UPDATE:

DUBAI // Two men and two women died when their rented, two-seat Ferrari 458 Spider hit a pavement, crashed into a lamppost and split in two in the early hours of Sunday.

The crash occurred about 12.30am in Al Sarayat Road, Jumeirah Lakes Towers.

One of the two Canadian men was Cody Nixon, 24, a boxer from Toronto who was on a round-the-world trip. The other man was thought to be his cousin.

A picture posted on his Instagram account shows him in a kandura, posing with the Ferrari on The Palm Jumeirah, with the caption: "Just landed in Dubai, picked up the Ferrari. Don't worry, I won't speed ;)"

Dubai traffic police chief Col Saif Al Mazrouei said the car was designed for two people and the man behind the wheel was driving recklessly in a 60kph zone. He said police were still working out how fast the car was going.

Motor City Boxing Club in Oshawa, where Nixon trained, posted a tribute to him on Facebook.

"It's with heavy hearts that we bid farewell to Cody 'C-4' Nixon. RIP Cody," it said.

Nixon was in the middle of a trip that he was detailing on his Instagram account, @travelwithcody. He had recently posted pictures and footage of him skydiving on Aruba Island in the Caribbean.

Diana Khaddaj of Global Affairs Canada, which manages the country's diplomatic and consular affairs, said: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the two Canadian citizens who passed away.

"Canadian consular officials are in contact with local authorities and are providing assistance to the families."

Samir Rahman, from Dubai's EZ Rentals, which has a fleet of luxury cars, said it cost Dh3,500 a day to rent a Ferrari 458 Spider, with a Dh5,000 deposit to cover any damage.

"Depending on the vehicle and its insurance policy a person must be at least 21 years old, and in some cases 24 years old," Mr Rahman said.

"The customer must have had a licence for at least six months or insurance won't cover anything at all in case of an accident."

He said that because of rising competition in Dubai, some rental companies chose to rent to drivers under 21.

"I am very keen on the rules and policies but I know companies that rent out to 19 and 20-year-olds, and especially sportscars," Mr Rahman said.

dmoukhallati@thenational.ae