Come, fall in love with classic cars

Over 300 vintage cars are on show at the Emirate Classic Car Festival, which is open till Sunday.

Take a trip down memory lane and marvel at more than 300 vintage cars on display along the Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard in Downtown Dubai for the 8th edition of Emirates Classic Car Festival.

The exhibition is open until Sunday and will not only showcase a line of classic cars dating as far back as 1916 but also features timeless trucks and vintage motorcycles. There’s even a photography exhibition, live restoration sessions and special movie screenings at the annual event organised by Emaar Properties in association with the Automobile and Touring Club of UAE (ATCUAE) and the UAE Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development.

Vintage vehicles on display come from the private collections of classic car enthusiasts in the UAE while some were flown in from across the region, Europe and the US.

“The show grows bigger and better through the years,” Mohammed bin Sulayem, president of ATCUAE, tells Khaleej Times. “For me, I don’t have a favourite car but I can say my taste is heavily influenced by American classic cars.”

“I can remember when I was still in high school — open roads, less fuel prices and then you have one of those muscledcars... When you were young you want that power and I like those 1970’s American macho cars,” adds Sulayem.

Sulayem also sees car collection as a good business opportunity as “some people are collecting vintage cars not only for enjoyment but also as an investment.”

“I hope this classic car festival will also promote the passing of a law on how to inspect and encourage registration of vintage cars,” he adds.

For Karim Abdelmalik, a Canadian expat working for Dubaibased classic car detailer: “You have to be insanely passionate about classic cars in order to own one.”

“Depending on the car, there’s also a lot of risks in owning a vintage car. But imagine owning one, having it in your garage and driving it… every vintage car has a story to tell and it’s great to be part of it,” he adds.

Hafidh Hafidh, a young thirteen-year old car enthusiast agrees. “I like vintage cars because they give me ideas about the evolution of cars over a period of time. I started tinkering on cars when I was five and it gives me pleasure not just as a hobby but I also like learning stuff and helping in restoring vintage cars.”

British motor sport journalist and event presentor Toby Moody says this year’s event has seen more than 100 classic cars than last year.

VINTAGE COLOURS … Dubai visitor Admira Hodzic from Sweden takes pictures of Ford Model T classic cars. First introduced in 1908, the Model T is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile that opened travel to middle-class Americans.

PASSING ON TO THE NEXT GENERATION … Romanian expat Adrian Tofan says his three-year old son Nicholas loves watching Disney’s animated movie Cars. But Nicholas seems even more excited to see a fully-restored and still road-worthy vintage Ford at the...

ADMIRING TIMELESS BEAUTY … Mohammed bin Sulayem, president of Automobile and Touring Club of UAE, marvels a red vintage Mercedes. He said: “The Emirates Classic Car Festival provides a wonderful opportunity for car enthusiasts to share their passion...

LIMITED EDITION … This ‘recreated’ 1958 Porsche 356 Zagato Speedster is one of the nine only cars in the world. The original Zagato model no longer exists but the Zagato Classic team reconstructed it by tracing its history and using reverse engineering.

BEAUTY LIES WITHIN … A 1950 Mercedes 170 S, promoted as a car for company directors, earned the nickname the “first S-Class MercedesBenz” with enhanced performance and top speed of 122 km/h.

STARTING ‘EM YOUNG ... Thirteen-year old Hafidh Hafidh is a walking Wikipedia on classic cars. He helps his family-owned Classic Wagon team do a live restoration of a 1926 Ford Model T Coupé.

MOTORCYCLE DIARIES ... Aside from the classic cars on display, visitors were also pleasantly surprised with an array of classic bikes like Royal Enfields and Ducatis displayed in the festival.

HISTORY AND LEGACY ... A visitor admires a 1957 Mercedes that was the personal vehicle of the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE.

IMPRESSIVE SHOW ... Toby Moody, motor sport broadcaster, says this year’s event has seen 100 classic cars more than last year.