Unique exhibits await guests at the Emirates Auto Museum
The Emirates National Auto Museum, located in Al Dhafra, just 45 minutes from Abu Dhabi, offers a variety of unique exhibits for every car enthusiast.
This museum has everything from a prototype of the first ever car to hundreds of vintage vehicles. Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan’s personal collection is on display here, and each artefact – from a horseless carriage to a century-old petrol station – tells its own story.
The auto museum is open from 9am to 5pm seven days a week. Tickets cost Dh55, but children under 10 can go free.
Among the most interesting exhibits are a recreational vehicle built in the shape of a globe, a 4.5-metre-high Willys Jeep, which was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010 as the largest mechanical vehicle in the world, and a horseless 1915 Ford Model T Brass-Era Speedster wagon.
In the first room of the museum, guests can see cars manufactured almost 100 years ago. Such technological marvels as the 1925 American LaFrance, Dodge Special Roadster, Chrysler, Ford T, Leon Bollee and Bugatti take visitors back to the off-road era when a car was considered the most expensive possession and was only available to the very wealthy.
The second section of the museum introduces powerful cars made in America. In front of the entrance, visitors are greeted by a massive Dodge Power Wagon with bedrooms in the cab – the world’s largest pickup truck, eight times its actual size. The real car and a miniature model are also on display at the museum.
European car lovers can enjoy a collection of cars from the 1950s. Mercedes, BMW, Rolls Royce and Fiat are all represented here. One of the highlights is a Mercedes Benz 500 SEL painted in rainbow colours.
Another room of the museum takes guests to a film set, featuring cars often seen in Hollywood films. An old American police car, city taxis from different parts of the world and many others create a nostalgic atmosphere.
Visitors can also take a trip to one of the first petrol stations built in the UAE. It is equipped with an analogue meter and two tanks – one for checking the oil level and one for petrol – and allows you to imagine how fuel tanks were filled in the good old days.
Source: Khaleej Times
