ABU DHABI // Visitors to the Emirates National Auto Museum said its new exhibition of sport utility vehicles gives a sense of practicality after the experience of awe the main show provides.
Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan last week launched an array of 4-wheel-drive models at the museum in the first major addition to the facility since it opened in 2004.
The exhibition featured models of Jeep Wranglers, Dodge Rams, and the popular Nissan Patrols and Toyota Land Cruisers.
Mike Sim, a visitor from Singapore and a car enthusiast, said: “This is way beyond me, this is fantastic. Wow, the scale and the collection is really just amazing.”
Sheikh Hamad said one of the main objectives of showcasing these models was to provide technical support to consumers thinking of purchasing one.
The exhibition displays the cars and offers information about what makes them viable options for local consumers. “This is like a shopping mall window display of the cars,” Mr Sim said. “The new display is really great.”
Mr Sim said that while he personally does not favour 4x4s, he can still appreciate the service.
“You know it’s different,” he said. “All the Jeeps here are white I’ve noticed, whereas in Singapore all the cars are black.”
His son-in-law, Frank Cibulka, an associate professor of humanities and social sciences at Zayed University, said that for him the museum is a must-see whenever he is on road to Liwa.
“It’s amazing considering the location of the museum, in the middle of the desert to find that this collection of vehicles is available is really just astonishing,” he said.
Located 40 kilometres south of Abu Dhabi, the museum houses the sheikh’s private car collection, with approximately 230 exhibits.
“You know, I’m not a big car person but this museum makes it very interesting to get a glimpse into what the museum is about and the cars that make up the history of the UAE,” Prof Cibulka said.
Sheikh Hamad told Wam, the state news agency, that the latest additions really give perspective to the current 4x4s available in the market in a country in which these vehicles are very popular.
He sees the museum as a way for car consumers to get on-the-spot information.
Some of the cars on display have been customised for the sheikh, who has focused his collection on unique variations of US classic cars and off-road vehicles.
Also in the exhibition is the largest truck in the world, which is fashioned after a 1950s Dodge Power Wagon, a vehicle that was used during the oil era.
The museum is located on the road to Liwa and is open daily from 10am to 6pm.
nalwasmi@thenational.ae
