There have been some wonderful pink cars throughout the automotive history. Who could forget Elvis Presley's iconic Cadillac? Or Penelope Pitstop's pink machine in Wacky Races? Or Lady Penelope's six-wheeled Rolls-Royce from Thunderbirds? Though, the one difference between FAB1 and this Dubai television presenter's pink Porsche Carrera is that she is firmly behind the wheel. "The great thing about the Porsche and the colour pink is that none of my brothers want to drive it because it is girlie," grins Lujain Omran, who is the television presenter for Good Morning Emirates on MBC.
"The car was actually red when I bought it in 2008. But I was always looking to change it. There are loads of red Porsches out there," she says. "I wanted it to be pink, something feminine." She visited Foilacar, a specialist German company based at the Mall of Emirates, which offers drivers hundreds of colours if they want to have their vehicles resprayed. As Omran explains, her shade of pink was unique.
"It was the only shade of pink the company has ever done," she says. "They also offered me the option of covering the pink with silver glitter. I was unsure, but I agreed to it and I love it." If the custom paint job is not enough for her to pick her car out in a crowded car park, she also has badged her boot with quite telling slogans; "Girls Rule" and "Angel". Originally from Saudi Arabia, where it is prohibited for women to drive cars, Omran first learnt to drive in 2001 when she moved to Bahrain. Arriving in Dubai in 2005, Omran, 32, bought a Range Rover Sport before making the biggest statement of all with her Carrera.
"I wish one day, women will be allowed to drive in Saudi. It should be a normal right for women to drive there," Omran says. "Sadly, I am not sure when that will be. When that day comes though, the first thing I shall do is drive my Porsche there." Omran says that driving a car is liberating. Learning was top of her to do list when she moved to Bahrain, where her first car was a Lexus. "I started with lessons straight away. One of my first things was to drive a car to get some freedom because back in Saudi we had a driver to take us everywhere we go. I felt that we didn't have any privacy when going shopping and I hated the feeling that there was always someone waiting for you."
Privacy is something that does not bother Omran too much any more. Her choice of colour, of course, warrants attention everywhere she goes. Whenever someone is taking a picture of "Pinky" though, she stays well away and lets the car take the glory. "It is quite funny. You do not get privacy. One example is you could go shopping to the mall on your own. I have had friends spot my car in the car park and instantly call me to ask what I am up to," she says.
"I do have a small problem with speeding too. I have been stopped by the police before. They take a look at the Porsche and say to me 'OK Barbie, this is the first and last time now. Drive slower.'" When she went to renew her licence, she was faced with a collection of speeding fines, prompting Omran's father to make some subtle threats. "My father does say that I should not be driving a fast sports car. He wants me to drive a small, slower car. On hearing of all my fines, he says that the next time I have a ticket, he will take it away and give me a bicycle."
While she tries to curtail her lead foot, she does have plans to increase her fleet, but it would mean that she sells her Range Rover, which also sports a custom colour. "I like all my cars to be different and have different colours," she says about her Range Rover, which is sprayed matte green with silver flowers. "I am looking to sell that, so I may have to restore it to its original black colour. The next car I get, I want it to be purple."
Would she ever sell Pinky? "Oh no. I will never sell the car for any price," she states. "My car and I have a very special relationship." motoring@thenational.ae
