Novel cafe concept for rare car fuel

“The love of cars is hereditary, not acquired,” says Rashed Al Fahim, founder of DRVN Coffee.

In the 1950s, UAE Founding Father Sheikh Zayed asked Al Fahim’s grandfather to start importing cars into the country. “He would bring them in by boat, and when the car lands on the beach, the owner will come with their cash, drive their car off the boat and take them home,” Al Fahim said.

From these early efforts, the family-owned business now sells 10,000 vehicles a year and operates dealerships, showrooms, service centres, parts warehouses and retail outlets across the UAE, with facilities covering 9 hectares.

In 1969, Al Fahim’s father purchased the first car in the series, which now has 100 cars and is stored in four different locations. “That’s where the whole DRVN concept started,” he added. “We have all these cars, they’re always hidden, and I want to get them out so people can share the passion.”

Al Fahim opened the first DRVN coffee shop on Airport Road in Abu Dhabi, Combining artisanal coffee, premium food and a small piece of automotive history in one spaceA year ago, it opened its third location in Dubai’s Blue Waters in partnership with Porsche. Shown in turn and housed in glass boxes are some of the most important cars in history that the German manufacturer has produced.

“Porsche lovers might think of the most iconic cars Porsche makes, and they were born from here. We had the GT1, we had the Moby Dick, we had the first Porsche, we had the 959, and we now have another 959,” he said. “If you close your eyes and imagine all the iconic Porsches, they’ve all been here. At one point, we had $400 million worth of cars in this segment.”

Al Fahim took over his father’s car collection in 2015. “I decided to start picking cars based on value, quality and demand,” he said.

“We think the value of classic cars and rare cars has grown significantly over the past 10 years; we’re talking about triple-digit percentages. So we need to start to be more aware of what we get, what we keep and what is worth maintaining. strategic.”

A particularly important addition is the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing. “For me, it’s probably the most iconic car ever made. A car built in 1955, going over 260km/h, driving the way it does and winning the number of races it’s done, it’s amazing already.”

Al Fahim, a former Emirates pilot, visited Bugatti and Lamborghini dealerships on a trip to Houston, Texas. “I found a gull wing there. Someone changed the car Bugatti Chiron“I offered them something and it wasn’t accepted, and then we ended up going back and forth for two years and we didn’t buy the car until we came to an agreement.” That was, and still is, the core of the series. “

Patience, he says, is the most important virtue for any collector. “Don’t be in a rush to think you need to finish a collection. Always go after what you love and scream your name. No cars, no acquisitions, no food should be taken off the table.”

Updated: 11/12/2022 7:26am