Islamabad Auto Show: Unique cars draw 5,000 enthusiasts

"Car restoration and collection is something not possible without passion", says an enthusiast from Lahore

ISLAMABAD:

From limousines to jeeps to vintage cars and even the odd Rolls Royce and Ferrari, the Islamabad Auto Show had something for everyone.

The show, the first of its kind in Islamabad, was held at Fatima Jinnah Park on Sunday and attended by around 5,000 people from the twin cities.

With over 140 vehicles from across the country, it was a spectacle at the show, with people posing in front of their favourite cars and families roaming around the row of cars enjoying the autumn afternoon. Some children even got to sit in a limousine, making their day even more special.

The vehicles got plenty of photo shoots, with professional camera-toting youth going click-click-click everywhere as car collectors polished their vehicles and revved up the engines.

The show’s timing matched with the Karachi-Khyber vintage car rally that concluded in Peshawar on Saturday, allowing the rally’s participants from Karachi to attend the show as well.

One of the cars on display from Karachi was a 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback, made famous by Steve McQueen in the 1968 Hollywood movie Bullitt. Its owner, Hamza Sadiq, said he had driven 2,000 kilometres to get to Islamabad.

Speaking on the awareness of cars’ values in the country, several enthusiasts were of the view that it has grown during the recent past.

“The internet has allowed people to find out the prices of cars overseas,” said Sardar Rehman Jamil, an enthusiast from Lahore. “This has generated hype and allowed people to ask for more money for their cars.”

Love and dedication for cars seemed evident among the collectors, and some went ahead to spell it out.

“Car restoration and collection is something not possible without passion,” said Jamil.

Bikers from the twin cities’ riders club also attended the show. Sheikh Amir, who owns a motorbike showroom in Rawalpindi, was at the forefront of organising the bike display.

Amir said the club has a network of around 50 members, who support and advise each other. He also said the trend of biking in the twin cities has grown since the motorways were opened for motorbikes with over 500cc engines.

Suneel Sarfaraz Munj, chairman of Pak eVentures and co-founder of Pakwheels.com, said everyone cannot fulfil their desire to own rare cars, so the show is an opportunity for people to watch their dream cars.

The event was organised by Pakwheels.com, an online community of Pakistani car enthusiasts with over 200,000 members.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th, 2012.