These types of issues have been ongoing for some time in the Middle East, where white gold Mercedes Benz sport coupes have been seen in UAE locations like Abu Dhabi and $500,000 Lamborghini cop cars are now patrolling the streets of Dubai.

The great disparity between rich and poor has been the norm in most Middle East countries where it was reported recently that the majority of people in Yemen are on the brink of starvation. The utter reality  of this wealth difference polarity was shown in a Youtube videa that filmed sons of wealthy Middle East oil magnates fly their super luxury cars to London and then spend time driving them around there.

See them below:

What is amazing with these guys is that they actually do fly their luxury cars to the UK, an expensive endeavor on its own; and then tool around London Town in them. As you can see from the video, these cars, including Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Bugattis, and others cost enough to feed and provide for numerous families in their countries of origin. One particular Bugatti super car is reported to be worth around 6 million Pounds Sterling!

From a green driving standpoint, these super cars strike out as well by consuming high amounts of fuel. As the gap between super rich and super poor continues to increase in countries like Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia (with many of the poor being under-paid foreign guest workers), the absurdity of these Arab playboys and their luxury cars will continue to receive media attention.

These cars make our previous reported Abu Dhabi white gold Mercedes Benz sports job example seem almost trite alongside them; bio fuel and all.

More on Middle East luxury cars:

A Gold Porsche 997 GT2 – The Latest in Ungreen Super Luxury

Gold and Armored Rolls is Most Ungreen Luxury

Abu Dhabi’s Solid Gold Biofuel Mercedes Another Dubious Green Development

Photos of Bugattis in London by Wikimedia

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High performance sports cars, including the  gold Mercedes sports coupes burning blends of biofuel are not exactly on most people’s minds as being environmentally friendly. But these are the kind of cars loved by the wealthy and extravagant men of the Middle East who like to show off their assets. Even electric sports cars, such as those made by Tesla Motors  and which have had a slow start in regions like the Middle East still have to rely on fossil fuel fired power stations to supply the electricity needed to recharge their lithium battery packs. A new Israeli-made body composite material will be making hot rods all the more rideable (in the green sense).

America’s love for fast, sporty cars, has been romanticized for nearly 60 years by the two seater Chevrolet Corvette model, which first appeared in the late summer of 1953. Since then, America’s most loved domestic sports car has undergone more than six generations of design changes; and it’s original molded fiberglass body has been enhanced with more up-to-date types of synthetic composite materials and plastic moldings.

The car’s engine has also undergone a vast number of changes; and new 6 and 7 liter engine versions, which are designed to run on mixtures of gasoline and ethanol, no way resemble its original 235 cu. inch straight 6 cylinder engine which burned only top premium leaded fuel.

Chevrolet’s newest version of this car, the 2014 model, will be lighter than recent predecessors, and will incorporate lighter synthetic fiber and plastic molding materials into its body and a new “hydroformed” aluminum frame.

Some of the plastic material to be used in the car is being designed by an Israeli plastic company Plasan, located in Kibbutz Sasa in Israel’s northern Galilee region. In addition to making special armor for military vehicles, including those used by the US military Plasan has now been called on by GM  to design body parts for the 2014 Corvette model to reduce the car’s body mass and make it stronger.

The Corvette Stingray name, discontinued in 1976, will return for versions of this car as well.

Plasan’s technology will be found on the C7’s front fenders, doors, rear quarter panels, and the rear hatch panel that were all made with the lighter-density sheet molding compound than the car’s previous generation,” according to ISRAEL21c.

A lighter Chevy Corvette is still not a good answer to turning this car into something green; but a slightly lighter weight may result in better fuel savings, which is something this type of car surely needs.

Read more on sports and fast cars, including electric ones:

Speed Sisters Arab Women are top Ranked

Fisker Karma Owner Aims to Debunk Fire Hazard Stories

Abu Dhabi’s Sold Gold “Biofuel” Mercedes Another Dubious “Green” Development

The Middle East Can Only Drool Over Tesla Electric Sport Roadsters

The post Plasan Greens Chevrolet’s 2014 Corvette Body appeared first on Green Prophet.

Luxury cars, including biofuel driven gold Mercedes sports coups and sports cars like  gold plated Porsche 997 GT2’s  are often found in the garages of wealthy Middle East residents where price is no limit to luxury. These kinds of buyers who might want to go green will not likely buy into the wimpy Renault Twizy. But don’t despair wealthy sheikhs:  Even green luxury models like the plug-in hybrid Fisker Karma can now be found in the United Arab Emirates.  While some of these car makers claim their rides to be more environmentally friendly, especially the hybrid models, their high prices may make one wonder why so many of these cars are often seen in countries where many inhabitants live on bare subsistence incomes.

Tesla’s Model S total electric; now being sold in the Middle East

A number of new “showcase” luxury car models were recently on display in the USA at the annual Detroit Motor Show, one of the world’s largest showcase yearly auto shows.

While some of these cars, such as Chevrolet’s new supercharged Corvette model and Maserati’s Quattroporte were there to display the glory of  sheer power from fossil fuel guzzling, other cars at the show gave proof that luxury cars can also be energy efficient and even green.

One such car, theTesla Motors Model S Sports Sedan is total electric; and is said to be able to travel up to 300 miles on a full charge at speeds averaging 55 mph (95 kph) .

The star of the show is GM’s new Cadillac ELR plug in hybrid sports model  that is built on the same idea as the lower priced Chevrolet Volt; but more designed to please a more affluent car buyer who wants a more luxurious set of wheels. Besides having the new Converj body concept, which GM came out with in 2009, the ELR’s electric motor will propel the car along for 40 miles or 60 km until the reserve gasoline driven engine kicks in or the car’s battery pack is recharged.

While this may attract some buyers, at a factory price of $55,000 (much more in countries where high customs duties are levied ) it appears that if one wants to be luxurious and green, more greenback will be needed do so.

Read more on luxury cars in the Middle East:
Luxury Fisker Karma Electric Vehicle Hits the Middle East
Abu Dhabi’s Solid Gold “Biofuel” Mercedes Another Dubious “Green” Development
A Gold Porsche 997 GT2 – The Latest in Ungreen Super Luxury

The post Cadillac’s ELR and Eco Luxury Cars Fit for the Middle East appeared first on Green Prophet.

Super luxury sport cars such as solid gold Mercedes sport coupes , gold plated Porche 997 GT-2 coupes; and especially a gold trimmed armored plated Rolls Royce are not what one might call environmentally friendly vehicles. Even if the white gold Mercedes does run on biofuel, its no more green than scores of super luxury cars tooling around desert highways in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and other similar locales. 

Front view of McLaren SlR white gold sports coupe

It’s been common knowledge that many luxury cars wind up being abandoned on the side of desert roads; or simply left to gather dust in airport parking lots, like a recent JaguarXK8 sports model, and numerous BMW’s and Mercedes Benzes simply left there so their owners do not have to pay the parking fees.

Luxury Jag XK8 and other models abandoned at Abu Dhabi airport -The Daily Mail

When the original article about the gold Mercedes V10 Quad Turbo came out a couple of years back, much speculation arose as to whether this car actually had a body made of white gold or was simply gold plated or even painted. It now appears, however, that according to a specialty auto site, Auto News and Reviews, the Mercedes sports coupe in question is actually made with a white gold sheeting and not gold plate. The one-of-a-kind car, an SLR McLaren super luxury sports coupe  , is said to be worth around 2.5 million dollars. While not entirely made of gold (rumor has it that it may even be made of solid chrome) it does sport an 1,600 HP V10 engine that is said to be able to go from 0 to 60 in only 2 seconds. This in itself is a feat that not even a Tesla electric sports coupe can do (it goes from 0 to 60 in 3.7 seconds).

McLaren SLR White Gold Mercedes and Abu Dhabi admirers

The owner of the Mercedes gold sports coupe has still not been revealed; but in any case, one would have to have a considerable amount of money, and be willing to invest the money in such a car  just to have the notoriety of being the first in the neighborhood to own and drive such a car. And cars like these are owned there, the “neighborhood” must be something to see in itself! Homes of Hollywood movie stars are probably less fancy, and even they don’t abandon their Jags and other luxury wheels in airport parking lots. Judging from the outcome of the recent South African miner’s strike at the Lomnin and  Marikana mines (Platinum mines, not gold)  the “price” for mining precious metals just went up; including what’s needed to make such luxury cars.

Read More on Un-Green Super Luxury Cars:
Abu Dhabi’s Solid Gold “Biofuel” Mercedes Another Dubious Green Development
A Gold Porsche 997 GT-2 – The Latest in Ungreen Super Luxury
Gold and Armored Rolls is Most Ungreen Luxury
Abandoned Jag, BMWS’s and Mercedes Gather Dust at Abu Dhabi Airport

Photos via Auto News and Reviews

Abandoned cars via The Daily Mail

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The car parks, walking distance from the terminals, are meant for stays of three days or less. You pay dearly for convenient location, air conditioned walkways and covered car bays.  That is, if you actually came back to collect your ride. Instead of costly convenience for frequent fliers, the parking lots at the Abu Dhabi airport are evolving into drop sites for unwanted wheels. Flat tires and sand-caked windows prove many have been there for months. These aren’t clunkers. Right now there’s a Jaguar XK8, a Camaro S5, and a convoy of BMWs and a mess of Mercedes.

“I’ve seen a few cars here that are covered with dust,” M.T. Hassan, a Sudanese public relations officer told The National. “Maybe some of the owners will return, while others may have already left the country. We really don’t know.”

Ramesh Menon, an Abu Dhabi government worker, suspects the latter. He visited the airport in mid-July. Returning weeks later, the same cars remained parked. “If the owner parked there by mistake, he or she will claim it,” said Menon. “If it’s deliberate, the car should be auctioned off to the public.”

Flat tires are a giveaway. “Abu Dhabi airport has tight security. I don’t think someone will go and puncture tires. The authorities should consider removing them to allow other cars to park,” Menon said. “These cars eat up a lot of space and it gives the city a bad image.”

Car dumping is happening all over the Emirates

Abandoned cars line streets and car parks in Dubai, too. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was badly bruised by the 2008 financial crisis.  Projects folded, investments shrank, and jobs evaporated under the UAE sun. Many debt-ridden expatriates cut their losses and abandoned their cars en route to flights home.

A check on some of the plates revealed that most of the cars had racked up steep fines for traffic violations, unpaid parking fees and car payments and Salik fees and fines (Dubai’s electronic road toll system).

According to Dubai Municipality, 3,040 cars were deserted across the emirate this year, some found with keys in the ignition. Dubai International Airport is also haunted by these luxury ghosts.

Once a car is suspected of being abandoned, municipal inspectors slap on a warning notice.  Fifteen days on,  if the owner doesn’t respond, the vehicle is confiscated and taken to a scrap yard where it can be reclaimed for about $200. Most are never reclaimed.

Last year Abu Dhabi auctioned off 400 abandoned vehicles.  To date, Dubai hasn’t gone the public auction route.

The splashiest derelict to date, a limited edition Enzo Ferrari, was dropped in a car park when it’s debt-ridden British owner fled Dubai in 2010.  The red hot rod, one of only 399 in the world and one of the fastest cars ever made, was impounded last year. It’s thought the owner was being chased for unpaid traffic fines. The car,  not quite as pricey as Abu Dhabi’s solid gold Mercedes, was valued at $1.6 Million.

Being in debt in Dubai is a crime

The United Arab Emeriates has no bankruptcy law to protect debtors. Post-dated checks are frequently used as a guarantee by UAE businesses, banks and individuals for everything from apartment rentals to multi-billion dollar business deals.  Bouncing a check is a criminal offense in the UAE, punishable by fines or jail terms.

Last May, five expats jailed in Dubai went on hunger strike to protest against lengthy prison sentences handed down for rubber checks.  The men, mostly real estate developers and businessmen working during Dubai’s boom years, fell into debt when the emirate’s property bubble burst.

I’ve found no follow-on news as to the outcome of that strike, nor was it reported if these guys bailed on their cars. But you see a probable motivation for ditching luxury cars.

But don’t pin the trend on expats only: a recent batch of Abu Dhabi pound cars included ten belonging to Emiratis, seven to Europeans, one to a Russian expatriate and the remainder were owned by local companies.

Police collected nearly $3 million in the last five auctions for cars and motorbikes.  Seems some crime pays out after all.

Image of abandoned Ferrari via the The Daily Mail

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We’ve  written lots about super luxury cars in the Gulf region on Green Prophet. While one of them, a white gold Mercedes sports coup was touted to be able to run on bio-fuel; others like a gold trimmed armored plated Rolls Royce is strictly designed to enable its owner to ride in protected style. For those who are bored with such cars and wish for super luxury versions of high performance sports cars will now be happy to hear that also in that part of the Middle East is none other than a gold version of a gold  Porsche 997 GT2 twin turbo that was advertised for sale in the glitzy city of Dubai.

Rear view of gold Porsche 997GT2

The Porsche 997 is actually an internal model designation for high performance versions of the company’s long time flag ship model, the 911 sports coup. The 997 puts out 523 HP from its 3.6 litre six cylinder twin turbo engine. While such an engine is definitely un-green, it is still considered to be more fuel efficient than former models that contained even larger and more fuel wasting engines.

But like other mentioned super luxury car models, owners of such cars have not exactly been interested in how environmentally-friendly their cars are. These models are strictly for show; as in the case of one Porsche owner in Dubai who also had a pet cheetah which he walked on a leash.  That kind of display has also drawn adverse comments from animal rights activists, as well as environmentalists.

Who knows –  Maybe this Porsche and cheetah owner is also the owner of the gold 997 GT2 model. In any case, those who have wealth in these countries might want to consider using some of their money, especially that gained from production of fossil fuels, towards helping the environment; including the “human environment” of those a lot less fortunate.

Photos via GT Spirit

Read more on United Arab Emirates Super luxury cars:
Abu Ahabi’s Solid Gold Biofuel Mercedes Another Dubious Green Development
Gold and Armored Rolls Royce is Most Un-green Luxury Item
White Gold Bentley Upstages Emerati Gold Mercedes: How U-green!
Dubai Porsche Driver Walks Pet Cheetah on a Leash

The post A Gold Porsche 997 GT2 – The Latest in Ungreen Super Luxury appeared first on Green Prophet.

For $8 million USD you too can own a car like this. It’s gold and armor plated too!

We live in the Middle East and can’t avoid noticing the ostentatious and ungreen ways of some people over here. We’ve covered a white gold Mercedes sports coups  and other luxury vehicles highlighted at the Abu Dhabi car show. And now we dig up yet another gold car, a Rolls Royce ultra luxurious EWB Phantom limousine that is not only armor-plated but contains 250 pounds of solid 18 Carat gold trim.

The special project by Stuart Hughes, which took 18 months to complete, is a cooperative effort between Stuart Hughes of Liverpool, a designer of luxury products; and Eurocash AG of Zug, Switzerland.

The car, which was built for an anonymous Middle East businessman, carried a price tag of 5 million Pounds Sterling (US $7,850,000).

DM 51 fragmentation grenade: contains 6,500 steel balls and hurled at the Rolls to make sure it’s bullet proof.

The “businessman” who ordered such a car, and is willing to pay so much for it, must be looking for more than just an outlandishly priced set of wheels. Eurocash AG, a firm that specializes in customizing luxury cars, including bullet proofing and armour plating, appears to have done their work well for this Rolls Royce.

After the armor plating was completed, the car was tested against 570 caliber 7.62 Russian bullets fired from an AK47 assault rifle and aside from numerous scratches came through unscathed. To make sure the car was really assault proof, a couple of military type DM 51 fragmentation grenades were also hurled at the Rolls.

Wealthy businessmen living in the Gulf region have been known to purchase super luxury cars, like white gold Mercedes and gold Bentley cars. But even so, the cost of this armored plated gold-trimmed tank is about as ridiculous and wasteful as it gets. No doubt, the owner wants to not only ride in style, but as safely as possible as well. We can only wish him well, and hope that some of this wealth, most likely from non-green fossil fuels, will somehow find its way to helping the environment.

More articles about extravagant Middle East cars:
Tuataras , not Hybrids Rule the Road at Dubai Car Show
Will GM’s Green Cadillac Sell in the UAE
Abu Dhabi’s White Gold Mercedes Bio Fuel; Another Dubious Green Development
White Gold Bentley Upstages Emirati Gold Mercedes; How Un-green!
Ride the Abu Dhabi Stretch Limo Superbus

The post Gold and Armored Rolls Royce for $8 million? appeared first on Green Prophet.

In a glitz race to see who owns the most outrageous symbol of unrestrained wealth, a white gold plated Bentley sports coupe was  recently featured at a United Arab Emirates auto show. The car, which takes on a yellow gold hue when displayed under special lighting, is still “under wraps” as far as pertinent details go. These details include how much gold went into making this car, which represents the limits of ostentatious wealth representation of a region of the world – where the creation of the wealth is due to how much fossil fuels can be pumped or siphoned out of the ground – or seabed, as the case may be.

Outclassed? Abu Dhabi White Gold Mercedes

The car is said to be a Bentley model 66GTS sports racing coupe that is powered by a 626 horsepower supercharged engine and capable of accelerating the car from 0 to 62 mph in only 3.5 seconds. It can reach a top speed of 230 mph, which is not at all eco-friendly.

Unlike our previous white gold-plated Emirate job, a Mercedes Benz V 10 Quad Turbo sports coupe with a 1,600 hp engine that runs on bio-fuel, this gold plated pride of British engineering runs only on the refined black stuff that is said to be one of the causes of both global warming and climate change, and causing a “warmer future” for us all.

Putting these types of cars in their proper places, it doesn’t appear that many types of green or energy saving autos are popular in countries where fuel is still plentiful and much less expensive than in other parts of world. This includes a Saudi-Korean gas guzzling SUV, called (for want of a better name) the Gazi.

The Gazi -5 mpg?

This car, the Gazi,  which  is being “specially designed” to meet the driving demands of   wealthy oil sheiks, may itself one day be gold plated as well.

But in respect to this gold plated Bentley, whose value is yet to be announced, at least it might be possible to make this car in hybrid version, to be more energy and environment conscious.

But then again, it’s like the old saying at a Rolls Royce dealership when the sales representative tells a prospective buyer: “my dear fellow –if you ask how much petrol this car consumes, it’s simply not for you!”

I suppose this can be said for a 626 hp white gold Bentley and a 1,600 hp white gold Mercedes Benz Quad Turbo; even if the latter actually runs on bio-fuel.

Read more on ostentatious Middle Eastern cars:

Abu Dhabi White Gold Mercedes Runs on Bio-fuel

Will The Saudis be the Last to Get Into the Gas Guzzler Biz?

Does Israel Really Need the Infiniti Luxury Car?

Photo: Pick.chur.com

The post White Gold Bentley Upstages Emirati Gold Mercedes – How Ungreen! appeared first on Green Prophet.

Shades of James Bond? No folks, this isn’t a special version of the gadget loaded Aston Martin DB-5 that James Bond star Sean Connery drove around in some of the earlier Bond films. And which recently sold at auction for a paltry $4.5 million. And it’s clearly not that white gold Mercedes Benz of some wealthy sheikh in Abu Dhabi still turning heads wherever it goes.

The white gold Mercedes sportster

This new official cruising car of Israeli prime ministers is a specially equipped armored Audi A-8 Salon equipped with a number of comfort and security features that would rival anything that Her Majesty’s Secret Service can come up with to be acceptable for their head of state, as well as for a top secret agent with “license to kill”. But is it an appropriate choice for a country which so earnestly wants to go green?

Bond’s Aston Martin DB-5

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s specially designed Audi, complete with a 12-cylinder, 6-liter engine, with an output of some 450hp, and permanent four-wheel drive, also has special security features, including bullet proof glass and armor plating. This is enough to (hopefully) keep even an RPG from penetrating; plus special “anti shock” doors that blow off to let occupants escape if need be. And a  fridge. And cigar moistener. Would that be Bibi or his wife Sara?

The car reported in Globes, is much heavier than ordinary cars (due to the armor plating) and will cost the local currency equivalent of $1 million US.

Obviously, such a car is not is not something that even most wealthy people would purchase, unless they happen to be a Mexican drug lord or a very rich individual who lives in constant fear of being taken out by rivals and enemies. As previously noted, there are a lot of expensive cars out there including Infinitis and other similar models now being sold in Israel.

Those seeking high line models of electric cars, outside of Israel, can buy those made by the American based Tesla Motors Company electric sports and sports sedan models that start at a mere $100,000. (I am being sarcastic).

I suppose that the head of state of a beleaguered country like Israel needs something like an armored car to ride in; and other foreign leaders, especially US President Barack Obama, also travel in such vehicles. Obama has an armored GM Cadillac limo that also must have cost a pretty penny to construct with all the required security devices and other accessories that a U.S. president requires.

President Obama’s armored Limo

But for a small country like Israel, to spend so much on a car to protect its prime minister, those who do not have such a vehicle and live in dangerous areas.

And of course, this a car with a 6 liter, 450 hp super-charged engine is not what one would consider to be environmentally friendly. At all.

Perhaps an electric version will soon be available for this car too; providing it can go far enough between charges – accessories and all. If so, the Israeli PM might become an icon.

::Globes

More about ungreen and high priced luxury cars:
Dubious White Gold Mercedes Drives on Bio Fuel
The Middle East Can Only Drool Over Tesla Electric Sports Autos
A Mercedes Luxury Hybrid  Model Hit the Middle East in 2009

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