I have been passing by Dubai Mall constantly over the past couple of trips to Dubai, and I have never seen this Hobby Center on the third floor. And I spell it “Center” because the other way is just wrong. The place is huge in comparison to a lot of Hobby Shops I have seen, MyToyCo in Kuwait is really nice but this is just something else. They have every kind of machine can imagine helicopters, trucks, buggies, sports cars, planes, speed boats, tanks, and even semi-trucks with trailers. That doesn’t even include the number of models they have laying around. You have a choice of gasoline or electric machines, there is even a plane which is bigger then me hanging on the wall and you can find items ranging from 100KD all the way to 6000KD or even more. They have a huge selection and professional staff, spare parts, and a ton of accessories.

When I was inside I had a strong urge to buy a Speed Boat and RC Truck but I decided not to with what common sense I had left at the time. The kid in me was jumping for joy, I wanted to take one of those cars right out into the mall and start sliding around and drifting. There was one Tamiya truck which looked really cool but I decided not to get it since it was big and I didn’t have anywhere to put it, and I didn’t want to carry it with me since it would be a burden. But their selection is amazing, and if you have any interest then you should seriously go there, it was amazing and really got me thinking about getting a simple RC Truck. The speed boat was pretty cool but the guy said it had to be driven in ocean water since these little machines are basically like bullets on water and would be destroyed within seconds in a pool. I visited there twice in one day and I couldn’t get enough of it!

Got a call from BikeWorld that they have a surprise waiting in their showroom, I had an inkling but wasn’t sure. I headed straight over only to find the beast sitting on the showroom floor, the infamous KTM X-Bow right in front of me. I was impressed when I first saw this machine on the track during GulfRun 5, but seeing it again made my heart skip a beat. Luckily this machine is also fully street legal, so you can drive on it on the streets but I would prefer to drive it on the track. Words can only describe the ferocity of the machine, powered by Audi 2.0 liter turbo FSI four it can fly down the road since its frame is made out of carbon fiber. The engine is mated to an Audi six-speed manual with military precision design. I like how it looks and the best part about it is the minimalistic design. One of the key features that I like about this machine is that its serviceable by Audi and you can tune the engine from any manufacturer who modifies Audi engines.

I knew this is an expensive piece of machinery, I have been asking about it for over a year now and it I kept getting pricing between 41’000 to 45’000 KD from the Emirates or Qatar. There was no budging on the price and it was too much, and this wasn’t even for the Superlight version, with upgraded brakes, modified suspension and lighter body. This KTM X-Bow at BikeWorld is selling for 34’995 KD which is barely above cost, its insanely cheap for an X-Bow, cheaper then the used ones online. I know this isn’t a machine for everyone but who ever gets it is someone who will love it dearly.

After a recent paint job at the dealership my car needed protection on the front of the beemer. A large part of the car was repainted and looking very nice, I loved the clean look and I repainted the rims to gun metal grey. A week after the polish I decided to take my car to Huper Optik to get my car protection done, they said it would take about 4-5 hours to get my car done. They asked if I want halfway up the hood or the whole hood covered, and I just wanted halfway up.

They were working on a few other cars while I was there and said I can pick up my car by 6 pm. I dropped my car at 12 pm and they were working on a few other cars, I told them I wasn’t in any hurry to take the car and didn’t mind picking it up later. I wanted to pay my bill now so I can just pick up my car later, it was 185 KD which was discounted from the original 220 KD, side view mirrorss, A pillars, and about 15 cm on the roof of the car. I loved the work once they were done, the curves fit perfectly, no bubbles, no stretching in some areas, perfectly rounded around all the corners as well as around the lights it curved like the body of the car, and the best part is that you can’t see it when your looking at the car. They called me up at 5 pm telling me the car is done and ready to be picked up, I have to not wash it for two days to let the protection take hold before cleaning it again. They did an amazing job and faster then I expected, picked up the car and took off home to take a good look during daytime the next day just to double check.

There are a few track cars or race cars out there available, all ranging in price from $10’000 up to $100’000. The Ariel Atom is one of my track cars out there, its still driveable on the road and great on the track. There are those who have said that its not tuneable for the track but I love the look of the car and its pack a hell of a punch. 245 bhp with the Honda engine mated to a Honda transmission and with a supercharger option can be bumped to 300 bhp. The Ariel Atom 3 has a lot of options from track brakes, to different suspensions, aesthetics options, and aerodynamics. The base price starts at $49,000 and goes all the way up to $90,000 depending on the options that you choose. It takes off like a rocket and gets to 62 mph in less then 3 seconds, and its able to stop from 100 to 0 in 11 seconds. This is a very itense machine with lots of fun on the road, I wouldn’t mind taking one for a drive.

Link: Autoblog

This reminds me of the BMW movies back in the early 2000s when they had this crazy storyline about driver who was either James Bond or The Transporter. Driving arnound in the 7 series or 5 series kicking ass and saving people. Now Audi is taking the same idea of guns blasting, car chases, explosions with the Audi A1 and making a mini-show out of it.

The Audi R8 is an intriguing machine that has taken the supersports by storm, amazingly handling and powerful machine, but it just needed a little tweak to make it that monster on the street. That is why there are successful German aftermarket companies such as MTM around. They have turned this V8 R8 into a different type of creature on the road based on its many modifications turning it into the GT3-2.

The modified 4.2 Liter V8 has been done but the modification to the drivetrain is something new. The Quattro since has been changed to a pure rear wheel driving machine, changing the driving dynamics of the machine behind that Audi steering wheel. Carbon fiber aerodynamic parts, large front and rear brakes, adjustible suspension, Bilstein adjustable suspension, MTM’s Bimoto forged wheels are some of the changes made. For the most important part being the modified engine bringing it to 560 bhp and 428 lb-ft, a little more pull then the R8 V10 and a different driving experience.

Link: Autoblog

There has been talk about this car, spy shots over the net, list of options and tid bits of information. Now its out the official 599 GTO from Ferrari, an Italian race pedigree. They have the 599 GTB Fiorano, then came the track only 599XX, now the barely street legal race car designated the Gran Turismo Omologato or 599 GTO and it brings a lot to the plate.

They managed to shave 195 Kilos from the car bring the curb weight to 1495 KG making leaner and meaner then its original. They bumped the engine output from 612 bhp to 661, a torque bump of 9lb-ft bring it to 457. The GTO modifications aren’t just mechanical, with a rework of the aerodynamics their is a new front splitter, side sills, diffuser, rear spoiler, vented hood as the ten spoke 20-inch rims with F1-derived wheel donuts. All this put together helps this machine sprint from 0 to 62 mph in 3.35 second and top speed of 208 mph. Beating the Enzo on the Fiorano test track by 1 minute and 24 seconds, thats scary. Only 599 of these machines will be made, they will be selling at around $460K, lets see who will be lucky enough to get one. Check out the new configurator by Ferrari.

Link: Autoblog

There is always something special about a well kept garage but this house in Tokyo takes it to the next level. The client told the architects his requirements and they had 185 sq. meters to work with to make this project successful. The one main requirement is that it can store all 9 of his cars and they are visible from his living room. They ended up making a pristine garage with one lift to make the Lamborghini Countach Anniversary Edition viewable from the living room, now that is a nice view. The interior feels like a showroom rather then a living room, needs some more color and more of a personal touch to look lived in.

Link: Autoblog

I had my car worked on recently with a few modifications, and they repainted a part of the car so I no longer had any protection up front. So I decided to get it done at HuperOptik since they did a great job last time, and a the protection on the Landcruiser is holding up to the beating of roads across Saudi and other baren countries. Dropped off the car in the afternoon, they were working on a few cars and one more was outside.

There was one Porsche Panamera S being worked on for tint and protection, they were done with the tint and installing the protection at the time. This is the first time I see a Panemera up close and I kind of like it but really don’t like the rear of the car, the interior looks amazing though. I could tell it belonged to woman because it had a lot of jingly items inside the car, and some pink ribbons. They were also doing tint and protection on a Ferrari California, I really love the look of this car, they were installing protection at the time when I dropped off the car. The reason I like taking my car back to them isn’t just about the product but about the way they handle the work on the car, making sure to cover all the sensitive areas, and the difficult part on my hood is working on the carbon fiber which requires a sensitive touch. I was told to pick up my car the next day at 6 pm, which isn’t too bad.

As a lady was driving in front of me the other day, she drove on to the emergency lane to get in front of traffic, at that very moment a nice round rock went flying at my windshield. It hit the bottom right corner exactly which produced a nice juicy crack across my windshield. I want to scream from my car and throw something at her, but by then she was already a long way down the emergency lane.

The crack was right in the middle of my line of site, it even refracted light at a strange angle. I knew I would have to change it, so I went to insurance, they said to change it at Al Mailam, which costs 30-40 KD. I refused and argued with them to have them accept the cost of changing at Toyota for 270 KD.

One of the few parts which is expensive at Toyota is the windshield, even the bumper is 45 KD. The reason for that is the quality of the glass and how it protects the occupants from flying objects and how it reacts.

People would personally just pay for the 40 KD windshield thinking its the same, but its not. I have tried them before and quality isn’t even half as good. Its not he same thickness, doesn’t fit 100%, rust can enter the area around the windshield since its not the same fit even with silicon meant to hold it in place and when its hit by an object, it definitely doesn’t protect in the same manner. The risk factor is your safety versus cost, and in my mind thats a no brainer.