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Bahrain has always been a prime attraction for visitors looking to catch a slice of history, but the country's latest tourist draw puts a different kind of history on show.
Top ad man Akram Miknas, an avid collector of vintage cars, has launched the Miknas Car Museum with a prize collection of vehicles dating back nearly a hundred years.
The classics on display all boast unique designs and mark key moments in automobile history.
The oldest car in the collection, the Clement Bayard, dates all the way back to 1913. Manufactured before the First World War, its design was viewed as both new and exciting for its time due to it being in the form of an early convertible.
Amongst the other prestigious cars in the collection is a Ferrari, an E-type Jaguar and a Ford T1.
The Ferrari 1988 was perceived as a dream car since its launch in 1948 and has the famous prancing horse logo, which appeared for the first time on a Ferrari at the Rome Grand Prix. The Ferrari's reputation and success in racing continues to this day.
The Jaquar E-type 1975, described by some auto historians as the most exciting car ever made, has a great deal to live up to. Composed of the most advanced technology then and boasting a highly styled body, it was quite possibly the fastest car around in its time. The durability and quality of this car and its predecessors, the 'C' and 'D' types were proved at the 1957, 24-hour Le Mans Race, where five of the six finishers were D- type Jaquars. The most attractive feature of this car was the independent rear suspension.
The Ford T1 was the first mass produced car in history. It was designed by Henry Ford, whose phrase "You can paint it any colour as long as it's black" remains one of the all time classic quotes.
Miknas is happy to give car buffs a chance to share the joy of viewing his classic collection.
"I have always been a passionate colletor of antiques, as well as art, and have through the last 30 years collected numerous antique items. One of my most favourite collections though is that of vintage cars," said Miknas.
"I hope Bahrain's public and visitors alike enjoy this intimate and eclectic collection of classic cars," he added.
The Miknas Car Museum is the first one of its kind in the GCC and Miknas hopes it will add to Bahrain's cultural and art scene.
Miknas hopes to follow this project with another museum that specialises in moving image and sound.
Entrance fees to the Miknas Car Museum are BD2 for adults and BD1 for children. The fees will be used to cover maintenance costs of the museum.
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