Motorshow a big draw

Petrolheads from across the island flocked to the third annual Batelco Motor Show in Hamala over the weekend to feast their eyes on a range of classic and customised mean machines.

Activities included a car show and a motorbike show, which were followed by awards for the best three cars and motorbikes in a number of categories.

Among the participants was Hassan Jarrar, 55, from Jasra, who displayed his fully-restored 1965 Pontiac GTO Hurst edition.

The 6.5-litre 4-speed manual muscle car drew envious glances from fellow car enthusiasts, something Hassan says he is used to at home.

“My son loves this car almost as much as I do and refers to it as his ‘inheritance’. He said that if I don’t want to send him to college that’s fine as long as I just give him the car!

“It’s a labour of love, it’s a hobby that I enjoy. I didn’t come to the motorshow to win, I couldn’t care less. It’s just fun to see other people and learn from them and see a lot of people appreciate the car.”

The GTO was the brainchild of Pontiac engineer Russell Gee, an engine specialist; Bill Collins, a chassis engineer; and Pontiac chief engineer John DeLorean. In early 1963, General Motors’ management issued an edict banning divisions from involvement in auto racing.

At the time, Pontiac’s advertising and marketing approach was heavily based on performance, and racing was an important component of that strategy. With GM’s ban on factory-sponsored racing, Pontiac’s management turned its attention to emphasising street performance, the result was the GTO.

Another muscle car enthusiast, Isa Nabeel, 22, from Riffa, took part in the show for the first time and had his gleaming 1981 Corvette on display.

“I got this car about a year ago for BD7,600, which I think was a great deal. Since then, it has been my pride and joy. This is my first year at the BMS and I came with other members of the Bahrain Corvette Club, to take a look at all the cars and share my passion with other motoring enthusiasts,” he said.

In 1981, there was only one powerplant available, a 5.7-litre engine that, like the L-48 base engine the previous year, produced 190bhp, but was now designated the L81. The motor was available with manual and automatic transmissions.

The show’s energetic and entertaining host, Baraa Abdulla, was on-hand to interact with the crowd and chat to participants about their cars.

He said: “All the cars and motorbikes are voted for by visitors to determine who has the best ride. I’ve spoken with a lot of people and it’s fair to say competition is tough this year. This is the third year the event has taken place and each year it seems to get more and more popular. A lot of people come down with beautiful cars to chill out and admire the scenery.”

The categories were classic sport cars, classic salon cars, classic 4X4 cars, 4X4 cars and trucks. The motorbike categories covered scooters, sports, metric, touring, trike, HD classic, HD Vrod, HD sportster, HD Dyna, HD Fatbob and customised bikes.

In addition to the awards, there were stalls for sponsors, a music show and DJ, Batelco Mobile Shop (to promote and sell Batelco’s products and services) and entertainment activities for youngsters.