Peugeot RCZ drives past Abu Dhabi's amazing Al Bahr Towers

Yes, we think that Aldar HQ aka the "Round building" of Abu Dhabi is fantastic, as is following the construction of ADNEC or the Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi in our 4 years here ... But I think LY is right, these Cocoon Towers are Number One :-)

Aedas was appointed to design the new Abu Dhabi Investment Council Headquarters following an invited international competition. The 25-storey twin office towers in the United Arab Emirates will each accommodate between 1,000 and 1,100 employees. The design concept is both culturally and environmentally appropriate and complies with the aspirations of the recently published 2030 Abu Dhabi Development Plan.

The south facing roofs of each tower incorporate photo-voltaic cells, generating approximately five percent of the total required energy from renewable energy sources.

The cocoon-like buildings are based on a pre-rationalised geometric form, fine-tuned via parametric design tools to achieve optimal wall to floor area ratio. A solar-responsive dynamic shading screen further decreases solar gain. This ‘Mashrabiya’ acts as a secondary skin that mediates daylight and reduces glare. The system is driven by renewable energy derived from the photo voltaic panels.


It is not only amazing architecture that catches our eye in this wonderful city, the cars do as well :-) Here's a Peugeot RCZ! In a land of Veyrons, 911 GT2s, 458 Italias and Aventadors, its refreshing to see how a RM$100K car can still catch my eye!

Mini Cooper S ALL4 Countryman - Looks as big as a VW Toureg!

When did a Mini start to get so .. bloated!?

Yes, that's a Mini Cooper S ALL4 Countryman next to a VW Toureg... Looks the same size!!

Drivearabia.com ...

The Countryman comtinues BMW's trend to make the Mini model range not-so-mini any more. It is a sub-compact crossover SUV with four doors and a tailgate, larger in size than the Mini cars, and yet powered by the same Mini engines, namely the 1.6-litre 4-cylinder in turbo and non-turbo forms. The base model for the GCC will be the Mini Cooper Countryman in front-wheel-drive, while the Cooper S Countryman will come with the turbo engine as well as a choice of front-wheel-drive or "ALL4" all-wheel-drive.

New Lexus LS 600hL Hybrid and Hyundai Santa Fe 2013

Lexus and Hyundai's latest offerings this year ... the LS 600hL and the Santa Fe :-)

469,000 AED (130K USD) for the Lexus ... and the Santa Fe, a steal as it only starts at 83,000 AED (23K USD).

Harley Davidson CVO Street Glide

Heh heh ... My first motorbike "shoot" :-) with my Nikon D7000 and humble Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens.

The legacy of the Harley-Davidson name lives on... Check out the ustom touches and performance that distinguish this from every other bike on the road! I love the premium custom paint and huge wheels and brake disc calipers! The build quality is also impeccable :-) I don't know the details - But the electronics seems impressive, and the chrome bits all bling-bling! This is what is known as a "Harley Custom Vehicle Operations motorcycle", and the exposed detailing of the huge Screamin' Eagle engine is there for all to see!

Harley-davidson.com ... Introducing the largest wheel ever offered on a Touring bike. We've pushed our Agitator front wheel another inch, taking it to a full, bold 19 inches (483 mm). But size isn't everything. You'll still get that custom Agitator style—wheels with a seven spoke design; contrast chrome and black, or mirror chrome finish, and, matching full-floating brake rotors with a polished chrome center.

More info from Harley-davidson.com ... Unique to the CVO™ Street Glide® model is the new tank console—slammed to sit low, the fill cap and fuel gauge are flush to the tank to complement the overall streamlined design. But the feature that truly shines is the black console insert—complete with a CVO™ logo—so there's no doubt that this bike rolls with unmistakable Custom Vehicle Operations™ style

Harley-davidson.com ... Every aspect of the rear of the CVO™ Street Glide® model is designed and combined to form a unique whole. The full-depth saddlebags offer hauling capacity with a dramatic styling angle. Right under the saddlebags are the dual exhaust 4-inch (102 mm)Touring mufflers, billet end caps with contrast chrome and black accents and gleaming chrome exhaust shields. And shining from the seamless design are the striking LED combination stop-turn-taillight assemblies, with wires tastefully concealed.

More shots of this beauty ... Not many knocking about in Malaysia I think!

I love the paint-job, I love the exposed engine and who can argue with the brand kudos ... this is one amazing bike!

Frankie's - Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi



Located: Fairmont Hotel - Bab Al Bahr, Bain Al Jessrain (Between the bridges), Abu Dhabi

Tel: +971 2 654 3333

Neighbouring hotels: Traders and Shangri-La

Opening hours: Daily noon-3pm , 7pm-1am

One evening last week, I had dinner with a visiting colleague at Frankie's. It was a toss-up between MPW and Frankie's, but because it was 9pm when we sat down to eat - we chose the lighter option!

Food is good, but I have had better Italians ... Service is good though, so overall its acceptable!

 

Bread basket - Posh dips include olive tapanade and sundried tomato

 

My spaghetti frutti di mare - Not enough pasta, too much sauce!


Time Out Eating Guide, Abu Dhabi - 2010
There are two names above the door at this impressive Italian, but we’re only really interested in one. Frankie Dettori may know a good pasta when he tastes one, but we’d trust him better if this were a stables. Marco Pierre White, on the other hand, is a name we can rely on – the Fairmont obviously does; he runs the restaurant next door, too. Opened by Prince Andrew in late October, 2009, there was barely time for us to try Frankie’s before going to press, but it already seemed to know what it was doing.

Fiat 500 CC promotion ... I like!

Fairmont by night

Hyundai Veloster - Abu Dhabi

Look what we spotted in Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi a few weeks ago ...
 

The Hyundai Veloster, what is most striking about this little car is its doors - 2 on one side, and 1 on the other side!

Price in UAE: 75K-80K AED (Or, 65K RM - Yes, Proton-money here!)
Excerpt taken from: Drive Arabia
Engine: 1.6 I4 FWD
Gearbox: Only auto available, it’s a 6 speed
Power: 128 BHP
Economy: 7.2 litres/100 km
Acceleration, 0-100 km/h: 10 secs

The Veloster is Hyundai's head-on dive into the sport-compact segment, with an entry that will be controversial forever. The styling for this compact hatchback is one thing, but it has only three side doors, one on the driver's side and two on the passenger side. The standard engine for the GCC is a 1.6-litre 4-cylinder, which puts a downer on its sporting intentions, especially since the standard gearbox is a 6-speed automatic. Features include a smart key with starter button, panoramic glass roof, cruise control, faux leather upholstery, 18-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth phone, LED rear lights, rear camera with sensors, fog lamps, adjustable steering wheel, power windows and electric mirrors. Additional features available in some markets include a full set of airbags, ABS, stability control, automatic a/c, power driver's seat and a premium stereo with subwoofer.

Range Rover Evoque - Abu Dhabi to Dubai highway

First seen at the Abu Dhabi International Motorshow 2010 in 15 months ago ... Its even better looking in the flesh!


Land Rover Range Rover Evoque ... Dhs 235,000 - 255,000 (Roughly, 190K - 200K RM here in the UAE), from Drivearabia.com.
A Ford-derived 4-cylinder engine (turbocharged and mated to a 6-speed automatic with tiptronic functionality via paddle-shifters - Pumps out 240 BHP) powers this vehicle to 100 km/h in 7.6 seconds, with a top speed of 217 km/h. Hardly impressive, but I guess its more about the style!!

Prestige Cars Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi - Veyrons and more

I bet this car was on its way to ... Prestige Cars, in Khalidiyah. Yes, that's the uber-car haven aka "showroom" next to Subway in Khalidiyah. Drooool...

Spot the Ferrari ... 599?

Ferrari v Merc :-)

One unique Panamera!

Ooooh ... more Ferraris. How many white ones have you spotted!?

Truly car mad ... Rolls Royce with golden grill!

And the most exquisite of them all ... Bugatti Veyron with Gold rims.

To be more specific its a ... Bugatti Veyron by Mansory Linea Vincerò

Ford Mustang GT - 5th Generation

Here's what my D7000 captured in rather dim-light at a car park :-) A true modern interpretation of an American muscle car ... This is the 5th generation Mustang GT by Ford.

A real power-scoop on the hood!

Its so damn muscular from every angle!

Also known as a Pony Car :-) this variant comes with an upgraded 5.0 litre powerplant. Wow!

The price in the Middle East / UAE ... Only 150K AED, or RM$120K. Heh heh ... that's the price of a Honda Civic in Malaysia!

This lucky owner even put some black Hamann rims on his Mustang GT, nice!

Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe - Abu Dhabi

Look what we spotted outside McDonalds at Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi near the Corniche over the weekend ...

Price in the UAE: 2 million AED, or RM$1.5 million (USD$500K).
Number sold in its first year of production: Only 253 WORLDWIDE! Now that's rare!!


Even in car mad Abu Dhabi, this is a rare sight, the first Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe I have seen!


If you MUST have one in Malaysia, look no further then - Ground Floor, Quill Building, 9112 Jalan Semangat, KL. You can call them at +603 7947 6333. Or contact the Naza Showroom along the Federal Highway!

Or ... go for a "used" one in Malaysia, a 2008 model year Drophead can be yours for a paltry 2.2 million ringgit.

DriveArabia.com describes this car quite perfectly ...
The extravagantly-large car is powered by a 6.8-litre V12, mated to a 6-speed automatic and a chopped Phantom rear-wheel-drive platform. Standard features include the goofy name, a CD stereo with an amazing fifteen speakers, massive 21-inch alloy wheels, and power everything, including electrically-closing doors. The cloth roof that is said to be quieter than most other hard tops, and 15 cows died to provide the leather cabin!

American v Korean SUV cars - No match!

One more series of shots from my Nikkor 40mm f/2.8 Micro DX today ...

4 litre, V6, American made ... Mercury Mountaineer, discontinued in 2010. Price in the UAE, 130K AED or RM$105. Looks crap!

2011 Kia Sportage ... Korean, 2 litre 4-cylinder (A 2.4 litre variant is also available), only costs about 70K AED here (RM$55K - That's Myvi money!).


Looks fabulous!