Velvet Fur-rari: Latest in Dubai’s supercar craze

In a country where the police force boasts a fleet that would be the envy of any billionaire’s garage, the supercar culture has finally shifted gear to park itself in more driveways across Dubai.

Cementing this ideology is a recent blog post by a student at the American University of Dubai, where the young photographer spends a trigger-happy afternoon snapping images of some of the fancy cars that pepper his college car park.

The Reddit post by Squirrelnelius simply reads: ‘Because Cayennes and Range Rovers are a dime a dozen here, I only included a few of them in the album’.

The album he speaks of is a visual vista that is by no means limited to the Bentley Continental GTs, Audi R8s, Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsche Cayennes depicted in the many images.

The post continues: ‘Keep in mind, almost all of the students are between 18 and 24 years old, as the graduate programme is pretty tiny here’.

Sixty Seven Auto Services owner Gerard Wilson, better known as the man behind the Dubai Police supercar makeover, spoke to Emirates 24|7, saying: “Dubai is a city that attracts rich and affluent people who are looking to stand out from the crowd. If you can spruce up your wardrobe, your mobile phones, then why not your car?”

Wilson, who has also churned out a hot pink Range Rover in recent months for an exclusive client, has now shifted gear to bring velvet-trimmings to the horizon.

For a Dh30,000 makeover, a privately owned Ferrari GTB 599 has recently played dress up, complete with a velvet-lined outfit to add a bit of royalty to its otherwise commonplace exterior.

Wilson explained: “We have just foiled the first car in the Middle East, complete with a velvet-lined body. A friend volunteered his Ferrari for the makeover and the car has already become the talk of the town.”

A first of its kind in the region, says Wilson, the velvet comes in three shades, with black velvet probably being the first in choice for buyers.

“The makeover itself costs Dh30,000; and for the high rollers, this amount is inconsequential when you are driving a Ferrari or a Lamborghini,” he said.

Ever since the first few images of the velvet-lined Ferrari has made it to social media, Wilson says his phone hasn’t stopped buzzing, with calls coming from as far away as Qatar to give a similar stylised turn to a Lamborghini Aventador.

However, insiders say the supercar image is now going beyond the brand itself to finally settle on the exclusivity to the stylised makeover you can give a car.

“We can work with any models or cars that come our way and are always on hand to listen and to advise on impressive makeover ideas,” said Wilson. “What people simply want today is not a supercar that simply embellishes a brand, but rather one that stands out from the crowd in the car park.”

While Swarovski-encrusted cars and custom designed paintjobs have been impressing many a passersby down Jumeirah Beach Road over the years, it was the Dubai Police fleet makeover earlier this year that supercharged the momentum, with a 12-car convoy that comprises a Bugatti Veyron, a Mercedes SLS, a Bentley Continental GT, a Lamborghini Aventador, an Aston Martin One-77 and a Ferrari FF, to name but few.

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