson was learnt. Can you feel his pain yet? I certainly can. What followed was a succession of expensive yet necessary jobs, including rebuilding the 5L V8, new shocks and springs, three new air conditioning compressors, alternator, brakes, stainless-steel exhaust, radiator, front spoiler, new centre console after the car was broken into during a sojourn to the UK ("the thief got a radio worth Dh30 and my insurers got a bill for Dh12,000!), new steering rack and several new batteries.
Understandably, Michel became convinced the car was cursed. "I even named it Kristen - the German equivalent of Christine, after the possessed car in the Stephen King novel," he laughs. "But I'm over the worst and, now, owning the 928 is actually enjoyable. The key to happy ownership of a car like this here is to find a mechanic you can trust and, at last, I have that. It gets attention wherever it goes, my five-year-old son loves it and hopefully one day it will be his."
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass
CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU
Memory: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD
Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio
Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video
Platform: Android 11
Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics
Durability: IP52
Biometrics: Face unlock
Price: Dh849
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Oppenheimer
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Company%20Profile
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
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Brief scoreline
Switzerland 0
England 0
Result: England win 6-5 on penalties
Man of the Match: Trent Alexander-Arnold (England)
Breast cancer in men: the facts
1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.
2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash.
3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible.
4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key.
5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Premier Futsal 2017 Finals
Al Wasl Football Club; six teams, five-a-side
Delhi Dragons: Ronaldinho
Bengaluru Royals: Paul Scholes
Mumbai Warriors: Ryan Giggs
Chennai Ginghams: Hernan Crespo
Telugu Tigers: Deco
Kerala Cobras: Michel Salgado
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
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