The 2019 Dubai Motor Show has been an absolute dream for petrol-heads, featuring everything from luxury sports vehicles to armoured personnel carriers.
The international exhibition opened last week at the Dubai World Trade Centre in the United Arab Emirates and offered something to appeal to all car enthusiasts.
Dubai Police were eager to display the new additions to their patrol fleets, which now include the V8 Bentley Bentayga, which comes with a top speed of 290kph.
Another big draw for visitors over the course of the event, which lasted for five days, was the Shaman 8X8 amphibious car from American firm Streit.
This vehicle comes with eight wheels and a 146 horsepower engine, which enables it to deal with even the toughest driving conditions by either deflating or inflating its tyres, and can seat up to as many as 11 people.
When the rear propeller of the vehicle is engaged, drivers can power through flooded roads and even navigate rivers and lakes.
Streit’s business development manager David Kaufman says that the dashboard can control both the built-in propeller and the self-inflating tyres.
All of the eight wheels featured on the vehicle are multi-directional, meaning that it has great versatility and is able to turn around in extremely tight spaces.
Kaufman believes that there is a market for the vehicle in the UAE, especially given the recent heavy rains, and points out that the vehicle can even go into the sea via the beach.
The all-terrain vehicle, which was built in Russia, is viewed as being perfectly suited to the northern emirates’ mountainous landscape.
The vehicle is certainly not aimed at the budget-conscious, with a price tag of Dh1.1m ($300,000), though it was not the priciest vehicle being displayed at the Dubai Motor Show 2019.
Another favourite of the annual show is Supercar Alley, and the display of speed seen this year disappointed no one.
The 2018 McLaren Senna came with an enormous rear spoiler that helped to provide a downforce that enabled a top speed of 340kph.
However, the Senna was not the fastest vehicle at the event.
That honour went to the 2018 Bugatti Chiron, which is capable of a top speed of over 400kph.
The Senna and the Chiron are both named after racing greats, the former racing driver Ayrton Senna and the latter Louis Chiron, one of the fastest drivers in history before Formula One and a factory driver for Bugatti.
Ulugbekhon Maksumov, the chief executive of Inkas, which makes armoured luxury vehicles, says that his company had brought customised cars intended to protect VIPs such as presidents.
The cars are made to different specifications, with UAE security firms often requesting vehicles that are able to cope with standard ammunition.
Anyone driving a vehicle in the UAE needs to take out car insurance before they hit the road.
Car insurance is legally required in the UAE and ensures financial safety for every driver in the event of accidents or car theft.