UAE at 50: rolling back the years to discover Sheikh Zayed's magnificent lost limousine


James Langton
  • English
  • Arabic

It’s a long lost part of the UAE’s history. A six metre, two and half tonne Rolls Royce Phantom V limousine with several careful past owners, most notably Sheikh Zayed.

The car was tracked down in Austria by Abu Dhabi motoring historian Mohammed Luqman Ali Khan and is now owned by a private collector in the UK.

Mr Khan is currently writing a book about the Rolls Royce to be published later this year in time for the UAE’s 50th anniversary,

The vehicle has a tendency to oversteer, while the petrol consumption of its V8 6.2 litre engine and 105 litre fuel tank is, to put it plainly, "awful"

It has been almost two years since he revealed the discovery. At the time, Mr Khan was researching a book on the cars of Sheikh Zayed, which he plans to publish in 2022.

The Rolls-Royce will also get a book of its own, scheduled to hit the shelves later this year.

But it was another publication, Memories of Emirates, by the UAE's National Archives, that started his quest. Among the book's illustrations was a colour photograph from 1966 of a gleaming Rolls-Royce being unloaded from a barge at Abu Dhabi, after shipment from England by importers Grey Mackenzie.

The car had been ordered from Rolls-Royce the previous year as the state vehicle for the Ruler at the time, Sheikh Shakhbut.

Six months after the car was unloaded on the beach – at that time Abu Dhabi had no port – his brother, Sheikh Zayed had become Ruler. With the office came the official Rolls-Royce.

After persuading the then owner to sell, Mr Khan acquired the vehicle on behalf of the UK collector, and has also located all the associated paperwork that established it was the genuine article.

The rear of the Rolls Royce Phantom V. Courtesy: Mohammed Luqman Ali Khan
The rear of the Rolls Royce Phantom V. Courtesy: Mohammed Luqman Ali Khan

It includes the original bill of sale, which records the car cost around £10,000, the equivalent of £165,000 or Dh830,000 today and something of a bargain, given that the current Phantom model is around twice that.

Extras included a refrigeration unit, an illuminated drinks cabinet, a pull-out picnic table and flag holders.

Rolls-Royce records confirm that the chassis number – 5VE15 – matches the one sold to Abu Dhabi.

It registered the owner as “His Highness Sheikh Shakbut bin Sultan Al Nahaiyan Ruler of Abu Dhabi”, with the car sold through Jack Barclay of Mayfair, London, and payment made via the Ottoman Bank, which had a branch in Abu Dhabi.

Sheikh Zayed made most use of the car. It was on active service at least until the end of the 1970s, when it greeted Queen Elizabeth II on her first state visit to the UAE in 1979.

Fitted with huge desert tyres, it transported Sheikh Zayed to his historic meeting on the border of Dubai in 1968, where the Rulers of the seven emirates agreed to come together as one country.

Three years later, on December 2 1971, it was dispatched by Sheikh Zayed to bring the UK diplomat James Treadwell to the newly established UAE, where he would present his credentials as Britain’s first ambassador.

Finally, it was given by Sheikh Zayed to Edward "Tug" Wilson, the founder and first commander of the Abu Dhabi Defence Force. Mr Wilson was a personal friend of the Ruler and also founded the Royal Stables.

Mr Wilson returned the car to the UK where he drove it in the 16,000-kilometre 1990 London to Beijing Motor Challenge.

Although there are currently no plans to return the Phantom to Abu Dhabi, Mr Khan hopes one day it might be displayed in the capital.

“I am driven by a passion to bring this car back to Abu Dhabi where it belongs,” he says.

Before shipping the car from Vienna to its new owner in the UK, Mr Khan could not resist taking a turn behind the steering wheel of what he calls the “most important motor car in the history of the nation".

He reports that the vehicle has a 15-metre turning circle and “a tendency to oversteer’’, while the petrol consumption of its V8 6.2 litre engine and 105-litre fuel tank is, to put it plainly, awful.

But as they used to say of those thinking of buying a Rolls-Royce: “If you have to ask how much it costs, then you probably can’t afford it.”

This article has been updated to better reflect the chain of ownership of the car

Sun jukebox

Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)

This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.

Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)

The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.

Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)

Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.

Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)

Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.

Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)

An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.

Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)

Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.

If you go

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.

The car

Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.

Parks and accommodation

For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Details

Through Her Lens: The stories behind the photography of Eva Sereny

Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

If you go

Flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.

The stay

Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
UAE%20FIXTURES
%3Cp%3EWednesday%2019%20April%20%E2%80%93%20UAE%20v%20Kuwait%3Cbr%3EFriday%2021%20April%20%E2%80%93%20UAE%20v%20Hong%20Kong%3Cbr%3ESunday%2023%20April%20%E2%80%93%20UAE%20v%20Singapore%3Cbr%3EWednesday%2026%20April%20%E2%80%93%20UAE%20v%20Bahrain%3Cbr%3ESaturday%2029%20April%20%E2%80%93%20Semi-finals%3Cbr%3ESunday%2030%20April%20%E2%80%93%20Third%20position%20match%3Cbr%3EMonday%201%20May%20%E2%80%93%20Final%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

DIVINE%20INTERVENTOIN
%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Elia%20Suleiman%2C%20Manal%20Khader%2C%20Amer%20Daher%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Elia%20Suleiman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE squad to face Ireland

Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind

Fatherland

Kele Okereke

(BMG)

Directed by Sam Mendes

Starring Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays

4.5/5

Turning%20waste%20into%20fuel
%3Cp%3EAverage%20amount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20at%20DIC%20factory%20every%20month%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EApproximately%20106%2C000%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAmount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20from%201%20litre%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%20%3Cstrong%3E920ml%20(92%25)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETime%20required%20for%20one%20full%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%20used%20cooking%20oil%20to%20biofuel%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EOne%20day%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EEnergy%20requirements%20for%20one%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%201%2C000%20litres%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%96%AA%20Electricity%20-%201.1904%20units%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Water-%2031%20litres%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Diesel%20%E2%80%93%2026.275%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RESULTS

Women:

55kg brown-black belt: Amal Amjahid (BEL) bt Amanda Monteiro (BRA) via choke
62kg brown-black belt: Bianca Basilio (BRA) bt Ffion Davies (GBR) via referee’s decision (0-0, 2-2 adv)
70kg brown-black belt: Ana Carolina Vieira (BRA) bt Jessica Swanson (USA), 9-0
90kg brown-black belt: Angelica Galvao (USA) bt Marta Szarecka (POL) 8-2

Men:

62kg black belt: Joao Miyao (BRA) bt Wan Ki-chae (KOR), 7-2
69kg black belt: Paulo Miyao (BRA) bt Gianni Grippo (USA), 2-2 (1-0 adv)
77kg black belt: Espen Mathiesen (NOR) bt Jake Mackenzie (CAN)
85kg black belt: Isaque Braz (BRA) bt Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE), 2-0
94kg black belt: Felipe Pena (BRA) bt Adam Wardzinski (POL), 4-0
110kg black belt final: Erberth Santos (BRA) bt Lucio Rodrigues (GBR) via rear naked choke

STAY%2C%20DAUGHTER
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYasmin%20Azad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESwift%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio

Date of birth: April 18, 1998

Playing position: Winger

Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda