Only six BMW 135i Sauber F1 special editions will be available in the UAE.
Only six BMW 135i Sauber F1 special editions will be available in the UAE.

2010 BMW 135i Sauber F1



It's a toy. A rather expensive toy that will attract some seriously indulged owners. But, my word, this toy is fun. More fun than a bathtub of marshmallows, the BMW 135i F1 Sauber limited edition is a car that is happiest when it is at play. Only 200 of these cars have been built and only six have been earmarked for the UAE. The love of special edition cars here is no secret, and this one looks great, is fun to drive and the novelty value of the F1-style steering wheel will please this market. Two have been sold already and the one I tested will be used as a demonstration model before being sold as a very appealing second-hand car.

Bedecked in the BMW Sauber racing colours - white with the red and blue stripes running the length of the car and slicing around to the bonnet, it has a retro-cool look about it. So pleased was I with this car's looks that at one point, I found myself checking it out in the safety mirror of a mall car park. Few drivers here use these mirrors to check for oncoming traffic but now I wonder how many use them to admire their own cars.

Unlike when I test out a bigger, more obviously flashy car, it doesn't attract the same attention until you leave other motorists for dead at the lights or they hear the engine revving. However, on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai motorway, it did attract the attention, and possibly the ire, of the driver of a bright yellow Audi S3 who tried to race me. I passed him without drama and then he executed a suicidal lane change so I left him to it.

It has 360 horses galloping under the bonnet if you get the Dh25,000 AC Schnitzer performance upgrade (there are "only" 306 in the 125i you usually see on the roads and in the base model of this one) and 400 Nm of torque. The AC Schnitzer upgrade involves a more efficient exhaust system, an upgraded electronic control unit that manages the engine and fancy black-on-white sport gauges. This is a car that does not enjoy travelling slowly. When I drove it along the speed camera haven that is Jumeirah Beach Road, getting every red light along the way, the engine growled angrily at me and let out resigned sighs. I swear I could hear it saying: "Oh, for goodness sake, take me up Jebel Hafeet or out on the open road or frankly anywhere but this infernal traffic."

The six-speed manual mode can be activated with the gear selector or the paddle shifters. I usually prefer to use the gear selector and this was no exception - its paddle shifters are definitely designed for bigger hands than my bony mitts. But the steering wheel's role in gear changing was pretty darn cool. Complete with its own instruction manual in seven languages, the steering wheel lights up with orange and red flashing lights to let you know when it might be appropriate to shift.

As well as this dazzling gizmo, the steering wheel can also hold information such as lap and quarter-mile times in case you fancy a spot of drag racing down at Umm al Qaiwain. In an attempt to be Captain Sensible, the writer of the manual advises the driver to keep to the speed limit and not to use such functions on public roads. Call me crazy, but I am pretty sure few will heed such advice. Still, in this age of litigation, it makes sense for BMW to try and prevent a potential Darwin Awards winner suing after a drag race in a quiet neighbourhood goes horribly wrong.

The black suede of the steering wheel is a joy to touch and combined with superb handling - and the fun to be had comparing the ride with the traction control turned on and off - it is almost impossible to drive the car without a goofy grin. Interior styling is simple in sober blacks and greys, with the front seats vaguely reminiscent of racing seats - although they are definitely designed with real bodies in mind rather than those of lean F1 drivers.

The audio and navigation systems are easily operated from a reasonably intuitive mouse-like button in the centre console with lovely, clear maps and a simple zoom function. This helped me enormously as I was driving the car through Dubai without a Salik tag and, while I know Dubai pretty well, I wanted to make doubly sure I didn't accidentally fly through a Salik gate en route to the airport. Driving from Jumeirah to Garhoud via the Shindagha Tunnel and deepest Deira is usually a trip I'd avoid like the plague, but even that was an entertaining drive in the 135i.

Indeed, the only thing that bothered me about this car, apart from not being able to afford it, was a slightly touchy indicator stalk that made it a bit too easy to accidentally put the wrong signal on when changing lanes. Oh, and the boot is a bit small - but I'm pretty sure the buyers of this aren't the types who care about the transportation of golf clubs. glewis@thenational.ae

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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

Company profile

Name: GiftBag.ae

Based: Dubai

Founded: 2011

Number of employees: 4

Sector: E-commerce

Funding: Self-funded to date

The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now

Without Remorse

Directed by: Stefano Sollima

Starring: Michael B Jordan

4/5

SOUTH%20KOREA%20SQUAD
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

Result

6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 – Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)

7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby

7.40pm: Meydan Classic – Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby

8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor

8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

9.25pm: Meydan Challenge – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi

The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont

Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950

Engine 3.6-litre V6

Gearbox Eight-speed automatic

Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm

Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm

Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km

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Hot%20Seat
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The lowdown

Badla

Rating: 2.5/5

Produced by: Red Chillies, Azure Entertainment 

Director: Sujoy Ghosh

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Amrita Singh, Tony Luke

MATCH INFO

Champions League last 16, first leg

Tottenham v RB Leipzig, Wednesday, midnight (UAE)

Hidden killer

Sepsis arises when the body tries to fight an infection but damages its own tissue and organs in the process.

The World Health Organisation estimates it affects about 30 million people each year and that about six million die.

Of those about three million are newborns and 1.2 are young children.

Patients with septic shock must often have limbs amputated if clots in their limbs prevent blood flow, causing the limbs to die.

Campaigners say the condition is often diagnosed far too late by medical professionals and that many patients wait too long to seek treatment, confusing the symptoms with flu. 

Teams

Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shanwari, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf.

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Corey Anderson, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.

Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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Dubai World Cup factbox

Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)

Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)

Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)

Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners

Managing the separation process

  • Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
  • Relax – and hopefully your child will follow suit
  • Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
  • If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
  • The longer you stay, the more upset your child will become. As difficult as it is, walk away. Say a proper goodbye and reassure your child that you will be back
  • Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
  • Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.  
THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart