Our understanding of history and current events tends to emphasize the unusual, the extraordinary, or the extreme. This reflects the prejudice of the historian or newsman more than anything else. It is easy to forget that, in every age, the average person has gone about his business the best he can, trying to make his way in the world, and putting one foot in front of the other in that great marathon called Life.
The artisan patiently tinkers with his handicrafts; the cultivator of the field moves forward with the regularity of the seasons; and the businessman frets over his accounts and ledgers. None of them—these anonymous men–receives much attention from the historian, since their activities are not glamorous: but without them, the amusements of kings, and the frivolous diversions of presidents and prime ministers, would hardly be possible. Let us, for once, celebrate the achievements of someone who has not been in the news very much.
The incredible Lykan Hpersport, the car used by Vin Diesel in “Fast and Furious 7”
Our story here comes from the Middle East, a region that in recent years has been in dire need of some good news. Yet despite the rumblings of war, the spread of chaos, and the ecstasies of destruction that have been visited on the region, the patient majority go about their way, and continue the forward movement of economy and society.
The Fast and Furious movie franchise’s seventh film features the first luxury car manufactured by an Arab company. W Motors was founded in 2012 in Beirut by a visionary designer named Ralph Debbas, who now works as the company’s CEO. The company’s first luxury car is the $3.4 million Lykan Hypersport, which can go from 0 to 60 mph. in less than 3 seconds. Its top speed is around 395 kph.
The vehicle is produced in Italy by Magna Steyr, and only seven of them have been made thus far. Actor Vin Diesel drives the Hypersport in the seventh installment of the Fast and Furious series.
Ralph Debbas, founder and CEO of W Motors
W Motors is the Arab world’s first luxury car manufacturer, and operates out of Dubai. Auto companies tend to go where the money is; historically, auto manufacturers face a bleak future unless they can find access to large amounts of funding.
Although the price tag of the Lykan Hypersport is so high mainly because of the installation of some precious gems in its frame (presumably optional), there is a market for these vehicles, especially in the Gulf countries. The buyer of such a car is more interested in “lifestyle” than anything else, and wants a high-performance piece of machinery at his control.
For those who are interested in such things, the Hypersport has a 3.7 liter 780 bhp, twin-turbo flat-six engine. We are told that it is faster than the Lamborghini Aventador. The car also features a so-called “global servicing system” which gives the owner the ability to have access to technical support at all times. Debbas also explains that the car features “flying doctors” who will actually fly to the owner—anywhere in the world—to perform maintenance. Other complimentary “extras” are a concierge service that owners are entitled to.
Debbas is not worried about his competitors. In fact, he has a healthy attitude of abundance when it comes to such things. When asked about the presence of other luxury manufacturers, he says, “I respect all of them. We work with all of them.” In this, he shares the healthy attitude of the successful entrepreneur: the ability not to be worried about what other people are doing.
Debbas started his company at the ripe age of 22 in Beirut. He called it “W Motors” because as a child he had been given the nickname “wolf” and liked the sound of it. When he began his dream, there were no predecessors that he could base his business plan on; everything had to be done from scratch, and maybe this was a good thing.
The company now has a managerial staff of about fifteen in Dubai, about seventy engineers and builders in Italy, and some in Germany. He understands that, in order to get his company off the ground, he will need to work with those European companies that have the generations of experience to draw on.
The first step is to use the tools that are out there; after that, he plans to build an entire Arab automotive industry. “We are not only building a car. We are building an industry, we are building a name, we are building something historical. Every step of the way, we’re getting the support of the Arab nations that are helping us to be proud, and raising the heritage.”
But Debbas does not want to cater only to the super-rich. One model has been designed for the Dubai police force, and there are plans for a moderately priced SUV. An actual manufacturing plant will be opened in Dubai very soon.
No one can predict the future, but at this point, Debbas seems to be doing all the right things. He has secured the patronage of the wealthy and powerful in the Gulf, his product has been featured in a US film franchise, and he has boundless energy and optimism.
The rest, as has been said, is in the hands of Fate.
Read More: How To Develop Your Presence
A man outside of the United States is doing something that is no longer possible in the United States. Try starting a car company here and see what levels of regulations, grift, and “lawfare” stop you.
Good for him and I hope he does well. I also hope that our democracy bombs never find his factories. I’m sure he will be called a misogynist when we find out how few women are in his engineering staff.
At least somebody will be building advanced cars when America collapses.
I raise you the European Union. Try open a shop without a million seals of approval.
This is true ! I shit you not !
In some places in Europe they have these beauties called Non-stops. What a blessing they are indeed
try to open a shop in bavaria that has open past 8 p.m.
we now have a law or something that you cannot sell bread after 11 a.m. on sundays. how ridiculous is that.
Ah fuck that is so shitty! Continental Europe, especially Germany, France and Belgium have a thing for closing shops early. I remember 2 years ago walking for a good 2 hours trying to buy cigs and beer in a suburb of Paris on a Saturday.
i didn’t even think much of it until i was in north germany and actually was able to buy something to eat at 9:30 p.m.
when you don’t know freedom, it has a tendency to surprise you. henceforth you cannot but mourn it.
Good beers and plentiful employment opportunities not enough for you Bavarians ey? Not wonder the “Berliners” hate you lot.
nothing is ever enough, brother. the best life gives you is the worst you are willing to settle for.
i do not particularly identify as a bavarian, though. i feel more connected to my czech roots, if anything. i am a very unpatriotic and individualistic motherfucker.
Good call mein czech frined, everyone needs that bit of individualistic side to them.
sunday trading was illegal in western australia until a couple of years ago. it still remains a politically divisive issue.
it is more or less illegal here, too. it’s cafes and restaurants that are the exception and now bread can only be sold for 3 hours at sunday anymore.
“A man outside of the United States is doing something that is no longer possible in the United States. Try starting a car company here and see what levels of regulations, grift, and “lawfare” stop you.”
This part of your remark really got to me. And you are indeed 100% correct. Very sad thing to read especially having 4th of July just pass us by.
This is what made America great, but now no longer.
America needs its long over-due ‘correction’.
I hate to rain on everybody’s parade with all my negative comments, but am I the only one here who sees that this car brings nothing new to the table? (except for 420 diamonds in the headlights – WOW!!). Elon musk started Tesla in the United States and he seems to be doing alright. While the Tesla is far from my favorite car, it is revolutionizing the industry and showing the world that an electric car can be practical, comfortable and powerful. All this guy has done is wrap a body kit around a modified Porsche, added some jewels and charged ten times the price of a similar performing supercar. People who are serious about cars will laugh at this, and oil sheiks will only buy it because they can. No doubt the guy will get rich but this is hardly a groundbreaking vehicle. “W” motors is a great name because in ten years people will be saying “What is that?” “Who built it?” And “Why don’t they make them anymore?”
Hope he gets to shit on some instagram models.
That is why God made instagram models.
😀 OMG!!! 😀 You win the internet today. Thanks for making me lol.
If you are looking for extra profit on the side with average of 50-300 bucks daily for freelancing at your home for several hrs daily then read more here…
He can dump on 340 instagram models with the money it costs for one his cars.
#tagthesponsor
I’m fifteen and live in the UK, I’ve found that this site talks a lot about entrepreneurism and working in trades but my parents, especially my mum, believes that I should go to university and get a degree. My half sister, who is a lower school teacher, says I will have loads of time to muck around, this I believe is such a dumb reason to go to to university. What I would love to know ways I can educate myself that will translate into the real world and in what situation I should go to university? Thanks.
I believe education of any kind should have two main objectives:
1. Learning a marketable skill.
2. Eliminating a deficiency in yourself.
Of the degrees I have, none of them have a thing to do with my career. Of the courses I took, the majority were on things I felt I wasn’t sufficiently versed in at public school. Sociology, physics, and oration to name a few. They were of varying value, but better than spending time with things I was already proficient in (which do have to do with my job).
Only you can or should make that decision, because only you can know how open you are to the experience and how much you might need it. If you do go, take whatever of value you can and put it to your own uses, and don’t become an activist-slave for someone’s agenda.
Thanks for the reply and I wish to go to learn a marketable skills, I’m just wary of university because people are just telling me to go and take fields that will look good on my CV but I have been thinking about self employment so didn’t want something that didn’t help me.
No worries. Sounds to me like you already know your answer. The funny thing about life is, you’ll have no end of people telling you how to live life but no one but you can live it.
and many of the people who give you life advice are losers who don’t follow it themselves. something makes them think that they really know the solution even if they have not tried it.
look at the real world and make your own judgment on what you can add to it. government creates all those education programs based on stuff that was successful in the past, but that is really no guarantee that it will be a good thing to have in the future. the degree itself is just a piece of paper. the question is what skills you need. make your own predictions of the future and trust no one else’s, firstly to train your independent mind and secondly to not later blame anyone but yourself and being able to quickly move on.
1. Be well-read: non-fiction, philosophy, theology, anthropology, ecology, whatever even if it doesn’t seem interesting push your comfort zone, feed your brain until you develop knowledge cravings and have to get a constant fix.
2. It never hurts to know not only “how” something works but how to make it work, learn to construct and fabricate machinery, circuits, appliances, etc.
3. Learn to learn. Sounds obvious but it is something most schools omit from the curriculum. The best way I know to spark it is to ask: “Why?” and keep on asking until you no longer know, then ask someone, or Google the answer and then take on finding that answer for yourself, never stop at well-enough and never just accept something at face value. Write it all out, you tend to internally digest your thoughts and rationale when writing.
Being a repository of facts is helpful so long as you understand those facts, have analyzed them, and are not a simple parrot, but being intuitive and adaptive as the situation demands is invaluable.
Thanks for the comment, I have always read a lot of books and have started reading a lot of books on business and I have been thinking of expanding to overall knowledge, like you said. I’m an A/A* student so STEM subjects are probably what I’ll do, but unfortunately there is no way for me to learn how to fix/build things.
Get a degree, it will get you going in the real world, learning a skill, if you like your field you can open up your own firm. Don’t listen to people who tell you not to go to school. Sorry, but they’re fucking idiots unless you’re willing to do something like welding which is a solid path for the rugged. Get into finance, or business, or anything else that isn’t some liberal arts crap. Something with a real, discernible career path. Once you’re on the other side you’ll realize the value of your investment.
Go to school if you know why you’re going there and know what you’re going to do once you get out. I think many go just because of the sociological norm it’s become.
Don’t waste anyone’s time and resources by going (back) to school.
Im an architect so going back is imperative for me, in order to get licensed I need a master’s degree.
Thanks loads for the advice. I have luckily realised that useless things like liberal arts are in no way interesting to me. Entrepreneurism ties in with business and finance which I think I’d like to do, since I would like to make lots of money (like everyone else).
No problem man, avoid student loans as much as possible, but they’re not gonna kill you or anything. Use them if you need to. Best of luck bro.
Liberal arts are of value — as a hobby.
1) Learn trades if you’re not going to go to uni. Carpentry, metal & tool working, plumbing, electrical & electronics technician, chef school.
Any one of those will do. And get certified if you can. Those documents add a lot to your credibility later on.
Learn how to read & understand a balance sheet and accounting ledger. Good for just about anything you will do in future regardless of whether you have your own business or work for someone.
2) If you’re heading to uni, STEM subjects are a good way to go. Prepare to do a lot of hard not so fun work which can pay off later. If you’re not interested in STEM, Accounting, Finance or Law are very good alternatives. Nobody said you’ll be slaving away in those careers forever. They’re meant to open up doors to any number of paths.
3) Look around at people who are successful. Model some of the ways they do or have done things. Most if not all these people will be men. Take calculated risks.
4) Keep understanding the true nature of people and things. Even the advice we’re dropping here. Question it and measure it. Bullshit words from successful people is still…bullshit.
5) Good luck.
Thanks, I have learnt that just because someone seems like hey know what their talking about, sometimes it’s more opinion based. I just asked the question because I’d like a head start from a young age.
You’re 15 so you’re good to know.
A levels: get yourself some decent subjects like maths, physics, sociology, chemistry, Foreign language. Having maths as an A-level helps quite a lot when applying for uni. Don’t study business, law or media studies. They don’t mean shit unless and universities want people with skills that will help them think rationally and prepare them for the course i.e. ethics and RS for law.
Volunteering will help you get some experience, meet chicks and looks good on the resume.
Trade or university??? Decisions, decisions, decisions.
If you want to do into a trade then get yourself a nice one. Carpentry payis alright but it;s hard work. Plumbing too.
Electricians make shit-loads but beware, it is very hard to get an apprenticeship is you’re not connected. Mate of mine didn’t get one, but he’s a bit of a pleb anyways.
Here is the nice part, surveying does not require a degree. A HND will qualify you and spare you the debts of a surveying degree (building or quantity).
As for university do something that has values. STEM degrees are the most relevant.
To get a scholarship in the UK you have to be a genius. The army pays for your degree as an engineer and you will have work but the you have to go through training and the dangers if you’re deployed.
Trade and degree relevance are subject to your location.
Get a degree. Until we get rid of academic obsessed fucktards, just get a degree then do whatcha want.
Get an engineering degree. Electrical engineering, materials science engineering, or chemical engineering. These are the real technical disciplines that will give you the technical knowledge that can lead to business start-ups.
Try not to get hooked in with some lazy bitch pig whose goal in life is to get knocked up. Don’t deal with an 18 year baby tumour. Listen to Patrice O”Neal, Tom Leykis and read RoK.
Good luck young man.
WOMEN ARE TAKING OVER THE FORCEFORCE. MAN, IT FUCKING PISSES ME OFF. I WORKED MY ASS OF AND INSTEAD OF GETTING A JOB, I GET REJECTED BY HR WHO GIVE THE POSITION TO SOME FUCKING DUMBASS FEMALE, SIMPLY BECAUSE OF HER GENDER. MEN ARE BEING DEPRIVED FROM WORK. MERITOCRACY COUNTS FOR NOTHING. IF YOU’RE FEMALE, THEN YOU WIN BY DEFAULT.
I HOPE THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE HAPPENS FAST. I WILL BE LAUGHING WHEN I SEE ALL THESE ASSHOLES WHO BRAG ABOUT HOW MUCH THEY MAKE, LOSE THEIR JOBS AND STARVE AND STRUGGLE TO FEED THEMSELVES. FUCKING CUNTS.
I MEANT “WORKFORCE”
1. All caps is rude and denotes “yelling”. “Yelling” to the choir is not necessary, we all agree with your point about women, so there’s no need to call it to our attention through shouting. Mentioning it is fine, but shouting as if in warning is unnecessary.
2. There is an “Edit” link under each and every post you make, that you can click and alter your post, so there’s no need to post to yourself to correct something. I know many sites aren’t like this so this a heads up to inform you and help make things more convenient for you.
Not being a dick here, don’t mean to come off that way, just letting you in on some of the features and protocols of the site. Enjoy.
Unfortunately, edited posts aren’t updated in real-time, so you have to manually refresh the page to see any edit.
I don’t know why Disqus hasn’t solved that one yet, seeing we can have new posts without refreshing…
Mine seem to update real time, or least it appears that way.
??
You see your own edited posts update, but you won’t see other people’s edited posts update without refreshing.
EDIT: Such as this comment with the edited addition.
Ah, misunderstood you there, my bad.
dont be a dick, mr jefferson, lol
I don’t see why polite reminders of etiquette are ever looked down upon.
I purposely misspell etiquette so i can go back and edit. seems real time.
Ad 1.: It’s Ancient Greek style 😉
Chill Wintaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!
Feminism and those who profit from it have indeed succeeded in pitting men and women against each other.
Every single time I went to a job interview in which women were involved I was rejected. When only men were involved, however, I was offered the job every single time.
Must have been a coincidence, right? 😛
Happens to any woman who dares to question their bullshit. I could write a book.
I can hardly wait till the HR cunts are tossed to the curb.
Russia is starting its own sportscar industry too.
Lada Marussia
100km/h in 3.5 seconds.
Max speed: 340 kilometres
When China or Russia or India go into space and have plans to land on the moon my first reaction is “At least someone is doing it”.
Same for this guy. At least someone is doing it and making luxury cars, being entreprenurial, doing shit men should be doing….. because the US only gives a crap about whether a scientist (the one who landed a probe on a comet) wears a “risque” shirt or not.
The U.S. Landed on the moon almost 50 years ago, and are the only country to have done so. They didn’t find anything too spectacular so they quit going back after a few trips. Lots of companies around the world, and in the U.S. are building cars that are more luxurious, more technologically advanced and higher performance for a fraction of the price. This car is not terrible to look at and no doubt goes fast, but it’s more of a novelty than anything. It’s biggest selling feature is the ridiculously high price that is justified with childish gimmicks that contribute nothing to the driving experience. This is the automotive equivalent of shark fin soup, it doesn’t have to be good, as long as it’s expensive.
For the record, I’m not American.
The ‘W’ sounds like an impressive car and I’ll bet it could almost fly . . but . . how does it handle saltwater?
http://www.flyingboat.info/images/flying_boat/fib1.jpg
http://www.airtrikes.net/engines/small/rotax_side_s.jpg
http://blog.chron.com/lightflight/files/legacy/archives/fib.jpg
Powered by a Rotax 64hp two stroke TWO CYLINDER!! (max power to weight ratio engine)
As a car enthusiast all I can say is meh. Almost twice the price of a Bugatti veyron, an already over priced, over the top vehicle. Precious gems in the frame? Not sure how this will increase performance. Arabs are well known for having too
Much money, and not enough class when it comes to their vehicles (among other things), this car just reaffirms the stereotype. Good on the guy as a business man, I’m sure he’ll sell every one he builds, probably in all kinds of tacky custom color combos. If you want to impress me, do it with engineering, technology and performance. Not that I expect my opinion to matter to him, his target market is more of the “pay 50 grand to shit on a slutty blonde” type of customer.
Most excellent!
quintus, u have a muslim fetish??