① The Supercar Graveyard of Dubai
Supercars, which are worth hundreds of millions of won, are dream cars for many. In Dubai, there’s a place where these supercars are left abandoned. This place is known as the ‘Supercar Graveyard’ in Sharjah, one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates.
It became famous after being covered by numerous media outlets following its discovery by a local YouTuber. Here, you can find countless abandoned supercars. Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Aston Martins, Audis, BMWs, and other supercars are in perfect condition.
This place became a supercar graveyard due to the ‘laziness’ of Dubai’s wealthy. Every year in Dubai, thousands of supercars are abandoned without any particular reason.
The rich in Dubai often abandon their old supercars after buying a new one simply because they find it bothersome to resell them. If a car is abandoned in Dubai, the local authorities send a notice to the car owner. If there’s no response within 15 days, the vehicle is confiscated. The car owner can pay a fine and retrieve the car within six months of confiscation. If the vehicle is not retrieved, it is considered the property of the Dubai government, which either auctions it off or sends it to a junkyard.
According to local media, 2,000 to 3,000 supercars are abandoned annually in Dubai. This is why the supercar graveyard came into existence. Upon learning this, netizens reacted with comments such as “Dubai is different,” “Can’t I just take one?” and “They just abandon a Lamborghini?”
② Vehicles abandoned in the dust
In addition to the supercars abandoned by Dubai’s wealthy, there are also vehicles left by foreigners who fled the United Arab Emirates without paying their debts. Dubai follows Sharia law, which does not exempt those who fail to repay their debts from criminal punishment.
In the UAE, where foreigners make up 85% of the population, many people who fall into debt abandon their supercars and flee to their home countries due to the strict debt repayment laws. Many cases of people abandoning their cars at the airport and fleeing. It’s better to leave their vehicles and Dubai than to be arrested and imprisoned. There are also a significant number of damaged cars among the abandoned supercars.
Abdul Majid Saifaie, head of Dubai’s waste management department, stated, “Some abandoned cars are eventually seized and moved if they obstruct traffic or affect safety, but others are left untouched for years.” The supercar graveyard has also created new jobs in Dubai, such as collecting and selling abandoned supercars and auction sites.
So, are these abandoned supercars just left as they are? Some of them are used as police cars in Dubai. Unlike other countries, Dubai’s police cars are famous for being made up of supercars like Aston Martins, Lamborghinis, and Ferraris.
In the past, Dubai police revealed that they deployed supercars to catch speeding cars that exceeded 186 mph. However, the supercar patrol is not deployed for actual duties and is primarily used for promotional purposes targeting tourists. In 2013, Dubai police introduced the Lamborghini Aventador, marking the start of the supercar patrol. In 2017, Dubai police’s supercar ‘Bugatti Veyron’ was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the ‘fastest police car in the world.’
③ Dubai Prince Provides Over 70 Supercars for Free
Supercars are indispensable in Dubai. In the past, the Dubai royal family provided over 70 supercars for free for the filming of actor Jackie Chan’s movie. This included some of the world’s rarest luxury supercars, which caused quite a stir.
The movie Kung Fu Yoga, starring Jackie Chan, featured supercars provided by the prince of Dubai. The fleet included Bugattis, Ferraris, Bentleys, Lamborghinis, and McLarens. Among them, two Bugattis and two McLarens were known to be limited editions, with only a few in the world. They even provided the Devel Sixteen, a supercar of which only one exists worldwide, without asking for compensation. The 70 or so supercars were estimated to be around $2 billion.
During the shooting, one of the supercars was severely damaged, costing millions of won in repair fees. Still, the Dubai royal family refrained from charging for the repair cost and swiftly provided a new car for the shoot. In addition to the prince of Dubai, a princess from Dubai even lent her lion for the movie shoot. Thanks to the support of the Dubai royal family, the movie ‘Kung Fu Yoga’ was able to complete its filming smoothly.
By. Kim Minjae (minjaaie33@mememedia.co.kr)
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