Emirates National Auto Museum
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The Emirates National Auto Museum is located about one hour drive south of Abu Dhabi, on the E65 road to Liwa Oasis. It houses the private collection of Shaikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan with ca. 200 exhibition items.
Signs outside the museum, some dating back to 2005, leave doubts when/if the official opening has taken place even though the museum invites visitors. However, it is advisable to check local news for latest opening times before the trip.
[edit] Exhibits
The building houses an unusual collection of predominantly 1950s to 1990s vehicles in various stages of customisation, hard to find in any other car museum:
- The star pieces are 4 times oversized replicas of a Dodge truck with different trailers, road going and reputed to provide full mobile housing inside.
- A very detailed replicable of an 1890s Benz 3 wheeler is prominently displayed.
- A collection of 4 wheel drive vehicles appears highly appropriate for the location.
- A small collection of identical Mercedes limousines, representing together all colours of the rainbow, are the trademark of the owner.
- A number of 1950s American and 1970s European limousines with their large dimensions build a striking contrast to a sizable collection of bubble and mini cars in the adjacent row.
- some 10 prototypes and racing cars add further colour.
With a workshop located behind the building, all exhibits are in excellent condition and several are roadgoing. Currently (March 2008) there is no catalog or description of the items on display.
[edit] External links
The museum does not have a webpage, and it is also not listed in the official Abu Dhabi tourism lists. It has been featured on BBC's Motorworld programme in the past.
