Hello. In this car-spotting episode, highlights include a Ferrari F50 and F40 pairing, Lamborghini Sian FKP 37 and other insane spots. Let’s go!
Name – Ferrari F50 & F40
Location – Cardel Theatre, Calgary
Back story – Name a more iconic duo. This Ferrari F40 and F50 definitely rank among the most popular cars in Calgary (I daresay the whole of Alberta). They belong to the same person, and he is gracious enough to bring the beauties out often, sharing his passion with the local car community. The cars certainly look incredible in this image, especially with nature providing such a vibrant backdrop.
Name – Pagani Zonda 760 AG
Location – Mall of the Emirates, Dubai
Back story – This has to be one of the most incredible cars I have ever spotted. I have several pictures but this one was from the first time I saw it, back in 2016. It was a weekday and I had just finished work when I stepped out of the mall and saw it parked off to one side. My jaw literally dropped to the ground. The car was not even roped off. There was just a sign that said, ‘look but please don’t touch,’ on the windscreen. I was only too happy to oblige. I don’t know how many pictures I took that day but it was a lot. I did the best I could with my crappy phone, joyfully recording the moment when I crossed paths with the unicorn.
Name – Lamborghini Sian FKP 37
Location – Edmonton, Alberta
Back story – I made a 590.8 km (367 miles) round trip to attend a community event in Edmonton. It was a car-themed event to raise money for the fight against cancer and I decided to attend to show my support and also check out what nice cars would show up. It was a gruelling trip and I battled fatigue most of the way but it turned out to be well worth it. I had never seen the Sian before this day though I knew there was one in Western Canada and had even seen pictures of it on social media. However, no picture can do justice to the looks of this car! There are only 63 Sian coupes in the world and seeing one was a special moment for me.
Name – Icano Vulcano Titanium
Location – World Trade Centre, Dubai
Back story – I first saw the Icona Vulcano Titanium at the 2017 Dubai International Auto Show. The bodywork is made of titanium and carbon fibre. Icona, the company behind the car, reportedly took over 10,000 hours of painstaking work to create the car, describing the process as ‘unrepeatable.’ A 670 hp supercharged V8 powers the titanium supercar, propelling it to 60 mph in as little as 2.8 seconds. It was once listed for about $2.8 million. However, it has since dropped off the radar, and little is known of the car’s current whereabouts.
Name – Bugatti Chiron & Bentley Bentayga
Location – Mall of the Emirates, Dubai
Back story – Two different cars – the Bugatti and Bentley, spotted at different times but with rather interesting number plates and colour schemes. Same owner? Check out the post below for more context.
Name – Bugatti Chiron
Location – Mall of the Emirates, Dubai
Back story – This was my first-ever sighting of the imperious Bugatti Chiron. No words can adequately describe how I felt that day as I stepped out of the mall and saw it parked right at the entrance! It was a weekday too (I think, Wednesday); not really a great day for car spotting. I hung around for several minutes, waiting for a clean shot. However, this one guy just wouldn’t leave, and I was running late for an appointment, so I just made him a part of the background. I can’t remember ever seeing this particular Chiron again, but I did see an interesting car parked in the same spot a few months later (refer to the post above).
Name – Mercedes-Benz G63 6 x 6 Brabus 700
Location – Mall of the Emirates, Dubai
Back story – You don’t see too many of these around today. The owner of this particular beast is a Saudi dude I connected with on Instagram while I was in Dubai. One day, he was in town and invited me to tea with some of his brothers. I showed up in a Nissan Sunny. His gang arrived in a Brabus 6 x 6 (pictured), a 1-of-99 Mercedes-Benz G650 Landaulet and a Rolls Royce Ghost, all white. You can check out the video here.
Name – Lamborghini Huracan Avio
Location – Mall of the Emirates, Dubai
Back story – Sometimes I just take a casual picture of a car, only to find out later that it was a really special find. That’s the case with this 1-of-250 Huracan Avio. The Huracan Avio was the first in the line of Huracan special editions and was a tribute to the world of aviation and aeronautics. I spotted this at the front valet area at the Mall of the Emirates (Dubai) and just took a quick pick before moving on to more ‘interesting’ finds! My loss.
Name – McLaren MSO HS
Location – Dubai Mall, Dubai
Back story – This is the little-known McLaren MSO HS. It is based around the 675LT and built by McLaren Special Operations (MSO) division. Only 25 units were ever made. I did not know all these facts when I spotted it outside Dubai Mall. I thought it was just a McLaren with a fancy body kit. Also, I was with my mum at the time but I still rushed over and took a quick picture. I was bummed when I did my research later and discovered I had stumbled on a rare gem. My disappointment did not last long though as I had a few other opportunities to spot the car. The owner even invited me to check out his garage whenever he was in town. Sadly, that never happened while I was in Dubai.
Name – Bugatti Chiron
Location – Dubai Marina
Back story – One of the many nights I went ‘car hunting’ with my buddies. We were wild with excitement when we first spotted this 1-of-1 Chiron. We followed it for a while before it hit the highway and promptly disappeared. There was no way we could match the Chiron’s speed (that, and fear of speed cameras). Imagine our surprise when we spotted it again that same night in another part of town. This time, it was held up by traffic and we were able to take a few pictures and videos. This is one of my favourites because of all the lights.
Tolu Akinshete
