Emirates National Auto Museum
The Emirates National Auto Museum is located about one hour drive south of Abu Dhabi, on the E65 road to Liwa Oasis 24°05′N 54°25′E / 24.083°N 54.417°E. It houses the private collection of Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan with approximately 200 exhibition items.
Signs on the highway to the museum are easy to follow admission cost is AED50 for adults. However, it is advisable to check local news for latest opening times before the trip.
Exhibits
The pyramid-shaped building houses an unusual collection of predominantly 1950s to 1990s vehicles in various stages of customisation, hard to find in any other car museum, http://www.enam.ae/index.html
This museum is the private collection of H.H. Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan.
The collection houses a vast array of cars and other vehicles; some seemingly bought from owners there and then, such as a customised camper van, others received as presents from all around the world. While some have been kept as originally intended, others have been modified to suit the Sheikh's preference.
You will find several Mercedes, one in each colour of the rainbow for each day of the week. And they are all fitted with conveniences such as refrigerators and TV. A number of other vehicles are also rainbow coloured or have a rainbow logo painted on them and have matching seats and hubcaps. There are a number of military vehicles into which children are allowed to climb; one even has a golfing range on top.
The Dodge comes in all sizes but none is as impressive as the 5-metre-high model with a complete apartment under its roof. It was parked next to some dune-bashing monstrosities and a shiny see-through disco car. including:
- An 8 times oversized replica of a Dodge Power Wagon truck, this is a towable caravan and has four bedrooms inside.
- A very detailed replicable of an 1890s Benz three-wheeler.
- A collection of 4-wheel-drive vehicles.
- 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.
With a workshop located behind the building, all exhibits are in excellent condition and several are roadgoing. There are also many gaps in the displays with no explanation. Only a handful of vehicles have information placards at all and even then it is simple specification info. There is no history or provenance provided.
On display outside are:
- a 4:1 scale Jeep
- a 4:1 scale Land Rover
- Lockheed Tristar L-1011-385-1-114 MSN 193N-1093 the former British Airways Loch Fyne
Opening hours - 8.00 am - 5.30 pm Every day.
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Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan with largest model Willys Jeep in 2009
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Certificate presented to Sheikh Hamad by Guinness world records
External links
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The official website of this museum is www.enam.ae. It is also listed in the official Abu Dhabi tourism lists. It has been featured on BBC's Motorworld programme in the past.