'Fastest ambulance in the world' unveiled in Dubai

The Lotus Evora has been customised for paramedics in the UAE

Visitors look at a first responder Lotus car at the Gitex Technology week in Dubai on October 15 (AFP/Getty Images)

A customised Lotus Evora is being hailed as the “fastest ambulance in the world”, able to race to injured people at 185mph.

The oil-rich emirate sees its fair share of supercars but this one will be put to a very different use by the Dubai Health Authority.

Unveiled at the Gitex technology week in the city’s World Trade Centre, the car is worth around £100,000 and will be used by 50 specially-trained paramedics.

Maitha al-Ketbi, a paramedic with the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, told Al-Arabiya staff will be able to reach patients in three or four minutes on average.

“The car is of importance to patients so we can reach them in a very short time,” she said.

“Those sport cars minimise the time of response and it can reach much faster than the ambulance cars, they can do the first aid by the time the ambulance arrives.”

The two-seater Lotus will not be able to transport patients but, like first responders in the UK, will allow paramedics travel quickly to perform initial first aid.

Visitors look at a drone equipped with cameras on a police car at the Gitex Technology week in Dubai (AFP/Getty Images)

It is equipped with emergency kits that can check a patient’s heart rate and blood pressure.

A defibrillator and first aid kit squeeze in behind the driver's seat, with an oxygen supply in the boot, the BBC reported.

At the moment, the Lotus is being paraded around Dubai’s tourist hubs, including the Jumeirah Beach Residences and Burj Khalifa, to impress visitors and ex-pats before being put into full operation by the end of the year.

It is one of several new vehicles coming to Dubai’s ambulance fleet, including two Ford Mustangs and a Chevrolet Corvette.

The Gitex fair also showcased new technology for police, immigration services and the judiciary in the United Arab Emirates.

A “mobile court” bus fitted with a mini-courtroom and offices will soon be driving around Abu Dhabi, where it is illegal to have sex outside marriage, have a gay relationship and drink alcohol at home without a licence.

Meanwhile, the police in Dubai have got a new “Sanad” drone and will be using Google Glass apps to identify cars infringing motoring laws.