There are more than a few web sites dedicated to abandoned exotics in the Middle East. They – cars and websites – are everywhere. What you don't expect here is an abandoned hoopty. Last week I was getting my race bib for the Dubai marathon and I saw this beauty. When I returned on the day of the race, I got pictures. You have to hand it to the Sheikhs: Even their hoopties are classy – in a way. No amount of internet research can tell me how many of these Gazelle kits cars were made, but the design is still available. Originally made by famed kit car maker Fiberfab, they were one of the many groups that entered into the business offering rebodies for Beetles, this one being a tribute to the 1929 Mercedes SSK. This particular beauty has forgone or lost the exhaust manifolds under the front fender. The under dash speaker has fallen, as well as some of the insulation. The tires are still good, but by now flat spotted. The car is parked slightly out of the space and at an angle that would indicate it no longer operational. Normally, an air cooled VW can be fixed, but in the time I have been here, I haven't seen a single one. Sand and air cooled, probably not a winning combination. I cannot imagine this car belonging to a person of privilege. Would get caught in anything less than the real 1929 SSK, parked on a yacht in Saint Tropez. The UAE is nation of immigrants, however. They import everything here, including people. There are currently 3,212,000 immigrants here, and that translates to over 71% of their population that originated in another place. I can picture a young hardworking man, who set off from Bangladesh. He arrived and found grueling work in construction, but developed skills and slowly moved up the ladder. Eventually he saved enough money between his rent, food and sending his check home to purchase his own transportation, and leave the cattle cars of the busses behind. Instead of a reverse engineered Honda motorcycle from China, his eyes settle on the lovely lines of a swoopy convertible promising old world luxury and German reliability. He is cruising proudly in his convertible feeling similar to the $375K Rolls Cabriolet next to him. I can sense his hopelessness as the sand eats his retro-roadster – for desert, so to speak. The car sputters, stops on the secondary road. His limited mechanical knowledge is exhausted. He doesn't have the resources to retrieve the car, so his pride and joy now sits abandoned like Fry's dog, awaiting his return, as it slowly is filled with sand. from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com | |||
| |||
| |||
|
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
TTAC Has A Correspondent In Abu Dhabi, And He’s Mental
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Archive
-
▼
2013
(7180)
-
▼
January
(653)
- 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT Manual Tested: Good Looks,...
- Deerly Departed: All the Hot Deer-On-Car Data You ...
- Audi Prices 2014 A8L TDI, Confirms EPA-Estimated M...
- Recall Alert: 2003-04 Pontiac Vibe
- 2013 Mazda CX-9: Car Seat Check
- Obama Chickens Out, Says A Million EVs By 2015 Not...
- Chrysler Re-Jigs Their Product Lineup Yet Again
- 2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible Geneva Debut Co...
- Volkswagen Chickens Out, Says Strategy 2018 Is Old...
- Super Bowl Ad Announces Price of 2014 Mercedes-Ben...
- Chrysler Reboots Companywide Product Plans: Goldmi...
- Chrysler-Fiat Plans 47 New or Updated Cars by End ...
- World’s Ugliest Car Gets A Redesign
- Recall Alert: 2013 Chevrolet Malibu
- Details of Ferrari F150 Supercar Slip Out of Priva...
- TTAC Future Writers: Help Me!
- 2013 Dodge Dart Mopar: Photo Gallery
- Not Really New: Opel Gets A New Man
- 2013 Chicago Auto Show: What to Expect
- Analysis: Mazda And The Perils Of Being Premium
- Carmaking To Get More Expensive In Deutschland
- Benz And BAIC Expected To Lift The Veil Tomorrow
- Hammer Time: Looking For an Engine Donor For Your ...
- Japanese Carmakers, Profits Suffer From Island Row...
- Super Piston Slap: The Saab Secure Program. Yes, R...
- 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid: Impressive Mileage, ...
- Nissan’s Happy Crawlers
- 2013 Dodge Dart Mopar ’13: Black and Blue and Mopa...
- 2013 Subaru BRZ Limited Automatic Tested: Remains ...
- Kia’s First Hot Hatch
- 2013 Honda Accord, Acura RDX and ILX to Offer Appl...
- The Most Wanted List: Profiling Those Who Threaten...
- Cars.com Reviews the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid
- Honda Introducing Dealer-Installed Eyes Free Siri ...
- Kia to Unveil Crossover Concept, Superman Car at 2...
- It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s a . . . Superman-T...
- Recall Alert: 2011 BMW 1 Series ActiveE
- Better Place Australia CEO Resigns, Division’s Fut...
- Kia Previews Cross GT Large Crossover Concept [201...
- Gas Prices on Longest Upswing Since Summer
- Who Will Replace Ray LaHood at DOT and What Will I...
- TTAC Future Writers Week: The Winners Get Their Fi...
- Self-Driving Cars: The Legal Nitty Gritty
- Hammer Time: Ramblings Of An Aspiring Kibbutznik
- Recall Alert: 2006-12 Lexus IS
- Recall Alert: 2003-04 Toyota Corolla and Matrix
- Review: 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR
- Japan And America Win Korean COTY – Hyundai Fumes
- Volkswagen Steps On The Brakes Of The Passat
- Piston Slap: Reading the Light Bulb Filaments
- BAIC & Benz: Bloggers Scoop Dow Jones
- Opel Unions Want Their Very Own Jobs Bank Program
- Nissan Promises Big Car EVs For The Wide Open Roads
- Electric Feel: Nissan Digitizes Steering, But the ...
- German Supplier Equips Ford Escape to be 15-Percen...
- 2015 Audi S3 Cabriolet Spied: A Softtop and 300 Ho...
- Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 169
- New Jeeps on Horizon, but Old Names May Resurface
- Ray LaHood Resigns as U.S. DOT Chief
- 2013 Chevrolet Traverse: Car Seat Check
- Behind the Scenes with the Diesel-Powered Mazda 6 ...
- Insurance Study Finds GMC Sierra 1500 Best for Safety
- Carlos Ghosn Sees No European Growth For Years. Th...
- Lamborghini Unveils Latest and Final Gallardo GT3 ...
- Kia Sorento Prices Increase $1,000 for 2014
- Beijing Rumors: BAIC And Benz?
- VW Super Bowl Ad Turns Day at Office Into Jamaican...
- 2014 Maserati Quattroporte First Drive: The Four-D...
- Tweet All About It: Ray “Distracted Driving” LaHoo...
- Bankrupt A123 Sold Off To China – Washington Says ...
- The Most Unfairly Criticized Cars
- Avoidable Contact: LED, Follow, Or Get Out Of The ...
- TTAC Has A Correspondent In Abu Dhabi, And He’s Me...
- Musk Wants To Help Boeing. All Quiet At Boeing
- Piston Slap: Hocus Pocus…Focus???
- Our 2013 Subaru BRZ Gets Winter Tires
- The Truth About Post-Bailout Pay Restrictions: The...
- Review: 2013 Cadillac XTS (Take Two)
- Daimler, Ford, and Renault-Nissan Aim to Bring Fue...
- 2013 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona Wrap-Up and Mega Ga...
- Everybody Parks: Important Developments in Station...
- Subaru’s First Hybrid Could Appear This Spring, Po...
- Reporting From The Concoures D’eregance In Tokyo: ...
- Daimler, Ford, Nissan Plan Commercial Fuel-Cell Ve...
- 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbos Tested: Stick or Auto...
- Cars.com Reviews the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid
- 2015 Volkswagen Golfs Bound For the U.S. will Be M...
- Name That Shifter, No. 113
- Toyota Reclaims Global Sales Crown
- The $2600 Question: Smartphone or Car?
- Recall Alert: 3,235 2009-13 Toyotas
- GM, Too Scared To Go To Emerging Markets Alone, Pi...
- PSA Stops Car Output
- Junkyard Find: 1973 Fiat 124 Sport Spider
- Ford, Daimler, Renault-Nissan Alliance Sign Huge H...
- Volkswagen Can Be World’s Largest Automaker In 201...
- Piston Slap: Deffo Not Your Father’s Oldsmobile!
- Mitsubishi Galant Prices Tumble in January
- Cars.com Family Reviews the 2013 Nissan Quest
- Reporting From The Concoures D’eregance In Tokyo: ...
-
▼
January
(653)
No comments:
Post a Comment