RSS Dubai Roadster already attracting orders ahead of debut

[Ringo64]

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Middle East, MISC

We would generally advise against buying a car sight unseen, but when it comes to some supercars, the entire year's production run is often spoken for before the car is even unveiled. Which is fine, in some sense we guess, when it's coming from a known manufacturer like Ferrari or Lamborghini. The Dubai Roadster, however, does not come from such a company. It doesn't even come from a region that's known for making cars. In fact the only time Dubai ever seems to come across our radar is when its police force acquires a new supercar, some special-edition Rolls-Royce, Bentley or Bugatti is unveiled there, the Emirs buy part of a Formula One racing team or someone gets the bright idea of building a supercar there.

That's what we saw with the Lykan Hypersport from W Motors, and now another contender has apparently joined the fray. It's called, simply enough, the Dubai Roadster, and the design calls for a 400-horsepower V8 engine mounted in the front of an aluminum (or potentially titanium) tube frame overlaid with carbon and fiberglass bodywork.

The first prototype isn't even complete yet, the design existing at present only in a few renderings, bearing the logo of the upcoming world's fair in the gulf emirate. But according to The National, buyers are already calling up Rashid Al Shaali - the two-time UAE Time Attack champion behind the project - with their checkbooks open.

The finished product is scheduled to debut at the Dubai Motor Show next year, at which point Al Shaali reportedly aims to have 25 vehicles ready for sale at around 400,000 Emirati dirham, equivalent to nearly $110,000 at today's exchange rates. Given the wealth localized in the Emirates and the cost of developing such a car from scratch with no infrastructure, however, we wouldn't be surprised to see the price spiral upwards by the time it's done.

Dubai Roadster already attracting orders ahead of debut originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Jul 2014 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

/>http://feeds.autoblog.com/~r/weblogsinc/autoblog/~3/AELyZcOU9LI/