It all started back in April 2013, with a Lamborghini Aventador. This was the obvious choice if you were in the market for a maximum wow factor "mainstream" supercar back then, so it came natural.
Subsequently, the officials announced that they would also add a Ferrari and it wasn't long until we got to see that they went for something a bit more practical than the Aventador, going for the four-seat, and just as four-wheel driven, Ferrari FF. To make things even more exotic, it was announced that the FF would only be manhandled by... women.
After seeing an Aventador and an FF dress up in the Dubai Police uniform, the news that they were also getting a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and a Bentley Continental GT didn't shock anybody. Most of those who reported it didn't even bother to mention it was the W12 model, not the V8. This is
Nevertheless, it was at this point that it became obvious an army was being gathered. Since the soldiers were already there, they needed a commander, a car that would cost more than the aforementioned four together.
The choice was rather unexpected, with the Dubai Police welcoming one of the seventy seven units of the Aston Martin One-77. This was described by its creators as a form of art, so we guess fitting it with a light bar was a metaphor.
The Chevrolet Camaro SS that followed afterwards may have seemed like a joke coming after all those big names, but it's still cooler than most police cars on Planet Earth.
Just when we were starting to think that the Camaro was hired as a personal assistant for the Aston, we were hit by the news that the Dubai Police would put its name on a Bugatti Veyron. Things were done in a bit of a rush, with Dubai Police Chief Dhahi Khalfan Tamim tweeting the adjacent image of a Veyron in Police livery, which turned out to be a rendering. Even though this was just an image manipulation, the aforementied announcement assured us that they would actually get a Bugatti.
We don't even know if the Dubai Police are satisfied with the supercar fleet yet. Who knows, maybe someone in their offices has a passion for Koenigseggs...The supercars were dressed in the Dubai Police livery by a company based in the Au Quoz industrial area
. Sixty Seven Auto Services got its hands on the job of wrapping the supercars. The foil comes from the US and while most of the cars only needed the green bits, the Aston Martin One-77 was truly special. The car left the factory dressed in silver, so they needed to make it white before moving on to the usual process.The question that has been sitting on everybody's lips, "why?" has more than just one answer.
First of all, this question is incorrect. The right form is "why not?". Since they've described themselves as " The City of One Thousand and One Arabian Lights", why not add a few red and blue light bars... attached to some of the most exotic cars in the world. This would be a display of financial force, just like Burj Kalifa or Palm Jumeirah.
In fact, the authorities themselves pointed out that these supercars wouldn't be used for hot pursuits, but rather for patrolling touristic areas around the city. The aforementioned Burj Kalifa, together with the Dubai Mall, Jumeirah Beach Residence, as well as the Burj Al Arab, they're all enjoying the charms of these hypermachines.
When Dubai runs out of petrol, all its eggs will be in the touristic basket and this fleet is simply another attraction, a mobile one. These days, you need more than just sand to create a mirage in the desert. However, it seems that the supercars are having a mesmerizing effect on the tourists, as you can see in the videos below.
The addition of such vehicles to the Dubai Police fleet is also part of a bigger plan. Dubai has set itself the goal to host the World Expo 2020 and the new toys are a valuable asset. The authorities have even taken them off the streets for a while, displaying them at the mall where everybody can see them.
If we take away the PR aura and see these supercars as pure instruments of law enforcement, it's hard to tell if they still make sense.Speeding
is a major issue in Dubai, with the authorities recently announcing that drivers exceeding 125 mph (200 km/h) face criminal charges. However, the strict law enforcement in Dubai also means that there aren't too many drivers who would ever consider running away from the police.
Chase or no chase, it is extremely interesting to see police equipment inside the red leather interior of such a machine. Most of these vehicles can't accomodate arrested persons anyway, so their cabins will certainly stay in a tip top shape.
While there have also been negative reactions, with fingers pointed at the opulence, the Dubai Police definitely gained international popularity thanks to its multimillion acquisitions.As for the future of the Dubai Police supercar fleet
, we really can't tell if this is bright or not. You see, Dubai also has a dark side, which includes booming projects whose enthusiasts was cut out completely by the global recession and/or lack of demand. Some of these frighteningly-big investments are now deserted, having been put on hold indefinitely.
Sure, you can always sell the cars, so the story here is different, but that would still mean disassembling the fleet.
Until we find out more about the future of these Arabian Knights, here are two clips that shows them in action. Notice how one of the drivers comes to admire the Camaro after being handed a fine...
