A number of vehicles on display at the vintage car exhibition at the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) could be described as cultural icons which contributed significantly to the Qatari community in the past, according to Mawater Centre.
The month-long exhibition, organised by NMoQ and Mawater Centre, opened Friday at the museum grounds, featuring 12 old vehicles commonly used by the public in Qatar between the 1970s and 1990s.
One of the vehicles on show includes a Toyota Land Cruiser (G 1989 model/Japan), which the according to Mawater, “was and remains, an essential part of the Qatari household.”
“The popularity of the Land Cruiser stems from its reliability, durability, and ability on road and off-road.
This car has become a cultural icon and is closely linked to desert and falcon hunting trips,” Mawater noted.
Many, if not all, Qatari families own a GMC Suburban (1980/US), dubbed as “Superman” locally, due to its powerful engine and huge capacity.
It was often used for family road and Hajj trips.
Another popular vehicle in the 80s is the Nissan pickup (Japan), which was used for several purposes – from shopping to road trips, among others, and can be found in many Qatari households today.
Meanwhile, other vehicles such as the 1978 Range Rover (UK) fire truck, the 1979 Mercedes Benz 280E (Germany) ambulance, the 1975 Suzuki (Japan) motorbike, 1972 Mercedes Benz police car, 1979 GMC Sierra 3500, and the 1980 GMC B-series school bus played a role in the operations of the Qatar government in the past, including the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Finance and Petroleum, Ministry of Education, Emergency Police (now the Internal Security Force – Lekhwiya), and the Extinguishing Police Section (General Directorate of Civil Defence today).The GMC B-series buses, Mawater said, were used by the Ministry of Education from the 70s until 2004.
“While most of the buses in other countries are the classic yellow colour, in Qatar, school buses were maroon to symbolise the colour of the Qatari flag,” Mawater noted.
Equipped with manual fire extinguishers and rescue tools, the fire truck was used in the 70s and 80s and crewed by an officer, assistant officer, and a radio operator.
Other vehicles on display also include a 1983 Toyota Cressida – used as a taxi in the 70s, 80s, and 90s – that roamed the streets in Doha until 2004; and a GMC 1977 model water truck.
The Land Cruiser is closely linked to desert and falcon hunting trips. PICTURE: Joey Aguilar
The 1980 GMC Suburban was dubbed as 'Superman' locally due to its powerful engine and huge capacity. PICTURE: Shaji Kayamkulam
Suzuki motorbikes were used to transport official documents and letters between the Ministry of Finance and Petroleum and other government institutes. PICTURE: Shaji Kayamkulam
One of the vehicles on show includes a Toyota Land Cruiser (G 1989 model/Japan), which the according to Mawater, “was and remains, an essential part of the Qatari household.”
“The popularity of the Land Cruiser stems from its reliability, durability, and ability on road and off-road.
This car has become a cultural icon and is closely linked to desert and falcon hunting trips,” Mawater noted.
Many, if not all, Qatari families own a GMC Suburban (1980/US), dubbed as “Superman” locally, due to its powerful engine and huge capacity.
It was often used for family road and Hajj trips.
Another popular vehicle in the 80s is the Nissan pickup (Japan), which was used for several purposes – from shopping to road trips, among others, and can be found in many Qatari households today.
Meanwhile, other vehicles such as the 1978 Range Rover (UK) fire truck, the 1979 Mercedes Benz 280E (Germany) ambulance, the 1975 Suzuki (Japan) motorbike, 1972 Mercedes Benz police car, 1979 GMC Sierra 3500, and the 1980 GMC B-series school bus played a role in the operations of the Qatar government in the past, including the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Finance and Petroleum, Ministry of Education, Emergency Police (now the Internal Security Force – Lekhwiya), and the Extinguishing Police Section (General Directorate of Civil Defence today).The GMC B-series buses, Mawater said, were used by the Ministry of Education from the 70s until 2004.
“While most of the buses in other countries are the classic yellow colour, in Qatar, school buses were maroon to symbolise the colour of the Qatari flag,” Mawater noted.
Equipped with manual fire extinguishers and rescue tools, the fire truck was used in the 70s and 80s and crewed by an officer, assistant officer, and a radio operator.
Other vehicles on display also include a 1983 Toyota Cressida – used as a taxi in the 70s, 80s, and 90s – that roamed the streets in Doha until 2004; and a GMC 1977 model water truck.
