The UAE — Appreciating the Classics
For many, Friday night in Dubai is a chance to hit the pubs and clubs and not worry about it the next day. For others, however, it’s a chance to go out for a spin. They’d rather enter the small hours with adrenalin coursing through their veins than alcohol.
This is hardly surprising. The UAE is one of the cheapest places in the world to buy a car. Fuel is cheap too, leaving you to only worry about car insurance costs and other expenses. What’s interesting, however, is that although new car sales have increased in the UAE, consumers are also becoming fond of classic cars.
And with the approval of the Roads and Transport Authority, the Automobile Touring Club UAE has set new standards for classic car use in Dubai.
As well as meeting safety criteria, cars must be over 30 years old to receive ‘classic car’ status. Then, based on their road worthiness, how many kilometres go on the clock per year, and other criteria, they’re placed into a specific category. In some, the owner can only take them out on certain types of road or during the daytime. In others, the car’s sole purpose is for others to admire, but sitting pretty in the owner.
