Putin drives supercar carrying Egyptian leader to watch F1 race
The Egyptian President is the first foreign leader to be taken by the Kremlin boss to test drive the luxury Aurus car.
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Putin (front seat, right) drives the car carrying Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi (passenger seat). Photo:Sputnik. |
After talks on October 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin drove his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fatah el-Sisi around the F1 racetrack in Sochi in the new Aurus car unveiled at his inauguration in May.RTreport
Earlier, Trade Minister Denis Manturov took the two leaders to see two Aurus models: the Senat sedan and the Arsenal minivan. Both cars are part of the Russian President's motorcade.
However, as if looking at the car was not enough, President Putin came up with the idea of taking one of the cars for a test drive, which President Sisi enthusiastically approved. They chose the sedan model and drove around the racetrack, with the Russian President sitting behind the wheel and the Egyptian President sitting in the passenger seat.
Sisi is not the first foreign leader to be introduced to the Aurus by Putin. The Russian president has shown off the car to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other guests, but has never taken them for a test drive.
The Aurus car line has been developed by Russia since 2012, as part of a project called Kortezh.
