The deal with car plates: explained !!

  What's the big deal with car plates??  

Of course, cars and plates go together. But not everyone really understands the "meaning" of plates and what they represent. What I'll try to do here is to explain what the fuss is all about, according to me. What kind of plates are we talking about? Just browse down and take a look at the pictures, plates such as : 11111, G 55, 77177... I think you get the drift. Those kind of plates are usually a good way for the authorities to make a quick buck : they're very expensive. Sometimes, worth millions of dollars (numbers such as "1" or "5", for example). Attention : although this article is all about arabic plates, the special plates phenomena is not exclusively arabic : countries such as the UK allows car owners to choose their number plate (in exchange of a certain sum of money): 2 BE, F1ANCY, BUL 5, VI...

Ferrari Enzo MIG-U1 by Gemballa

Ferrari Enzo MIG-U1 by Gemballa

Now that's exclusive. 

Not very often do you get to see such a rare and unique car. Before Uwe Gemballa disappeared in mysterious circumstances somewhere in South Africa (and eventually was found murdered there), he was well-known for his tuning work on Porsche cars. That being said, with this one, he wanted to show he could work with other brands: not only did he pick Ferrari, but he chose its most exclusive and beautiful model, the Ferrari Enzo. Gemballa was the man, this is his legacy.

At the beginning, there were supposed to be only 25 units of the Ferrari Enzo by Gemballa. Tthe original website even has a configurator... where you can virtually see the MIG in all sorts of color: red, blue, green (it's definitely brutal in full black)! Anyway, only one model was made. A unique and very exclusive white and black monster, bearing the name MIG-U1 (it stands for Mustafa and Ilyas Galadari - Uwe 1). That's why when we call this car the "MIG-U1", it's somehow incorrect, considering it's a special name for the specific owners and 25 others were meant to be made... But still, let's keep "MIG", considering it's unique so far! 

The owners are from Dubai and have other amazing cars: Bugatti Veyron Sang Noir, Brabus SL65 "Stealth", a matte red Ferrari 599 GTO, two Brabus SL65 Black Series. They even used to have (or still do, I don't really know) red CLK GTR AMG, Gemballa Mirage GT and red Bugatti EB110!!

Back to the MIG: I had the privilege of seeing it with my own eyes, and above all, hear it with my own ears. Indeed, the engine, is by far the loudest thing I've ever heard in my life: the ground was SHAKING, as if an earthquake was occurring, or as if the metro was passing underneath our feet. Breath taking. The first time the owner started the engine (video 1), everyone was flabbergasted by how loud this monster was... it's as if a fighter jet flew by! When it came to Paris, the car sadly only had 41km on it (can be seen in picture #6 if you look closely). But still, it's a great car!

Why is this car special? Unique + Gemballa's last work

VIDEO1 (sound engine): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k03r-IGrLM
VIDEO2 (the beast driving): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd-OtXvJx48
VIDEO3 (walkaround video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAIWD_tK-LE

Take a look at more pictures I took of this incredible car (click to enlarge):

Mohammed Bin Sulayem's cars

Mohammed Bin Sulayem's car collection

You might know him from Top Gear, considering he once showed his cars (VIDEO HERE), a long time ago. Well. Not that long, but still. This former rally driver from Dubai has an extraordinary supercar collection. That's pretty normal for someone who's in love with speed... I love how he drives the F50 in the Top Gear video, almost as if it was a simple Volvo. You can see this is someone with a lot of experience in car driving and knows what he's doing (being a former rally driver helps I guess)!

What else can we say about this car enthusiast? He was also known for modding an SL 65 and adding an SLR engine! The result was, as you pretty much expect, BRUTAL (lighter car, stronger engine, make the math). I haven't heard much from him ever since, don't know if he added new things to his collection or if it's untouched... I'm pretty sure he added some of the newest monsters (probably a Veyron, considering he really likes speed and power).

Some of his cars include:

• Ferrari : Enzo, F40, F50
• Mercedes-Benz : CLK GTR AMG, SLR
• Porsche: 959, Carrera GT, 911 GT1
• Jaguar XJ220

More pictures from his great collection (click to enlarge)