As a child, which car did you dream of having? Why?
Way too many to count. If I had to pick, I’d say the Ferrari Testarossa. I saw it for the first time in the movie ‘A night at the Roxbury’, where one of the characters drove a yellow one. Another one of my childhood favorites is the Lamborghini Countach with its beautiful scissor doors.Like most kids, I just dreamed of having cars I saw on TV.
What was the first car you owned?
My first car was a 2006 Mazda 3. It had a 1.6 L engine and was fairly economical. My dad bought it for me so I could drive to school and back every day.
Have you owned any other cars?Which one did you like the most?
After I started working I bought a Jaguar XF. It had a V8 engine, but I didn’t feel too comfortable with it. Something was missing.So, in 2011 I sold it and bought the R8 and I’ve been driving it since.
In addition to the R8, I also own a BMW 328 which I use for day to day driving.
Can you tell me a little about the car (R8) ?Why did you choose to buy it?
I’ll be honest, it wasn’t my first choice. I’d just sold my Jaguar and I didn’t have my mind set on the R8 specifically. I test drove quite a few cars before I settled on this one. I even test drove a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera and an SLS too,but they were too expensive and just didn’t feel right for me.
Finally,I got in touch with the previous owner of my R8, who lived in Jumeirah beach. I met him and he told me to take the car for a ride with him. I put the top down, and set off along Jumeirah. I fell in love instantly. Everything about it felt right. Driving up and down Jumeirah beach people kept looking at the car in admiration. Right then I decided that this was the car for me. It’s well put together, its fast, comfortable, and has incredible build quality. Even after 5 years, it feels brand new.
Do you plan on doing any modifications to the car?
No, it’s perfect as it is performance wise. I don’t even use the 525 hp it has. I don’t push it to the limit very often. I rarely speed in it. I might change the color again though.
Again? How many times have you changed the color?
Four times already. It gives a whole new look to it. Originally it was gloss black and i changed it to matte black, later a military a green and now I’ve covered it in sky blue . I just love wrapping it in different colors.
Do you plan on buying a new car in the future?
Maybe I might upgrade to a new R8 next year. I really like this car, and being the president of the R8 club, I can’t just drive around in a Ferrari. I do have my sights set on a Golf R though.
A Golf R? Isn’t that a step below? It’s not nearly as powerful or fast as your R8.
Well, it’s not always about horsepower or speed. It’s a wonderful hatchback and it’s something I can play around with yet daily drive.
When did you start the R8 club? What do you guys do?
I started the Audi R8 club UAE in 2013 shortly after I bought my R8. The club itself is a mix of coffee meets, organized drives to locations around the emirates, events to improve driving skills, track days, and participation in many of UAE’s car festivals and parades.
We also loan member cars for display to support Dubai government initiatives, mostly with the Dubai Customs and Dubai police. Most recently, we’ve started to give back to the community by supporting the Al Noor Centre for children with special needs. Through the generous donations of the group members, we participated in their fund-raising activities and have now become an official sponsor.
Author : Rohit, Driveaholic
Photography : Chris Johnson, James GTR & Mahaweer, Driveaholic
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Enjoy !!!
