The recently-proposed royal museum of vintage cars reflects Bahrain’s enduring fascination with the motor car for over a century. Peter McCormack takes a nostalgic look at the country’s unique motoring heritage, which has been mirrored by constant modernisation and expansion of the national road infrastructure...
It must have been a strange sight when the first car landed on Bahrain’s shores in 1914.
Until then, transport had been provided by horses, camels and donkeys. The vehicle in question was an American Detroit-made King automobile, which was shipped from India by Shaikh Abdullah bin Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa.
This historic occasion heralded the beginning of Bahrain’s enduring fascination with the motor car. To begin with, ownership was modest, with just 200 cars on the road by 1930.
As the number of imported cars grew, the first public petrol station opened in Bab Al Bahrain in 1938; and by the end of the Second World War there were around 400 cars in use.
The development of Bahrain’s oil industry brought new prosperity and economic growth. By the mid-1950s there were an estimated 3,500 cars on the road, growing to 6,500 by 1960 and reaching 15,000 in 1970.
Greater prosperity followed the huge increase in the price of a barrel of oil from $3 to $12 in the early 1970s. This resulted in the number of cars in Bahrain more than doubling in just five years to 33,000 by 1975.
Exponential growth in vehicles
Since the mid-seventies, the number of vehicles on the kingdom’s roads has grown exponentially. According to data from the Information and eGovernment Authority, there were 522,780 privately-owned cars in Bahrain at the end of 2016.
Given a total population of 1.37 million, this is equivalent to approximately one car for every three people. That ratio is even higher when one takes into account the number of valid driving licence holders.
Statistics from the Traffic Directorate show that 47,605 new vehicles were registered in 2016, of which 32,595 were privately-owned cars.
Over the past decade, the number of private vehicles in Bahrain has grown by over 100 per cent, with an average of 35,000 registrations annually. Currently, privately-owned cars account for over 90pc of total vehicles on the road.
The continuous increase in the number of vehicles has been mirrored by the constant modernisation and expansion of the country’s road network.
This started with the widening and paving of existing roads to facilitate the use of cars; and was followed by the construction of wider carriageways and ‘road arteries’.
Numerous roundabouts were introduced, some picturesquely adorned with fish, falcons, desert animals, sails and clocks; while others became famous landmarks, such as the Dairy Queen and Burger Land roundabouts. A series of new bridges in the 1930s replaced the traditional ferries between Manama and Muharraq, followed by a more modern causeway in 1941.
In addition, new highways linking Manama with main residential areas of the country were constructed.
Master road network plan
A major development took place in 1968 with the introduction of a master road network plan to support the country’s new urban planning initiative.
This resulted in considerable land reclamation to the north and east of Manama to enable a new ring road to be built; together with the construction of new major highways linking the capital to other parts of Bahrain.
A key highlight was the opening of the new Sitra causeway in 1976, one of the most strategic road links in Bahrain.
The causeway connects the islands of Nabih Saleh and Sitra to the capital Manama across Tubli Bay.
Ten years later, the $1.2 billion King Fahad Causeway between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia was officially opened in 1986.
Regarded as one of the great modern engineering feats, this 25-kilometre causeway ranks among the 20 longest bridges in the world and one of the longest over water; as well as being the longest causeway in the Arab world.
Ongoing development of the country’s road network continued over the next two decades. Due to the rapid growth in the number of cars, the next major upgrade of Bahrain’s road network commenced in 2006.
This involved the construction of several new six-lane highways linking main residential and business areas. In addition, many old roundabouts were replaced with traffic light-operated intersections; while flyovers and tunnels were introduced at the most heavily-used road junctions to ease traffic flow.
In 2010, a major reconstruction of the Sitra causeway was completed at a cost of $280 million.
The new causeway, one of the largest single road projects ever undertaken in Bahrain, comprises two bridges and an embankment with a total length of 3.2km. Additional developments included another causeway between Manama and Muharraq; and a new causeway linking the industrial areas of Mina Salman and Hidd.
High vehicle density
Today, Bahrain’s road infrastructure boasts one of the highest global ratios of paved roads to total roads, at 82pc.
Vehicle density in the kingdom is also high by international standards, as well as being the second highest in the GCC.
However, according to the Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry, recent studies have shown that people in Bahrain actually reach their destinations more quickly and safely, which is testimony to the design, quality and efficiency of the kingdom’s road network.
This has prompted the World Bank and the World Health Organisation to seek Bahrain’s advice on the best way to manage road traffic.
The growth in cars continues to outstrip the rise in population. Recent studies forecast that Bahrain’s population and the number of cars on the road could equalise at 2.5m by 2030, meaning that there would be one vehicle for every person.
In 2011, a detailed study began for a major new transport master plan for Bahrain, as part of the government’s policy to encourage more people to use public transport instead of their cars. The plan envisaged a smart integrated nationwide public transport system comprising bus rapid transport (BRT), light rail transport (LTR), a monorail and tramway.
In June 2017, a proposal to build a new road and rail causeway between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, using the public private partnership (PPP) model, was announced.
The King Hamad Causeway, expected to cost in the region of $5bn, will comprise a four-lane road causeway running parallel to the existing one.
There will also be a new 70km railway connecting a passenger terminal in Salmabad and freight facilities at Khalifa Bin Salman Port in Bahrain, to the Saudi/GCC rail network.
Bahrain’s classic car collections
However, despite continued efforts to attract more people to use public transport, Bahrain’s love affair with the motor car looks set to continue; with the majority of people preferring the convenience, privacy and comfort of their own vehicles.
There are also many Bahrainis who are avid collectors of heritage cars. One of the largest private collections in the kingdom belongs to media mogul and businessman Akram Miknas, who started collecting and restoring old cars back in 1982.
His eclectic collection numbers over 25 veteran, vintage and classic cars. These range from a 1913 Clement Bayard, 1917 Ford Model T and 1930 Ford Model A to a 1953 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, 1955 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn, 1960 Chrysler New Yorker and a 1962 Cadillac Fleetwood.
Classic sporting marques under his ownership include a rare 1969 Lamborghini Espada and an iconic 1971 Jaguar E-Type.
On display at the Bahrain National Museum is a restored 1932 Buick, which was gifted by the US government to the late Amir, His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, himself a keen collector.
He was fond of using classic cars from his collection for official functions, such as a late 1950s Cadillac limousine, insisting on sitting up front beside his chauffeur.
On Friday afternoons, Shaikh Isa could be seen driving himself from the royal palace in Riffa to his summer house in Zallaq in one of his favourite cars, which included a Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible.
Regional motorsport hub
This passion for cars was further illustrated by a landmark initiative of his grandson, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, which saw Bahrain hosting the Middle East’s first Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2004.
This has not only delighted numerous car racing fans from across the GCC region and further afield; but, more importantly, has also resulted in immense economic benefit to the kingdom.
A critical factor in qualifying the kingdom to host an F1 event was the affiliation of the Bahrain Motor Federation (BMF) to the Federation Internationale De L’Automobile (FIA) in 1997.
The FIA is the global governing body for motorsport that also promotes safe, sustainable and accessible mobility for all road users across the world.
One of the oldest and most locally-involved clubs in the country, BMF was established in 1952 with the aim of “promoting the safety and soundness of motoring and motorsport in Bahrain”.
Underlying Bahrain’s pioneering contribution to the development of motorsport in the GCC, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, Mumtalakat Holding Company, which owns Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), acquired a 30pc stake in McLaren in 2007.
The company is a renowned luxury sports and supercar manufacturer; and one of the most successful teams in the history of F1 grand prix racing, having won 182 races and 20 world championships since 1968.
In 2017, McLaren Automotive and McLaren Technology were merged to form the McLaren Group, with Mumtalakat and TAG Group becoming the majority shareholders.
Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, political and economic adviser to the Crown Prince’s Court, a board member of Mumtalakat and Bahrain International Circuit, and president of the Bahrain Motor Federation, is executive chairman of the new McLaren Group.
Planned museum for vintage cars
A plan to establish a royal museum for vintage cars in the kingdom was unveiled recently at a special reception held at the Euro Motors Jaguar Land Rover showroom, in honour of Prince Michael of Kent’s visit to Bahrain in July 2017.
The event was hosted by Khalid Al Zayani, honorary chairman of Al Zayani Investments Group, in the presence of British Ambassador Simon Martin and other officials.
Akram Miknas, who has exhibited his cars over the years at Dana Mall and Moda Mall, as well as at Formula 1 Grand Prix meetings, is on record as saying: “I would love to see a museum of heritage cars, and have my cars on permanent display to share them with everyone. This has the potential of becoming a very attractive tourist attraction for Bahrain.”
Such a museum would be a fitting tribute to Bahrain’s enduring fascination with the motor car.
It would enable visitors to take a nostalgic trip through the amazing evolution of the automobile, with each rare car reflecting a particular period in history.
In contrast to modern-day cars with their ubiquitous wind-tunnel designs, vintage cars reflect a bygone era of individuality and style, and a more leisurely and enjoyable motoring experience.
*About the author: A resident of Bahrain since 1995, Peter McCormack is co-founder and managing director of Words Unlimited, a specialist consultancy providing financial and business writing, and corporate communications consultancy. Contact: 39024033 and peter@wordsunlimited.net.