A Dubai Police sports car plucked from the force's luxury fleet has been flown to Italy to take part in the famous Mille Miglia – Thousand Miles – race.
A V8 Mercedes Benz SLS AMG was delivered to Milan by Emirates SkyCargo to compete in the 1,600-kilometre event from Brescia in the northern region of Lombardy to the capital Rome and back.
The Mille Miglia has been described as the most beautiful car race in the world.
The event comes six months before the UAE's pan-Emirates tour of 100 vintage cars in December, marking the nation's golden jubilee year.
With a top speed of 315 kilometers per hour and capable of reaching 100kph in just over three seconds, the supercar should be more than a match for the classic vehicles in the four-day race.
Decked out in the green and white Dubai Police livery, the car will join the race on June 16.
"Our participation in the race symbolises the UAE's efforts to bring safety and security at home and to promote mutual dialogue and respect with other cultures globally," said Brig Jamal Salem Al Jalaf, director of the Criminal Investigation Department in Dubai Police.
“The Emirates is established on the values of tolerance and openness, evident in its rich diverse society of over 190 nationalities who live and work together in harmony.
“We look forward to sharing these values with millions of race spectators across the world.”
The open-door Mille Miglia was founded in 1926, and initially ran from 1927 until 1957.
Since 1977, it has taken place annually in Italy and become a major sports event attracting world-leading celebrities and car collectors.
Millions of spectators follow the race along roads to and from Rome.
Prizes are won for completing stages on time, rather than competing to be fastest.
Three years in the making, the UAE grand tour will involve 50 international drivers alongside 50 from the Arabian Peninsula.
It will take in each of the seven emirates, starting from Yas Marina, home of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, on December 5.
The first leg will call at the Dubai Autodrome and then Dubai International Financial Centre.
Its second leg will take in Jebel Hafeet at Al Ain, then Hatta in the Hajar Mountains and the Fairmont Fujairah hotel 24 hours later.
The fourth stage of the five-day tour will include Dibba in Fujairah and the mountainous road of Jebel Jais – the UAE's highest peak – ending at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Ras Al Khaimah.
The final leg will pass through Umm Al Quwain, Ajman and Sharjah, on the way back to the starting point at Yas Marina.
Martin Halder, chief executive of organisers Octanium International, said the addition of Dubai Police to the Italian race will add a new dimension to the tour.
"The participation of Dubai Police, the owner of some of the world's fastest and most expensive supercars as part of its fleet, will present a spectacular addition to the vintage racing cars in the 94th Mille Miglia," he said.
“It will also bring a new experience from the UAE to the Italian audience.”
