Hello. It’s the fourth part of my car-spotting journey. I believe the quality of images is crucial Beyond that, the story behind each image is oftentimes, what makes it truly special.
Name – Range Rover
Location – Mall of the Emirates, Dubai
Backstory – No. It’s not a mirror image, just three Range Rover SUVs in a line. Dubai valets would often park similar cars close to each other, giving car spotters like me the opportunity to take really interesting images. Those guys are the real MVPs. I made friends with many of them over time.
Name – Bentley Continental GT
Location – Dubai Mall, Dubai
Backstory – This happens to be my most-liked Instagram picture. Bentley had just launched the Continental GT when I spotted it parked outside a mall. It took me over an hour to make a detour and find my way to where the car was parked. Luckily, it was still there and I spent several minutes admiring the car’s clean lines. Bentley is one of my favourite brands and models like this only make me more of a loyalist.
Name – Rolls Royce Wraith
Location – Mall of the Emirates, Dubai
Backstory – The flex in Dubai is unmatched! This livery could have been for any reason. Some sort of advertisement? Promotional purposes or just a bored rich owner looking for some fun. I like it in any case…
Name – McLaren Senna
Location – Al Habtoor Motors, Dubai
Backstory – According to reports, this was the very first Senna that was delivered in the UAE (not the first registered one). I was at work when I saw it being unloaded on Instagram. I immediately punched out for lunch and drive down to the dealership as fast as I could. It was a good thing I did. A truck arrived soon after and the Senna was whisked away. It was the last time I ever saw it. I understood that it belonged to the owner of the dealership, someone notorious for a large number of ‘Garage Queens’ in his collection.
Name – Lamborghini Aventador SV
Location – Mall of the Emirates, Dubai
Backstory – The Aventador SV is my all-time favourite supercar. This one finished in matte red belongs to the owner of one of the largest entertainment centres in the Middle East. I did occasionally spot the car during my stay in Dubai. Did you know that Lamborghini only made 600 Aventador SV coupes? It is even more exclusive than the Aventador SVJ?
Name – Gemballa Mirage GT
Location – Mall of the Emirates, Dubai
Backstory – Imagine my shock when I stepped out of the Mall of the Emirates (Dubai) one evening and laid my eyes on this utterly bonkers Gemballa Mirage GT (based on the Porsche Carrera GT). I knew about the car but had never seen one until that day. Only 25 units were made, each finished with a unique spec. This one is known as the Mirage GT Gold Edition. I saw this back in 2017…my first and last sighting of this unicorn!
Name – Rolls Royce & Lamborghini
Location – Dubai Mall, Dubai
Backstory – Exotics gathering dust? In Dubai, sights like this are not as uncommon as you might think. I found the Aventador and Ghost tucked away in the underground parking of a hotel. The owner(s) probably just dumped the cars and travelled for an extended period.
Name – Batmobile
Location – City Walk, Dubai
Backstory – There are countless variations of the Batmobile out there today. I’m never quite sure what to make of them. I spotted this one at an event. I took a photo not because I liked it but because I remember thinking I might want to use the image someday. Well, here it is…make of it what you will. Oh…this is a fully functioning vehicle.
Name – Bugatti Veyron
Location – Meydan, Dubai
Backstory – The only time I had seen a Bugatti Veyron was in the glossy pages of an auto magazine. That all changed one fateful day in 2014. I was still a relative newbie in Dubai and I attended a car show with a friend. All of a sudden, the chrome bug appeared around the corner. It’s a good thing this is an image and not a video; my screeching was embarrassing, to say the least, but I could not help it. That was my first sighting and I would spot the same Veyron (and many others) over time.
Name – Lamborghini Reventon
Location – SBH Royal Auto Gallery, Abu Dhabi
Backstory – The fighter-jet-inspired hypercar was launched in 2007. Only 20 customer Units of the coupe were ever produced (1 more was made for the Lamborghini museum). I shot this particular one when I was privileged to visit the SBH Royal Auto Gallery in Abu Dhabi.
Tolu Akinshete
