The Rolls-Royce Dawn. Our bespoke test car, which costs Dh1.65 million, had the optional extra of ‘turchese’ paintwork. As standard, the Dawn’s twin-turbo 6.6L V12 engine produces 563hp. Satish Kumar / The National
The Rolls-Royce Dawn. Our bespoke test car, which costs Dh1.65 million, had the optional extra of ‘turchese’ paintwork. As standard, the Dawn’s twin-turbo 6.6L V12 engine produces 563hp. Satish Kumar Show more

He says, she says: A male/female perspective on the Rolls-Royce Dawn



How do you test a status symbol? In the past six years of living in the UAE, I have taken an array of cars through the gates of Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, from dust-smeared hire cars upwards, but nothing has got me close to having the valet park it next to the front entrance.

Would the Dawn, Rolls-Royce’s dreamy V12-powered convertible, break that run? Sadly not, but only because after I smilingly wave at the staff directing me towards the self-park and gleefully turn into the valet entrance, I don’t realise I’m about to drive up to a welcome party for some high-level UAE officials. Oops. The Dawn is driven off into the bowels of the palace parking, although it’s probably the only reason I get as far as the entrance.

Failed fair test aside, it remains no secret that the UAE is at the pinnacle of Rolls-Royce’s worldwide efforts, with its Abu Dhabi and Dubai dealerships annually duking it out for the top global sales figures.

Going by many Rolls on the roads here, their owners often seem to suffer severe cases of colour-blindness when it comes to exterior paintwork. I can now confirm, however, from a male perspective at least, that the company itself might also have a case to answer. Our test car is in “turchese”, which accidentally aptly evokes images of a cheesy turquoise. It’s an opinion-splitter: almost every female friend who sees the car is in love with its shades; male pals mostly wince with a severity usually reserved for seeing a fellow fella hit somewhere painful.

As expected for a car with a base price of Dh1.5 million, the Dawn has embellishments aplenty to bring a smile to even the most jaded motorist’s face. For one, at night, the Spirit of Ecstasy figurine is illuminated (an optional extra on our bespoke model). Naturally, luxury levels are also considerable. The carpeting is thicker than at any house I have ever lived in. The front seats have massage functions. The analogue dials and dash clock take you back to simpler times.

While most Rollers are closer to piloting a humungous barge than a mere car, the Dawn isn’t half as sizeable as you might fear – although its long nose drops away, which can prove a touch worrisome when manoeuvring. That styling makes the Dawn by far the most-attractive Rolls on the grand old company’s current roster, though, with lines in perfect synergy with top up or down – although it’s an awful waste to do anything other than sidle around at low speeds with the latter configuration. You can hit 100kph from standstill in 4.9 seconds, but it feels crass to do so – like sprinting in a three-piece suit. And that’s the magic: you don’t feel obliged to go at any other speed than your whims dictate, but the Dawn can handle every extreme with a grace that Rolls-Royce has built its reputation upon.

aworkman@thenational.ae

It was the end of a family visit, and I had a little treat in store for my mum and sister, who were visiting from Australia. I was planning to drop them at Abu Dhabi airport in a Dawn.

They were eagerly anticipating the drive in ultimate luxury (even if it was to be followed by a 14-hour flight in economy). I, on the other hand, was nervous about driving such an expensive vehicle.

The Dawn arrived at my home in all its turquoise glory. It was a definite head-turner, and oh was it gorgeous. I sat in the driver’s seat and took in its retro vibe. The thick sheepskin floor makes you want to remove your shoes and sink your toes right in.

I noticed the white leather upholstery – not exactly practical, but if you own a Rolls, you probably have someone else taking care of the leather. The doors were particularly long, which also meant a stretch out of your seat to close them, but that’s no bother in the Dawn. There’s a button near the side mirrors for such matters. And should you get caught in a rare shower, there’s umbrellas neatly stored in the door frames.

Before setting off for the airport, we decided to go for a drive around the streets of my neighbourhood with the roof down to test its head-turning ability. It didn’t disappoint.

Being a convertible, the boot was awkwardly shaped: not deep enough to fit my family’s exploding suitcases, but long, so better for plenty of smaller objects.

The Dawn was beautifully quiet, eliminating most road noise, and the 18-speaker sound system was a treat. Even the radio sounded like a symphony. Despite its size, the Dawn was easy to handle, but its sheer bulk made me nervous. The cameras did help, though.

There was enough power when I wanted it and the technology was easy to decipher. The gear-change column on the steering wheel took some getting used to, but I’m sure I would adjust eventually.

It’s a beautiful vehicle – smooth, quiet, easy to drive (despite its size), powerful, attractive – but I couldn’t wait to give it back. Not because I didn’t enjoy driving it, but because it attracted too much attention. If you’re in the market for a head-turner, this is for you. I would even recommend choosing the “turchese” paint job. If you want to turn heads, you may as well do it properly.

atomlinson@thenational.ae

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Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate 

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The Abu Dhabi Awards explained:

What are the awards? They honour anyone who has made a contribution to life in Abu Dhabi.

Are they open to only Emiratis? The awards are open to anyone, regardless of age or nationality, living anywhere in the world.

When do nominations close? The process concludes on December 31.

How do I nominate someone? Through the website.

When is the ceremony? The awards event will take place early next year.

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

THE LOWDOWN

Photograph

Rating: 4/5

Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies

Director: Ritesh Batra

Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz

No_One Ever Really Dies

N*E*R*D

(I Am Other/Columbia)

Turkish Ladies

Various artists, Sony Music Turkey 

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

'Champions'

Director: Manuel Calvo
Stars: Yassir Al Saggaf and Fatima Al Banawi
Rating: 2/5
 

Company Profile

Company name: Big Farm Brothers

Started: September 2020

Founders: Vishal Mahajan and Navneet Kaur

Based: Dubai Investment Park 1

Industry: food and agriculture

Initial investment: $205,000

Current staff: eight to 10

Future plan: to expand to other GCC markets

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LA LIGA FIXTURES

Friday (UAE kick-off times)

Levante v Real Mallorca (12am)

Leganes v Barcelona (4pm)

Real Betis v Valencia (7pm)

Granada v Atletico Madrid (9.30pm)

Sunday

Real Madrid v Real Sociedad (12am)

Espanyol v Getafe (3pm)

Osasuna v Athletic Bilbao (5pm)

Eibar v Alaves (7pm)

Villarreal v Celta Vigo (9.30pm)

Monday

Real Valladolid v Sevilla (12am)

 

A cheaper choice

Vanuatu: $130,000

Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.

Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.

Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.

Benefits:  No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Retirement funds heavily invested in equities at a risky time

Pension funds in growing economies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have a sharply higher percentage of assets parked in stocks, just at a time when trade tensions threaten to derail markets.

Retirement money managers in 14 geographies now allocate 40 per cent of their assets to equities, an 8 percentage-point climb over the past five years, according to a Mercer survey released last week that canvassed government, corporate and mandatory pension funds with almost $5 trillion in assets under management. That compares with about 25 per cent for pension funds in Europe.

The escalating trade spat between the US and China has heightened fears that stocks are ripe for a downturn. With tensions mounting and outcomes driven more by politics than economics, the S&P 500 Index will be on course for a “full-scale bear market” without Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, Citigroup’s global macro strategy team said earlier this week.

The increased allocation to equities by growth-market pension funds has come at the expense of fixed-income investments, which declined 11 percentage points over the five years, according to the survey.

Hong Kong funds have the highest exposure to equities at 66 per cent, although that’s been relatively stable over the period. Japan’s equity allocation jumped 13 percentage points while South Korea’s increased 8 percentage points.

The money managers are also directing a higher portion of their funds to assets outside of their home countries. On average, foreign stocks now account for 49 per cent of respondents’ equity investments, 4 percentage points higher than five years ago, while foreign fixed-income exposure climbed 7 percentage points to 23 per cent. Funds in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are among those seeking greater diversification in stocks and fixed income.

• Bloomberg

Series information

Pakistan v Dubai

First Test, Dubai International Stadium

Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11

Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20          

 Play starts at 10am each day

 

Teams

 Pakistan

1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza

 Australia

1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland