In a country full of high-powered supercars and blinged-up SUVs, it takes a special kind of car to draw people's attention and make their jaws drop. Gaurav Dhar has that kind of car.
If he's driving it one of these evenings around Dubai, which he does very often, you'll hear it before you see it; a dual straight-pipe exhaust gives it an aural authority on the road. But as it rumbles into view and cruises down the boulevard, you won't be able to take your eyes off of what Dhar refers to as "the Red Baron".
"It took me two years to find the car I wanted," says Dhar. "I found this one, and it was perfect."
The Red Baron is your basic, classic hot rod; a hodge-podge of different old cars crafted together for a classic old-school look. Built on a 1927 Ford frame, it incorporates the grille and headlamps from a 1932 Ford and a huge nine-inch Ford rear axle, while two passengers sit inside a custom fibreglass-and-steel body. Power comes from a triple-carbureted V8 from a 1967 Corvette. And it's exactly what this Dubai-based car fanatic wanted.
"When I found this car [in the US], I saw the history; one guy put this car together over five years with his bare hands. He used to make hot rods in his spare time," he says.
"I called up the guy and wanted to see everything, and then I wanted to hear the car, and I wanted to know what spares he had. And this went on for a week; then the guy said he'd send me a video. And in the 20-second clip, he walked up to the car, put the key in and started it. Two days later I called him up and said, 'Let's talk'."
The car, which he received in September, had to be special for Dhar to yearn for it. A self-confessed car nut, Dhar spends his free time (when he's not working on the family business dealing with cashless payment systems) with Rolling Art Emporium. It's a service he set up to help classic car owners - and those who want to be - with finding cars, parts, service and just general information here in the UAE, something he is keenly passionate about.
"I've spent all my free time over the last five years collecting this information," he says. "Because there was no one source providing this information, even today. And it's such a huge gap. (For example, did you know there was a DeLorean dealership in Sharjah?)
"And I said, 'That's ridiculous', because there are so many people out there who have cars who are going to junk them - who shouldn't junk them - because they don't know how to maintain their cars or don't know the legislation. They are lost, but I don't want them to throw these valuable assets and pieces of history away, especially the ones that were bought here."
Dhar was born in the UAE and schooled in India and the UK. His interest in cars was fostered early on.
"I've always been a car lover, especially being out here growing up. You saw roads being built, you saw infrastructure being built, and you saw the latest cars all the time.
"Then, after my schooling, I came back here and felt that people were getting too flash. It put me off that people had these new cars but didn't really know about them or didn't really care about them; they were just too commonplace. So I started reading about car history, and reading the stories, and seeing the shapes and forms, I just drowned in it; I'm a history buff. I got lost in that sinkhole of encyclopedias and magazines and I just thought, 'This is what I want to do'."
In fact, his purchase of the Red Baron was partly fuelled by his desire to spread the awareness of classic cars in the Emirates.
"When I'm driving by, people won't care about me, and that's perfect; I want that image of the car burnt into that 15-year-old's head. Or that 50-year-old's head, with him thinking of seeing this car in his uncle's barn, or at the salt flats in Bonneville, or something from his own history. And it's to bring those two generations together, and have them think about classic cars, and maybe have them go out and look for classic car events and learn more."
Dhar says that the Red Baron garners wild reactions from everyone, and he's had more than one blank-cheque offer to buy it outright. But would he consider parting with his dream? He hesitates.
"I would only consider selling it to two kinds of people; first of all, the kind of person who knew the emotional value and would appreciate it, I'd sell it to him. Or, I'd have to sell it to someone who would disappear with it, because if I saw that car on the road, it would kill me. It would rip my heart out."
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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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: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alaan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Parthi%20Duraisamy%20and%20Karun%20Kurien%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247%20million%20raised%20in%20total%20%E2%80%94%20%242.5%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20and%20%244.5%20million%20in%20a%20pre-series%20A%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0
De Bruyne (70')
Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium, Malayisa
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia on October 10
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
