Like a kooky mirage, a pyramid-shaped structure rises from the desert sands some 45km south of Abu Dhabi on the lonely highway that leads to the Liwa Oasis. It holds the private car collection of Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, aka the ‘Rainbow Sheikh’: some 200 vehicles – from prototypes to concept cars to American classics – the oldest being a steam-powered Mercedes from 1885. The newest addition is a wall of glass-encased SUVs outside the facility.
In 1983 Sheikh Hamad bought seven Mercedes 500 SELs, painted in the colours of the rainbow for each day of the week. The car park is the resting place of several iconic vehicles, including the sheikh's monster truck, an eight-bedroom motor home complete with balcony, and the Globe Trailer dubbed the ‘earth on wheels'.
