So often do jaw-dropping events happen in Dubai that you’d forgive its residents for being rather hard to impress.
But even the most pampered punter couldn’t help but look if there was a supercar driving alongside them as they trawled through the largest mall in the world.
That’s exactly what happened last month, when local supercar club, Supercars Majlis organised a convoy to drive off the street and straight through the doors of The Dubai Mall.
A Bugatti Chiron led the pack past the food outlets with staff looking on in complete bewilderment. It’d be a strange sight to see any car driving inside the mall, but to see a Chiron followed by a bright red Porsche 918, a handful of McLarens and Lamborghinis is something you get — as the phrase goes — only in Dubai.
Full disclosure: for safety reasons we did all this at 2 am, but there were still plenty of night owls who got to watch it all from a safe distance. The group kept driving to the Star Atrium where the cars were parked for an incredible 24-hour show. As for me, I stopped in the car park and kept the Aston Martin DB11
I was driving out of the line-up, because, let’s be real when you’ve been given an Aston for the weekend, there’s no way you’re letting it sit there when you could be driving it!
To backtrack, a few days before the event I was handed the keys to the DB11 and told to “enjoy” — I’m pretty sure I succeed in that task. It’s one of those cars that you don’t even need to turn on to enjoy. The driver’s seat is surrounded by intense tan leather, and the detail put into the stitching is something you seldom see in even the most luxurious of cars. It’s like looking at a slice of chocolate cake before tucking in — that moment when you eat with your eyes.
The version I have is the V8, with just over 500hp, but you’d have to look pretty closely to tell that it’s not the V12. There are only very small physical differences between the two, but if you want to see if your mate skimped on the horsepower, look for the number of air vents on the bonnet.
Two indicates a V8, four, and you’ve got yourself a V12. But, to be honest, it doesn’t matter all that much. The engine I thought, sounds at its best when gurgling away at jogging pace. I may have been guilty of doing laps in the mall carpark — the acoustic combination of speed and concrete walls gives you that glorious ‘Oh yes!’ feeling. Although it sounds just like an Aston Martin should, interestingly, the V8 actually has a Mercedes AMG engine. You won’t find the same in the V12 though — that’s all Aston.
It’s the type of car where you could quite happily spend time stuck behind someone on Sheikh Zayed Road, because it’s so comfortable, and a quick glance at the badge on the steering wheel reminds you that you’re actually living the life.
It’s also worth noting if you happen to be behind the wheel of a supercar, best to ask permission before driving it into the mall.
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