Text: Nikolai Gudalov, Ph.D. in Political Science ATTRACTION OF EMIRATIANS BY PURE-BREED ARABIAN RACES, SEEKS, MAY BE EXCEEDED ONLY BY THEIR PASSION FOR IRON HORSES. In the UAE, you can see the fastest, most powerful, large, luxurious and expensive cars in the world. These are both serial copies (if, of course, the word "serial" is generally applicable to such masterpieces), as well as completely exceptional works of automobile art. In the emirate of Abu Dhabi, there is a genuine "Ferrari World" - the Ferrari World Abu Dhabi theme park, which became the first dedicated to this legendary brand and the largest indoor theme park in the world. And, of course, many UAE citizens, as well as private companies, own luxury cars. Some of them not only managed to collect unique collections, but also decided to make them available to interested public.
Perhaps the most passionate and original collector in the Emirates is Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, a member of the ruling family in Abu Dhabi. This amazing person, of course, is famous not only for cars. For example, being the owner of a rather large island called Futaysi, he wanted to dig several canals in his sands in the form of his name, the outlines of which became visible from space. However, later these giant "letters" were erased and disappeared, like a mirage in the desert. Passion for cars Sheikh Hamad does not leave. Back in 1983, he purchased as many as seven Mercedes Benz 500 SEL cars - by the number of days of the week and the colors of the rainbow, so beloved by Hamad, who is often called the “rainbow sheikh”. Each Mercedes was specially painted in the corresponding color. In the same colors are painted and ... three automatic machines built into the luggage compartment of each of the cars!
Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan is a passionate collector. In 1983, he purchased seven Mercedes Benz 500 SEL cars - by the number of days of the week and the colors of the rainbow, so beloved by Hamad, who is often called the “rainbow sheikh”
Now these and other cars are exhibited at the National Automobile Museum of the Emirates created by Sheikh Hamad. It is less than an hour's drive southwest of the city of Abu Dhabi and is built in the shape of a giant pyramid. This museum, and in combination - a private "garage" of the Sheikh gathered several hundred "moving" exhibits under his arches, and the most unusual are located outside the pyramid. Here you can find cars of different ages and purposes, in the original design or made specifically for the discerning collector. Near the pyramid you can contemplate a giant globe set on two "chassis" and special supports - a copy of the globe, reduced by 1 million times. Inside, there are nine bedrooms and bathrooms, and the globe itself was only conceived as a van ... However, probably the largest van in the world is located here and is, rather, a semblance of an impressive country house on two "chassis" the size more human growth.
The indoor nail is the exact copy of the Dodge truck, which has been widely used in the Emirates since the 1950s, after the start of the oil boom. The truck is eight times larger than the original and weighs 50 tons, being the largest truck in the world, and an ordinary jeep or person - in full growth - can easily be placed under its bottom! You can climb into the "inside" of the giant by a staircase that leads to a whole two-story "apartment" with four bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a balcony.
Even more striking is the fact that this truck is on the move: it is equipped with steering traction, brakes, and the engine is 300 liters. with. allows you to reach speeds of up to 45 km / h! The sheikh’s “stable” has a quadruple enlarged, but also working copy of the legendary American Willys SUV from the Second World War.
Nissan Patrol 8x8 White Spider 2010 has an additional pair of wheels in front and behind - only eight. This powerful "white spider" was conceived as the best way to navigate desert dunes
The sheikh’s “stable” has a quadrupled, but also working copy of the legendary American Willys jeep from the Second World War
After such exhibits, even the 2010 Nissan Patrol 8x8 White Spider 2010 SUV, made by the order of Sheikh Hamad, which has an additional pair of wheels in front and behind - only eight, will not cause much surprise. This powerful "white spider" was conceived as the best way to navigate the desert dunes. Among the quite “ordinary horses” from the sheikh’s “stable” you can find a rare Lamborghini SUV and countless Mercedes, serial Willys and Rolls Royce, which was driven by Elizabeth II, concept cars and military vehicles ...
Another connoisseur of automotive art from the Al Nahyan family is Sheikh Sultan bin Hamdan. In her possession, in the town of Abu Muraiha, in Abu Dhabi, among the fruit groves, the sheikh is engaged in growing camels and Arab gazelles, preparing hunting falcons and - maintaining the Royal Auto Gallery created by him, in which the visitor can see 37 luxury supercars. Back in 2004, the sheikh purchased the BMW Alpina V8 roadster, then his "stable" only expanded, so gradually the personal garage had to be transformed into a gallery-museum, which opened in 2007. Many of the cars presented in it are very rare, and some are made in accordance with the personal preferences of Sheikh Sultan.
The brands of supercars assembled here under one roof seem to constitute an exhaustive list of the best manufacturers on earth. Among them, for example, six Bugatti cars, including five different Bugatti Veyron. One of them, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse World Record Edition, is No. 1 of only eight cars that were released in the world. This sports car set a speed record among cars with a hinged roof - almost 409 km / h. Aston Martin models One-77 are also exhibited here with a hand-made aluminum body that literally “flies” on one of the world's most powerful 750-liter naturally aspirated engines. with. Or nine Mercedes cars - from a copy of a Benz tricycle to the latest racing supercars. And the BMW i8 Coupe is made with care not only about design, but also about nature: thanks to the combination of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, harmful emissions into the atmosphere of this sports car are much less than that of cars of a similar class. Or the most powerful Lamborghini Reventon branded, restrained matte gray at a "modest" price of 1 million euros. All this splendor is complemented by the highly anticipated Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford, Jaguar, Maserati, McLaren and Porsche.
Another interesting private collection in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi can be seen at the Al Ain Classic Car Museum. Everything here is intended to show the close connection of the history of the UAE and the cars used by the emirates. The museum was created on December 2, 2009 - on the day of Emirates independence - by Rashid Al Tami-mi, chairman of the Abu Da Bi Bi Classic Car Club. In 2013, he was moved to a place next to the former home of the founder and first president of the UAE - Sheikh Zayed. If now the exhibition is located in a modern and rather spacious building, then initially the museum was a simple tent (Arabic. "Haima")
Although the most notable automobile collections in the UAE are probably located in Abu Dhabi, other emirates are also not "deprived" in this regard. For example, almost every Dubai guest could probably see near the International Airport, in the Deira area, on Airport Road, a lot of antique cars located on the ground floor of an elegant Moorish-style building. All of them are included in the exposition of the private collection of the family company Al Serkal Group, which can be viewed by any visitor.
The floor and walls of the room in which the cars are displayed are richly decorated with mosaics, and the roof is made of transparent multi-colored glass. In such an atmosphere, numerous Ford, Chevrolet, Mercedes and Rolls Royce acquire an additional flavor. In addition, you can admire the old fire engines and even the so-called jeepneys - the "minibuses" popular in the Philippines, which are fancifully designed, sometimes completely covered with drawings, an almost surreal combination of a jeep and a minibus.
Twenty-five old and rare cars are displayed here among authentic carpets, photographs, toys - in an environment reminiscent of the history of the Emirates, which they traveled over the past forty years. In the collection you can find, for example, luxury American cars of the 50-60s (Plymouth, Ford) with elegant extended lines, elegant Mercedes of the 70-80s, and military jeeps Land Rover, Range Rover and Suzuki 50- 80s. Exhibits are constantly changing. In addition, the museum not only displays ancient "iron horses", but also offers services for their repair and even rental for related events.
Although the most notable automobile collections in the UAE are probably located in Abu Dhabi, other emirates are also not "deprived" in this regard. For example, almost every Dubai guest could probably see near the International Airport, in the Deira area, on Airport Road, a lot of antique cars located on the ground floor of an elegant Moorish-style building. All of them are included in the exposition of the private collection of the family company Al Serkal Group, which can be viewed by any visitor.
The car collections in the Emirates are very different - they include completely unique, custom-made works that can hardly be called vehicles, the most expensive and high-quality cars of world brands, and workhorses that are quite typical for their time, which less full of history charm. Of course, the emirates' passion for cars can sometimes lead to the idea that many of them, as adults and wealthy people, are still "not enough of cars." But the important thing is that here they know how not only all the time to exchange one fashionable car with another. Here, those cars that are no longer worthy to fussyly drive on the roads are able to appreciate and cherish - because they are worthy of places in museums, in history and in the hearts of motorists.
By the way, last year, cars from this museum participated, among the "vintage" exhibits from other collections, in the large-scale Dubai International Auto Show. The cost of the old cars presented on it exceeded $ 80 million.
