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Qatari Pagani Zonda Uno Listed for Sale at $2.3 Million

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Wealth

A one-of-a-kind Pagani Zonda Uno custom-built for Qatar's royal family – the ones who recently paid $2 billion for Harrods – has been listed for sale in Italy via global online luxury marketplace JamesList for about $2.3 million. As my colleague Noah Joseph reported last summer, the supercar borrows elements from the exclusive Zonda Cinque and blends them with parts from the track-only Zonda R (see video below) for a truly unique creation. The 690-horsepower 7.3-liter V12 engine paired with plenty of carbon fiber make it a barely street-legal beast that burns fuel like mad but has lots of fun doing it. It's painted a pretty garish shade of turquoise like all the Qatari royal vehicles, including the Lamborghini they crashed back in November. We have no idea why they're selling this one but we somehow doubt it's because they need the cash.

Tags: carbon fiber, custom cars, Harrods, JamesList, Pagani, Pagani Zonda, Pagani Zonda Uno, Qatar, supercar, UAE

Volkswagen Touareg Gold Edition & Race Touareg 3 Qatar

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Volkswagen Touareg Gold Edition & Race Touareg 3 Qatar

Luxury SUVs like the Volkswagen Touareg are very popular in the Persian Gulf, where all-terrain mobility is as vital as pampering luxury and fuel costs are no object. No wonder then that Volkswagen is coming to the Qatar Motor Show with not one, but two concept versions of the Touareg.

The Gold Edition is outfitted specifically for Middle Eastern tastes, with 24-karat gold replacing the chrome on the exterior as well as the cabin. The shiny stuff coats the 22-inch wheels, roof rails, window frames, door mirrors, grille surround and more. Meanwhile the interior is also distinguished by gold trim, complimenting the Luna trim color, Alcantara roofliner, Nappa leather seats, natural brown leather and Walnut Burr veneers.

More enticing to enthusiasts, however, is the Race Touareg 3 Qatar. Envisioned as a street-legal version of the racing machine that recently claimed its third consecutive victory in the formidable Dakar rally, the Qatar version is just as tough, but benefits from an upgraded cabin trimmed in Nubuk and perforated Nappa leather.

Gallery: Volkswagen Touareg Gold Edition

Gallery: Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 Qatar

Tags: qatar, qatar motor show, Race Touareg 3, Touareg, Volkswagen, Volkswagen Race Touareg 3, Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 Qatar, Volkswagen Touareg, Volkswagen Touareg Gold Edition

Porsche Panamera 4S Exclusive Middle East Edition

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

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.

Source

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

Qatar Royal Crashes Lamborghini in London

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Wealth, Crimes and Misdemeanors

Qatar Royal Crashes Lamborghini in London

Back in August we told you about the Qatar royals' $2.5 million in customized baby blue supercars which were clamped by the cops in London outside Harrods, which they bought for $2.2 billion last spring. Now a member of Qatar's ruling Al-Thani clan has crashed one of them, the $550,000 Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce (above) in London as well. The car was nearly totaled at Hyde Park Corner after a high-speed chase involving a white BMW M5, which got the worst of it. "The BMW smashed into the central reservation, bounced off and then hit the Lamborghini," an eyewitness told the London Evening Standard. "Both cars were definitely traveling very fast." There were no injuries and no arrests following the incident, which came after most of the Arab playboys had taken their toys home again after a high octane summer. "We thought it was going to quieten down but it's picking up again," solicitor Bruce Beringer, who lives in the posh neighborhood, told the paper. "It's like a second season. We are kept up until 4 am because of the noise of these people revving their engines and racing down the street. These Bugattis and Ferraris make a huge amount of noise."

Tags: BMW, Bugatti, car crash, Ferrari, Harrods, Hyde Park, Lamborghini, London, Qatar, supercar, UAE, UK

Harrod's to Open Luxury Hotel on Its Rooftop?

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Luxury Shopping

Back in July we reported that following its $2.2 billion acquisition by Qatar's royal family in May, luxe department store Harrods has some heady expansion plans in the works. In addition to a new Shanghai branch the famed retail mecca is considering opening a luxury hotel on the rooftop of its landmarked London flagship (above) in Knightsbridge. Harrods managing director Michael Ward says the hotel scheme is one of a number of options being considered to maximize the brand's potential. "Are we looking at it? Yes. Have we considered it? Yes. Is it something we would do? No plans have been put forward but it is one of them," he tells Vogue UK. "There are a number of ideas of equal magnitude." If plans do go ahead, the hotel could mean Harrods' top floor, which currently houses childrenswear and its young fashion department, would be converted into a restaurant.

Tags: Harrods, hotel, London, luxury hotels, luxury shopping, Qatar, store, UAE, UK

Arab Playboys Ship $80 Million Worth of Supercars to London for the Summer

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Wealth, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Video

A cabal of mega-rich Arab playboys have made London the world's supercar capital this summer, shipping an estimated $80 million worth of eye-popping vehicles to the city while waiting out the heat in their homeland. The bored billionaires get their kicks by racing around London's crowded streets, the London Sun reports. Bugatti Veyrons have been seen cruising in Knightsbridge and Mayfair, and both the Bugatti a Pagani Zonda Cinque, one of only five in the world, are often parked at the Dorchester Hotel where some of the super-rich studs are staying. Rolls-Royces, custom Mercedes-McLaren SLRs, Lamborghinis, Koenigseggs, Ferraris and more are commonplace in certain posh neighborhoods.

"Forget Monaco or Monte Carlo - London is now the supercar capital," Matt Master of Top Gear tells the paper. "Most owners are in their 20s or early 30s and from amazingly rich families. The amount of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Bugattis with UAE plates is unbelievable." Most do 200 mph-plus but they have to drive them around in first gear, though some cut loose and take the consequences – check out a video of one man being pulled over in a pink Lamborghini amidst a number of other exotics after the jump. Others like the supercars belonging to Qatar's Royal Family get "clamped" by the cops. Given the fact that the cars had to be flown to London from the UAE, the sheer amount of money being wasted is simply stupendous:

Tags: Arab, Arabs, Bugatti, Ferrari, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini, London, Mayfair, Pagani, Qatar, Rolls-Royce, supercars, UAE, wealth

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$220 Million London Penthouse Now World's Most Expensive

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Real Estate Developments, Wealth

A six-bedroom penthouse at London's posh One Hyde Park development (above) has just sold for a record-breaking £140 million, or about $220 million, making it the most expensive piece of residential real estate in the world (in terms of current listings and sales). The massive deal eclipses the paltry $150 million asking price for The Manor, Candy Spelling's monstrous mansion in Holmby Hills, California, previous holder of the World's Most Expensive title. While the identity of the buyer remains a closely-guarded secret, speculation is centering on oligarchs and oil sheikhs, the London Telegraph reports. The palatial penthouse stretches across two floors and boasts bullet-proof windows, a panic room and stunning views across the Serpentine lake in Hyde Park.

The new owners will also have access to 24-hour room service from the neighboring Mandarin Oriental hotel, spas, squash courts a private wine-tasting facility and protection from security guards who are former members of the SAS, the UK's elite special forces unit. One Hyde Park, which boasts 86 properties starting at around £20 million, is comprised of four hexagonal tower blocks due to be completed by December. Back in 2008 when the project was in its infancy my colleague Deirdre Woollard reported that Sheikh Hamad, the foreign minister of Qatar, had agreed to purchase an apartment there for a rumored £100 million, or around $196 million. More recently we revealed that British supercar maker McLaren will open a luxe new showroom in the development as well. Take a look at the images after the jump.

Tags: Beverly Hills, Holmby Hills, Hyde Park, London, Mandarin Oriental, McLaren, One Hyde Park, penthouse, Qatar, real estate, The Manor, worlds most expensive

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Qatari Royals' $2 Million Supercar Clamped Outside Harrods

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Wealth, Crimes and Misdemeanors

Back in May we reported that luxe landmark London department store Harrods had been sold to Qatar's royal family for more about $2.2 billion. The other day the super-rich royals arrived to check out their new acquisition in a fleet of exotic supercars, all painted the family's signature shade of turquoise. However, while inside the posh retail palace the London police slapped clamps on the illegally parked rides. Spotted by London's Daily Mail with the unsightly locks on their wheels was a Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce, valued at about $550,000 (above left) and a bespoke specification Koenigsegg CCXR (above right), one of only six in the world, worth about $2 million. To get the vehicles unlocked the scofflaw sheikhs had to pay a release fee of £70 plus a fine of between £40 - £120 and complete a set of paperwork for each car.

[via LuxuryInsider]

Tags: department store, Harrods, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini, London, Qatar, royal family, royalty, supercar, UAE

Harrods to Open in Shanghai?

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Following its $2.2 billion acquisition by Qatar's royal family in May, luxe landmark London department store Harrods is planning an expansion, starting with a new branch in Shanghai. Harrods, the largest and one of the most luxurious stores in the world, holds royal warrants from the likes of the Queen, the Queen Mother and the Prince of Wales. Its new owners have looked at various new locations and China seems to be winning out. "There are other areas of the world where we could operate profitably," Harrods' CEO Michael Ward tells Vogue UK. "China is the most probable but we would have to do a lot of work first." The number of Chinese visitors to the store is up 125 per cent this year, with an average spend of triple that of a U.S. customer.

Tags: China, department store, Harrods, London, Qatar, Queen of England, royal warrant, Shanghai, stores

Qatari Royals Order Custom Pagani Zonda Uno

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

The average joe buys hits suits off the rack, but the man of means has his custom made. So why would we assume that, given the means, the same wouldn't apply to supercars? Well, the price of entry is much higher, for starters, but that should act as no deterrent for the ruling family of an oil-rich Persian Gulf emirate like Qatar.

As it turns out, one member of the ruling Al-Thani clan orders all his supercars in the same shade of turquoise so they all match. In this case, the car in question is the one-of-a-kind Pagani Zonda Uno. The supercar borrows elements from the exclusive Zonda Cinque and blends them with parts from the track-only Zonda R to make a unique creation made especially for the Qatari royals. The 690-horsepower 7.3-liter V12 engine might turn others away for fear of exorbitant fuel prices, but like the issue of where to drive such a beast, that's just one more thing the Al-Thanis don't need to worry about.

Gallery: Pagani Zonda Uno

Source

Tags: al-thani, pagani, pagani zonda, pagani zonda uno, qatar, thani, zonda

Harrods Sold To Qatar Royals' Holding Company

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Wealth

Just last month we noted that Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed had denied reports that the luxe landmark London department store was for sale. Now however in a stunning reversal Al-Fayed has sold the business to Qatar's royal family for more than £1.5 billion, or about $2.2 billion, and announced his retirement, the London Times reports. Harrods, the largest and one of the most luxurious stores in the world, holds royal warrants from the likes of the Queen, the Queen Mother and the Prince of Wales.

The bid from the Qatar Holding company was accepted because they would "maintain the traditions of Harrods", Ken Costa, chairman of Lazard International, the investment bank advising the family trust on the deal, told the paper. "After 25 years as chairman of Harrods, Mohamed al-Fayed has decided to retire and to spend more time with his children and grandchildren," Costa notes, adding, Fayed "wished to ensure that the legacy and traditions that he has built up in Harrods would be continued". Last year Harrods won a Readers' Choice Luxist award for Best Department Store.

[Thanks, Lana]

Tags: department store, Harrods, London, Mohamed Al-Fayed, Qatar, royalty, UAE, UK

UFO-Like Design Unveiled For Qatar Museum

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

The Qatar Museums Authority is showing off the design for the new National Museum of Qatar. Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel has created a building that is designed to be like a desert rose, growing out of the ground and harmonious with it. A desert rose is a mineral that forms in the desert with curving petal-like blades that resemble the flower.

At the National Museum of Qatar entire walls will become cinematic displays and hand-held mobile devices will guide visitors through the museum. It is built around the Fariq Al Salatah Palace, which had served as a museum of heritage since 1975. The museum will be located at the south end of Doha's Corniche and will be the first monument seen by travelers arriving from the airport. Rings of disc-shaped pavilions which encircle a large courtyard area. The discs will be formed of wheel-like steel truss structures clad in glass-fiber-reinforced concrete panels. There will be a total of 86,000 square feet of permanent gallery space, 21,500 square feet of temporary gallery space, a 220-seat auditorium, a 70-seat food forum / TV studio, two cafés, a restaurant and a museum shop. The Museum will be surrounded by a landscaped park that interprets a Qatari desert landscape.

Tags: architecture, design, jean nouvel, national museum of qatar, qatar

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Thomas Prescher Tempusvivendi Qatar Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

High-end independent luxury watch maker Thomas Prescher presents a new creation from his Tempus Vivendi collection. Right out of his workshop in Switzerland comes the Qatar watch, a timepiece dedicated to the nation of Qatar.

The origins of the Tempusvivendi collection, with their double retrograde hands stems back to the 19th century - seen on only the most luxurious and decorated for clocks and pocket watches. The concept allows for a striking and artistic way of telling the time and providing space for the watch makers to apply imagery to the watch face.

The all gold 39mm wide watch case features an specially made automatic mechanical movement that has been ornately decorated all over. Visible through the sapphire crystal caseback, the automatic rotor is engraved and highly personalized, while the movement itself features hours of traditional style engraving work. Each gold surface is hand engraved as well. The watch is attached to a hand-sewn alligator strap.

Time is read by observing the position of the tips of the two Arab style swords as they move along the indicators. Each sword is individually connected to the movement at the bottom and overall each over and they move down. If you prefer to look at the time as an artistic statement, you can press a pusher located in the crown and the hands will jump back to their "natural" position (as seen in the image). Pressing the pusher again will give you a view of the time once more. The image on the dial is hand engraved on gold and shows an Arabic coat of arms with a sail ship in water, and an island with two palm trees. The timepiece is of the highest craftsmanship quality for dedicated watch lovers of the Qatar region who will no doubt be enchanted by the timepiece as an instrument, and as an honor to their country.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Thomas Prescher Tempus Vivendi Qatar Watch

Tags: qatar, swiss, tempus vivendi, TempusVivendi, thomas prescher, ThomasPrescher, watch

Pearl Carpet of Baroda Sets Rug Record

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

The magnificent Pearl Carpet of Baroda has earned a pretty incredible price at Sotheby's in Qatar. It sold for $5.5 million, a record for a rug. The 5-foot-8-inch by 8-foot-8-inch carpet was originally commissioned by the maharajah of the former Indian state of Baroda and is exquisitely stitched with more than a million tiny seed pearls, rubies, sapphires and diamonds on a base of silk and deer hide. The previous record for a rug was set last year by a 17th-century Persian silk Isfahan rug that had belonged to the U.S. collector Doris Duke which sold for $4.5 million.

Source

Tags: auction, decor-awards, pearl carpet of baroda, PearlCarpetOfBaroda, qatar

Spice Market Opens In Doha

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Jean-Georges Vongericthen has become the latest high-profile chef to take restaurants to the Middle East. Culinary Concepts by Jean-Georges has announced the opening of Spice Market and Market by Jean-Georges at the new W Hotel Doha. The restaurants are part of a partnership with Starwood Hotels & Resorts and represent the chef's first foray into the Middle East. "Doha is a region full of exotic spices and rich delicacies and I'm eager to infuse some of the signature dishes found at Spice Market and Market with the indigenous flavors of the region and a wealth of new ingredients," said Vongerichten. He also blogged about the experience last week.

Vongerichten is famous for eschewing the use of meat stocks and using vegetable juices and fruit essences for a light and fresh flavor. His most recent cookbook focuses on his love of Asian flavors. The decor for Spice Market at W Hotel Doha includes handcrafted screens and a series of clustered bespoke lanterns. Jean-Georges Vongericthen will be in good celebrity chef company, Nobu is also opening up a restaurant in Doha at the Four Seasons next year.

Gallery: Qatar On The Rise