An exhibition introducing the project, A Sneak Peek at Qatar Auto Museum Project, opens Tuesday at the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ).
The Qatar Auto Museum (QAM) will be located along the Lusail Expressway between the 5/6 Park and Katara – the Cultural Village, in the former exhibition centre building that hosted the first Qatar Motor Show in 2011.
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Acting QAM director Dr Alkindi Aljawabra at the exhibition, located in the NMoQ's Mawater Gallery. PICTURE: Joey Aguilar
The QM is working with the OMA on designs to transform the building.
Development will begin after the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy has concluded its operations for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
On view through January 20, 2023, the exhibition explores the significance of automotive design in the 20th century and the impact of automobiles on culture, previewing the content of the new museum.
The exhibition, presented both inside and outside the museum, includes three iconic cars from the QM’s collection and approximately 20 unique cars on loan from members of the Qatar Auto Museum advisory board and Qatar’s community of automobile enthusiasts.
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A 1939 Pontiac Plexiglass Deluxe Six 'Ghost Car', the first transparent car built in America. PICTURE: Joey Aguilar
HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, said: “From sporting events like Formula 1 races to classic car shows, car culture has an expansive presence in Qatar.”
“We are thrilled to present this exhibition, which reflects our passions as auto enthusiasts, during a year when so many visitors will come to Doha to celebrate the World Cup,” she said. “The exhibition showcases our culture while introducing an exciting new institution dedicated to providing an inspiring educational and technological experience for all.”
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The 'Sneak Peek' at Qatar Auto Museum exhibition showcases three spectacular cars. PICTURE: Joey Aguilar
“Qatar Auto Museum will serve as an innovative community hub for auto enthusiasts, students, collectors, engineers and all who appreciate the impact on our world of the emergence and evolution of the automobile,” HE Sheikha Al Mayassa added.
Qatar Auto Museum President HE Dr Hessa al-Jaber said: “In modern history, very few inventions have impacted everyday life and the broader culture as powerfully and pervasively as the automobile.”
“The Qatar Auto Museum will be a showplace for our unsurpassed collection, and like all Qatar Museums institutions, will spark innovation, creativity, dialogue, and community, as a destination that will offer new and exciting experiences on each visit,” she said.
Advisory board members for the Qatar Auto Museum include HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, HE Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, HE Mansoor bin Ebrahim al-Mahmoud, HE Akbar al-Baker, Omar Alfardan, Salem al-Mohannadi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani, Sheikh Faleh bin Nawaf bin Nasser al-Thani, Hisham al-Mana, Mohamed al-Jaidah, Saud al-Mana, Mohamed Mahdi al-Ahbabi, Dr Khalid Kamal Naji, Dr Adnan Abu-Dayya, and Professor César Malavé.
"The Qatar Auto Museum advances Qatar Museums’ legacy of work surrounding car culture, which includes assembling a world-class collection of automobiles, hosting several auto-themed exhibitions, and dedicating a gallery at the National Museum to vintage cars with the support of the Sealine Sports Club (Mawater),” QM said in a statement. “*A Sneak Peek at Qatar Auto Museum Project introduces the concept design for a new museum that will bring Qatar’s expanding car community under one roof.”
The new project will convert the former Doha Exhibition Centre into “a centre for innovation, design, environmentally-friendly mobility, and road safety” in the country and the region.
“We think that the vision for this museum is very unique, because it is not a traditional museum … we are not just making a base where we will display cars,” QAM acting director Dr Alkindi Aljawabra told reporters on the sidelines of the exhibition’s media preview Monday.
The 30,000sq m (320,000sq ft) museum will include permanent galleries that track the evolution of the automobile from its invention through today, and how it has influenced culture in Qatar, and temporary exhibition spaces for the display of high-profile vehicles – from supercars and limited editions to racecars and classic cars.
Additional facilities will include an Edutainment Centre and Workshop Spaces, as well as areas dedicated to children’s activities such as driving simulators, mini car mechanics, kids' driving areas, and more.
Dr Aljawabra said the Edutaiment Centre will include workshops, besides collaborations with universities, science and technology centres, and other institutions, making it (museum) a community hub for students, engineers, car lovers and enthusiasts.
In addition, he said that the museum will have a garage and a Technology Hub, as well as a restoration centre, and “this will be an open door conservation lab”.
“We will be restoring our own cars … for collectors in the country who would like to restore their cars, they can bring them to the museum or they might just book the conservation lab to work on their vehicles by themselves, because many of them are really professionals, they just need a space,” he said.
Besides classic cars, the museum director said that the QAM will also showcase concept and “futuristic” cars.
The QAM, according to Qatar Museums, “will explore the past, present and future of the automobile and its impact on global life and culture”.
It will spotlight the car as a proud marker of Qatar’s growth, a common thread between a diverse population and a unifying vehicle of culture and innovation.
“In line with Qatar National Vision 2030, the development of the QAM will complement the State’s efforts to support the cultural, educational and tourism sectors, its strong investments in the automotive industry and its position as a host for global automotive events, such as the Qatar Geneva International Motor Show and Formula 1,” the QM said. “The exhibition has been made possible by generous support from the Qatar Investment Authority, the Sealine Sports Club (Mawater), and the Qatar Auto Museum Advisory Board members.”
Additional plans for the Qatar Auto Museum will be announced in the coming months.
