Mercedes-Benz supposedly had to shut down one of its factories in order to fulfil a mammoth order made by a billionaire Sheikh.
The luxury car manufacturer is alleged to have gone above and beyond to accommodate the quick turnaround that Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan al Nahyan reportedly requested.
To be fair, he isn’t just your average Joe – as Sheikh Hamdan is the son of the late Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who is one of the founding fathers of the United Arab Emirates and and the first president.
So if an Emirati royal such as his son wants a fleet of custom Mercedes made lickety-split, you best believe he will get them.
He has an enviable car collection as it is – which includes the world’s biggest Hummer H1, that somehow has room for stairs, a kitchen and a bathroom.
Sheikh Hamdan, who is estimated to be worth about $20billion, also has a Mercedes W128 that’s kitted out with monster truck wheels and several vintage Mini Coopers, according to This Is Money.
Sheikh Hamdan has a huge Hummer H1 (Instagram/@shhamadbinhamdan)
His stockpile of cars is so big that it can fill an entire museum, so if this has seriously piqued your interest, you might fancy organising a trip to Emirates National Auto Museum to see them in the flesh.
There, you will see the Sheikh’s vibrant array of W126 Mercedes-Benz S-Class motors, which are alleged to have resulted in the car brand halting all other productions at one of its factories.
For us mere mortals, if you have enough money in the bank to splash on a bespoke car, you can wait years for it to come.
So, the fact that Mercedes somehow managed to stick to the Sheikh’s tight deadline is seriously impressive, if it’s true.
Supposedly in the 1990s, he ordered seven of the luxury sedans and requested that they be daubed in various colours, with interiors to match.
One notably swanky one is painted in the colours of a rainbow, which earned Sheikh Hamad the nickname the ‘Rainbow Sheikh’.
Mercedes-Benz reportedly went above and beyond to ensure the Sheikh’s order was fulfilled on time (Emirates National Auto Museum)
The story goes that to rush these motors through, the Mercedes factory in charge of manufacturing and customising them had to press pause on all its other projects.
The eye-catching S-Class cars are all on display at the Emirates National Auto Museum, which is located in Al Dhafra, alongside more than 200 other impressive vehicles owned by the Sheikh.
Visit Abu Dhabi explains: “There are plenty of photo opportunities even before you step into the museum, like the retired passenger jet and world’s largest model jeep parked outside.
“Inside the museum, you’ll find a collection of off-road vehicles, classic American cars and the Sheikh’s Mercedes rainbow collection. Fans of the BBC television programme Top Gear will notice some familiar cars too.”
Reports claim that the Sheikh became car mad back in the early 90s after putting in the order for the S-Class sedans.
He appears to be more of a fan of weird and wonderful motors rather than supercars, as there aren’t any Bugattis or Ferraris on display in the museum.
LADbible has contacted Mercedes-Benz for comment.
