Dubai: Flashy cars are certainly no stranger to Dubai’s streets.
But a new collection of cars on display until Monday in Dubai will turn heads in a very different way given that they harken back to some of the early days of the industrialised pioneer car era.
The sixth edition of the Emirates Classic Car Festival was inaugurated on Thursday at Downtown Dubai, which features around 250 classic cars and motorbikes that were specifically flown in from various countries around the Middle East, Europe and the US.
The classic cars date from the 1920s to 1984, but the oldest car that grabbed the most attention from surprised pedestrians and motorists was the two-wheeler 1892 Mercedes.
“You have to be courageous to drive a car like this because it doesn’t have the modern type of brakes that we are used to,” said Mohammad Bin Sulayem, president of the UAE Automobile Touring Club and former 14-time Middle East Rally Champion. The five-day Classic Car Festival is held in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development.
Driving the vintage car against the backdrop of the Burj Khalifa, Bin Sulayem told Gulf News that as a car enthusiast, the popularity of owning classic cars is growing not only in the UAE but internationally as well.
“Five years ago, people were shy or afraid to have their cars out on the streets but with the change in licensing rules, it has encouraged them to register their cars and show it off proudly,” said bin Sulayem.
“The popularity of classic cars is getting bigger by the year and it will soon turn into a trend to own one. The international market has grown by 30 per cent in the last year, as people are becoming more encouraged to purchase it as an investment,” he said.
Some of the eye-catching cars displayed at the annual festival include a Corvette Sting Ray, a Rolls Royce and a Bentley Blue Train — most famous for its races.
The Blue Train Races were a series of record-breaking attempts between cars and trains in the late 1920s and early 1930s. A number of motorists would speed against Le Train Bleu, a train that ran between Cannes and Calais, and the purpose of the race was to establish cars as a viable mode of transport.
The classic cars will be judged in 17 categories, and visitors can also participate in the Public’s Award by handing in their vote for the best car on display, which can be made at ballot boxes along Mohammad Bin Rashid Boulevard.
