Middle East

Porsche Panamera 4S Exclusive Middle East Edition

If you're living in the Middle East and have the means, Porsche has announced a special edition Panamera just for you. The Panamera 4S Exclusive Middle East Edition features a Carrera White paint job with red leather interior and special number plates identifying the special edition.

Announced at the Qatar Motor Show, the special Porsche also comes with the Sport Chrono Plus package as standard, giving the 4.8-liter V8 over 400 horsepower channeled to all four wheels via the PDK seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Only 66 examples will be made, commanding an assuredly premium price.

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Tags: middle east, panamera, panamera 4s, persian gulf, porsche, Porsche Panamera, porsche panamera 4s, Porsche Panamera 4S Exclusive Middle East Edition, qatar, qatar motor show

Bentley Continental Flying Spur Arabia

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Taking an evident lead from its arch-rival (and former corporate cousin) Rolls-Royce, Bentley has announced a special edition exclusive to the Middle East.

Based on either the Continental Flying Spur or Flying Spur Speed, the Arabia edition features special badging and wheels, but that's about the extent of it. Only 50 examples will be produced, available exclusively through Bentley's nine dealers in the region that accounts for 10% of its sales annually.

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Tags: arabia, bentley, bentley continental, Bentley Continental Flying Spur, Bentley Continental Flying Spur Arabia, bentley flying spur, continental, continental flying spur, middle east, persian gulf

Blacker than Black: Brabus Vanish Mercedes SL

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

There's an epic history to all-powerful, super-fast Mercedes. Recent highlights have included the SLR McLaren, the new SLS AMG, and this, the SL65 AMG Black Series. With a solid carbon-fiber roof and a 670-horsepower turbocharged V12 engine, the SL Black is one of the fastest cars ever to wear the three-pointed star. But one discerning client in Dubai wasn't satisfied, so he turned to eminent Benz tuner Brabus for an answer.

What they came back with is what you see here: the Brabus Vanish. Upgrading the turbochargers, gearbox, brakes and exhaust has yielded 800 horsepower, looking menacing in its matte black paint scheme. Try not to like it too much, though, as this was a one-of-a-kind creation.

Gallery: Brabus Vanish

Tags: Black Series E-Class Coupe, Black Series E-Series, brabus, brabus vanish, dubai, mercedes, mercedes-benz, Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG, Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black, mercedes-benz sl65 amg black series, middle east, sl, vanish

Filthy Rich Arab Buys TEN Aston Martin One-77s

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Wealth

According to a new report a single and obviously incredibly rich buyer in the Middle East has shelled out for not one but ten Aston-Martin One-77 supercars which cost $1.7 million apiece. The unnamed buyer - we're guessing oil sheik - apparently paid a premium to get the cars sent to his desert demesne, bringing the total cost of the cars to $23 million. He is reportedly planning to give one to each member of his immediate family. Sounds like a pretty popular guy. Aston Martin unveiled the car last year and announced that only 77 examples would be made. With a low weight carbon fiber monocoque, the sexy beast's 7.3-liter V12 engine with 750 hp helps it hit a top speed of 220 mph.

[via AutoGuide / TopSpeed]

Tags: Aston Martin, Aston Martin One-77, AstonMartin, AstonMartinOne-77, Middle East, MiddleEast, supercar, UAE

Maserati Launches Exclusive GranTurismo S Special Editions in Abu Dhabi

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

A stock Maserati may be special enough for most of us, but apparently not for the highly lucrative Middle East market. So to answer the call for exclusivity, the Trident marque has announced a new limited edition of its top-of-the-line GranTurismo S coupe.

Decked out in special matte white paint scheme and items from the company's bespoke MC Sport Line, Maserati will only make twelve examples of this special edition: one for each of its dealers in the region, simultaneously commemorating the twelve drivers', constructors' and teams' titles which the Maserati MC12 has accumulated in the FIA GT Championship.

A second run of 11 coupes, with pearl white paint, is planned for the Italian market as well. Unfortunately that's about the extent of the details Maserati has provided. If you have the means and live in the right place, we're sure your local dealership will be glad to provide more, and if you don't, well it's really not applicable anyway, so the rest of us can just sit back and stare.

Tags: abu dhabi, AbuDhabi, maserati, maserati gran turismo s, maserati granturismo, maserati mc sport line, MaseratiGranturismo, MaseratiGranTurismoS, MaseratiMcSportLine, mc sport line, McSportLine, middle east, middle east limited edition, MiddleEast, MiddleEastLimitedEdition, yas island, yas island circuit, yas island marina circuit, yas marina, yas marina circuit, YasIsland, YasIslandCircuit, YasIslandMarinaCircuit, YasMarina, YasMarinaCircuit

Rolls-Royce Presents Phantom Bespoke Collection for the Middle East

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

We can understand the frustration. You drop a third of a million dollars on a new Rolls-Royce and then you pull up next to one just like yours at the traffic light. Nobody wants that, especially not oil-rich sheikhs in the Persian Gulf, where spotting Rolls-Royces is as common as spotting celebrities in Hollywood. So to satisfy one of its most demanding clienteles, the luxury automaker has launched a new limited run of special edition Phantoms specifically for the Middle Eastern market.

Called the Phantom Bespoke Collection, the service allows wealthy customers in Gulf states to specify from an endless array of unique trims and colors outside the usual catalog. The example pictured here is outfitted in Arizone Sun and English White two-tone paint scheme, echoed inside with Creme Light and Saddle Tan leather together with hand-woven silk rugs and mother-of-pearl inlays. Only six examples will be made, and we don't doubt they'll all find very elaborate homes.

Gallery: Rolls-Royce Phantom Bespoke Collection

Tags: custom rolls-royce, CustomRolls-royce, gulf emirates, gulf states, GulfEmirates, GulfStates, middle east, MiddleEast, persian gulf, PersianGulf, rolls-royce, rolls-royce bespoke collection, rolls-royce phantom, rolls-royce phantom bespoke collection, Rolls-royceBespokeCollection, Rolls-roycePhantom, Rolls-roycePhantomBespokeCollection

Malaysian Designer to Debut $30 Million Diamond Dress

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Jewelry

Malaysian designer Faisol Abdullah is creating the world's most expensive dress decorated with 751 diamonds from Middle Eastern jeweler Mouawad. The $30 million frock tops Chris Aire's $20 million diamond dress (above) created last year and ties the $30 million diamond bikini in terms of the world's most expensive item of clothing. Abdullah plans to debut the silk and taffeta evening gown, which features a central 70 carat pear-shaped diamond and is dubbed the "Nightingale of Kuala Lumpur," in time for next month's STYLO Fashion festival in the Malaysian capital. Mouawad, which produces Heidi Klum's jewelry line, is a red carpet favorite of Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears.

"Stocks drop, gold is even falling but a diamond is forever," Abdullah tells Reuters. "This is a dress with diamonds. Why go backwards, why can't we go forwards? We are going to the fantastic, but its real. You are getting value for money with these diamonds." "It's a security and insurance nightmare buts it's worth it," adds Antoine Bakhache, head of Mouawad's Asia operations. "It's not throwing $30 million right down the drain, it is an investment for the super-rich." Nancy Yeoh, chief executive of STYLO which commissioned the dress, says they plan to present the garment to royal courts around the world starting with the Middle East, noting, "It's art and there are still enough rich people who would want to buy."

Tags: Chris Aire, ChrisAire, diamond, diamonds, dress, Faisol Abdullah, FaisolAbdullah, gown, Kuala Lumpur, KualaLumpur, Malaysia, Middle East, MiddleEast, Mouawad, UAE

Platune & Sand-X to Build World's Fastest Off-Roader

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

European-based luxury vehicle design and tuning firm Platune has teamed up with Sand-X, a Swiss company specializing in sand dune racers, to develop the world's fastest off-road vehicle. The Platune-Sand-X mobile (above), designed to be the Ducati of off-roaders, will be the safest, fastest, and most powerful ATV ever built, with giant front tires and a rear track. Available only in an exclusive limited edition, the Platune-Sand-X will be able to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in as little as 2.8 seconds and achieve a top speed of 185 km/h. While pricing has yet to be announced, we expect the vehicle will be extremely expensive; unsurprisingly, it has already stirred considerable intertest in the Middle East. The collaboration celebrates the two companies' "mutual quest for luxury, perfection, exclusiveness [and] an extraordinary driving experience."

Tags: ATV, Desert, Middle East, MiddleEast, Motorcycle, off-road, Platune, Sand-X

Dubai Royal Wins Battle to Expand Scottish Castle

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wealth

The other day we wrote about the Emir of Qatar's fight with the mayor of Paris over his plans to expand a historic mansion. Now another megarich Middle Eastern potentate is having similar problems - but in this case it looks as if he'll get his way. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the crown prince and ruler of Dubai, bought the Inverinate Estate, a 14-bedroom mansion on 63,000 acres in the Scottish Highlands near the Kyle of Lochalsh, 25 years ago for about $3 million. However, the Sheikh (above, at the Royal Ascot races), who was ranked at No. 5 on Forbes' list of the world's richest royals in 2008 with a fortune of $18 billion, recently decided the place is too small, the the Scotsman reports.

The Sheikh planned to build a new modern two-story lodge featuring a penthouse suite, dining room, kitchen and 16 bedrooms, all with en-suite baths and some with living-room areas. Made from a mix of natural stone, timber paneling and glass, it consists of three main blocks linked by glassed-in walkways. Though the present mansion was built in 1929 to replace an earlier 1880 building, critics initially opposed the Sheikh's plan for the incongruous addition, noting the building is a fine example of Scottish vernacular architecture of its period. After having been brought to a vote by the planning council however, the Sheikh will now be allowed to construct what one critic described as "something you would find in the Arabian desert."

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Tags: Dubai, Middle East, MiddleEast, Qatar, Scotland, sheikh mohammed bin rashid, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al-Maktoum, SheikhMohammedBinRashid, SheikhMohammedBinRashidAl-maktoum

Boris Becker's Ambitious Plans for Tennis Resort

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Services

Tennis star Boris Becker has been busy making big plans over on the luxurious Al Marjan Island: he's building a mega-resort that's being touted as one of the area's most ambitious ever. The Boris Becker Beach Resort and Tennis Academy will offer two ocean front exposures and 2.5 million square feet of luxury holiday homes, high end resort and spa facilities, a five star hotel, and of course a world-class tennis academy 50% owned by Becker himself.

A couple of interesting facts: the academy and resort will be partially solar powered, the design is meant to represent a sea turtle when viewed from the air, and it's all scheduled to be finished by 2010.

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Tags: al marjan island, AlMarjanIsland, becker, boris becker, BorisBecker, island, middle east, MiddleEast, resort, resorts, tennis, travel, traveling

Gianfranco Ferre to Debut "Couture Architecture" in Dubai

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Real Estate Developments

Italian design house Gianfranco Ferre has signed multi-billion dollar deal to develop real estate projects with a fashionable flair. Ferre is partnering with Mideast-based GIO Developments on the deal, and the first project, called "Gianfranco Ferre Stresa," will be a mixed-use highrise in Dubai. The $1.2 billion tower will combine residential, commercial and hospitality spaces, and the partnership has dubbed it the first example of "concrete couture." Other similar projects are planned around the globe. Mr. Ferre himself, who was fittingly known as the "architect of fashion," died last year. The company bearing his name already has a strong presence in the region with existing stores in Dubai, Beirut and Istanbul and new openings planned for Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait within the year. Other design houses currently collaborating on Dubai developments include Versace, Christian Lacroix and Elie Saab.

Gallery: House of Ferre

Naked models in the new Ferre Fall ad campaign.

Semi-naked models in the new Ferre Fall ad campaign.

Tags: Dubai, Fashion, Ferre, Gianfranco Ferre, GianfrancoFerre, Italian design, Italian fashion, ItalianDesign, ItalianFashion, Middle East, MiddleEast, Versace

Luxury Retailers Expanding Rapidly in the Middle East

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

We've done lots of talking lately about luxury brands in Russia and China but the Middle East is rapidly turning into one of the shopping capitals of the world and WWD has a comprehensive report on how the luxury market is changing in the Middle East. With oil up over $100 a barrel, money is pouring into these countries with large oil reserves. In the past, luxury retailers generally encountered Middle Eastern shoppers spending abroad in cities like Paris or London. Now, not only are the people in the Middle East more interested in spending more at home, the new cosmopolitan condo complexes and hotels are drawing tourists from around the world.

Dubai has already become one of the places that tourists flock to for the shopping. The past few years have brought incredible growth to the area with so much construction underway that it is currently as much a city of cranes as anything else. Recent data indicates that over half the tourists coming to Dubai are coming from Russia, leading Fendi to stock their store their with fur coats for Russian shoppers. Luxury retailers are finding that that they are needing to add multiple stores in places like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar to attract tourists who are drawn by new lavish hotels and need a place to stay.

For luxury retailers there are some unique challenges to having stores in the Middle East. Because many Arab women wear black abayas, jewelry, shoes and handbags are particularly important categories. Some designers also offer longer styles that are more body covering and done in lighter fabrics to be more comfortable in scorching desert heat. Jil Sander is working on a version of the abaya and Tom Ford is on the case to create local robe-like dishdasha outfits for men.

The picture above is of a Dubai mall during the Christmas season. It looks like even though Christmas is not an official holiday in the region, retailers still want to encourage holiday shopping. As stores learn to adapt to the specific needs of the Middle East, retailers also seem to be importing a few Western traditions.

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Tags: dubai, expire-images:2009-1-2, luxury retailers, middle east, MiddleEast, shopping

The Plans for Oman's Blue City

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The British architecture firm Foster + Partners has unveiled a new design for yet another planned city in the Middle East. Their latest, Al Madina Al Zarqa, the Blue City, will be a new coastal city near Muscat in Oman. Al Madina Al Zarqa, the Blue City, will be home to 200,000 people. The Blue City is the largest development in Oman and is part of Oman's drive to attract foreign investment to develop its tourism potential and economic growth.

The Blue City takes it is inspiration from traditional Omani architecture, combining local styles with a look that will appeal to potential tourists. The city will be formed of clustered communities with schools, a university, stadia, golf facilities, a marina, hotels, a concert hall, shops and souks with the waterfront developed as a luxury resort. Forster + Partners strives to make sustainable projects and this one will have natural ventilation and careful orientation to minimize direct sunlight and maximize ventilation.

[via Building Design]

Gallery: Oman's Blue City

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Tags: architecture, foster and partners, middle east, muscat, oman, the blue city, urban planning

Seba Tower Planned for Abu Dhabi

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The latest large structure planned for the growing area of Abu Dhabi, the Seba tower, has a curvy appeal. This 50-story mixed-use tower will include retail space, offices and 316 apartment which will be available for rent by mid 2010. The curved bands around the tower are balconies offering views of the sea and the famous Abu Dhabi Corniche. The curves will be illuminated which will throw flashing "bands of light" against the sky. The tower will be topped with a rooftop terrace that includes a health club and an outdoor pool.

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Tags: abu dhabi, architecture, building, design, middle east, MiddleEast, seba tower, SebaTower, structure

Emirates Airlines Stocks Up On Planes

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

I've often written about the luxurious Emirates Airlines which operates out of Dubai, now they are expanding at a rapid rate with the announcement of the largest aircraft commitment made by any airline at one time. Fueled by high oil prices and a rapidly booming tourism industries, Emirates has been booming which shows in a $34.9 billion deal that includes orders from both Airbus and Boeing. The deal was announced at the Dubai Airshow and will include 120 Airbus A350s, 11 A380s, and 12 Boeing 777-300Ers. Emirates also comfirmed that they still want the eight A380s they ordered earlier this year and ordered three more bringing their total order of A380s to 58. Their total orders now number 246 aircraft worth a total of over $60 billion dollars.

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Tags: a380, airbus, airlines, boeing, dubai, emirates, middle east