Classic beauties vroom into Downtown Dubai

350 vintage vehicles on show at Emirates Classic Car Festival till Sunday

Dubai — Automobile history was on display in the shadow of Burj Khalifa on Thursday as hundreds of elegant and expensive cars and vintage motorcycles descended on Downtown Dubai for the opening of the seventh edition of the Emirates Classic Car Festival.

The event is organised by Emaar Properties and the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE, the official local representative of the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens, an international body of historic car enthusiasts, with the support of the UAE’s Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development.

Among the over 350 vehicles on display are Bentleys, Aston Martins, Rolls Royces, Porsches, Ferraris, Alfa Romeos, Jeeps and motorcycles from as far back as the 1930s. “Car lovers, art lovers, design lovers, you don’t have to know much about cars to appreciate the sheer wonderment of design we have here,”British motor sports commentator Toby Moody said.

 As an example, Moody pointed to a Ferrari 250 Granturismo Boano.

“It’s a car that is right out of a 1950s film. You look at it and you are immediately transported in your mind’s eye to the Cote d’Azur, wafting along between Nice and Monte Carlo,” he said.

Some of the cars come from private collections in the UAE and other GCC countries, while others come from further afield, having flown in from other parts of the region, Europe or the United States.

Aziz Mutwalli, Iraqi-American owner of a 1987 Ferrari 328 GTS, said the classic cars on display should help people understand the history of some of the ultra-modern luxury cars prevalent on the streets of Dubai.

“It’s a great tie-in to the past for such a modern country,” he said. “In the past, a car was an experience. It was elegant. It was more than just a luxury item or a status symbol. People are fixated on those things. It’s nice to show people where it comes from.

“These cars are the ones that made the names,” he added. “If we don’t know the history, we won’t know the future.”British expat Ronald Powell, owner of a 1966 Aston Martin DB6 Roadster, said he was happy to see the wide variety of cars on display.

“It’s just great. They’re all something different,” he said. “I’m very pleased to be here, and very pleased I came. I’m looking forward to a chance to walk around and see all the different cars.”

“These cars are what I would call ‘oldies but goodies’,” American tourist Shawn Brauer said.

“You can really tell the care these cars were made with back then, and it’s great to talk to people that are so enthusiastic about their cars.” Vehicles at the festival are eligible for a number of awards such as the UAE Award, the Dubai Award, pre-World War II and Modern Classic Awards, among others. A panel of judges will evaluate all cars on a set of criteria including uniqueness, upkeep, value and originality.

The public will also have a chance to vote for their favourite car, which will be announced along with the other winners at the closing ceremony tomorrow afternoon.

bernd@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE